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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Luke Henriques-Gomes (now) and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

Victoria will go into lockdown

What happened today, Thursday 5 August

We’ll leave it there after a very busy day. Before that, here are today’s main developments.

  • Victoria will enter a lockdown from 8pm, its sixth of the pandemic, after six new cases overnight and another two today. Amid concern about a number of mystery infections. The premier, Daniel Andrews, said the Delta variant meant he had no choice but to lockdown the state.
  • Five people died from Covid-19 in New South Wales as the state recorded 262 cases, while the Hunter and upper Hunter entered a seven-day lockdown. An extra 180,000 Pfizer doses are headed for south-west Sydney.
  • Queensland recorded 16 new cases and is now considering mask-use for children under 12. No decision has been taken on whether the state will leave lockdown. on Sunday.
  • The prime minister, Scott Morrison, tabled the Closing the Gap statement in parliament, while the government also announced funding for a redress scheme for members of the stolen generations.
  • Morrison was also grilled by journalists over the car parks funding scandal, ducking questions repeatedly over whether he had seen a controversial list of 20 marginal seats to which the projects were funnelled.

That’ll do for now. I think we can all agree times are tough at the moment, so please take care of yourself and be kind to others.

Until tomorrow.

Newcastle and Hunter residents who had their Covid vaccine appointments cancelled so doses could be redirected to school students in Sydney are furious as they are left unvaccinated and in lockdown as the virus spreads to their region.

Elias Visontay has more.

Traveller tests positive in Tasmania, border shut to Victoria

Here is an update on the situation in Tasmania, courtesy of AAP.

A NSW traveller has tested positive to Covid-19 while quarantining in Tasmania after touching down in the state without an entry pass.

The 31-year-old man, who arrived in Launceston in Tasmania’s north on Monday via Melbourne, has since returned to NSW.

He was tested on Tuesday when in quarantine and returned a positive result on Thursday morning.

The man left hotel quarantine in Launceston on Wednesday to return home to NSW, as is permitted under Tasmania’s emergency act.

“This is not a case of community transmission. This is a case that has been picked up in quarantine,” Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein said.

Gutwein also announced Tasmania would shut to Victoria for at least seven days in response to the mainland state’s lockdown.

The state’s Public Health Director Mark Veitch said the man, who developed symptoms on Thursday, was “probably becoming infectious” when he arrived in Tasmania.

He went straight into hotel quarantine via taxi and there is a minimal risk of exposure to the community as infection control procedures were in place, Dr Veitch said.

The case has forced the state government to cancel Sunday’s sold out AFL fixture between Hawthorn and Collingwood in Launceston.

Updated

Hello to you all. It’s Luke Henriques-Gomes here. Thanks to Amy Remeikis for all her work this week. There’s been a lot happening, both in Canberra and all across the country.

I’ll be with you for the next short while.

It has been a day for so many of you, and I am so, so sorry there was not more good news we could bring you today.

It was a lot, and I know it is going to roll into tomorrow, and that is an exhausting thought in itself. Honestly, today is a day for a good shower cry and don’t be ashamed in the slightest if you need to indulge in a little shut the world out pity party.

There is a lot going on, not a lot of it good, and that’s been in a long, long line of months of relative shitness, so honestly, for anyone who needs it, you have permission to go deal with that however you need. Howl, scream, cry, eat, drink, watch bad TV. Whatever works.

A very big thank you to all of you who came along for today’s absolute cluster of news. Your humour and comments are what keep us all going, and we appreciate how many of you choose to spend part of your day with us. Truly. It means a lot.

I am going to hand you over to Luke Henriques-Gomes, who, like so many of you, is dealing with the news of entering his sixth lockdown like a champ, and spending his last few hours of relative freedom keeping you informed of whatever may happen past now.

A very big thank you to the champion of this blog, Mike Bowers, who has spent the week running around parliament for me, while I’m on a stay-at-home order, and to the Guardian Canberra team of Katharine Murphy, Sarah Martin, Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp for letting me know what’s happening. And of course to the entire Guardian team at large, who are the reason this blog ever makes it live.

I’ll be back when parliament returns on Monday. Until then, please, take care of you – and those around you.

Everyone might need a little bit of extra kindness today. Ax

Updated

For those who missed it in the latest news-explosions.

Updated

On the change to the biosecurity act we reported on a little bit below, the only point of the change (making Australians who reside overseas apply to return to their residence) is to try and discourage Australians from wanting to come home at all.

So if you have been unable to return during the pandemic to see loved ones, or visit your country, you apply to do so now (and that’s if you can get into the country given the slashed numbers of international arrivals being accepted) knowing that you may not be able to easily return to your residence/job/life in the country you are living in.

That’s a pretty big gamble to take, and will make more than a few people, who will already be stumping up for hotel quarantine just to enter their country, question whether it is worth it.

Which is the point. It not only cuts down on the number of people needing to go through hotel quarantine, it also cuts the waiting lists of stranded Australians.

And it’s all done with a stroke of the minister’s pen, and then quietly loaded onto the gazette website.

Australians overseas have been affected by a change to the biosecurity act.
Australians overseas have been affected by a change to the biosecurity act. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

Updated

NSW has listed some new exposure sites.

Updated

People linked to “gross human rights violations” could be hit with travel bans and bank account freezes under new international sanctions laws to be introduced by the Morrison government.

The new laws will also allow Australia to sanction individuals and entities for serious corruption, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or malicious cyber activity.

The government’s long-awaited announcement follows calls from across the political spectrum for the government to introduce so-called Magnitsky-style legislation in line with its major allies and partners.

The plans will expand the reach of Australia’s existing sanctions laws, which are based on country-specific designations, with legislation set to be introduced into parliament by the end of the year.

The foreign minister, Marise Payne, said the new measures – announced eight months after a bipartisan parliamentary committee called for such laws – would allow the government to target “perpetrators of egregious acts of international concern”.

“The reforms will expand upon Australia’s current country-based autonomous sanctions framework to specify themes of conduct to which sanctions could be applied, such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, gross human rights violations, malicious cyber activity and serious corruption.

Once the types of conduct are established, Australia will have the ability to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against individuals and entities determined to be involved in such sanctionable conduct wherever it occurs, without having to establish specific country-based regimes.”

Readers may recall that back in March, when the UK, US, EU and Canada announced coordinated sanctions against Chinese officials over human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, the move was welcomed but not followed by Australia and New Zealand.

We were told that was partly because Australia and New Zealand lack Magnitsky-style laws that would allow the swift rollout of targeted sanctions against individuals for human rights abuses.

Before the last round of non-stop news, we mentioned Rex Patrick had a win in his bid to access national cabinet documents, which the government had deemed cabinet-in-confidence. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal says – not so fast on the cabinet comparison.

From Patrick’s statement:

“Federal Court Justice Richard White’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision published today is a decisive repudiation of Prime Minister Morrison’s claims that National Cabinet is part of the Federal Cabinet system and covered by absolute secrecy exemptions under our national Freedom of Information law,” Senator Patrick said.

“This is a decisive win for transparency and accountability.”

“Justice White has found that in no respect could ‘National Cabinet’ be considered part of the Federal Cabinet or a subcommittee of Federal Cabinet. The National Cabinet was not even established properly, they could not even get that right. National Cabinet’s establishment and early decisions were poorly documented. This is another political, legal and administrative shambles produced by a Prime Minister making things up as he went along,” Senator Patrick said. “Make no mistake, the decision of Justice White is absolutely scathing of the Government.”

“The thing the Prime Minister labelled ‘National Cabinet’ is a faux Cabinet. It’s just another intergovernmental meeting, in effect the former Council of Australian Governments, COAG, by another name.”

“For almost 40 years Australians have had a legal right under the Freedom of Information Act 1984 to access information relating to intergovernmental meetings, subject only to a test of public harm. Last year Prime Minister Morrison tried to take that right away. He did not ask the Parliament to change the law, he just declared that National Cabinet to be part of the Federal Cabinet and as such exempt under the Cabinet secrecy exemption of the FOI Act.”

“That arrogant declaration has now been overturned.”

“Justice White’s critically important decision clarified the foundations of Cabinet Government and shows that the Prime Minister must operate within the well-established conventions of responsible government and the law.”

“Mr Morrison cannot just make things up as he goes along to suit his political interests and convenience.”

“Although the Morrison Government may yet appeal this decision to the Federal Court, and perhaps ultimately the High Court, all at the expense of taxpayers, this is a landmark decision that opens the way for more effective scrutiny of the response of Australian Governments – Federal, State and Territory – to the COVID19 pandemic.”

The whole ruling can be found here.

Updated

Meanwhile, also a little done a little quietly this week

So just recapping that – if you are an Australian, who lives overseas for work or whatever reason, and you manage to make it back to Australia, you will now need to apply for permission to leave, before being granted an exit from the country.

Australia’s biosecurity act means Greg Hunt can pretty much make whatever determinations he wants on this stuff:

The Minister for Health is satisfied that the Determination, as amended by the Amendment Determination, is necessary to continue to prevent or control the further entry into, or the emergence, establishment or spread of COVID-19 into Australian territory or a part of Australian territory.

The Minister for Health is also satisfied, that the amendment is:

· likely to be effective in, or contribute to, achieving its purpose

· appropriate and adapted to its purpose

· no more restrictive or intrusive than required in the circumstances, including the manner in which the requirement is to be applied, and

· only in place for as long as necessary.

The Minister for Health makes emergency requirements or gives directions personally (section 474 of the Act).

The Amendment Determination commences on 11 August 2021. The Determination as amended remains in force for the duration of the human biosecurity emergency period, unless it is revoked earlier.

The health minister Greg Hunt.
The health minister Greg Hunt. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Greg Hunt repeals automatic exemption for Australians to return to overseas country of residence

It has just been brought to our attention that Greg Hunt has made a fairly major amendment to the biosecurity act, which stops Australian citizens or residents who live overseas from automatically returning to their place of residence.

So, if you are an Australian citizen/resident (making the distinction for visas only) and you usually reside in another country like the UK, but have visited family/loved ones in Australia, you won’t have automatic permission to return to your country of residence. You’ll have to apply for an exemption and meet the safety exemption criteria.

This change was made without fanfare on 1 August.

It comes into effect from 11 August.

From the legislation amendment notes:

The Amendment Determination will remove the automatic exemption for Australian citizens and permanent residents ordinarily resident in a country other than Australia, such that a person will no longer be able to rely on an automatic exemption to travel overseas where they ordinarily reside in a country other than Australia. However, in exceptional circumstances, the Australian Border Force (ABF) Commissioner or an ABF employee may grant an exemption to an Australian citizen or a permanent resident, or an operator of an outgoing aircraft or vessel from the requirement not to travel outside Australian territory. The person will be required to demonstrate that they have a compelling reason for needing to leave Australian territory.

The automatic exemption in the Overseas Travel Ban Determination was designed to enable Australian citizens and permanent residents ordinarily residing in a country other than Australia to leave Australian territory to return to their ordinary place of residence. Since the commencement of the Overseas Travel Ban Determination in March 2020, those persons who fall into this category have had substantial time in which to take action under the exemption. The exemption was not intended to enable frequent travel between countries. Further, as repatriation flights continue, it will be critical to manage the numbers of people leaving Australia with the intention of returning in the near future to ensure flight and quarantine availability is prioritised for individuals who have been stranded overseas for some time. The amendment will reduce the pressure on Australia’s quarantine capacity, reduce the risks posed to the Australian population from COVID-19, and assist in returning vulnerable Australians back home.

Advice from the Director of Human Biosecurity (who is also the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer) supports the ongoing need for the Determination to help protect the quarantine system and reducing opportunities for cases of COVID-19 within quarantine to spread into the community, which is a critical intervention in preventing and managing the spread of COVID-19 in Australia.

Updated

Victorian summary

Another big hour in a long line of them.

I’m sorry – it has been a lot of information to take in.

Here’s the summary version.

  • Victoria – all of Victoria – will go into lockdown for seven days, from 8pm tonight.
  • It is the sixth lockdown Victoria has been through.
  • Daniel Andrews says it is the only option.
  • The seven days was based on medical advice.
  • The 8pm deadline was chosen as, in the last lockdown, transmission occurred on the night the lockdown had occurred, so now everyone is being told to go straight home.
  • Victoria may stop international flights in order to house Victorians in hotel quarantine.
  • Victorian authorities are investigating a potential breach in NSW hotel quarantine as one of the possible links to the Melbourne outbreak.
  • The settings are the same as what ended about a week ago.
  • Payments are available for those who may miss a shift to be tested – $450.
  • People ordered into isolation or close contacts will be paid $1,500 for the 14 days.
  • A business package will be announced tomorrow.
  • Victoria has asked for additional vaccines.

Updated

The press conference ends.

Updated

Daniel Andrews again on the NSW hotel quarantine line of inquiry:

In relation to the NSW HQ issue, I hope that is not the case. It is one of the lines of inquiry we are running to ground. Hopefully it will come to nothing.

On rumours of illegal gatherings/parties, Jeroen Weimar says:

So, we’ve heard a story going around around allegations of illegal parties. We have tested those with all of the individuals in these outbreaks. There’s no evidence forthcoming. There’s no indication that any such event happened. We will continue the explorations but we have nothing else to comment on that point.

An hour after Daniel Andrews started, we hear from Jeroen Weimar:

We have a case, an unlinked case at this point in time.

A man who lives in the city, he worked in a warehouse. We have tested his housemates that he lives with.

We await results for that test. He also has a number of relatives who live in other properties. We are testing relatives at this point in time.

That is one of our lines of inquiries at the moment. It runs through inquiries with relatives.

There is a link to other relatives who have come back recently from Sydney.

That is a line of inquiry we are following at this point in time. We expect testing results in for that cohort probably in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

That will give us more information. Two positive cases, a couple who live in the city of Hobson’s Bay.

One is a teacher, the other is somebody who works in Caroline Springs. They both tested positive. We have known about them for just over 24 hours now. We have relatives of one of these individuals – all the relatives have been tested. It is two older adults and three younger people.

All five have been tested. Two of them have currently tested positive. One of the elderly residents of that household, one a younger resident. We await results for the other three at that point in time. We are doing a lot of testing around the workplaces in Caroline Springs, around the college, a lot of fantastic responses particularly today and yesterday from the school community.

Updated

Victoria to continue isolation payments

Daniel Andrews:

If you are sick today, right now, if you are watching this and you feel you have any covid symptoms go and get tested tonight. Testing facilities are open.

Stay away from everybody else until you get your results and this is the final thing.

I will be grateful to each of you if you can help us push this message out.

If you don’t have resources to fall back on, and you need to get tested and stay away from work for a day, we will pay you $450, no questions asked.

Because you staying at home is worth so much more than $450. If you are a casual worker and you don’t get paid, then isolating could cost you a shift, then no, it won’t.

Because we will give you $450.

Secondly if you are positive or a close contact that has to isolate for two weeks, we will give you $1,500.

So no one in Victoria has to make that choice between feeding their family and doing the right thing by the rest of us.

Everyone can do the right thing. Including their families, stay at home, isolate, test, all of that because we stand ready to provide you with support and we have done that for thousands and thousands of people.

Updated

Daniel Andrews also sends a *subtle* message to the federal government:

We now have, instead of some of the bickering last year, some of the sort of politicking, we now have the federal government completely aligned with our strategy and it is now agreed it is no longer a point of political contest about what is needed and no one enjoys lockdowns.

But what is worse than a seven-day lockdown, one that runs for seven weeks and I am going to do everything I possibly can to avoid that.

Updated

It says something about how used to lockdowns Victorians are, that none of the questions are on the lockdown settings.

They are the same as the last time. Which only ended a week ago.

Someone has just yelled out at Daniel Andrews from the street (at least this is what it sounded like on the television):

“You’re a fucking coward, Dan.”

Updated

Daniel Andrews is hoping to announce new vaccine settings next week – it will depend on supply.

Victoria has asked for more Pfizer doses

Victoria has also asked for extra Pfizer doses, after hearing NSW and Queensland were getting some additional doses (which are being brought forward from the September allocation).

Daniel Andrews:

I was surprised to hear about all the extra Pfizer into NSW, we hadn’t been told about that. That’s fine, they have got a greater need, give them a greater amount of Pfizer, I am told there are additional supplies going into Queensland. On the back of that, we made a request for extra to come to us.

How much? Not sure, we will work through that with the commonwealth, We can confirm that for you later on today or tomorrow.

We don’t want to make a request with no chance of the answer being yes. I will note, I did ask for seven-and-a-half thousand doses last week ... so we could get the supermarket distribution centres to keep food on the shelves and food on the supermarkets of supermarkets for the whole nation.

Updated

Daniel Andrews after he was asked about announcing a sixth lockdown:

These are very challenging times for all of us. I haven’t got the option of doing anything other than following the advice I’m given, especially when I know it is advice that has worked and will work again, am I gutted to stand here and make these, of course I am, I would much prefer as much as I enjoy your company, I would have much preferred not to be here now and make these difficult announcement.

They are incredibly painful, incredibly difficult. The alternative is not being locked down for seven days, is being locked down for seven weeks or more, locked down until we get to 80% vaccination and that may not happen until almost Christmas time.

We have been through a three-month lockdown, 2020, don’t want that again, this Delta variant makes it so hard for us, there is no other option, I think Victorians know that. In terms of how I feel it is incredibly challenging but you have to stand up and make the right decisions and that exactly what we have done.

Updated

Daniel Andrews with his version of “please stay home”:

I am pleading to every Victorian, do not go and visit people at home, don’t have people to your home, you may be spreading the virus and seeing us locked down for longer. We don’t want that, and we can, together make that less likely if we all follow the rules. No visits, no visit to someone you love, is worth all of us been locked down for days and days and potentially worse.

Updated

Victoria is looking at using hotel quarantine spots for people in public or insecure housing to quarantine.

Daniel Andrews:

There are a number of close contacts public housing residents, we will be supporting them, I don’t believe any of them have gone positive yet but we will be supporting them.

There will be a number of people who will, because it is not possible to isolate and share a house, if somebody, we may have to house some people in our hotels rather than having them isolate at home.

I want to be clear I have not made the decision yet but if I make the decision to suspend flights I will inform the prime minister of that and use the hotel quarantine capacity to support locals who need somewhere to sleep or stay, if they were to stay in their family home they would likely affect everybody else they live with. That is on the table and something we are looking at closely

Given overseas returns have already been halved, this would be another blow for Australians stranded overseas.

Updated

Of course, the journalists wants to know what he means by that (it’s the first time it has been raised).

Daniel Andrews:

I’m not saying it because it’s a fact, I’m not saying it’s absolutely 100% what’s happened, but it is a line of inquiry, a genuine line of inquiry.

I don’t want to be rude in any way, if I say it it’s because I wouldn’t want you to later come and say ‘you knew that why didn’t you say it?’ I’ve always been as frank as possible, doesn’t mean you like what I say but I’ve always been frank, that is a line of inquiry but I can’t go into further detail because it isn’t settled yet, it may come to nothing but it may be the cause.

Q: What evidence do you have that it is from hotel quarantine?

Andrews:

There are a couple of people who came back from Sydney. They were in hotel quarantine, it may be the case they have been visited against the rules by someone who is a positive case. We will have to wait and see.

Updated

Victoria investigating travellers who arrived after being in NSW hotel quarantine

Asked about the mystery cases, Daniel Andrews offers up this:

We’re looking at some links to some people who have come to Victoria out of New South Wales hotel quarantine recently, we are looking at every possible connection and it may well be that these cases, the mystery cases, are not connected to the outbreak we have just dealt with.

They are a separate issue. We have many people here on red zone permits, one of them had turned positive, and not necessarily stayed in their house the entire time.

There are many different options we have. Genomics will help us clarify it, further interviewing and casework, all that stuff the contact tracers do they will be doing it all night tonight and tomorrow and for every day they need to, that may well give us the clarity that we are after.

Updated

Daniel Andrews is asked whether the NSW premier should be blamed then.

Andrews:

Well, to be honest, I don’t think blame necessarily works against this virus.

He then says its for other people to make their judgements:

I’m not here to talk about New South Wales other than, and as I said, nothing I am saying today should be taken as a criticism of what is happening to our north but I don’t think you can have a proper discussion about the decisions we’ve just made without referencing what is occurring in Sydney.

We don’t want that to happen here.

We’ve been through that already and worse, and it’s not about, to [another] question before, I wish there were five or 10 other options, but there isn’t. There isn’t. This thing, because it moves so fast it is either lockdown and get the cases down to zero or it runs wild, it gets away from you and there is no pulling it back.

No one is more upset to see cases in Sydney going up than me, because their problem is our problem. A problem anywhere will be a problem everywhere for our nation because we are not vaccinated yet.

That is going to happen, but it is going to take time and in the meantime, we have to keep this thing at bay, function as much as we can, but we just can’t have a situation where our hospitals become completely and utterly overrun. And look, again, not to be criticising or to be obsessing with Sydney but if they open up tomorrow, the hospitals would be overrun in a matter of days. We don’t want that to happen here, or anywhere for that matter.

Updated

Daniel Andrews with one final point on that same issue:

I don’t think it’s only these cases, it is fair to say and all of us will know people and our own circles and our own lives who are potentially not necessarily following the rules, and I’m not making judgements.

I know it is hard. It is very difficult, we all wish this was over.

So before you go and write columns about how I am blaming people, I am not, I am being honest and frank. I don’t care what you did yesterday. Right?

But you can’t do it today and tomorrow. We’ve got to stop doing that, we’ve got to follow these rules for the best of reasons. It’s not about making judgements, I know it is tough. I know that after 18 months people can convince themselves a lot of things, it’ll be fine, I can just duck over to my son’s face or friends, family, whatever it might be.

The rules are there for a reason. To keep us open, to keep case numbers down and to keep people alive. As I said before, I wish I couldn’t quote this but a bloke in his 20s died in Sydney yesterday.

This is not something that is happening on the other side of the world. Not something that only happens to very frail old people or people who have critically poor health. It can happen to any of us.

That is why getting vaccinated is so important but we are not there yet and that’s why we have to fill in this intervening period with a renewed vigilance, looking out for each other, and being determined, to continue to make these sacrifices so we can prevail against this thing and not have it when out.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media on Thursday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media on Thursday. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Updated

On that same topic, Daniel Andrews continues:

What I’m saying to you as there is a fine balance to be struck between holding people accountable for actions that we can’t change, they’ve already occurred, we can’t change that, and essentially building a disincentive for people going and getting tested.

If people are fearful that they will be held accountable and fined and all of those sorts of things, then they perhaps won’t come forward and get tested.

Well, again, this is the position we are in. Is it perfect? No, it doesn’t make complete sense from every perspective? No.

But I can start issuing fines to people, right? And then people will not come forward and get tested. And then we will have more and more.

... The key point here is we need to track and trace these cases. We need people to be truthful. I don’t think they necessarily will be truthful if they are under fear of multiple $1,500 fines for telling their story and allowing us to track and trace and close everything down.

The easiest thing to say is let’s just throw the book at these people, well, that won’t change case numbers, it will probably drive them up and we will still be locked down.

A small number of people who have done the wrong thing, or the virus, which one is our enemy here?

It might make us all feel a bit better for a short period of time if we are going after some of these people. I can’t change what they have done, I can only appeal to people and appeal to Victorians to make decisions that aren’t, it’s not about making decisions that are in my best interests, it’s about making decisions that are in your own interests.

No one wants to get this, people want to be out of lockdown as quickly as possible and the best way to achieve that is if we all work together and we just follow these basic steps.

You can’t be going out and about if you are sick.

Please isolate if you are asked to isolate. And the rules prohibit visiting family and friends in their home for good reason because as we see here, it can do nothing more than contribute to the spread of this virus and add to a lockdown. That is not what we want.

Updated

Daniel Andrews again:

The value of the information far exceeds any fine or the contribution that the information makes to us getting out of this and opening up again is far more important than any of us feeling happy for a short moment, if we were to, you know, be out there criticising this person.

I don’t think that necessarily helps. The most important thing is if you ask to isolate you must isolate.

When the rules say you can’t visit people, no matter how much you love them, you can’t visit them, then you can’t visit them. And when I ask you and doctors asks you and the whole system asks you to test as soon as you register symptoms, it’s for you and every single Victorian and that’s why we would appeal again, you’ve got to get tested as soon as you register symptoms. Not go to work, not delay for an hour let alone an afternoon or four or five days, you just can’t.

Like in NSW, Daniel Andrews says the focus is on getting needed information for public health, not punitive measures.

Short version – stop looking for people to blame in a pandemic. You can’t fine your way out of a pandemic.

Andrews:

You know, I would simply say, that I’ve tried all the way along to never say or do anything that would discourage people from coming forward and getting tested, and if we are going to, you know, potentially have an entire state’s blame and anger focused on one person, I don’t think that sends a very good message.

It might make us all feel better for a short period of time. So I wont answer in the specific but in the broad let me make this point. You cannot feel ill for a day or two and then go and get tested.

You just can’t stop, you’ve got to go and get tested as soon as you feel unwell.

As soon as you have any of those well-known and well understood coronavirus symptoms, I am appealing to every Victorian, please go and get tested so that none of us have to be in this position again. As a state it is critical. In fact, nothing is more important.

You get symptoms, you go and get tested. Within hours of.

We are getting results back really fast, the are not that long. We will get you through as fast as possible and you will have done something profound, something genuinely profound for your health and safety and for the safety of everybody

Andrews: Victoria lockdown only option until vaccination rate increases

To be frank, Daniel Andrews says, not enough people have been vaccinated for their to be any other option but to lockdown right now:

I’m not for a moment standing here saying I’m pleased that this is the only option.

I’m not, I wish we weren’t here. Right? Whether it is sustainable or not, you’ve got to think what is the alternative? Like, to be really frank, we don’t have enough people that have been vaccinated, and therefore, this is the only option available to us.

Once people are vaccinated, then we have many more options to the question about what are the other things you could do.

There will be, the time will come when we have many more options.

But that isn’t now. We’ve got to get to 70% for some more options; 80%, then we are into a different world. It is not easy. 100% is where you really want to get to but we all acknowledge we won’t get to that. But 80% as a minimum, if we can get up above that, I’m confident we will, the world is very, very different. But we are a long way from that now.

Updated

Daniel Andrews says it is the only option available to Victoria:

There are no alternatives to lockdown.

If you wait, it will spread. And once it spreads, you can never even hope to run alongside it let along get out in front of it and bring it back down to zero or a low number of cases because this thing moves so fast.

There is no debate or discussion about this, the Delta variant moves at lightning speed and by the time people get it, they have already infected all the people they live with, all the people they work with, all the people they spend time with.

We can’t allow that to happen otherwise we are locked down until Christmas. We are locked down until we get 80% of people through the vaccination program.

I don’t want that. Let’s try to do everything we can, surely we can agree on – let’s all try to avoid that. That’s what this lockdown is about.

Updated

Why seven days? Why not three or five days?

Daniel Andrews:

Given that this is not just one mystery case but potentially two, we think that we may need as long as seven days.

We will monitor that every single day. I don’t want to be foreshadowing or giving people false hope that on Monday I’m gonna be standing here saying it’s all fine and we will open up again, and I think that is not going to happen.

Seven days is what we believe is necessary, but let’s hope that it is accurate.

We will be working as hard as we can to make sure that come 8pm next Thursday we can be out of this. Can either say, though, each of us have a part to play in this and if we follow these rules, if we take this lockdown seriously as we always have in the past, we see a very high degree of compliance and if the people that ask, and it may well be tens of thousands of people that asked to stay at home and not leave their home for any reason, if we see them doing the right thing and being really disciplined about this, then there’s every chance we can bring a sense of control to this.

But it is one of those things, I want to be confident and sending a positive message but I’ve got to be honest with the Victorian community, we all have to play a part and I can’t with any certainty say where we will be tomorrow or in three days or in seven days. All I can do is talk about is what the advice is and what we’re going to work towards achieving and that is an to these restrictions in seven days time.

Daniel Andrews:

We all have to work as hard as we can to avoid this spreading any further than it already has, but we don’t get the luxury of assuming we know everything about this, we always have to assume there are more cases out there than we have positive test results, and with one sewage detection we have to assume there are [more] cases. That’s why it is statewide and I think as painful as it is, and counterintuitive sometimes as it is, we don’t want this taking hold in country Victoria, we just don’t, none of us are happy to be here, none of us, but these are the realities we face and none of us have the luxury of ignoring them.

Updated

Daniel Andrews says there will be news for business coming tomorrow morning.

But the income support, for all the workers who are about to lose shifts, doesn’t kick in until after a week of lockdown. This Victorian lockdown is only set for a week at this point so it won’t kick in.

The whole state is in lockdown. Regional areas too.

Updated

Daniel Andrews:

If anyone watching this doesn’t think this is relevant to them, well, I would make the point that we have all got relatives, we have all got family, we have all got people vulnerable for one reason or another, but then I would also make the tragic point, a person in the 20s, a bloke in his 20s died yesterday, in Sydney. This is relevant to everybody. Nobody wants to get this. Nobody can afford to ignore this. No government can refuse to accept advice, and act to do what’s right. And that’s what I’m doing today, that is what the government is doing today, it’s painful and difficult as it is.

Daniel Andrews says the lockdown is coming in at 8pm and not midnight, because the previous lockdown saw transmission happening at “last drinks” before the last lockdown.

This evening is go home, and begin that lockdown. Don’t be out and about because all you might be doing is spreading the virus.

Updated

Daniel Andrews:

Nothing I say is meant of a criticism of anyone else across the country but context is very important.

I want to make it very clear, we only get one chance to act fast, only one chance to make difficult decisions that are the right decision.

I would prefer to wait two or three days, I would prefer we didn’t have to make this decision now.

But my fear is if we were to wait a few days and the advice to me from the experts if we were to wait even just a few days, there is every chance, instead of being locked down for a week, this gets away from us, we are potentially locked down until we all get vaccinated.

That’s months away.

Others are living that at the moment, others are having to deal with that at the moment, we wish them well and we support them but we do not want that here, I am determined to do everything popular or otherwise to avoid that happening to us.

Most of the east coast is now in lockdown.

Daniel Andrews announces seven-day lockdown for Victoria

The Victorian premier says he has no choice, given the speed of the Delta variant.

He says the “difficult decision” has been made to go into the sixth lockdown, from 8pm tonight.

Updated

If you needed a small distraction, here is Scott Morrison getting cranky at legitimate questions about car park funding.

(A very big thank you to our audio-visual team who are working very hard to get you these videos on top of their usual load.)

Updated

It’s going to be another big hour, which I know no one wanted at this point in the day.

At this point, nothing is confirmed. It seems likely there will be a snap lockdown – late press conferences rarely have good news, and has been the Victorian government’s prepared method of handling outbreaks. The number of close contacts already in home isolation would suggest that Victoria wants to get ahead of the transmission and that’s a lot easier to do if everyone stops moving.

We will bring you those details as they leave the mouth of Daniel Andrews.

Updated

Daniel Andrews to hold press conference at 4.15

I am very sorry Melbourne.

That is not going to be good news.

We are getting a lot of reports from parents who have heard from their children in Melbourne schools to prepare for lockdown:

You may have seen the ABC is reporting it “understands” Melbourne is going to go back into lockdown.

We have not received confirmation of that as yet, but will keep you posted.

Updated

That is all the information we have in regards to that last post, as the death is still being investigated.

It’s absolutely tragic. Our thoughts are with her loved ones. And everyone who has lost someone this pandemic.

Updated

TGA reports death of 34-year-old NSW woman

The TGA has put out its latest update, which includes the death of a 34-year-old woman from confirmed TTS after her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Three additional cases of blood clots with low blood platelets have been assessed as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) likely to be linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. When assessed using the United Kingdom (UK) case definition, 2 were confirmed and one was deemed probable TTS.

Sadly, a 34-year-old woman from NSW died yesterday from confirmed TTS following a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The TGA extends its sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are in close communication with NSW health who are undertaking further investigation of this case.

Updated

I know that there are a lot of very nervous people in Melbourne waiting for news on whether or not there will be a snap lockdown called. I don’t blame you for being on edge – it’s a lot.

Our most recent information is meetings are still happening and information is still being gathered, so we won’t have anything to tell you for a little bit.

We’ll let you know the moment there is any concrete information – we don’t want to add to the anxiety reporting anything which has not been confirmed.

As Calla Wahlquist points out, reading the tea leaves – there is every chance the border between these two states is about to close.

Updated

Parliamentary inquiry backs 10-year national strategy to combat homelessness

An 18-month parliamentary inquiry into homelessness has backed a 10-year national strategy to tackle the issue, but Labor is concerned that the government has failed to commit funds to build more social housing as part of its response.

The inquiry’s final report made 35 recommendations, including a stronger focus on prevention and early intervention, prioritising housing for the homeless and those at-risk, and new approaches to increase investment in social and affordable housing, including through superannuation funds.

It also recommends the design of a new needs-based funding model for future funding agreements, as well as particular measures to assist groups such as victim survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence, and Indigenous Australians.

Labor’s shadow minister for homelessness, Jason Clare, said he was pleased the government members of the committee had backed the idea of a national strategy, but now “the prime minister has to listen to them.”

He said the committee had heard a “mountain of evidence” during the inquiry that there was a desperate need for more social housing, but this was something the federal government had not committed to.

“If we are serious about reducing homelessness, we need to build social housing, it is as simple as that,” he said.

Additional comments from Labor members of the committee in the final report said there was “not a single recommendation in this report to deliver new social housing stock.”

“The Morrison Government refuses to show leadership and take responsibility for increasing investment in social housing.”

Chair of the committee, Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, said that while states and territories were responsible for housing and homelessness, “a clear and consistent message to the Committee was that there is a need for a national approach”.

“A national strategy would lead to better coordination, more accountability and a stronger focus on the policies that work—prevention and early intervention, providing housing as a priority, and encouraging more investment in social and affordable housing,” he said.

The last time a national action plan was in place was in 2008 under the Road Home agenda, but its goal of halving homelessness by 2020 was not achieved.

A homeless man sits in the rain in central Sydney.
A homeless man sits in the rain in central Sydney. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

For those who missed it earlier, here was Brad Hazzard’s strange interjection at the end of the NSW press conference:

Question time ends, with another Olympic update from the prime minister.

Man of the people.

Updated

Catherine King to Alan Tudge:

“My question is to the minister for education and youth. I refer directly to comments he made yesterday regarding his previous portfolio. The minister said in regard to the commuter car park funding, the sites were chosen on [advice]. Given that we now know that not one of the sites were recommended by the department, how could that possibly be true?”

Tudge gets up to answer the question but then the acting leader of the house remembers he has a job and raises an objection, which is very quickly overruled by the speaker, without even having to hear from Tony Burke, because pre-ce-dent.

Tudge gets back to his feet:

Yesterday I spoke at a press conference, and addressed a number of questions in relation to the commuter car park commitments that we had made, but I gave a very comprehensive answer to those questions*, and I stand by those answers.

*That would be the press conference where he didn’t answer the questions which were asked, and the one where he walked away when the questions didn’t stop.

The education minister Alan Tudge speaks during question time on Thursday.
The education minister Alan Tudge speaks during question time on Thursday. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

For a refresher on the Leppington Triangle story, head here:

Updated

Mark Dreyfus to Paul Fletcher:

“Has the minister been interviewed by four detectives in ... the Australian Federal Police investigation and developing of the tender for the Leppington triangle deal. Would it indeed be perfectly sensible to establish an anti-corruption commission so ministers and public servants who rip off taxpayers are held to account?”

Fletcher:

No, I have not been interviewed, and on what possible grounds would I be, I might further ask.

Graham Perrett all but explodes at that:

“YOU’RE THE MINISTER,” he yells.

Fletcher:

And I also make the point, but in relation to the broader question, the shadow attorney general has asked our well-developed plans for commonwealth integrity commission [are known].

That would be the non-existent integrity commission, which wouldn’t actually have the powers to investigate any of the recent controversies in this parliament.

Updated

Paul Fletcher has a completely different tone of voice when answering dixers. Completely different.

If that doesn’t prove how much of a performance he puts on when answering questions he doesn’t want to answer, I don’t know what would.

We are chasing the full national cabinet decision Rex Patrick has alerted everyone to – should be available in the next half an hour or so.

Updated

Catherine King to Paul Fletcher:

“Can the minister confirm that he signed a brief on the first of February 2008 18 about the Leppington Triangle purchase (near Western Sydney airport) for 10 times its value. The land valuation was conducted jointly with the landowner and the department got a persuasive package and the deal would be kept secret. How could the minister possibly say this rotten deal for taxpayers seems perfectly sensible to me?”

Fletcher:

I make the point that the auditor general’s report to which she referred made it clear that the brief that was provided to me as minister said “the approach taken by the department of omitting key information in the briefings to decision-makers and ministers was inappropriate and inconsistent with acting ethically”.

So the auditor general’s report itself made it clear that inaccurate information was provided in the brief. It also made it clear the decision-maker was not the minister but the deputy secretary of the department ... If you go to the report ... tabled to a Senate committee, an independent audit of the department’s decision-making, the lead reviewer of this report was a former national president of the Institute of Internal Auditors in Australia.

That report found it is likely the land value to both the seller and the commonwealth – the land had value to both the seller and the commonwealth above and beyond the growing rate for agricultural land in Western Sydney.

The determination of the amount to pay for a property is a judgement, was the wording of the independent audit officer ... that judgement in the case of the Leppington Triangle ... and paid a price per square metre that is not inconsistent with numerous recent transactions in the region.

Those are not my words but the words of an independent review ... We are getting on with delivering Western Sydney airport. For six years the leader of the opposition was the responsible portfolio minister and he could not get it delivered. It took our government in 2014 to make a commitment to deliver Western Sydney airport. We’ve committed to spend $5.3 billion on delivering Western Sydney Airport and as we speak, we are now at a point where earthmoving is extremely well advanced. We are on track to commence construction of the terminal. Within coming months we are getting on with delivering this transformational project which the leader of the opposition never managed to make progress on.

Updated

If national cabinet is not a ‘cabinet’ then it is not privy to the cabinet in confidence protections, which makes things FOI-able, as well as meaning the ‘we can’t talk about cabinet’ standings don’t actually exist, when it comes to national cabinet.

Updated

Meanwhile, this is going to prove VERY interesting.

Updated

Before we get to Paul Fletcher’s next performance, here’s a review.

Updated

Cathrine King has a question for Scott Morrison on the car park scandal, which he immediately sends to Paul Fletcher.

Paul Fletcher ignores the question (on why no independent decisions on where the car parks should have gone were taken into account) and launches into his university debater stance, complete with theatrics.

Because that is how seriously the government is taking this. The entire government bench is in uproar, applauding a minister of the crown performing on the floor like he’s standing in front of a Sydney university crowd in a club. All you need is beer spilled on the floor, and the scene would be complete.

He’s pulled into line by the speaker, and then ends with what he considers a very clever quip – because university politics never dies in this place – and is sat down and made to withdraw. But not before being congratulated by Scott Morrison, who found it absolutely hilarious.

The same Morrison who turned tail and left a press conference on the same issue just over an hour ago.

The speaker Tony Smith during question time on Thursday.
The speaker Tony Smith during question time on Thursday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Speaker Tony Smith rebukes Scott Morrison for ignoring rulings

That leads to this exchange, where Tony Smith rebukes Scott Morrison, again, for ignoring his rulings.

Smith:

I’ve said to the prime minister on a number of occasions, it is not an opportunity for him to lodge a political attack against the leader of the opposition when he has been asked a specific question by a private member about a specific issue. I am making that a very clear.

Anthony Albanese:

“It goes to the standing orders and your previous rulings but when a personal explanation has been given which outlines the facts. I outlined the facts regarding Lt General Frewen yesterday, including the details that are e-mails, and the fact that my office did not hear from them in between 25 June and 20 July, and the fact that as a briefing was offered for this parliamentary sitting week, and the fact that I offered three dates, two on Tuesday, one on Thursday, in accordance with the request, and that the health minister ‘s chief of staff responded back accepting, let’s lock in 4pm on a Thursday, invites to follow.

“The prime minister has twice during this question time repeated something that he should know is untrue, that is untrue. And I ask him to withdraw.”

Morrison indicates he will not withdraw.

Smith:

It is not a question under the standing order of being asked for a withdrawal. That is not right, I am very familiar with the standing order. So the prime minister saying he’s not going to withdraw is very unhelpful for the debate.

I am saying it is a very unhelpful when I’m seeking the rule, as it happened, on this occasion, the point of order raised by the leader of the opposition would not warrant a withdrawal, because there is a specific standing order.

But I make you the general point, if the chair does ask for a withdrawal, that has to happen.

This is a problematic standing order, as I have said before, this was introduced in 2013, by then speaker of the House. What that standing order essentially says is if a claim has been made and a personal explanation has been taken, that claim cannot be repeated.

...Now, frankly, when the standing order was introduced, I thought it was problematic.

The then speaker Brownyn Bishop thought it was problematic and thought so. But that standing order is there, what it requires of causes for the speaker to have heard it, I too have heard all the material.

As it happens, I have heard that, under that standing order, I do not think that claim can be made again, unless there is new information.

Morrison:

I’m happy to do this for another form of the house at the conclusion of question time because I believe, Mr Speaker, the leader of the opposition has misrepresented the claim that I have made. Mr Speaker, I have made no suggestion about the arrangements for this week. I have simply made the point that Lt General Frewen has been in the role since the start of June, since the start of June, Mr Speaker, and at no time over June or in early July ...

Smith:

I’m just going to say to the prime minister, one of the reasons we’re discussing this is because he has ignored my earlier rulings about attacking the leader of the opposition. About attacking the leader of the opposition when he hasn’t asked the question and the subject of the question is not about him. So I’ve now made that point for a fourth time. Let’s move on with question time and see where we end up.

Updated

Patrick Gorman to Scott Morrison:

[Given the last answer, where he said he always supported the premiers] why then did he intervene in the high court case to support Clive Palmer’s attempts to tear down the WA border?

Morrison:

I am also the prime minister, who after discussions with the West Australian premier decided to withdraw.

... That is what leaders do, they work with each other, it is the standard process, the commonwealth government to engage in high Court cases involving those types of matters, as the previous government would have done, and any other government would have done.

As it unfolded, and as I discussed the matter with premier McGowan, but I was for those issues with premier McGowan, which ... we thought was in the best interests of the country [and] Western Australia.

... Mr Speaker, we work every single day with the premiers and the chief ministers to work through the national response to Covid, which is save lives and to save livelihood.

That is what the government is doing, those with the state and territory governments are doing. What the Labor [arty is doing is politicising a health crisis for their own gain Mr Speaker.

And the Australian people can see every single day ...constant negativity Mr Speaker. This is a leader of the Labor party who could not be bothered with coming to Canberra to meet with [General Frewen].

Updated

Remember how we were talking about Scott Morrison’s attempts to paint Anthony Albanese as “negative”? It continues today.

Anne Stanley to Scott Morrison:

“My question is to the prime minister. Today was the worst day the Sydney outbreak so far, so does the prime minister take any responsibility for the failure to lockdown to Sydney in the early stages of the outbreak, given how he congratulated the premier for doing just that?”

Morrison:

The decisions previously taken across the country in relation to lockdowns are difficult decisions. The course of the past 18 months the premiers across the country, chief ministers and I have worked together to ensure that in this country we have one of the lowest rates of death as a result of Covid of any country in the world, Mr Speaker. And despite the fact ... that we continue to see those fatalities, and they are dreadfully, dreadfully tragic Mr Speaker, I don’t think anyone in this house would think otherwise, but the fact is that I commended the work that has been done by governments around the country.

State premiers, chief ministers, those doing their job every day, as it is us to do our job, working together to save lives and to save livelihoods.

It is true that on many occasions, Mr Speaker, the New South Wales governmental decisions not to lock down, and they were able to contain those outbreaks, Mr Speaker, they were able to support jobs, support livelihoods Mr Speaker, they were able to be able to do that. On this occasion that has not been the case.

That has not been the case, on other occasions, Mr Speaker, premiers have made decisions to lock down when it could have been argued they could kept their states open, Mr Speaker.

... Every day during this pandemic the lack of support from the opposition has been appalling.

That constant pursuit of politics has undermined our national effort, the negativity of this letter of the opposition has been appalling.

Updated

And in Victoria:

Updated

On Howard Springs:

Scott Morrison interrupts question time to give an Olympics update.

Question time on Thursday.
Question time on Thursday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

The industry minister once again gets snarky in response to a question from Ed Husic on mRNA vaccine capability.

Updated

The current deputy prime minister attempts to choke out some words. He sticks to a script this time though, because it’s on Closing the Gap and so he has to give at least the appearance of taking the proceedings seriously.

Updated

The short answer there is – nothing.

Updated

Andrew Wilkie to Scott Morrison:

“In the last fiscal year Hobart’s median house price increased by almost 20%. Consequently Tasmanians increasingly cannot afford to purchase or even rent, the result being many families are moving into tiny, under substandard properties, including homelessness. That dreadful decision by the ALP to abandon its housing exchanges would develop a bipartisan response to the housing crisis. Prime minister, will you use this the moment to put every option on the table with negative gearing and capital gains tax?”

Morrison:

Mr Speaker, the first home loan deposit scheme was being taken up time again... It has a proud history of the Liberal party, and indeed the National party Mr Speaker, of governments under Sir Robert Menzies, that home ownership, home ownership and the promotion of home ownership is in the DNA of the Coalition party Mr Speaker.

This Mr Speaker is something that we are forever, forever committed to Mr Speaker, because that is why we come forward with those types of programs Mr Speaker, to assure that Australians could realise their ambitions for home ownership, Mr Speaker, and programs we have done to support that have indeed been very successful.

In addition to the cause of the Covid pandemic, the homebuilder program blocked by those opposite Mr Speaker, blocked by those opposite, you thought this was a program that should not be introduced, Mr Speaker.

It has got many Australians, thousands of Australians into their first home, and these are the policies Mr Speaker, but my government continues to pursue, because we are passionate about Australians getting into their first home, to assure they can get that job, so they can pay lower taxes Mr Speaker, so they can save [for a] first home, they can realise their ambitious.

Michael Sukkar:

The prime minister rightly points out that homebuilder, the first home scheme, we have first home buyer levels at their highest for nearly 15 years – counterintuitive, I know, in the middle of a pandemic because of first homebuyers re-entering the market at the highest levels for 15 years.

Working with the member ... we worked very constructively together, we have made into Tasmania through the Hobart city deal, 100 social and affordable homes and $230 million of Tasmania’s historic housing debt which we forgave. Helping first home buyers purchase a home or helping other Australians get secure housing, we’ve worked constructively with the member for Clark and the Tasmanian government to do so.

But for the past six years, the member for Clark is right to refer to Labor’s tax. For six years, they ran around Australia saying the answer to all Australians were their taxes and now they are very quietly walking away. The leader of the opposition should apologise to Australians for misleading them for six years about their housing tax.

Updated

Greg Hunt on that same question:

I’m happy to add to the prime minister’s answer and happy to respectfully correct the mistakes by the leader of the opposition.

The 2,000 capacity will be reached on 13, 22 and 31 August. Numbers will easily rise and fall when people enter with different flights.

We have been working very closely with the Northern Territory health Minister.

... The 2,000 capacity will be reached in Howard Springs on 13-22 and 31 August.

Updated

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

“The prime minister has announced increased capacity at the Howard Springs quarantine facility to 2,000 people, but last Friday his own department at the Senate committee said that Howard Springs has never accommodated 2,000 people, and will never accommodated 2,000 people.

“Why won’t the prime minister stop making announcements that do not result in any action and start delivering a safe, national quarantine system?”

Morrison:

We have expanded the capacity of a national resilience facility to 2,000. It does exist, that capacity exists at Howard Springs, and I thank Michael Gunner for the partnership that he has waited together with us to establish the capacity.

In addition to that I welcome the partnership with is to ensure that we can move forward on the quarantine facility in Melbourne Mr Speaker, where we have the contract, they are underway.

I look at the partnership with premier McGowan in Western Australia to put a facility and play.

And I welcome the partnership we are working on with the Queensland government Mr Speaker, on this important facility stopping a deficit sitting at Howard Springs, which has played an incredibly important role Mr Speaker, especially facilitating the ... Australians with commercial flights the government has been able to put on to bring Australia’s home.

Those facilitated commercial flights arrive, they are taking up the capacity which is there at Howard Springs to support those flights Mr Speaker. That will continue to increase in relation to the commercial flies that are there, and I will ask the health minister to add further.

Updated

Speaker Tony Smith:

Before I go to the next question. When questions don’t mention the leader of the opposition, it is not an invitation for the prime minister at the end of his answer to make a political statement.

Updated

Meryl Swanson to Scott Morrison:

“My question is to the prime minister. Simone from my electorate has to drive the youngest of her five children to Westmead Hospital Sydney three times a week for dialysis. She had a vaccine appointment cancelled and redirected to a Sydney student. My office had to intervene to restore her appointment, because Simone feared that she may affect the immunosuppressed children she regularly comes into contact with. Isn’t it the prime minister’s fault that he failed to order enough vaccine?”

Morrison:

I do not accept the assertion that was put forward by the member, as I explained in relation to the last question, there were no vaccines redirected from GPs or pharmacists or the primary care network, as a result of the government ‘s national vaccination program.

As the member would be aware, the New South Wales government made a decision about redirecting state clinics, and the government Mr Speaker, has taken notice, to rephase supplies. It means those doses are going straight back into those regions, like the member’s electorate, Mr Speaker. The state government has [reallocated] those doses, but was against the advice of our government. We continue to provide the support, and I again thank those members who raised those issues with the health minister and I – that we were able to ensure that that was readdressed, and that we were able to get those doses back into the regions Mr Speaker, and I would have thought, I would have thought that the opposition would welcome that.

Again – NSW redirected vaccines because it did not have enough when it needed it, and couldn’t get more (at that time).

Updated

The first dixer is on the Closing the Gap statement.

Which is good.

But going back over the parliamentary speeches on this today, there seemed to be at least a dozen Labor MPs who remotely made speeches, but I only saw Trent Zimmerman make the same effort on the government side.

Updated

Question time begins

Pat Conroy to Scott Morrison:

“Vaccine supply tO the central Coast and Hunter region right through to Greater Sydney is an absolute mess.

“Did it prove that they will not be a desperate shortage of vaccines in New South Wales if the Prime Minister had done his job on quarantine and vaccine in the first place?”

Morrison disagrees with the premise of the question (a favourite of the genre):

I reject the assertion made by the member, and ... I thank the member for Robertson Mr Speaker for her advocacy and working closely with myself, the minister for health, and of course Lieutenant General Frewen and working through the challenges of this applies to those on the Central Coast and the Hunter.

Now Mr Speaker, the commonwealth government continued to provide more doses of two GPs, pharmacists, and all of those distribution points and points of presence right across New South Wales, with no changes to the supply arrangement.

The New South Wales government, Mr Speaker, made a choice to redirect supplies from state hubs in New South Wales ... Last night Mr Speaker I was able to advise the premier that 180,000 additional doses would be brought forward to support the effort into New South Wales on the condition also that the 20,000 doses went back into the regions, went back into the Central Coast, went back into the Hunter, went back into Armidale, went back into the south coast of New South Wales, went back to those communities that needed them, and the premier readily agreed.

... We were able to advise of 111,000 brought forward doses to support the vaccination in south east Queensland.

Now Mr Speaker, I appreciate and welcome the work that has been done by the minister for health, the secretary for health, and General Frewen, looking at what the urgent needs are ... without taking a single dose from the vaccination program in any other state or territory, or in any other place anywhere else around the country Mr Speaker.

So we managed the program to delivered on the areas of critical need, to ensure that we continue to support the program right across the country. With another record a day of over 220,000 doses administered in a single day, well over 1 million doses be delivered per week, one of 80% of those aged over 70 have had their first of those, and the vaccination program goes from strength to strength.

When the leader of the opposition, Mr Speaker, decides to sit down at talks with General Frewen later today, I am sure he could get the information, because he has been absent when it comes to getting advice from those earlier Mr Speaker.

That’s the third day this week Morrison has raised the issue of Anthony Albanese not having met with Lt Gen Frewen yet – despite even the general saying the meeting had to be rescheduled to Thursday because of parliamentary schedules. Albanese has said repeatedly it was the first time the meeting had been offered. And yet, Morrison persists.

Updated

Don’t for a second think this is in any way unusual.

It’s not.

Updated

Bridget McKenzie is talking about the great honour of ministerial authority in awarding grants and the “strong process of transparency” around those decisions – given what happened in sports rorts – just made me choke on my tea.

Given by the incredible laughs coming from Katy Gallagher off screen, the Labor senator also heard that.

There are audio issues between the panelists on the ABC – Katy Gallagher and Bridget McKenzie can’t hear what each other is saying.

Gallagher:

Bridget, I can’t hear you very well.

McKenzie:

No, I’m the same.

Gallagher:

But I don’t think it was positive. I don’t agree with whatever it was.

Updated

Tasmania is now on Covid alert.

Updated

I also missed this pearl of wisdom from the prime minister:

Every single day, every single day, the percentage of those vaccinated in this country increases.

I am obviously not a maths genius (I am a complete journalist cliche) but even I could tell you that when more people do something, the percentage increases.

So with vaccinations happening every day, yes, the percentage of those who have been vaccinated in the country increases.

That’s how it works.

Updated

Well, that has been a fun four or so non-stop hours.

There is a short reprieve until we get into question time, so if you need to, go look at some videos of puppies or stare at a wall before the next round of absolute chaos begins.

Updated

Daniel Andrews on the possibility of a sixth Victorian lockdown

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews was doorstopped outside state parliament just before the health press conference began.

He also said he had no announcements to make on whether the state would go back into lockdown — but said “nobody should be banking on restrictions lifting next Tuesday”.

Andrews said authorities in Victoria were still waiting on test results from the new outbreak.

“Obviously any cases that are in the community while infectious are a concern to us but I’ve got no announcements to make at the moment. There will be a series of meetings this afternoon as there were this morning,” he said.

“I can’t say but what I can say is the government’s priority is to avoid what’s going on in Sydney. We want to do everything we can to avoid cases getting out of control like they are in Sydney, and we sent our best wishes to everybody in Sydney.”

Asked if one of the options being considered was a snap three day lockdown, he said:

“We consider all matters and when I have announcements to make I will make them. If and when I have announcements to make, I should say.”

Andrews urged anyone who had any symptoms to get tested immediately and to speak to their doctor about getting vaccinated, if they haven’t already.

He also appeared to criticise the idea that vaccination alone could bring outbreaks under control, saying it would take “months” to reach the 80% target set by the federal government.

“We don’t want to get to a situation where the only way we could do that is to wait until everybody has had a vaccine. Because that’s not days or weeks of lockdown, that’s months. That’s what we’re all trying to avoid.

“Please don’t read any of this as a criticism of Sydney, it’s not. We wish them well. But we’ve got to be plain about this: we are trying to avoid, in everything we do, what’s happening up there. We’ve been through that already, that was most of last year. We don’t want to go back to that.”

The Victorian premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media on Thursday.
The Victorian premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media on Thursday. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP

Updated

So. Yup. Can’t imagine that went exactly as planned.

You always know when Scott Morrison is under pressure – he gets defensive, refuses to budge off his prepared lines, then gets angry and snaps at people, before walking away.

It happens like clockwork – you could set a TikTok dance to it, it’s so rhythmical

Updated

'What Australians are getting are more car parks. Australians are the winners': Morrison

That continued:

Q: “If it was for the election, why did you sign off on the funding before you went into caretaker mode?”

Morrison:

The ministers made the decisions. Any other questions?

Q: “Why did you need a list of the top 20 marginal seats? Did you see the list?”

Morrison:

I’m very OK with the idea of building car parks to ensure people can get a park, get on a train, can get to work sooner, get home sooner, because urban congestion and people commuting is a daily challenge. This is a daily thing that people want done. And we’re getting it done.

Q: “But did you see the list of the top 20 marginal electorates?”

Morrison:

I’m telling you, ministers make the decisions as they should. That’s the proper authorisation of the process. What Australians are getting are more car parks. Australians are the winners! Thanks very much!

And he left.

‘What Australians are getting are more car parks. Australians are the winner!’
‘What Australians are getting are more car parks. Australians are the winner!’ Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Here is how those last few minutes played out.

Jonathan Kearsley (kicking it off): “Prime minister, why did your government need a list of the top 20 marginals in order to allocate taxpayer money to projects in Coalition seats under the community car park fund?”

Scott Morrison:

The auditor general has already made his ruling on this report. And ministers were authorised to make the decisions and the minister made the decisions. (looks for next question)

Q: “What involvement did you have?” (Morrison ignores this).

Q: “Is it true your office saw this top marginals list?”

Morrison:

I’ve already made my comment.

Q: “Prime minister, what involvement did you have in this program?”

Morrison:

The ministers made the decisions on these programs.

Q: “So, you had no say under this program at all?”

Morrison:

The ministers make decisions as they’re authorised to make those decisions.

Q: “You had no conversation?”

Morrison:

The minister makes the decision on the project.

Q: “Did you have any conversation with Alan Tudge about where this taxpayer money would go?”

Morrison:

Ministers discuss many issues, but ministers make the decisions. That’s what the auditor-general found.

Q: “[Why did you need] a list of marginal seats?”

Morrison:

What I have done is made sure that we’re addressing one of the biggest challenges that people living in cities face. And so I’m very happy. Just like the opposition was to go to the Australian people at the last election and say, ‘I want to deal with the fact that people are spending too long in commuting, too long not being able to get a park, not being able to do any of these things.’

These are real issues. These are things that people want us to address. And my government is addressing them. And I will make that commitment, as I did at the last election. I went to the Australian people and I said, ‘We want to do this. Will you support us?; And they said yes. And we’re doing it.

Q: “[Why did you need] a list of the top 20 marginal seats?”

Morrison:

I can’t hear the questions. You’re all shouting over the top of each other.

Updated

That’s the second time in as many days someone has walked away from these questions. Alan Tudge did it yesterday.

The main answer they stick to is that the minister had the authority, something which has not been in question. The minister had the authority to award the grants, because that is how the program was designed.

The issue is that the grants were awarded to seats the Coalition wanted, or needed to win.

Updated

Scott Morrison avoids answering questions on car park scandal

Nine News reporter Jonathan Kearsley takes the opportunity to tackle Scott Morrison over the car park scandal, asking why there needed to be a list of 20 marginal seats provided before the car parks were allocated.

Morrison gets cranky, refuses to answer a question, and in the end, walks away from the press conference as questions are still being asked.

Updated

Victoria then gets a hero-gram for how it has handed lockdowns.

I kid you not.

Scott Morrison on the possibility of a sixth lockdown in Victoria:

To listen carefully to what the decision of the Victorian state government is, because I know they will make that decision based on the best possible information and advice that they have.

And the decision that they will take will be in the public’s best health interests.

And they will get our support, as they always have, as they always have.

As we saw last year, as we saw earlier this year. And where the state governments are taking those decisions, then obviously our support with the Covid disaster assistance payments kicks right in.

... The assistance will come. Wherever we can reprogram how we’re delivering the doses of vaccines, and where there’s an urgent need, we’ll, of course, seek to do that and provide that support.

But my message, whether in Victoria or anywhere else: the state government will make their decision, they’ll do it in a timely way, they’ll consider all the issues they need to manage, learning from everything that’s happened up until now, and I believe they’ll make a decision which is in the best public health interests of their state.

Updated

On SPC mandating vaccinations for its employees, Scott Morrison says:

Well, there are lots of choices in how we deal with Covid-19. And people should have those choices.

People will make a choice to get vaccinated or not vaccinated. Businesses have to make choices. And SPC, you’ve indicated the choice they have been making.

Qantas have been making similar noises about the choices they’ll make about how they run their business.

Remember, in a business, that business, at the end of the day, will wear costs of having to do the clean downs of facilities and the various other things that could happen as a result of an outbreak or something like of that nature in their premises. So, I understand businesses looking to make choices.

Now, the legal basis for that, I’m sure they’ve taken advice about that, and that could be – that will be an issue that we watch very closely.

So, where people are taking decisions that they believe are dealing with their concerns and their interests, then that’s something that the Coalition have always been supportive of. But that’s always subject to the rule of law.

Updated

Scott Morrison is still against Labor’s $300 cash incentive for vaccines.

This isn’t about whether there are incentives or not incentives. That’s not what this discussion is about. I’ll tell you what I’m not for – I’m not for bad ideas. I’m not for spending $6 billion largely paying people who have already done it. So, that’s just not a good idea.

The discussion here is about appropriate incentives at the right time. And the four-step plan doesn’t talk about incentives until phase B, as you say, once you’ve already hit 70%. The international experience does demonstrate that the next 10% are a lot harder than the first 70. But the evidence of overseas shows that you are getting there, whether it’s in Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada being in these situations, we have seen that experience. But the best incentive is this – you’re less likely to get the virus. You’re less likely to transmit the virus. You’re less likely to get seriously ill. You’re less likely to die.

They are the obvious incentives. The vaccine comes with a built-in incentive – that it reduces the risk of you harming yourself, harming your family members, and harming your community. And that’s why it’s important.

But the idea that we are going to go and spend $6 billion paying people who have largely had it, at the end of the day, and thinking that’s some sort of motivator, I said yesterday, I really do think it’s a vote of no confidence in the Australian people.

I know Australians are gonna come through this in the same way they have been coming through it up until now.

And we know, from all the work we’ve done, that it’s just a bad idea. Incentives can be helpful. But not that one.

Updated

Should NSW put a Victorian style ‘ring of steel’ around Sydney to keep the outbreak from overtaking the regions?

Scott Morrison:

What I don’t do is provide a running commentary on the decisions of other premiers in their areas of responsibility. I seek not to do that. They’ve gotta make those calls.

They’re working on their data, they’re working with their operational forces that they have available to them, which we then go and support, whether it’s with the Australian Defence Forces or health officials, or whatever else we can do to help them. They’ve gotta make those calls. And at the end of the day, they need to ensure those calls are effective.

So while Gladys Berejiklian is pushing vaccinations as the way out of Sydney’s lockdown, Scott Morrison is pushing compliance with the lockdown

Scott Morrison continues:

The other thing is, I’m very pleased – and I made it really clear – those 20,000 doses in New South Wales of Pfizer have to go back into those regional communities.

As you know, the commonwealth government continue to provide our doses directly to the pharmacists in those areas. We don’t get this done by making other areas slow down. We get this done by the whole country going forward.

And wherever I can get more support into those states with an urgent need, as I have demonstrated now, almost 400,000 additional doses going into New South Wales now, wherever I can do that, together with our team here, we will move to address that.

So, it is the lockdown, number one.

And the success of that lockdown and the compliance with that lockdown, which is the key to that lockdown being lifted. And that is supported by the vaccination program which this latest decision assists.

Updated

Asked about the 180,000 Pfizer doses for NSW, which is only enough for two days, Scott Morrison slightly contradicts Gladys Berejiklian, who suggested that the best way out of the Sydney lockdown was vaccination.

Morrison:

The primary tool to end the lockdown in Sydney is the success of the lockdown in Sydney. The virus doesn’t move by itself. People staying at home ensures that the virus doesn’t move.

And I can only reinforce the importance, as was achieved in Melbourne last year over a long period of time. Different variant, the Delta variant, as opposed to the Alpha variant last year, the earlier variant. And that makes the challenge so much harder.

But we’re also doing it now with an increasingly vaccinated population in New South Wales. And that’s why we worked with the health department and, of course, with General Frewen, and not just for New South Wales. I stress also for Queensland, we put in another arrangement, and that was based on getting further doses brought forward to ensure it was meeting the operational need, the urgent need that was there.

Now, we haven’t taken those doses from other states or territories.

We haven’t done it in a way that would mean that the vaccination program would be slowed in other parts of the country.

That would be dangerous, because the whole program needs to go forward. And so we didn’t want to have appointments cancelled in other parts of the country. What we did on top of the 200,000 doses we had already additionally provided to New South Wales for Pfizer, and over a million doses are available to New South Wales of AstraZeneca, in addition to that we have brought forward these other 180,000 doses.

And it means that later on they won’t have to be changing any appointments either. That’s what the premier and I discussed.

Updated

The press conference moves to Covid, so Pat Turner and Fiona Cornforth leave.

Updated

Q: “Just on that, prime minister, the stolen generation survivors were taken from their families under government policies. Doesn’t the commonwealth have a moral responsibility?”

Scott Morrison:

And we’re exercising it. We’re exercising our responsibilities and rightly so. And we’ll continue to.

Updated

'Time's up for redress of the stolen generations': Indigenous leader Pat Turner

Pat Turner answers as well:

I think we’ve got a better opportunity now to make great strides in Closing the Gap, because the ultimate objective is the life expectancy gap to be closed.

But just let me say I’m quite happy to say to the WA government and the Queensland government, time’s up for redress of the stolen generations. You have to follow the other jurisdictions throughout Australia. The last ones to come on board and it’s high time that you did the right thing in a human rights context. To make sure that our people are receiving the right redress as soon as they can.

‘Time’s up for redress of the Stolen Generations’: the convener of the Coalition of peaks, Pat Turner, speaks on Thursday.
‘Time’s up for redress of the stolen generations’: the convener of the Coalition of Peaks, Pat Turner, speaks on Thursday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison jumps in there:

And this is the big change with this. Where we were many years ago, I think it led to a presumption that somehow the federal government could close every gap that existed for Indigenous Australians.

It’s not true. That’s not true.

This problem is much bigger than the federal government. It’s much bigger than state governments on their own. Local governments, each and every Indigenous service delivery organisation.

It’s bigger than every single community and to Close the Gap, this way of doing this work is about collectively bringing the resources and commitment of everyone to that task and that’s what I think we’ve achieved, Pat. That’s the structure that we think will get this done.

The prime minister Scott Morrison at Thursday’s press conference.
The prime minister Scott Morrison at Thursday’s press conference. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

On the states who have not addressed this as yet in a way welcomed by Indigenous communities (Western Australia and Queensland) Ken Wyatt says:

Look, there will be ongoing discussions with the states on many issues, from employment through to other key initiatives that will fall out of the work that we are collectively doing. And we want to do that in partnership.

I don’t believe that we headbutt people. When you headbutt somebody, they will not work with you.

We want to walk alongside each other in the reforms that we do. And Pat and I, through joint council, have been walking with ministers and looking at... and we’ve had strong discussions but we’ve also talked about our obligations and our responsibilities. So that’s the focus that we will take in the way that we move forward on this discussions.

Asked why descendants of the stolen generation aren’t eligible for the redress payments, Ken Wyatt says:

Actually, what we’ve done in this program is focused on those who are still with us. Because they still feel the pain and grief. In my discussions with Fiona and with Maisie and others from the Territory, they acknowledged that there are those who passed before them, but I want to focus on those who are still with us so that we’re able to provide that level of support that will help them, because many of them are ageing and aged care is an option that they’re facing and many have said they don’t want to go into aged care. They want to remain independent. So this enables that independence. Plus it is a recognition that we are acknowledging that we are sorry for what we did with the policies that we put in place.

Updated

What about a Voice to Parliament though?

Scott Morrison talks about taking “the next step and then the next step and then the next” and asks Ken Wyatt to speak.

Wyatt:

The report clearly sets out the steps we need to take, and the advice that I have received from all people who are involved in all of the forums was to be methodical and make sure we get it totally right. And I’m reading the report and we’ll take that to cabinet for further discussion and at some point I’ll have a discussion with the prime minister as well.

... Let’s not put words into this that detract from the importance of the voice. As Aboriginal people, we want to get this right. We want it firmed, we don’t want to see the history of bodies being created and undone.

And that’s why all of the work that the committees have done has been done in deliberation with Indigenous leadership right across this country. It’s like the partnership of the 51 peaks. That partnership will be enduring.

We want an enduring structure where our people, at the community level, can also have a voice to governments, along with the relationship we’ve established with Pat and the 51 peaks.

Updated

Fiona Cornforth from the Healing Foundation, which works with and advocates for survivors of the stolen generation also speaks:

The Healing Foundation welcomes today’s federal government announcement of reparation and wellbeing support for stolen generation survivors.

We know how long and how tirelessly our community leaders have been working towards this and it’s an emotional time knowing that they’ve been heard and that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations that have done the heavy lifting so long, alongside impacted families, have been heard.

The scheme is practical support for stolen generation survivors to address the often complex health and economic needs that are etched ever evidenced to be a result of forced removal and forced removal alone. The truth of this is important.

Reparations to acknowledge that truth is important. It’s something, but it’s not everything.

It won’t provide that end state of a healed nation, but there is hope in the priority reforms under the national agreement. I acknowledge Pat here as lead convenor and all leaders of the Coalition, driving out better ways to achieve outcomes alongside governments.

I echo Pat’s thanks to the partnerships, to those involved. The reforms are critical and we’re grateful to be partners of an agreement and implementing an agreement that we contribute our excellence and our testimonies to collectively.

Updated

Pat Turner:

We also have some very important commitments to funding justice initiatives for our people and support for the justice policy partnership, which you would know that we established after joint council in April this year.

We have a long way to go to seeing improvements in the lives of our people across the country and for the gap of life outcomes to be closed, but this is an important step forward. The Coalition of Peaks will work with governments over the next 10 years to make sure that we do all we can for our peoples and ensure the full implementation of the national agreement.

The prime minister Scott Morrison (left), the minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt (centre) and the Coalition of Peaks convenor and co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap Pat Turner (right) arrive at the press conference in Canberra.
The prime minister Scott Morrison (left), the minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt (centre) and the Coalition of Peaks convenor and co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap Pat Turner (right) arrive at the press conference in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Pat Turner continues:

The government is also making some significant commitments in the areas of early childhood, providing much-needed additional supports and services, including in our remote communities.

I am pleased to see that funding will be spent in line with priority reform too, and delivered through our own organisations.

I am very pleased that there is commitment to address the poor state of infrastructure in our community-controlled health clinics across the country. $100 million over the next few years to help us get those up to scratch. We’ve got a long way to go but it’s a very important commitment for which I’m very grateful to Greg Hunt.

Pat Turner from the Coalition of Peaks (who has been instrumental in this new agreement):

It has been a hard slog but we are starting to see what can be achieved when we work together for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and when we partner with governments. The Coalition of Peaks also released its implementation plan today. You can find it on our website.

We know that having a seat at the table with governments comes with significant responsibilities and obligations to our organisations, to our members and communities that we serve across all Australia.

Our implementation plan sets out our commitments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to governments, as part of our partnership. Like governments, we will report on our work annually. Today’s funding commitments by the prime minister are very significant.

Our people have waited a long time for compensation for stolen generation survivors.

I just want to say how much this means to me personally. It is important recognition. I also know, however, that there are many survivors that have died waiting for this recognition. My mum being one of them.

Updated

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt:

It’s always been the commonwealth that has reported in the past, in the aggregated data.

This time, what we’ve done is state and territory parliaments will now report on these targets within their parliaments, within their jurisdictions. Substantial difference. Pat [Turner’s] work with her 51 peaks and the state and territory peak organisations will play a critical role in the partnership that has evolved from the work that we have done.

The first meeting Pat was at in Redfern, she took a leadership role and brought together 51 organisations to work side by side, focusing on the outcomes would be not about our organisations or our governments, but for the children of the future.

For our communities and for those who have been affected by government policies over a period of time. This is unique. It’s an arrangement that I’ve not seen prevail at any other tier of government or any other government in the past, because we now all take joint account ability for this strategy and it’s a significant journey forward.

The level of resourcing our government has committed are on key and critical areas on health, some of the infrastructure required for clinics and the foundation years of a child’s journey, through both health and education and then the other significant plank is the partnership and joint accountability to each other.

Updated

Scott Morrison's press conference

The prime minister is holding a press conference after delivering the Close the Gap statement.

Today in the Closing the Gap implementation plan, which I tabled in the parliament, is an important partnership.

It reflects the fact that these goals that we have set now for many years that we’ve provided greater detail to have required and need a different way of delivery. It needed a different way of working together.

That is not a criticism of previous efforts. All of these efforts have been well intentioned. All of these efforts have been well motivated.

But good government and the delivery of important services is achieved by ensuring that you get your processes right, your partnerships right, you get your structures right, you get your systems right, so you can deliver on the ground.

Because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters when it comes to Closing the Gap is Closing the Gap. And that only happens when more than 50 Indigenous organisations are empowered and supported to go and do the work they’re doing delivering services around this country.

It only happens when state governments are doing what they need to do, when federal governments are doing what we need to do and local governments are doing what they need to do and that’s what this new partnership is about.

Updated

Victorian summary

It seems Daniel Andrews was speaking somewhere else at the same time as the official Victorian update:

Here is what we know about the Victorian Covid-19 outbreak so far:

  • Six new cases have been officially reported
  • Two new cases were reported after the reporting period ended and will be included in tomorrow’s update
  • Urgent investigations are being carried out to find the source of the outbreak
  • There are already 2,000-3,000 close contacts, given one of the cases is a teacher at Al-Taqwa College in Truganina in the western suburbs (which has already dealt with an outbreak)
  • There is no word as yet about a sixth lockdown for Victoria, but it remains on the table
  • More information will be released as it comes to hand

Updated

Victorian Covid commander Jeroen Weimer again says authorities moved as quickly as they could to get the information on the new cases out:

Last night we had to positive cases that came through. We were clear, publicly especially, with the school community and our absolute focus was dealing with primary close contacts.

We spent much of last night until the early hours of this morning dealing with the process of where they have been and what contact they had in making public health decisions about who we needed to communicate with.

Last night we got a hold of the football club and that conversation carries on. Again, I am happy to take questions. We are managing by half-hour segments but we went public late yesterday afternoon with separate cases.

Updated

This is why Victorian authorities are worried:

Scott Morrison has announced a press conference for 12.30.

Updated

The Victorian health minister, Martin Foley, would not say if the state was heading for its sixth lockdown off the back of this new cluster.

It comes as the Victorian Covid commander, Jeroen Weimar, confirmed there were two new cases on top of the six already reported today. The two new cases are close family contacts of the couple at Hobsons Bay who tested positive late yesterday.

News Corp had reported the Victorian government was considering a snap three-day lockdown.

Foley said no decisions have been made and that the public health team was considering “all the evidence and the material as it comes to hand”

We have nothing to say at this time.

When we get public health advice on how to respond, we will be sure to share that as quickly as we possibly can with the Victorian people.

He said much of the information was still being collected. Primary close contacts are still being tested.

We need to look up stream for acquisition sources for these three cases and the further case that Jeroen pointed to from family acquisition that has emerged today. And we need to look down stream as to exposure sites. So putting all of that together, our public health team will make a risk assessment and will bring forward their decision as and when it is made.

Updated

Martin Foley said the information had gone out as soon as it was possible:

We have been working very closely and the processes with the school community have been really solid.

This is a school that has been through this before. And the communication of both their school community, other schools they have engaged with and that partnership with the local health unit have all gone exactly as we would want them to.

The school initiated, without strong support, with the school community and when our public health team saw the information, at the normal process, we listed that as a tier one site.

Similar with the Newport football club. The second case that we are working with from today’s number is a player ... and they have stepped up and we have gone through a similar process of verification and as we have indicated, various workplaces and retail outlets verified from conversations have gone up on the website and as conversations continue. We forecast there will be further exposure sites in the system.

The Victorian health minister, Martin Foley, wearing a black mask
The Victorian health minister, Martin Foley. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP

Updated

Martin Foley says that as soon as people started showing symptoms, they went and got tested, which has been a huge help:

From my understanding from those cases, as soon as the symptoms were being displayed people came forward. Symptoms display is different from infectivity and that is why we are very concerned about what the acquisition sources for this cases might be.

Are there discussions happening about a sixth lockdown in Melbourne?

Short answer, very sadly, is yes, it is on the table (but nothing is set down, it is just talks about potential next actions).

Martin Foley:

We have nothing to say at this time. We get public health advice and will share that as quickly as it possibly can.

We consider all the evidence and material as it comes to hand. As you heard, particularly from Jeroen, a lot of the information is being collated at the moment.

We need to look up stream for the source and the further cases that Jeroen reported to from family acquisition that has emerged to date and we need to look down stream at exposure sites and putting all that together, our public health team will make a risk assessment and will bring forward their decision as and when it is made

... There are always discussions about how to best respond to change in public health issues. We have been upfront and transparent on what those discussions are, where the risks are and the processes that the public health team are going through. When the public health team collate and bring all that information to bear, should see a change of circumstances, we would certainly share that in a timely manner.

Updated

Two new cases in Victoria, on top of the reported six

As the Victorian Covid commander, Jeroen Weimar said “24 hours is a long time in a pandemic”:

Of the three new (unlinked) cases today ... most of our work now is to try and establish both where those cases derived from and are there any downstream for the cases we need to identify and isolate.

One – he works in a warehouse and lives with a flatmate. We are awaiting his testing results and hopefully during the afternoon today and we are undertaking testing of his colleagues. At the moment we have no other information about the possible source of acquisition and it is an ongoing investigation.

He then goes into two new cases:

Updated

Here’s Martin Foley’s whole quote on how quickly things can change:

We started yesterday with no cases and 24 hours later we have at least three unlinked cases and that just goes to show that this pandemic is not over and that the situation we will continue to face is really significant and is really one of great concern to our public health team and to all Victorians.

We had to make sure these three at the moment unlinked community cases are understood and where that chains of infections may have either been acquired or downstream where their infectious period of activity may have been in the community.

As always, throughout this pandemic, we will be guided by the public health advice and provide further updates to Victorians if and when that advice changes.

Updated

Victoria records six new Covid cases, with the source of three under investigation

Health authorities in Victoria are investigating the source of three new Covid-19 infections which have not yet been linked to a known outbreak.

Victoria recorded six new cases on Thursday – three of which were close contacts of the Moonee Valley outbreak and isolating for the entirety of their infectious period, and three of which are unlinked and were not isolating.

One of those cases was reported late yesterday. They are a teacher at Al-Tarqwa College in Truganina in the western suburbs. A household contact of that case has also tested positive.

There is also a positive case reported in Maribyrnong, the suburb where the most recent Delta outbreak in Melbourne began last month.

Genomic testing is under way to determine the source of the three mystery cases.

Victoria’s health minister, Martin Foley, says that “multiple thousands” of people have been required to isolate and get tested, including all students, staff and their families at Al-Tarqwa.

Foley said:

The department of health is working very closely in partnership with the western public health, local public health unit in supporting that local community and is working very closely with the school principal and the school leadership and I want to congratulate the school because we know this school has been through this process in the past and have learnt and engaged in so many ways and have been exemplary in the support and systems (they have in place).

Foley said everyone who had been at the school needed to isolate until they receive further information.

He warned that things could “turn very quickly”.

We started off yesterday with no cases. And now, 24 hours later, we have at least three unlinked cases and that just goes to show that this pandemic is not over.

Updated

NSW summary

There was, as always, a lot in that hour. The Victorian press conference started at 11.45am – Calla Wahlquist has been following along with that and will have an update for you very soon.

But let’s review the NSW information.

It’s been the worse day so far, with 262 new cases recorded in the community and five deaths.

110 of those cases were in isolation for their whole infectious period.

43 were in the community for their whole infectious period.

29 were in isolation for part of their infectious period and 80 cases are still under investigation.

The Hunter and upper Hunter region will be in lockdown from 5pm after cases were found in the region.

Some cases have been linked to a Friday gathering at Blacksmith beach. Someone from Sydney is believed to have travelled to the region, but the focus is rightly on public health and getting information, not punitive measures.

290 people are in hospital with Covid, with 51 people in intensive care, 24 of whom require ventilation.

180,000 extra Pfizer doses are on their way to NSW.

They will replace the doses taken from the Central Coast to HSC students in Sydney.

Vaccinations remain the focus.

Booking systems are being improved.

Access for business support is being improved.

The health minister felt the need to give an improvised statement on negativity, how he thinks the media is going, the 1915 Cooee march and the need to get vaccinated.

Updated

The NSW press conference ends

Brad Hazzard then moves to a comment on the media (he was not asked this question, he chose to make this statement):

Can I just say this too, it strikes me when I listen to some of the questions that are asked, there’s a certain level of negativity.

I think that Dr Chant started off by asking all the media to be with us on this journey.

And I like to add to that – I want to thank broadly the media, because I think broadly the media have been very, very good.

I read the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Daily Telegraph, every morning, and occasionally the Australian.

I think the work going on in the print media is very, very good.

I want to congratulate both papers on the work they have done. I particularly want to congratulate the Daily Telegraph.

It’s extraordinary with the number of people who are in effect getting on the journey with us.

And it struck me, as I looked at the paper, I remember my – my grandparents talking about something called the Cooee march in 1915. When 25 men marched from Gilgandra with one call to the community, and that was come join us.

Let me say right now is the time for all of you in the community but also in the media to come join us in this massive venture to try to get people vaccinated.

I can’t hear otherwise intelligent people saying I’m not going to get vaccinated.

Stop being selfish, stop putting front-line healthcare, there to look after you when you get the virus, five people have lost their lives, 70% of all the case are now under the age of 40, for heaven’s sake, get real, come join us, go and get vaccinated where you can get it.

...There’s no excuse. There’s no excuse to not go and get vaccinated.

Updated

Brad Hazzard is again asked about staffing levels in ICUs, particularly in Westmead hospital. There are reports staffing levels have moved to one nurse to two patients.

Hazzard says that is not the case:

There’s no doubt the health system is under stress because we have a massive battle. A war with the virus.

That to last night, has taken 21 lives just in this current outbreak and a quarter of those were literally in the last 24 hours.

So, yeah, we’re – the health team are under stress.

Having said that, it’s a very big system. And there are priority areas. ICUs, intensive care units, are priority areas.

I was advised yesterday or the day before that Westmead was under pressure.

But there are normally 36 beds in the intensive care unit there. The only reduction is to 32, which I thank the staff for all the work they’re doing there.

And they’re still doing one to one nursing, as you expect, in an intensive care unit. So I’m not quite sure where you’re getting your facts from.

That’s the situation.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian:

I don’t regret that for a second. I know that people will be very upset with me, I said that. But having year 12 able to complete their HSC is a priority for our government. I don’t think anyone across the state would genuinely begrudge that. I apologise if people feel inconvenienced.

If we didn’t make that decision, the high school kids wouldn’t be able to get their vaccine from Monday. That’s the truth.

Updated

That answer continues:

Can I say to the children, to the students in those eight local government areas, many of them are aspiring for a better life than their parents have experienced, their parents may have come from countries like my parents did, that experienced tragedy.

The HSC and doing well is an opportunity for a better life.

We regard that as a priority, making sure they can sit their examinations, some would be doing subjects that require some face to face presence.

I want to thank people in the regions who may have been inconvenienced for a couple of weeks. You need to make the best of what you have.

We have limited supplies of what the vaccines we need. That’s being addressed. I want to thank the prime minister for his personal intervention yesterday. He made commitments to me which I know will happen and I’m deeply grateful for that.

When you’re dealing with a pandemic, difficult choices need to be made very every day.

But it’s balancing the priorities, and providing every child the opportunity to be their best across New South Wales and many students in the regions in year 12 are having that face to face, people in the Sydney area, Central Coast, Wollongong, Newcastle are not. I ask people to be considerate. I know it’s hard.

Updated

Q: You say it would be confusing to have two types of vaccines for year 12s, isn’t it more confusing to force 40,000 people across our state to have their bookings cancelled and rescheduled when you could have a line for AstraZeneca and a line for Pfizer?

Gladys Berejiklian:

No, it doesn’t work like that. When you’re asking high schools to come forward, it’s so much easier and efficient to vaccinate all high school students at the same time, at the same place, during the course of four to five days.

It means we can get through around 20,000 students in a week. That’s a big tall order.

We’re hoping many students come forward.

Can I please urge parents and teachers and principals and members of the community to encourage all of the HSC students in those eight local government areas to come forward for their vaccination, the Pfizer vaccination, from 9 August.

And please know in a pandemic, no decision is easy. But I think everyone would appreciate that having year 12s sit their exams across the state, is an absolute necessity.

Q: It’s week seven. When you announced the lockdown, you said no business would be left behind. Currently people are struggling to get through on the phone to Service NSW. They go to the website, they don’t know what they’re applying for, the website is too difficult for them ... Who in your government is responsible for making sure that businesses don’t go down the drain with the lockdown?

Gladys Berejiklian:

Can I stress this point, firstly, I did receive some preliminary advice to say our systems will be improving from tomorrow.

We ask people to be patient in terms of the wait times.

At the end of the day, you know, I’m the premier, so the buck stops with me.

I have to make sure we make the processes as efficient as possible, as streamlined as possible.

The good news is at least we know that the actual amounts we’re offering are hitting the mark.

The challenge for us is getting the money out the door to people who need them. I apologise to anyone who has experienced unnecessary delay, because every day causes additional stress.

But please know our people are working night and day and I understand in the last few days we have an extra 400 staff within Service NSW.

We employed an additional 1,000 during the pandemic. We need to cut out any red tape in terms of the form filling.

Normally you have some integrity measures in place to make sure that people are being honest, but we would rather forego to make sure we’re getting money out the door, I probably shouldn’t have said the last sentence but you know what I mean*.

I have been advised that things will improve from tomorrow. All of us are accountable. But I also know I’m the premier, the buck stops with me, and it’s my job to make sure that things are as efficient as possible.

(*The NSW premier has a habit of saying the quiet things out loud.)

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian:

I want to make it clear. It’s not until we hit 70 or 80(%) that we can live life as freely as we like with Covid.

Even then, social distancing, mask wearing, QR codes, will be a part of life. But I don’t think any of us will mind because it’s much freer than now.

That’s why I’m urging our citizens to come forward and get vaccinated.

Even a month during a lockdown is too long to wait.

We know from the health advice it takes about two weeks, two to three weeks for the first dose to have good impact.

And so, you know, the quicker our population gets at least the first dose, the quicker there will be that level of reduced transmission, reduced likelihood of being in hospital, and that all matters.

This is part of the weaponry we have in getting us out of this situation. But I think the way we’re going, everyone is craving extra bits of freedom, extra bits of things we can do.

Ahead of having any concrete advice because we’re still some weeks away from 28 August, my message very strongly is get vaccinated. That includes the options we have for how we live moving forward.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian continues:

The government is looking at incentives to make sure people are able to return to a level of activity at some point in time, in a safe way, and higher rates of vaccination give us those options.

One thing is very clear, until we get to at least, you know, 80% of our vaccination rates, we’ll have some level of restriction.

It doesn’t necessarily mean stay at home, but it means some level of restriction.

Even at 80%, the Doherty report was very clear, social distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing in certain circumstances, will be a part of life for us until the strain of Covid goes.

It’s important to note we’ll be living with a level of restriction, even when we get to 80%, but it’s so much freer, including potentially international travel and all those other things.

We can live with this strain, but we can live more freely once we hit particular milestones.

What the Doherty report puts into context what 70% vaccination will look like, what 80% vaccination will look like, but that’s still in the context of having a level of restriction. But much freer than now. That’s that basic message.

Updated

Q: Just in terms of incentives, especially in the eight local government areas, are you looking at a no jab, no work policy?

Gladys Berejiklian:

We’re definitely trying to consider options that are more positive, to say classes of employees can go back if they’ve had the vaccination.

We’re considering those options. I don’t want to rule anything out.

Our decisions will be based on health advice and what is critical. We also appreciate basic things communities want to do all across New South Wales, across greater Sydney, they currently can’t do, to access some services or access getting back to work.

We do want to incentivise people for getting the jab, in terms of occupations that might be able to go.

So, potentially, if someone that’s providing a service is vaccinated and their client is vaccinated, we feel much more comfortable in relaxing that restriction on August 29. I want to say if people, if you’re worried, talk to your GP.

Updated

Q: Are you clarifying the extra doses in the eight LGAs will be open to younger people, apart from the HSC students?

Gladys Berejiklian:

Obviously HSC students only have the one option. Both for age requirements but also for expediency, you need to give them all the same jab, because it’s very confusing and very difficult to keep track of otherwise.

The government will be taking the health advice.

But clearly, as the health experts continually tell us, the biggest risk are the younger, mobile people.

If you’re someone who is caring – who is working in aged care and not vaccinated, that’s a risk. Working, driving food around, and no one else can do job, that’s a risk.

If people are mobile and they’re living in those communities where the virus is extremely prevalent, well they’re a risk to everyone and that’s why we’ll be focusing our efforts to reduce risk in those people that have to be mobile.

The science and the data is there. Unfortunately we’ve been in a situation six weeks. So we have a greater understanding of what we need to target. And if we look at what overseas jurisdictions have done, places, provinces in Canada, which are comparable, they had a very targeted vaccination program getting to those essential workers and that’s what we need to do. If our targeted program is clever and quick, we’ll be able to see those case numbers go down.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/AAP

Updated

But bookings for vaccinations are still very, very difficult.

Gladys Berejiklian points the finger at the federal government (but only a very small one).

Q: But people can’t book an appointment for the first dose because they can’t book the second appointment. It says you can only book if there’s availability for two appointments. So they can’t book anything. You have people hearing your message every day, saying, please get vaccinated, and they’re trying, but they’re unable to.

Berejiklian:

We’re improving any chinks in the booking system. We’re looking at ways we can improve our capacity to improve the bookings (she makes a comment about how it is the federal system, but the transcription doesn’t pick it up),

I’m told by today and tomorrow people will see improvements in terms of booking. Make sure you’re contacting your GP, especially in those eight local government areas, contacting your GP, your pharmacist, if there’s a local pharmacist you trust, chances are they’re providing the vaccine.

Updated

So what more can be done?

Gladys Berejiklian:

Can I be very clear about this? Our best way through this at the current time is getting jabs in arms as well as focusing on compliance. So ... the evidence is there, the evidence is there to suggest vaccination helps us deal with Delta and we’re looking at oversees jurisdictions of comparable size to New South Wales and we know that high vaccination rates stop spread and keep people out of hospital.

...There is always opportunities to move in and out of restrictions if we need to with particular flare-ups or issues.

Please know – and I want to stress this – that we have the harshest lockdown conditions that any state in Australia has seen.

The difference is the Delta variant and we’ve been able to knock every other part of Covid on its head in New South Wales for the last 18 months.

We’ve been able to keep it out of our communities, live relatively freely, albeit with restrictions.

What is different for this lockdown is the fact it’s the Delta variant. Yes, we can do more. We can make sure we’re vaccinating the people who are still mobile and have to be. We can make sure we have very targeted approaches within the eight local government areas.

If the health advice asks us to consider other things, we’ll do that. We need to be real about what is causing the spread, where the virus is. Not only do we have to worry about people’s physical health, but also their mental health, and the way society continues to function.

Updated

Q: Dr Chant are we at the point yet where we, as a population now have to concede that these case numbers will keep increasing by 20 or 30 a day until we reach those 50% or 60% vaccination rates?

Chant:

We are looking at everything we can optimise. We are working with a whole-of-government approach to support the affected areas.

We still have much more to do and we are throwing out all stops in terms of stopping the spread.

Whilst I know it is incredibly challenging to see numbers at these levels, and also, can I just say, challenging for our health staff, that still have to work every day and do the contact tracing and do all the hard work.

Yes, it is not where I would like it to be, but we are looking at every aspect of people’s mobilities, movements, working with multicultural leaders.

We are continuing to learn how the disease is spread and look at how we can intervene in those transmission paths. I think there’s more we can do but it’s really important that everyone as they move about believes they are at risk of acquiring Covid.

We do not want complacency in other parts of Sydney. As we’ve seen in Strathfield and Burwood, we occasionally see cases there. So it’s important that no one is complacent but, again, we’ve got more work to do in those local communities to support them.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant.
The NSW chief health officer, Kerry Chant. Photograph: Getty Images

Updated

Here are the numbers in a graph:

Why, given half of HSC students are 18, have they not been offered AstraZeneca?

Dr Kerry Chant:

It’s just easier. Many of them won’t be. Some will be as young as 16 and some will be as young as 18. In order to get them effectively vaccinated. It is much easier to use one vaccine so you haven’t got the complexities in an operational sense because we’re keen to put vaccines in arms as quickly as possible. Can I just say how overjoyed I am to hear that we are getting additional Pfizer vaccines and it is important that we both have access to Pfizer and the AstraZeneca. We need as much vaccine as we can and it is great to see that vaccine supply.

Updated

Dr Kerry Chant on the Blacksmith beach gathering:

Look, as I said, at this point the investigations are preliminary and I don’t think it serves us any purpose in speculating all aspects but clearly we’re talking about the fact that we want to know how transmission occurred and we believe there is linkages back to western Sydney.

That’s all I’m prepared to say on the matter because our focus is working with individuals to track down the chains of transmission

Updated

Q: You said yesterday we will turn the corner. How can we have any confidence that that is going to be the case when we see numbers like we have today?

Gladys Berejiklian:

Every day that goes by, our learning increases, and that’s why we’re focusing on vaccinations in those eight local government areas and I’ve said from the beginning how critical it is to have those vaccinations.

Whilst we have surveillance testing and extra testing coming out of those local government areas, we know that too many authorised workers, people that are putting food on our table or taking care of our aged care facilities, are not vaccinated and that’s a huge risk.

So when you have people that have to be mobile – because otherwise, if we didn’t let these workers work, we’d have no food supplies and no essential services.

So the challenge is if we get those people who are mobile vaccinated, that will help us deal with the case numbers.

And can I say whilst the case numbers are not where I’d like them to be, they’re certainly not where anyone wants them to be, we’ve done well holding the virus at bay to date compared to other places in the world.

You look at anywhere else in the world and the case numbers would be in their thousands.

This is it.

Updated

Q: The Teachers’ Federation has called for a delay in the return to year 12 students on 16 August. They don’t want that to happen under the current numbers in the state of emergency. What’s your response to that? And will you do that?

Gladys Berejiklian:

Well, my response is I hope that all peak bodies appreciate that I don’t think anybody in this state would disagree that our priority should be having year 12 complete their HSC in as safe and as timely a way as possible.

We’re keen to make sure everybody sits the public exams that are required, keen to make sure there is little to no risk to students when they do that.

That’s why we have to get especially those students in those eight local government areas vaccinated. When you’re not an adult, when you’re under 18, Pfizer is the only option.

I don’t think anybody would begrudge us for focusing on getting kids back to school, starting with year 12.

Everyone is under enormous stress and pressure, every citizen, but they are exacerbated when you’re trying to home school and keep your own job or run your own business or get help and support and so the stresses are there and obviously getting kids back to school, especially year 12, is a priority for us and that’s the topic of conversations in the coming days and I’ll have more to say about that.

I don’t think anybody would begrudge us having the intention to get them through with as little stress as possible ... I can’t imagine what it’s like for those families, but I can’t imagine home schooling kids, trying to hold down a job and trying to put food on the table.

These are challenging times and the government has to focus on priorities and make sure we get our priorities right so we can focus our energies there.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian was asked about the doses which were taken from the Central Coast and re-allocated to HSC students in Sydney:

Firstly, the regional doses will be replaced in the week of 16 August.

That’s because the prime minister informed me personally last night that he was able to provide an extra 180,000 doses to New South Wales over the next two weeks.

I’m very grateful for that because, as you know, a key priority of our government is to make sure every student can sit the HSC. It’s a legal requirement for every student to sit a public examination process.

We want to make sure every child from those eight local government areas has the opportunity to do their best, to be their best, not only to protect them against the virus and protect their family but also to go through the HSC process.

It’s an incredibly stressful time for those students and their families. That’s why. We’ve made very clear, I think, what our vaccine strategy has had to be adjusted because of what’s happening in New South Wales.

I’ve been vocal publicly about our need and want for more vaccines. Dr Chant, and I, and whole Team New South Wales, has been vocal it about the sense of urgency around vaccination for some months, even prior to this, because we can see what’s happening around the world.

We are looking at comparable jurisdictions who have higher rates of vaccination and higher case numbers than us but they’re keeping people out of hospital because of vaccination rates. We know the vaccines stop the spread.

They protect life and keep people out of hospital. That’s why it is so critical and every jurisdiction around the world is finding Delta challenging.

We can try and eliminate it but we know the vaccine is critical to stopping the spread and allowing us to consider options moving forward.

I can’t stress that enough and I can’t stress enough why we’re asking everybody to come forward and get vaccinated. If anybody has concerns about their health requirements, go to your GP or contact your pharmacist. We’re beefing up access points, whether it’s through pharmacies.

Obviously GPs are keen to do more as well as all the pop-up clinics in New South Wales, especially in our regions and also in particular the mobile sites and clinics in south-western Sydney.

Updated

All five people who died were in hospital, Dr Kerry Chant says:

All were receiving, can I just say, excellent care and that’s another key message.

One of the reasons why it’s good for you to get tested is because once we have a diagnosis of Covid, we can also link you in and provide you with very much high-quality care. But even with high-quality care, Covid is a serious disease and that’s why I’m pushing the vaccination message so strongly.

Updated

Concerns for rural NSW

Dr Kerry Chant says concerns are growing NSW regions are at risk of outbreaks:

Obviously we’re very concerned about regional New South Wales and that’s why we’ve got restrictions in place in relation to mask wearing, limited density and other things.

We’ve also, I think regional New South Wales would be very attuned to the risk of people that have come in from greater Sydney.

I know that there’s probably been lots of reports, and police have probably responded lots of times to rural communities highlighting when people are in breach and I know that police have also put in a lot of surveillance activities.

So, yes, we are very concerned. And that’s why no one can be complacent.

And I’m asking, you know, whilst we have allowed rural New South Wales to continue a range of activities which are not available to people in Sydney, we need to make sure that you are still vigilant about signs and symptoms, getting tested. You cannot be complacent.

The risk is everywhere and as you’re aware, Queensland is also experiencing a different Delta outbreak so we’re conscious of risks in the northern part, because we are all connected and it is impossible to absolutely prevent any movement.

I want to acknowledge the work we’re doing with industry to make sure we’ve got very strong Covid safety plans and vigilance in those industries that, by necessity, need to put food on tables and distribute food and key products across the region.

Updated

Dr Kerry Chant is being (very understandably) careful as she gives further information on the Blacksmiths beach gathering. She says she does not want to see witch hunts (as is proper). Her only concern is people tell the truth, so public health teams can react as soon as possible.

We believe there may have been people there from greater Sydney and that’s how it was introduced.

But, as I said, our strongest focus – and I really ask the media to assist us here – is getting to the bottom of how the disease was transmitted and introduced into Newcastle.

That is in the best interests of everyone at this time for us to get to the bottom of it. And I think we need to work with individuals and I thank people for being open and honest with us, so we can track down any chains of transmission. I ask them to respect that as the principal objective at the moment.

Updated

Dr Kerry Chant:

My message to everyone over 18 is please consider your options for vaccination and, as I said, I can’t express my regret at seeing people that ... elderly people that are not vaccinated.

We need to get that vaccine into arms if we’re going to protect them and also protect their loved ones. It is important that we follow the stay at home directions and do our part in curbing the spread of Covid.

Updated

There have been covid sewage detections in Armidale and Dubbo.

There are concerns of active cases in Armidale in particular – if you’re in the New England area, with symptoms, get tested

Updated

NSW authorities believe the Newcastle/Hunter infections can be linked to a gathering at Blacksmiths beach on Friday night.

Dr Kerry Chant:

Can I just thank the people involved? Not that I want to see gatherings, but I also want people to tell us the truth.

If they’ve made a wrong judgment, if they’ve taken course of action that they regret, please tell us the truth because that will allow us to find out who was there and stop any chains of transmission.

So two of the confirmed cases – so what the public health unit has done is identified a case, tested around the case and we’ve found some additional cases and two are confirmed cases in students at Maitland Christian School.

That school has been closed for cleaning today. We’re working with the New South Wales health and department of education and obviously the school.

All of the parents and the children are asked to go home and isolate and we’ll provide further advice as we work through the days that the children were infectious and who they had contact with during that time. We’re calling out a couple of venues but I have to say that as the contact tracers go through the other cases, there may be other venues.

Updated

The person who had had one vaccination dose, and passed away, received their vaccination in late May.

Dr Kerry Chant is asking anyone who has had their first dose to get their second one, as soon as they are eligible for it.

NSW CHO Dr Kerry Chant is giving her update:

There are currently 290 Covid cases in hospital and 51 people in intensive care, and 24 of whom require ventilation.

And we are seeing young people in ICU. We are seeing people in their teens, in their 20s and their 30s, as well as older individuals.

I want to acknowledge that younger people have not had the opportunity to be vaccinated because of access to Pfizer. I want to indicate that I’m aware of that.

But my comments are that, please, now is the time to strongly consider getting vaccinated if you’re over 18 and, for the elderly, who have not been vaccinated, again, I put out a plea to you – make an appointment.

Get vaccinated. Even one vaccine reduces hospitalisation and death by Pfizer and AstraZeneca by 70%.

And two doses achieves about a 90% effectiveness against hospitalisation and death. We have the tools to allow us to protect ourselves and our loved ones from Covid. I call on everyone to act now.

Updated

There will be extra vaccine doses made available to NSW as well (Queensland has had its September Pfizer allocation moved forward and is also receiving additional AstraZeneca).

Gladys Berejiklian:

I want to stress that yesterday, after a number of conversations with the prime minister, that I was advised by him directly that we will receive an extra 180,000 doses of Pfizer, which is good news, in the next fortnight, commencing in the week 9 August and 16 August.

This is very positive news. It means that in the week of 16 August, we can redirect those doses we had taken from the regions for the HSC students and it also means we can put the balance into those eight local government areas in greater Sydney of concern in particular.

So I’m relieved about that. I want to thank the prime minister for those extra doses on top of what we’ve already been allocated. That will make a big difference in us containing the spread.

We know from the stats and the facts that getting the vaccine reduces your chance of being contagious but also it saves you staying out of hospital and it saves you passing it on to all your loved ones and we know how critical that is.

I’m urging everyone to come forward and get vaccinated. It doesn’t matter which vaccine you’re offered. If you have any concerns, go through your GP. But get vaccinated. I can’t stress that enough.

Updated

Hunter and upper Hunter in lockdown from 5pm

Now that there are cases outside of Sydney, the lockdown is being extended.

Gladys Berejiklian:

There was a high level of virus detected in the Hunter and Upper Hunter region and overnight there have been some cases in that region.

As a result, similar to what occurred in Orange, there will be a one-week lockdown in the Hunter and upper Hunter region.

The local government areas impacted are Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Dungog, Singleton and Muswellbrook.

These community leaders and local leaders are being advised of this. That will commence at 5pm tonight and go until midnight next Thursday, so a week, similar to what occurred in Orange and hopefully, similar to what occurred in Orange, we’ll see that community have their restrictions or stay at home lifted at that time.

Having said that, I want to confirm the arrangements in the eight local government areas will be exactly the same as exists in Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast. So that means no school and the same stay at home provisions apply.

Updated

NSW update – 262 new cases and five deaths

Gladys Berejiklian says there were 262 new cases reported

Five people have died in the last 24 hours. Three people in their 60s, one person in their 70s and one person in their 80s.

Four of the five people who passed away had not been vaccinated. One person had received one dose.

Updated

And on employment and business, Anthony Albanese said:

Labor in government will build on the good work of many of Australia’s largest employers to continue to increase the rate of First Nations employment by:

Introducing public reporting of the proportion of First Nations employees for Australia’s 200 largest employers - in line with reporting requirement for gender balance on boards.

Working with those businesses to ensure the employment levels of First Nations working age Australians is consistent with share of population by 2030.

It is heartening that many large employers already perform well and have Reconciliation Action Plans in place that include employment targets, but we can and should do more.

Labor in government will lead by example and set a target to increase First Nations employment in the Australian Public Service to 5 per cent by 2030.

Some agencies have already achieved that, but overall the APS employment rate is around 3 per cent.

We cannot afford to miss any opportunity to align the financial security of First Nations Australians with that of non-Indigenous Australians.

That’s why a government I lead would get behind inclusive growth for Indigenous-owned businesses in both domestic and international trade and would reaffirm the importance of indigenous rights, inclusive trade, sustainable development, traditional knowledge and the protection of the integrity of indigenous arts and cultural products in future international trade agreements.

And we can better protect First Nations jobs and businesses that rely on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, culture, and intellectual property.

On incarceration rates, Anthony Albanese said:

It has been more than 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its findings, along with 339 recommendations.

Tragically, hundreds of First Nations Australians have died in custody or in police pursuits since then.

I commend the Change the Record movement here and the Black Lives Matter movement internationally.

I know we have to start somewhere. I know small steps are important. But some of the new targets do not go far enough.

Even if the adult incarceration goal was to be met – a 15 per cent reduction by 2031 – the rate would still be more than 11 times higher than the non-Indigenous population.

Even if the youth incarceration goal was to be met – a 30 per cent reduction by 2031 – the rate would still be more than 12 times higher than the non-Indigenous population.

But there are proven ways to reduce the causes of incarceration and deaths in custody.

Labor’s plan to turn the tide on incarceration and deaths in custody builds on the success of existing Justice Reinvestment programs in Bourke by tackling the root causes of crime and re-offending including rehabilitation services; family or domestic violence support; homelessness support and school retention initiatives.

A Labor Government would ensure coronial inquests into deaths in custody are properly resourced and include the voices of family members and First Nations communities.

Labor will provide specific standalone funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services to ensure First Nations families can access culturally appropriate, timely, and fair legal assistance before, during and after all coronial processes.

And Labor would ensure deaths in custody are nationally reported in real time. It is extraordinary that in 2021, this counts as an innovation.

I’ve just transcribed a little more of Anthony Albanese’s speech on Closing the Gap.

On children in care he said:

Earlier this year, as we marked the 13th anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations, I said that we had to look to the removal of Indigenous children going on now.

Last year’s Family Matters report, put together by the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, tells us that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children represent 37.3 per cent of the total population of all children removed from their parents – but they represent just 6 per cent of our total child population.

Let that sink in.

Between 2013 and 2019, the rate at which those children have been placed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers actually fell from 53.6 per cent to 43.8 per cent.

If we don’t address this, we will have the makings of another apology in the future.

We can find a way forward. Methodically. Practically. Realistically.

The new targets include the social and cultural factors which determine overall health. Things like housing, access to services, child protection, family violence, culture and language, and land and water rights.

There is no pathway to ensuring First Nations Australians live as long and as healthy lives as non-Indigenous Australians without steadily addressing each of these interconnected targets.

At the NSW press conference today, we’re expecting Gladys Berejiklian will be asked about Pfizer vaccine doses around the state being redirected to south-western Sydney.

As part of this coverage, we’re looking to talk to people affected by this.

Do you live on the NSW Central Coast or in the Newcastle/Hunter region and have had your vaccine booking cancelled recently?

If you’re comfortable sharing your experience, contact elias.visontay@theguardian.com.

Updated

School in Hunter region closed after two students test positive

Maitland Christian school in the NSW Hunter region has been closed after two students tested positive for Covid.

We’ll have the NSW update very soon.

Updated

Queensland summary

Well that was a little more positive then what we heard yesterday from Queensland:

  • There have been 16 new locally acquired cases, all linked to known cases
  • All but three were in quarantine for their entire infectious period. Two were in the community for one day while infectious and one was in the community for two days while infectious, but that was when the south-east was already in lockdown, so authorities are hopeful that there was limited exposure
  • 11 crew members of a ship are in quarantine in hospital after testing positive for Covid
  • 7,766 people are in hard lockdown in home quarantine
  • 52,350 tests were carried out yesterday, a new record
  • 112,320 extra Pfizer vaccines have been brought forward from the September allocation, half will begin arriving next week
  • 22,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to to 113 pharmacies over the next couple of days
  • Masks are being considered for under 12-year-olds
  • Dr Jeannette Young says Queensland will need “something special” but is “encouraged” the lockdown can end as scheduled on Sunday (don’t bet on it yet though)
  • Criminal activity is not one of the exempted reasons to leave your home and remains criminal

Updated

Queensland considers masks for under-12s

Given that younger people, including children, are at a higher risk of being infected with the Delta variant of the virus, Jeannette Young is asked if the mask mandate will be extended to children under 12:

We are looking around the world … most places only require masks from the age of 12 and that’s what we have always done here in Queensland, but we are looking if it’s possible to do it for younger.

For a start we will have to look at different masks, stocking these masks [she uses her own as an example] wouldn’t be any use because they are too big, so there’s a whole range of things that we need to look at before we could do it, but yes we are definitely looking at.

Updated

Dr Jeannette Young is asked about her “cool it on the online shopping’ comments from yesterday, which upset quite a few people, including the National Retail Association.

Young:

I believe at this point in time in Queensland that the least amount of movement in our community that we can possibly manage, the better. So that is for everything.

If we can stop people moving around for any reason at all, if it’s not essential, then just delay it for a few days and hopefully that means we might be able to get out of this on Sunday. If we get out of this on Sunday it will be the quickest response to any significant cluster anywhere.

Jeannette Young
Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Updated

Queensland police want Queenslanders in lockdown to know criminal activity is not one of the exempted reasons to leave your home.

Criminal activity remains criminal during lockdowns. Noted.

How likely is it that the lockdown will be lifted in south-east Queensland come Sunday, as scheduled?

(Honestly, it looks as though it’s 50/50 still.)

Dr Jeannette Young:

This is fantastic news, we did not expect to be this far in front of the virus. This is Queenslanders coming together brilliantly and working with us.

We have still got a long way to go but we have done really, really, really well until now so let’s see how we go in the next few days. Let’s see if we can lift those restrictions on Sunday. That would be extremely special to be able to do that on Sunday and I am hopeful we can …

If we are able to lift those stay-at-home restrictions on Sunday, of course we will be going and continuing with other restrictions.

But that if we can lift on Sunday, we’ve still got a while to go. We still need to do that 50,000-plus tests per day, we still need people, over 7,000 of them, to remain in quarantine and not leave for any reason unless it is an absolute dire emergency, or they’ve got a really significant emergency.

We need everyone to play their part. If everyone continues to keep paying their part as they have been, it is encouraging.

Updated

Queensland health minister Yvette D’Ath has an update on vaccines:

We’re very happy with the news overnight around the vaccinations, so we welcome the 112,320 extra Pfizer vaccines brought forward from September.

We have been advised that half of those vaccines will arrive next week with the following half the following weeks so we will immediately start planning for those extra doses and where we will focus the delivery of those extra vaccines.

I also can advise that we have been working really hard with the Pharmacy Guild and can confirm we are providing 22,600 doses of AstraZeneca to 113 pharmacies over the next couple of days.

Those deliveries will start today so we are providing AstraZeneca as well as the consumables that pharmacies need to start vaccinating in the next couple of days while they wait for the extra deliveries to arrive from the commonwealth next week. So this means more pharmacies coming online earlier and I think that is fantastic news and I thank the pharmacies working closely with us on that.

(Consumables are things like syringes and alcohol wipes and the like.)

Updated

Nearly 7,000 vehicles were pulled over by police in Queensland’s locked-down areas yesterday – just 13 infringement notices were issued.

Police handed out more than 250 masks and want more people to make sure they have their mask when they leave home (for the allowable lockdown reasons).

Updated

Queensland CHO Dr Jeannette Young says today’s results are “very encouraging”:

These cases related to the schools we know about and all of those people have been doing a first-class job in staying at home, so today we saw a lot of close contacts in household positives.

That is difficult of course for those individuals who now have Covid but it is good for the rest of us because they tested negative when they went into quarantine and are now testing positive, so they are no risk at all to the community, and I thank every single one of those households that went into our quarantine when they were asked to do so.

Updated

There are 7,766 people in home quarantine in Queensland as close contacts of known cases – which means they are under hard lockdown, and can’t leave their home for any reason except an emergency. (This includes if you are in an unsafe situation. You can leave your home if you are in a domestic or family violence situation. At any time.)

Steven Miles:

Most of us in Brisbane now will know someone who is subject to these directions and, to everyone else in the south-east, if you do know someone who is subject to these directions, give them a call and see if they need anything. We all want to take care of you because you are taking care of us.

Updated

Queensland records 16 new local cases

There are 27 cases all up – 11 are in quarantine on a ship.

The local cases are all linked to known clusters.

“It’s good, encouraging that all of the new cases can be directly linked,” deputy premier Steven Miles says.

Of the local cases, three were in the community for one day of their infectious period and one was infectious in the community for two days. There are now 79 cases linked to the cluster.

And 52,351 tests were performed in the last 24 hours – a new record.

Updated

We’ll have more coverage on Closing the Gap throughout the day and I’ll include a bit more of the speeches when I can.

The Covid press conferences are about to start – Queensland is up first in just a few minutes.

Updated

Scott Morrison finishes and Anthony Albanese stands up:

More than a year after the new Closing the Gap agreement was signed, First Nations people are still far more likely to be jailed, far more likely to die by suicide, and have children removed than non-Indigenous Australians.

Out of the 17 targets that have been set, only three are on track. Dwell on that. Three out of 17.

Ordinarily, we will be making these statements around the anniversary of that apology.

Each time we have rhetoric that all too rarely has its counterpart in action.

We are yet to find within ourselves even a fraction of the courage shown by members of the stolen generations, that magnificent day for our country in 2008.

They came with grace and patience to this parliament which, for so long, had been the pinnacle of a system that had simply failed them.

That indictment falls on both sides of this house. Governments of all persuasions have failed First Nations people. We cannot rest on the laurels of anniversaries.

We cannot … take false comfort from the linguistics of the word “gap”.

A gap is something that is easily crossed or closed. The unflinching litany of lopsided statistics before us make it clear that this is a chasm.

Updated

And on the stolen generations redress scheme:

The scheme will provide eligible applicants:

  • A one-off payment of $75,000 in recognition of the harm caused by forced removal.
  • A one-off healing assistance payment of $7,000 in recognition that the action to facilitate healing will be specific to each individual.
  • The opportunity, if they choose, for each survivor to confidentially tell their story about the impact of their removal to a senior official within government, have it acknowledged and receive a face-to-face or written apology for their removal and resulting trauma.

The scheme will be open for applications from 1 March 2022 and will run until June 2026. While states will manage arrangements in their jurisdictions, the Morrison Government is ensuring this scheme is available in the territories administered by the Commonwealth in the past.

The Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme is part of $1 billion in new investments committed by the Commonwealth to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Updated

For more detail, here is part of the official statement:

The Commonwealth Implementation Plan details the range of programs and strategies in place across the Commonwealth that contribute to Closing the Gap, as well as new investment and initiatives. Read the full list of new investments below.

The measures announced with the release of the Implementation Plan build on announcements in the 2021-22 Budget that also contribute to Closing the Gap, in areas such as mental health, jobs and skills, and aged care.

Commencing in 2022, the Commonwealth will produce an annual report to outline progress being made to deliver the actions outlined in the Plan and all other governments will do the same.

The Productivity Commission is maintaining a dashboard of data on all the targets and indicators at a national and state and territory level. It will also publish a data compilation report in July every year, as well as conduct a review every three years.

The Commonwealth Implementation Plan will be updated as necessary alongside the Commonwealth’s annual report. When the Commonwealth provides its annual report, it will also set priorities for the coming year. Setting priorities will be done in partnership and be built on what the data and evidence says is working and what isn’t.

Read the full Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

The last priority reform area is about data. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations need to be able to collect, analyse and use their own data to meet their own needs.

Scott Morrison presents the annual Closing the Gap report in the House this morning
Scott Morrison presents the annual Closing the Gap report in the House this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison:

The second priority is to build up Indigenous organisations. To empower community control sectors to do what they already do best, deliver the services that support Closing the Gap. The example I kept going back to is the outstanding job the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation has done during this pandemic.

The contribution of Pat Turner, Don Casey, in keeping vulnerable Australians safe, it has been nothing short of extraordinary. The fact that no Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person has died from Covid-19 in Australia and no cases in remote communities is one of the most significant of the achievements Australia has had.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

We have many years of hard work ahead of us as we have behind us.

The first commonwealth implementation plan with more than $1bn worth of new targeted measures lies a foundation for this work.

The plan is an overview of commonwealth actions to close the gap. It is aligned to the priority reforms … including new target areas such as justice and Indigenous languages.

Critically, the measures we are funding reflect a sharpened set of priorities.

Again, we have not defined these priorities unilaterally – they are priorities offered and agreed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands people themselves. We build better structures for better partnerships and joint decision-making.

That is why we have a joint council. Which includes ministers, and a representative from local government association. Equal representation run around the table. The joint council builds on the partnership.

Updated

Scott Morrison moves on to Neville Bonner, the first Indigenous person to serve in parliament:

We need to remember the full story, the derogatory names he was called because his politics did not fit the zeitgeist. Warren Mundine and Jacinda Price can testify to that.

People who accepted him in the chamber never saw fit to invite him to their house ... That failure to listen and learn has been part of our journey for too long.

Updated

Closing the Gap statement

Scott Morrison:

Here and in other locations around Australia, our parliament draws together to remember, to reflect, to remind ourselves of at least 65,000 years of stewardship by the original custodians of this land. Indigenous peoples who love this country, its lands and waters and have cared for it since time immemorial.

We power respect to the Ngunnawal people, first nations across the land and to elders past and present and emerging. Indigenous people are serving in our defence forces, protecting Australia and advancing our interests, and, in Tokyo, Patty Mills leads our Boomers in the Olympics. I acknowledge Indigenous people who serve in this chamber.

The minister for Indigenous Australians, the shadow minister for Indigenous affairs. I honour Senator Dodson, Senator McCarthy, Senator Lambie. Covid restrictions mean we cannot by joined but Pat Turner and her colleagues across a coalition of peace but I want to pay personal tribute to them and to Pat in particular for the partnership being built together, for the trust being established, the respect being shared, it is already bearing fruit.

Updated

Scott Morrison is about to give the Closing the Gap statement.

We’ll then move to the Covid pressers.

A bit is happening at once, so I will come back to anything I miss.

Updated

As we head into a busy few hours, here is a bit more information on the Victorian cases:

Updated

In case you needed a reminder of just how strong a role politics is going to play in all things as we slide towards the election, here is Anthony Albanese on FM radio Hit FM NSW this morning, talking about vaccinations:

The slogan I used last time parliament sat, when Barnaby Joyce knocked off Michael McCormack was, you know, ‘More jabbing less stabbing’ is what we need from this government.

Updated

Channel Nine newsreader Brian Henderson dies aged 89

Channel Nine’s legendary Sydney newsreader Brian “Hendo” Henderson has died aged 89.

Henderson had a national profile from hosting the popular Nine music show Bandstand from 1958 until 1972.

Australia’s longest serving newsreader, he hosted the Sydney weeknight news at TCN 9 in Willoughby on the north shore from 1957 until his retirement in 2002.

Updated

The data team have updated the Victorian graphs:

Updated

With mRNA vaccine supplies starting to come in, businesses are looking at the role they can play in the national vaccination plan.

SPC have made a decision – as AAP reports:

Canned food producer SPC will become the first non-health-related business to ban employees from the workplace unless they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

The mandate will be effective from the end of November, the company announced on Thursday.

All SPC staff, including casual and permanent staff and contractors, must have had at least their first dose of the vaccine scheduled by September 15, and administered by the end of October.

Any visitors to SPC sites will also be required to be vaccinated.

SPC chairman Hussein Rifai said the 100-year-old company made the decision to ensure the well being of workers and the community.

“Lockdowns are not a sustainable solution and the Australian economy needs to open up again,” he said in a statement.

“The Delta variant poses a significant threat to our people, our customers and the communities we serve. The only path forward for our country is through vaccination.”

All SPC workers will be offered paid time off to get their vaccinations. They will also get special paid leave of up to two days if they become unwell after vaccination.

SPC noted that there might be some workers with a pre-existing condition who are unable to be vaccinated and their circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.

SPC CEO Robert Giles said the company was setting an example for others. “Australian companies must go further by rapidly vaccinating their staff,” he said. “By taking proactive steps now, we are shoring up our company for the future.

“We firmly believe that it will be manufacturers and innovators like SPC who will help drive Australia’s post-COVID economic recovery.”

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said it was a good move. “The last thing we need is for food suppliers, which are so crucial, to be shutting down,” she told Nine Network. “I applaud them, [for] having the guts to come out and do that.”

SPC is Australia’s premier producer of packaged fruit and its brands include Ardmona, Goulburn Valley, SPC, ProVital, Kuisine and PomLife. It’s based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria.

Updated

The morning is about to get pretty busy.

We have the Closing the Gap statement coming up just after 9.30am.

Then the Queensland update at 10am.

NSW is scheduled for 11am.

Given that there are now NSW cases outside Sydney (there were warnings Covid has been discovered in sewage in the Hunter/Newcastle area yesterday, and two Central Coast schools have been closed today after positive cases) that will be a long one.

Victoria hasn’t issued a time as yet but given there are now six cases listed (from at one point, a reported zero yesterday) that will also be fairly information dense.

We’ll get you all that info as soon as we can.

Updated

Victoria records six new local Covid cases

The numbers are out:

Of the six new locally-acquired cases, investigations are continuing into three cases (including one reported yesterday). The remaining three cases are all linked to the current outbreaks and were in quarantine during their infectious period.

Updated

For those who missed it yesterday, here was the current deputy prime minister’s contribution to the national debate, in question time, in response to a dixer – a question his office wrote, and therefore Barnaby Joyce knew was coming, meaning he had time to prepare for. The question was on infrastructure:

Joyce:

I like going to the movies. I always remember Howard Hughes, The Aviator, but the Labor party have got “Albo the advocator” – the great advocator, the ideas man, straight from the pool room. But never in this whole period of time has he uttered from between his lips a word about one dam he will build in regional Australia. Not one dam is going to come out of this man. He has never uttered a word about one regional road he is going to build.

Anthony Albanese:

Yes, Mr Speaker. I am forced to bring out the “on weirdness” stuff – I have no idea what this is but it’s nothing to do with the question.

Tony Smith:

No, the leader of the opposition will resume his seat. That is not a point of order. The deputy prime minister has the call.

Joyce:

The great advocator – there he is. We are never going to get anything constructed by him. But he did have one great idea – we saw it the other day: $300 per jab. I think that was just your idea. In fact, you were helped by the member for Shortland.

Smith:

The deputy prime minister needs to resume his seat. I think we might as well leave it there. Whilst he was asked about alternative policies, they need to be alternatives to the issues laid out in the question. I think we will just leave it there.

Barnaby Joyce during question time yesterday
Barnaby Joyce during question time yesterday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Following up from Lorena Allam and Nick Evershed’s report looking at the data when it comes to the number of Indigenous people receiving their vaccinations, Lt General John Frewen has responded:

Indigenous Torres Strait Islanders at the moment nationally are at 20% first dose and 10% fully vaccinated.

It is slightly different between regional areas and urban areas. Some communities have progressed well and quickly. We have had some great recent efforts where we have gone into communities and got rates up quickly over a couple of days.

There will be other areas and communities that we are going to have to work with more closely. It is an ongoing process. Some are more receptive than others and some have different views about vaccinations. It is a process we have to work through and Indigenous people in urban areas can go to the Aboriginal community health services or go through the normal other pathways. It is a work in progress but it is an area of focus for us.

Parliament will sit from 9.30am, for those wondering.

Updated

Pfizer bookings have opened for 30- to 39-year-olds in the ACT.

It’s not an understatement to say Andrew Barr has been pleased with the take-up.

Updated

The Victorian update is a little later this morning than usual (it’s been posting around 8.15am or so) but we will give you those numbers as soon as we have them.

Updated

Three Melbourne schools close after teacher tests positive

Three schools in Melbourne have closed in response to the news late yesterday that a teacher at Al-Taqwa College has tested positive to Covid-19. Al-Taqwa is a large school in Truganina in Melbourne’s western suburbs and was the centre of one of the largest clusters during Melbourne’s second wave last year.

The Victorian health department has told all students, staff and their families, as well as anyone who visited the school between Wednesday and Friday last week, to get a test and isolate for 14 days.

Two other schools whose students played sport against Al-Taqwa have also closed and urged their school communities to get tested.

The Australian International Academy and Ilim College both wrote to parents last night saying they were closing their schools as a precaution.

Neither has reported any positive Covid-19 cases to date.

Updated

Meanwhile, in NSW:

Updated

Victoria’s exposure site list has been updated – the Al-Taqwa College is a tier one site, with the person who was diagnosed with Covid yesterday a teacher at the school.

Updated

A change to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to allow it to fund carbon capture and storage and gas-fuelled hydrogen projects has survived a Greens attempt to block it in the Senate.

With senators from several states absent due to Covid-19, the upper house voted 15-15 on the disallowance motion. There needed to be an outright majority to strike out the change.

Angus Taylor, the energy and emissions reduction minister, said it meant the agency could fund projects that would create more than 1,000 jobs:

Arena will now play a major role in driving investments in the next generation of technologies.

Greens leader Adam Bandt
Greens leader Adam Bandt. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

But opponents immediately indicated the change to extend Arena support to fossil fuel projects was likely to face further challenges. The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said the regulation was unlawful, the government was “just trying to deliver for its gas donors”:

The whole thing is a moving feast and if minister Taylor thinks this is over he is wrong.

There was confusion after the vote over whether One Nation’s Pauline Hanson, who was absent, had been entitled to a “pair” supporting the government’s position. Hanson did not vote when an earlier attempt to disallow changes to Arena was supported by the Senate in June.

Labor, which supported the Greens on Wednesday night, has indicated it may move its own disallowance motion. The Greens have said they could also move another motion when more senators are present, and the industry group the Smart Energy Council has flagged legal action to have the change struck out.

Its case that a legal bid could succeed was supported by a Liberal-led committee that found in June that Taylor’s first attempt may have been illegal as it went beyond what the parliament envisaged when it created Arena.

The Greens motion opposed section seven of the regulatory change, which allows Arena to fund the government’s five priority areas under its technology investment roadmap – CCS, hydrogen, soil carbon, energy storage and low-emissions steel and aluminium.

Updated

Queensland has listed new exposure sites as it deals with its outbreak of the Delta variant, including the Gallery of Modern Art in South Brisbane and a Brisbane-to-Cairns flight.

NSW has also added new sites but contact tracers have been struggling to keep up with just how many there are.

Updated

And Lorena Allam and Nick Evershed have looked at the data on vaccination rates for Indigenous communities, finding there are a lot of concerns:

Aboriginal health organisations are calling on the federal government to release more detailed data on vaccination rates in Aboriginal communities, with concerns “big gaps” in coverage have emerged that need to be urgently addressed.

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation said detailed data was essential to the successful rollout to vulnerable remote and suburban communities.

Naccho’s senior medical adviser, GP and epidemiologist Dr Jason Agostino, said it was “hard to understand” why detailed data about Indigenous vaccination rates was not publicly available, as it is in Canada, the US and New Zealand, which publishes weekly data on Māori vaccination rates.

Updated

Katharine Murphy has the details on the government’s financial response to the latest Close the Gap results:

Change the Record has looked at the latest Closing the Gap results and released its key findings:

• The rate of incarceration of First Nations peoples behind bars continues to grow. The Productivity Commission has found states and territories are not on track to meet this target.

• The number of First Nations children in the child protection system has increased. This target is not on track to be met.

• The rate of incarceration of First Nations children and young people has declined.

• There is no new data on the rates of family violence experienced by First Nations women and children.

Updated

Scott Morrison will deliver a Closing the Gap update today in the parliament.

Labor will also make a statement.

The government will announce an additional $1.1bn in funding aimed at improving outcomes as Australia once again fails to meet the targets it set in most areas.

Updated

Good morning

It seems like Monday was years ago, but we have made it to the last sitting day of the first week of spring sittings.

Barely.

After today, the MPs will go back to their respective corners and prepare their lines for the coming week, as politics becomes the driving force in every response.

The election will most likely be held in March, with Scott Morrison hoping everyone will have forgotten most of this year and instead focus on getting vaccinated and watching Australia open up, while painting Anthony Albanese in the light he wants you to see him in, before you make up your own mind about the opposition leader. Albanese is hoping you’ll remember what much of the past year has been like, and see Morrison as he wants you to see him, no matter what you had previously decided, and will be too busy focusing on the government to think about what Labor’s alternatives are.

It means the rest of the political year will be a tad nasty – we have already seen that play out this week – but strap yourselves in, it is only going to get worse. Morrison may be down but he’s not out, and both sides know it.

A lot of how the next few months play out will depend on how the states, NSW in particular, manage the latest Covid outbreak, with already pandemic-fatigued and emotionally exhausted populations.

Right now, 41 days into lockdown, Gladys Berejiklian can’t say whether NSW cases have reached their peak or not. Authorities are waiting to see what impact the anti-lockdown protest, a potential super spreader event, has had.

Victoria went from celebrating having zero cases to finding a mystery case yesterday, which it is now scrambling to investigate. As more people become vaccinated, zero cases is something Australia is going to have to learn to let go of, in another battle for governments. Australian have become used to aiming for Covid-free communities, something that will be unsustainable once borders reopen (if it was ever sustainable in the first place).

Queenslanders in the south-west are still hoping they can come out of lockdown on Sunday but authorities have been laying the groundwork for that not happening. The most likely scenario is another week of lockdown, with cases stubbornly hanging around in the mid-teens.

WA called a snap press conference after finding a case yesterday. This one seems the most easy to manage, with the person having shown a very low viral load – having had Covid previously. His partner has tested negative already but it’s enough for warnings to go out, reminding everyone, even in the most Covid-resistant communities, that things can change at any time.

Meanwhile, Australia’s healthcare workers are fatigued after operating on high alert for the past 18 months, rearranging everything to deal with both a bungled vaccination program, and demands for normal healthcare needs, as well as administering as many vaccinations as possible.

Sarah Martin reports they could be getting some help as part of a plan to take the load off, while ramping up the program as mRNA supplies start to arrive.

So it is one eye on the politics, one eye on Covid, and thoughts with everyone struggling as we trudge through August and this sitting.

You have Amy Remeikis with you on the blog, with Mike Bowers providing the heart and soul. Katharine Murphy, Sarah Martin, Paul Karp and Daniel Hurst are your Canberra team, with the whole Guardian brains trust at your disposal.

Being Thursday, always the worst day of the week, I’ve gone with cake for breakfast. Choose your own treat and let’s get into it.

Updated

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