What happened today, Tuesday 24 August 2021
With that, we will close the blog for the day.
Here’s a quick run through of the day’s biggest events:
- New South Wales announced 753 new local Covid cases, as chief health officer Kerry Chant said citizens could be wearing masks indoors for years and proof of vaccination may be required to enter high-risk venues, even when the state reaches 80% vaccination coverage. The state has now administered six million Covid vaccine doses.
- Victoria recorded 50 new Covid cases, with anyone over the age of 16 eligible to book a Covid vaccine appointment from Wednesday, including Pfizer.
- The Australian Capital Territory recorded 30 new Covid cases in its outbreak.
- Temporary restrictions have been placed upon the renowned Sydney neurosurgeon Charlie Teo’s medical licence after complaints about his work. The measures include a rule that Teo obtains written support from an approved neurosurgeon before performing certain types of brain tumour surgery.
- Labor has decided to wave through a suite of electoral bills that could deregister dozens of minor parties and will give old parties a monopoly on words used in their name.
Have a nice evening, we’ll be back tomorrow.
The Senate is having another go at forcing the government to disclose how much jobkeeper money companies have received - and there’s a fair chance that it might stick this time.
Labor is this evening moving an amendment to some treasury legislation that would require the Australian Taxation Office to publish jobkeeper receipts for any entity with a turnover of $10m or more.
Earlier this month the Senate passed a similar amendment, put up by independent senator Rex Patrick, but Labor didn’t support the amendments in the house because they were attached to a coronavirus support bill it didn’t want to delay.
The bill Labor’s new amendment is attached to deals with issues including the taxation of offshore banking units – don’t ask – that Labor reckons are important but not urgent.
If the crossbench votes as expected, the amendment should sail through, setting the scene for a showdown in the House of Representatives.
Updated
More than 80 NDIS workers and 40 participants in NSW battling Covid
Disability workers have been some of the hardest hit by NSW’s Delta outbreak, with the latest figures from the federal Department of Health revealing there are currently 82 National Disability Insurance Scheme workers in the state with Covid.
In addition, 40 NDIS participants – among Australia’s most vulnerable people, who were meant to be prioritised for vaccination earlier this year – also have Covid right now.
These numbers, however, underestimate the true figure of both people with disability and their carers who have contracted Covid, because the statistics don’t take into account NDIS participants who manage their own supports; those who reside in aged care homes where the providers aren’t required to be registered NDIS providers; or those who receive support or services from the state government in public housing, social and community housing.
Guardian Australia also approached NSW Health to ask how many disability group homes in the state have had Covid outbreaks since the middle of June. In a statement, NSW Health said that as of Monday night, there had been 22 Covid cases linked to disability group homes and disability care. Ten of these infections were residents in the homes and 12 were carers or staff.
Meanwhile, a story in the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age over the weekend revealed that double-dose vaccination rates among the 267,526 NDIS participants in Australia is trailing the general population, with just 26.9% of participants over the age of 16 having received two doses of a Covid vaccine. Less than half – 44.9% – have had at least one dose.
As the article points out: “In comparison, 29.6 per cent of the general Australian adult population have had two doses.
“Overall, 67.3 per cent of NDIS participants in group homes – about 22,000 people – have had one jab and 51.9 per cent have had two doses. These groups are in phase 1A of the rollout for priority access and were supposed to be fully vaccinated months ago. In comparison, all 2,566 residential aged care facilities had two visits under the rollout by July 7.”
Do you know more about Covid spread in disability settings? Contact elias.visontay@theguardian.com.
Updated
Essential workers travelling to South Australia from high-risk states will be required to have a least one Covid-19 vaccine dose as concerns continue over virus outbreaks.
The new arrangement will target those people who arrive in SA for specific purposes and are allowed out of quarantine to conduct their work during the first 14 days, AAP reports.
Under the current border arrangements, it will apply to workers coming from NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
It will not apply to interstate transport workers who are allowed in according to a strict Covid-19 testing regime.
The premier, Steven Marshall, said the state government would continue discussions with various industry groups over the next few days, but would introduce the rules “going forward”. He said:
There are often people who have got high-level technical skills who need to come into South Australia that can’t do their 14 days quarantine.
We have strict conditions around these and we’re just taking it to another level now.
These are small numbers but it is a risk that we want to further mitigate against.
Updated
NSW lockdown could cost state economy $16bn by October, estimates suggest
Haircuts that’ll never happen, purchases that can’t happen yet and other spending halted under NSW’s lockdown are contributing to a 10% contraction of the state economy.
NSW Treasury estimates the direct cost of restrictions on mobility and gathering was about $1.3bn a week at the end of July, when most of regional NSW was yet to experience any lockdown, AAP reports.
Construction had also recently returned from a two-week closure, which Business NSW says may have cost as much as $1.4bn on its own.
“This lockdown is much more severe and is having a larger economic impact on businesses than the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” Business NSW chief executive Daniel Hunter said.
One in five businesses surveyed said they only had cash flow to survive a month.
Hunter said:
People haven’t just lost their revenue - they’re having to service debt, service payroll.
Now there is government support but obviously that will never cover the gap completely.
AMP Capital Chief Economist Shane Oliver said some spending would flow once restrictions ease, but some revenue has been lost forever.
I’ve missed out on two haircuts, and my hairdresser won’t get that money.
But if there’s something I have been waiting to inspect, that (purchase) may occur after lockdown. All that pent-up spending that comes out at the end.
His estimates suggest the lockdown, scheduled to end no earlier than late September, will cost at least $16 billion to the NSW economy.
Updated
Believe it or not, Scott Morrison is set to coach basketball team the Perth Wildcats.
But don’t worry, this isn’t a case of the prime minister taking on an extra job (his third, depending on who you ask?). This is a different Scott Morrison.
The new coach of the Perth Wildcats hopes he can be the most popular Scott Morrison in Australia for years to come after signing on for the next three NBL seasons, reports AAP.
Morrison, a Canadian with the same name as the Australian prime minister, served as an assistant under Brad Stevens at the Boston Celtics for the past four NBA campaigns.
Prior to that he was the head coach of the NBA G-League’s Maine Red Claws where he was named coach of the year in 2015.
Having the same name as the prime minister has already led to Morrison receiving some interesting posts on Twitter, long before he was even in the running for the Wildcats role.
ScoMo No.2 said:
Over the years it’s been funny to get a lot of people hitting me up on Twitter, cursing at me, complaining at me.
If the shoe was on the other foot and my favourite Canadian team hired Justin Trudeau to coach the team I think I’d get a great kick out of that, so I don’t blame anybody for laughing.
I haven’t checked the polls but I’m sure I’m trending pretty good right now because we haven’t lost any games yet. I hope that my spot atop the Scott Morrison polls is the same at the end of the season as it is right now.
If the other Scott Morrison can help me cut down my quarantine, I’m happy to step down and give him my role.
Updated
Jason Falinski, the Modern Liberal™ MP for the federal seat of Mackellar on Sydney’s northern beaches, has hit out at the New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian for introducing a curfew for 12 LGAs in the city’s west and south-west.
Falinski, speaking to the ABC, rejected the idea that restrictions have not targeted more affluent parts of the city, noting that the northern beaches was targeted for a lockdown over Christmas while the rest of the city had lighter restrictions.
But Falinski has slammed the introduction of curfews this week, criticising the measure for lacking medical evidence that they would contain the virus’ spread. He said:
I don’t support curfews. There is no medical justification for them.
You had the police commissioner, the day of which these were curfews were announced saying, ‘I don’t know that this actually has any impact or does anything, but maybe we should try them anyway’. We know there is no reason in the health orders to do it.
Falinski, in the same media spot, also took a swipe at Labor premiers.
When asked about the 70% and 80% vaccination thresholds for reopening, Falinski likened the approach of the Queensland and Western Australian governments to “a Narnia kingdom”.
It is important that I think that when states reach that magic figure of 70% or 80% that they’re not held back by premiers who want to hold Australia back like a Narnia kingdom!
There are two people who are saying 80% or 90% they may not open up and they happen to be the premiers of Western Australia and Queensland. In doing so they are seeking to divide Australia.
Updated
NSW vaccine campaign urges sports fans to wear team colours and take selfies
Hey, sports fans!
Earlier today at the NSW Covid update we heard about a vaccination drive targeting “sports lovers”.
We now have more information about the inaugural “NSW Vaccination Championship Cup”.
People in the 12 local government areas of concern in Sydney’s west and south-west are being encouraged to book vaccine appointments for Sunday 29 August.
As part of the state-sanctioned campaign, sports fans are being urged to “wear team uniforms, colours, or gear and take a selfie to post on your local club sites with the hash tag #vaccinationchampion”.
Those who take part will go into the draw to win “some great prizes” and “a chance to prove which code came out the strongest”.
The push is modelled on previous “super Sunday” vaccination drives that have targeted groups including food industry and construction workers, as well as university students.
NSW Health deputy secretary Susan Pearce called on “everyone who loves to play or watch sport to run up the score this weekend and set a new Super Sunday vaccination record”. She said:
Our vaccination hubs have bookings available for people aged 16–39 in local government areas of concern across Sydney and we want to see sporting clubs rally together and promote vaccinations across their teams.
Updated
Thanks Amy for a stellar effort today.
You have Elias Visontay here, taking you through the rest of the day. If you see something you think I should be aware of, you can email me at elias.visontay@theguardian.com.
The lovely Elias Visontay will take you through the rest of the day, so stay tuned for his updates.
A very big thank you to everyone who followed along with me today – I know it can be difficult keeping track of Covid news along with politics and that not everyone is here for both – so I appreciate your patience. I’ll be back from early tomorrow for more updates. Until then, please – take care of you.
Updated
Kristina Keneally is the shadow home affairs minister, but she has also been given the role of government accountability, which means she plays the main attack role in Labor’s sparring with the government.
Updated
Kristina Keneally is on the ABC, addressing the “two jobs” issue Labor has been raising:
This prime minister hasn’t seen a problem that isn’t someone else’s fault. Hasn’t seen a crisis that isn’t someone else’s to resolve. He is too late, too late. ‘I don’t hold a hose, mate’ – that’s the attitude he brings to every crisis that’s confronting him in his job.
Australians wanted the vaccines.
I get sick and tired of hearing government ministers really almost blaming the Australian people for not getting vaccinated.
I invite them to go out to the people of Western Sydney who spent hours trying to figure out how to get a vaccine, who can’t get access to a mass vaccination hub because the government says they’re not necessary in Western Sydney.
They’re in the epicentre of this outbreak. They are facing the harshest lockdown conditions.
This is a mrime minister who congratulated Gladys Berejiklian when she didn’t lockdown in Bondi and told her she had to lockdown in Western Sydney. It is the Australian people who are paying the price.
Updated
Here is some more from Mike Bowers:
Updated
Greens senator Larissa Waters hits out at Labor over Beetaloo position
The Greens senator Larissa Waters has responded to the Labor decision not to support the Beetaloo fracking funding disallowance motions:
Let’s be very clear what’s happened here: in the middle of a climate crisis the Morrison government has gifted $21 million in public money to a major donor’s company to frack the Northern Territory. And Labor today has said, ‘Yes, we think that’s fine’.
Unlike sports rorts and pork and ride, the Senate could stop this rort from the start. The disallowance would have terminated a $50 million slush fund for Liberal party mates to cook the planet, put groundwater at risk, and ignore the wishes of First Nations communities; $50 million that could go to health, education, public housing. Labor had the chance to do things differently, and they folded. Again.
We’re disappointed, but we shouldn’t be surprised. We know that Labor and the Libs dance to the tune of their massive corporate donors. Today is proof that both parties will sell out the environment, the climate and First Nations people to keep their campaign coffers full.
Updated
The Senate has passed an order for production of documents about funding applications to the Australian Research Council.
The motion requires the government to provide de-identified information about applications for Australian Research Council fellowships by 9:30am on Thursday morning.
Senator Rachel Siewert, co-deputy leader of the Australian Greens, moved the motion on behalf of NSW Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi. The motion was sponsored by Victorian Labor senator Kim Carr.
The Australian Research Council said yesterday it was “looking into” a controversial rule change that affects academic grant applications, following criticism from the Australian research community.
In an open letter, more than 600 “concerned members of the Australian research community” have called on the Australian Research Council to reconsider a rule that bans applicants from citing preprint material in proposals for funding.
The Senate order for documents will require information about the number of fellowship applications in the latest funding rounds deemed ineligible as a result of the rule, their primary research fields, and the total monetary value of those applications.
Updated
Here you go:
ATTENTION 16-39 year olds living in Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith & Strathfield LGAs -
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 24, 2021
IT’S TIME TO GET VAXED!
Book your Pfizer appointment now: https://t.co/shmaP3aMIa pic.twitter.com/uuhpokOIx9
Updated
A little wholesome content for your coming evening.
Tonight, I’m going to rug up, put the kettle on, and cheer on our Paralympians in Tokyo! Wishing you all the very best. So proud of you all.
— Linda Burney MP (@LindaBurneyMP) August 24, 2021
Updated
Labor’s Catherine King has just addressed the house on ... The Croods:
But instead of having a government capable of doing its job, we have a government that is simply not up to the job. It is perhaps fitting today that the prime minister revealed that he’s getting his Covid lessons from the children’s film The Croods.
For those who don’t have the joy of small children, The Croods is the story of a group of cave-dwellers who get swept from one chaotic disaster to another, often of their own making, never quite coming to grips with what’s going on.
It’s hard to think of a better metaphor for this government, because when you look over the course of this government, and this prime ministership, all you see is one disaster after another, one crisis after another, often of their own making, and somehow they’re surprised – ‘we’re in government and we’re responsible for doing something about it’.
(Thank you to Daniel Hurst for watching the chamber for me).
King’s comments come after Morrison compared Australia’s planned reopening to the 2013 animated film.
Updated
Paul Karp has taken a look at the legislation currently before the parliament which will have a massive impact on minor parties:
We don’t have any more details on that, other than it is an absolute tragedy. All lives lost are.
It’s really hard living in a world which suddenly becomes bigger because you’ve lost someone who filled so much of it.
30-year-old woman with Covid dies at her home in NSW
This was touched upon in the presser, but AAP has an update:
A 30-year-old woman with Covid-19 has died in her western Sydney home, taking the death toll for NSW’s current outbreak to 75.
The woman was found unresponsive in her Emerton home on Monday afternoon and was declared dead.
NSW Police said in a statement on Tuesday that officers were investigating her death and a report would be prepared for the coroner.
NSW Health confirmed the woman was Covid-positive when she died and extended its condolences to her family.
“This tragic death is being investigated by the Western Sydney Local Health District and has been referred to the Coroner,” NSW Health said in a statement on Tuesday
Updated
Here is how Mike Bowers saw QT:
A question so ‘without notice’ Andrew Gee read his answer from his folder
Much interest, many listening
Updated
Question time ends
Question time ends (at the normal time, after being cut short yesterday) with both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese giving a shout out to Australia’s Paralympians.
Albanese also thanks the people of Japan for putting on the games, despite going through its own hard time.
Updated
Given Peter Dutton has signalled Australia is coming to the end of its Afghanistan evacuations, this speech is worth having a read (Hill has more Australians with Afghanistan links in his electorate than most other MPs).
Furious speech from Labor MP Julian Hill in the lower house accusing the Coalition of running a "blatantly discriminatory" visa program. He says many Afghan Australian constituents have waited years for family visas and are now distraught about relatives now stuck in Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/MTnrNNAAxF
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) August 24, 2021
Updated
Mark Butler to Greg Hunt:
Will the government include children between the ages of 12 and 15 in vaccination targets before the country reopens? I put the question that is being asked by parents in lockdown zones across Australia. Will parents be asked to send their secondary schoolchildren back to school before they are vaccinated?
Hunt:
We will be guided by the scientific advisers in relation to the assessment of the national plan. That plan has been re-affirmed overnight by the Doherty Institute, both by the head of the Doherty Institute, Prof Sharon Lewin, and also by Prof Jodie McVernon, the chief modeller.
In terms of the allocation of people for the 70 and 80% targets, the advice to us remains very clear, having been put to the Doherty Institute on a number of occasions as to whether or not that should include children under 16 as part of that.
The advice is that the correct target for Australia, the appropriate and necessary target should be the 16-plus adult population on the basis of the transmissibility. That is the scientific advice to Australians.
In addition to that, we will continue with the program in relation to 12- to 15-year-olds. There are two stages: firstly at this point in time we have vaccinated approximately 8,000 of those that were opened up only recently, following the medical advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, to provide vaccinations for children with disability, children with underlying medical conditions, children in Indigenous communities and children in remote communities.
And then right now we are awaiting the advice which we hope will be with us in [coming] week from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation for general 12- to 15-year-old vaccinations and if they advise, we will do it.
I would hope nobody is advocating for whom there is no medical advice. I would hope that nobody is advocating that because there was an implication in the question.
Updated
Mark Butler to Greg Hunt:
On 24 June, the minister told the house that having no Australian in ICU due to Covid was the real measure of the government’s success. So is having over 110 Australians in ICU today a measure of the government’s failure?
Hunt: (who made his comments during the pandemic)
The world has faced a pandemic the likes of which we haven’t seen in 100 years.
Australia’s achievements have been extraordinary, but we have not been immune.
Last year we faced the devastating outbreak in Victoria... where lives were lost on a significant basis.
This year, as we are seeing, as I say, when with almost 690,000 cases worldwide yesterday and almost 10,000 lives, 10,000 souls lost yesterday, we are also not immune.
But every life saved ... is something that we should be acknowledging, and every live lost is a tragedy.
So there is an outbreak. We know that.
It is not a game. It is life and death for people. And what that means is, yes, there are at this point in time 119 Australians in ICU.
There are 44 Australians on ventilation, 670 Australians in hospital. It is important to acknowledge the challenge that each one of them and their families face.
But it is important to acknowledge that what we have done as a nation ... in the midst of a pandemic and sometimes it does appear and feel as if there are those that would airbrush a global pandemic and pretend this is an Australian phenomenon.
It’s not.
... So this pandemic evolving and it throws new challenges. Do I think we’re up for it as a nation? I do. Do I think what we are doing will protect Australians? Absolutely.
Do I think the national plan is fundamental? Absolutely. As Pat McGorry was saying in terms of mental health, in the last two days, these things give Australians hope and hope is what is fundamental to help people through these difficult times and that’s what we are doing – hope and safety.
Updated
This was the latest question Scott Morrison sent to Greg Hunt:
Anthony Albanese:
In April, Labor wrote to the health minister concerned about staff shortages at the Dubbo Aboriginal medical service and the vaccine rollout to local First Nations people. The health minister’s office inexplicably replied that international medical graduates could be recruited despite the international borders being closed. Given the significant outbreak amongst First Nations people around Dubbo right now, does the prime minister regret not doing more to protect this community?
Hunt:
This is and has been one of our priorities. The achievements in protecting Indigenous Australians through the course of the pandemic have been one of the signatures of the Australian result. As the prime minister says, acknowledged by Pat Turner, acknowledged by Indigenous communities, it is a considerable and ongoing task.
One of the things in particular in relation to the western New South Wales outbreak and in Dubbo in particular is that we have established five ADF teams.
Those ADF teams include being based in Dubbo and, if I may, their current work over the coming days is we have teams that will rotate between Burke and Warren, Dubbo West and Parkes, Dubbo West, Narromine, Parkes, Dubbo West, Parkes ...
That work is supported by 50 ADF members who have moved to be Dubbo-based and working out of western New South Wales to focus in particular on compliance and assistance within the region, and then further an Ausmat team has landed and that is the first of five teams ... ensuring that we have clinical governance, they will vaccinate, they will work on testing, but above all else, they are there to ensure that any support which is needed for any of the health services in the area ... is put in place.
In addition to that, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is also providing assistance and vaccination across the area.
... So what we are seeing is that the resources in place, they are adding to that which is already there ...
My recollection – this is correct, I believe – is that there are 118 commonwealth clinics in western New South Wales, and that includes both nine commonwealth vaccination clinics and nine Aboriginal community controlled health services, as well as 100 pharmacies and general practice clinics that are providing vaccination support on the ground. All of these things are coming together to save lives and to protect lives.
Updated
Anthony Albanese seeks leave to table correspondence but before he is even halfway through his second sentence Peter Dutton is on his feet to deny leave.
Updated
Scott Morrison sends another opposition question on issues with the vaccine rollout (this time for western NSW) to the health minister.
Updated
The veterans’ affairs minister (the latest one) is directly reading his answer to a dixer from a folder – directly reading.
Updated
Peter Dutton says situation in Kabul 'continues to deteriorate'
Peter Dutton slipped this into an answer in a dixer question about the Afghanistan evacuation:
I want to recognise the family members and those mates who are here watching anxiously their loved ones and their friends who are serving in Kabul at the moment.
We want them to return home as quickly and as safely as possible.
And, Mr Speaker, I am speaking again with the chief of the defence force this morning, talking about our evacuation plans and ways in which we can move our equipment, our assets and most importantly our people out safely in a timely way, but we are in obviously the back end of this campaign now, and the situation does continue to deteriorate over the coming hours and in the next couple of days.
Updated
Sharon Claydon to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister. Last week the Life Without Barriers vaccine hub for NDIS participants and disability workers in my electorate was shut with just one day’s notice. This sudden closure caused immense distress given local outbreaks in the disability sector and the appalling rates among Australians with a disability. Would this be happening if the prime minister had done his job and fully vaccinated this vulnerable cohort by Easter, like he said he would?
Greg Hunt takes this one too:
I want to thank the member for her question, although respectfully disagree with the presumption contained with within it. We know the Life Without Barriers hub well. It was one of a series of pop-up clinics that would service certain parts before moving on to other areas where high vaccination rates were needed.
And they do their job. They did their job magnificently. I want to thank everybody in the Life Without Barriers who has served the Newcastle community well. I am surprised that the member is not aware or ... neglected to mention in her question that a new hub opened on 23 August in Wallsend, Newcastle, and anyone with an existing booking has been advised of the new hub location.
This was done to make sure precisely on the advice of the disability community, that there was additional access in another area within the same region on a more approximate basis.
It is unfortunately that that was neglected either consciously or through other reasons, from the presumption in the question.
But I would also add that an additional Newcastle hub will be opening on 30 August, a hub down ... in Woy Woy will open on 3 September and a hub on 6 September, showing the nature of these hubs.
The Life Without Barriers hub operated from 22 June to 22 August. During this time, the provider administered over 5,000 doses. The commonwealth provider is Aspen Medical.
So on their advice and on the basis of the assessment, it was then moved to another point in Newcastle precisely in line with the intention, the plan and the process to ensure as many people as possible have the best access as possible in addition to state clinics, commonwealth clinics, in addition to GPs and in addition to pharmacies.
Updated
Vince Connelly, the member for the (soon to not exist) electorate of Stirling, manages to ask a question, for perhaps the first time in his time in the chamber, sounding like a completely normal, socialised human.
Change is possible people. I have just seen it first hand.
Updated
Anne Stanley to Scott Morrison:
Can the prime minister confirm just over a quarter of eligible NDIS participants have been fully vaccinated and less than 40% of the disability care workforce has been fully vaccinated? Given these people were meant to be prioritised for vaccination, why did this happen?
Greg Hunt takes this one too:
In response to the member’s question, one of our important achievements as a nation has been protecting people with a disability.
The rate of cases in disability and the rate of lives lost in disability is approximately half on the advice that I have, that of the national average.
To think that we have, as a nation, been able to provide that protection is, I think, a very big national achievement. But we are going to fight and continue to fight for every life – every life, every life. That’s what matters. So in terms of our disability resident vaccinations, we have now vaccinated 67.9% of disability residents with a first dose and 52.8% of residents with a second dose.
In terms of NDIS participants, it is 46.1% of all participants who have had a first dose, 28.1% who have had a second dose. In terms of the disability workforce, this is growing very significantly, and that is now at at 58% for first doses and 39.1% for second doses.
He then asks the opposition to help with ensuring confidence in the vaccine.
Updated
Craig Kelly isn’t in the chamber again (he is in Canberra though, or at least was).
Updated
Susan Templeman to Scott Morrison:
Less than half of residential aged-care workers nationwide have been fully vaccinated against Covid. The prime minister said these people would be vaccinated by Easter, four months ago. Isn’t this abject failure by the prime minister putting vulnerable Australians at risk?
Greg Hunt takes this one:
In response to the member’s question at this point in time, 71.2% of residential aged care workers across Australia have received a first vaccination. All up that’s over 196,000 vaccinations which have occurred. In addition to that, 49.3% of those have received a second vaccination, or 136,000.
He continues with the plan to get more aged care workers vaccinated (it is not anything new).
Updated
It never seems to be the right time to have hard conversations in this country.
Civility and respect is consistently weaponised as a response to anyone who raises the prospect that we address issues which have long plagued the country and its responses.
It’s the easiest way to shut down debate and it is deployed across a range of issues – always the ones the government does not want to talk about.
Updated
Andrew Wilkie has the independents question:
Prime minister, the governments of Menzies, Holt, McEwen, Gorton and McMahon were responsible for the Vietnam disaster. John Howard took us to war in Iraq on a lie. And the Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull and your government own the Afghanistan tragedy.
In other words history shows decisions to go to war are not something any government, nor prime minister, can be trusted with.
Yes, it’s important they have authority to deploy the Australian Defence Force in a crisis. But surely it should be parliament alone with authority to declare and continue war.
So, prime minister, will you follow the lead of other democracies, reform war powers and ensure it’s parliament calling the shots?
Scott Morrison:
I, with respect, thank the member for his question and I know he has held this view for a long time and advocated it in this place, but the government believes in what is set out in the Australian constitution ... the executive powers are recognised in section 61 of the constitution.
I believe that all those who have served, and I have no doubt the member would believe this also, in whatever conflict they have been engaged in, that they have fallen in the name of Australia, in the name of freedom, in the name of our values and seeking to pursue the national interests of Australia and to keep Australians safe.
And whether that is in Afghanistan or whether that is in Vietnam or the many other conflicts referred to by the member, all of their sacrifice has been great and has made Australia stronger, and I will ask the minister for defence to add to the answer.
Peter Dutton:
The only thing I would add in addition to the prime minister’s comments are firstly obviously the government of the day takes the advice of the chief of the defence force and all of those experts that form part of the National Security Committee ... and make decisions based on the best advice.
And I think the best message frankly is I can say with respect for a moment for our troops to hear, the 39,000 that went to Afghanistan, those who have served in Iraq or Middle Eastern campaigns in recent years, is that their country is incredibly proud of their service.
I don’t think those troops or their families, their loved ones want to hear political point-scoring at this point in time. They want to hear that this country has their back, and this government does, and they want to hear, Mr Speaker, that their service in our country’s name is in our national interest, and it is.
And we will continue to provide the resources to those troops both those that are serving, those who have served and we will make sure that we make the future investment decisions to give them the best capability to defend our nation.
We do live in uncertain times and we do need to take tough decisions from time to time to make sure that we protect and keep safe the Australian population.
The prime minister and the members of the cabinet, the National Security Committee, will always make those decisions based on that criteria, to keep our country safe, and to make sure that we can protect and defend us as you would expect an elected government would do.
Mr Speaker, we are well and truly served and greatly honoured by the service of the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and our other security and national intelligence agencies.
I am extremely proud of the work we are doing in Afghanistan at the moment in harm’s way, and I wish godspeed to all of those there. I want them back home safely as soon as possible.
Updated
It is possible Scott Morrison actually does have more than one job – the Perth Wildcats have just announced Scott Morrison as their new coach:
Former Boston Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison has put pen to paper to become the Perth Wildcats head coach for the next three seasons.
Morrison served under Brad Stevens at the Celtics for the last four NBA seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the NBA G-League’s Maine Red Claws, where he was named Coach of the Year in 2015.
The Canadian is thrilled to be heading down under.
Updated
And a reminder that it was Labor that first suggested jobkeeper. And it was the Labor Victorian government that pushed the government into providing financial assistance when Delta hit Victoria, with jobkeeper stopped, which the Morrison government resisted because it did not want to “incentivise” the states for going into lockdown.
And before that, vaccination was “not a race” and it was the outbreak that caused the rush for vaccination, resulting in a mad scramble to try and get more mRNA vaccines, amid conflicting vaccine advice (across the entire political spectrum) that meant people were waiting for mRNA vaccines we didn’t have. And it was the Morrison government’s health minister who repeatedly said people could wait for Pfizer.
And so on.
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Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
Does the prime minister support the vaccination incentives of cash payments of $200 to Telstra employees and bonuses to Qantas customers? Wouldn’t we get to reopen more quickly if the prime minister adopted Labor’s plan of a $300 incentive payment for vaccinations?
Morrison:
Well, what commercial companies do, Mr Speaker, is a matter for them.
No, I don’t agree that for the 50% of those aged over 16, Mr Speaker, we should have paid a payment to.
Australians are coming forward every single day in record numbers, Mr Speaker, as we’ve seen the vaccination rate continue to climb each and every week. Some 1.8m vaccine doses administered last week, 1.8m last week. Per capita, that is, over a seven-day period, a stronger rate of vaccination than both the UK or the United States achieved at the their peak.
That is the rates at which our vaccination program is now performing.
Now, the leader of the opposition might want to engage in a cash splash for whatever reason, a cash splash, Mr Speaker, [writing] the cheque for $3bn already for things that people were already going to do. Now, Mr Speaker, that says a lot about how Labor would have managed this Covid pandemic.
It says a lot about their judgement. It says a lot about how they managed the nation’s finances. They would actually make a payment for things that people were already going to do.
Worse than that, as I said a few weeks ago, Mr Speaker, as I said a few weeks ago, it is a vote of no confidence in Australians. That’s what it is, Mr Speaker.
Because I have confidence that Australian also continue to come forward, as indeed they are. I tell you why they are coming forward, Mr Speaker, because they know, because of the national plan that we’ve set out that 70% and 80% vaccination rates will mean they will be able to go forward and live with this virus and not have to live with lockdowns.
(I would argue that an outbreak of the Delta variant, which has about half the nation locked down, is the reason people are rushing to get vaccinated, not because of the national plan.)
Updated
Barnaby Joyce is yelling about something.
Nature is obviously healing.
Scott Morrison turns his answer to an attack on Anthony Albanese (the same one).
“This is a leader of the opposition who always hopes for the worst, Mr Speaker,” he says.
Tony Smith tells Morrison to stay relevant to the question.
Morrison says the government has stayed focused on its “important tasks” and then moves again to the messaging pivot:
That means we need to adjust our mindset, and all of us need to support Australians to adjust their mindset as we go into these additional phases of this plan. Mr Speaker, these are the challenges that we have been overcoming.
Updated
Over in the Senate chamber, both major party leaders - Penny Wong and Simon Birmingham - are joining question time by video link.
Wong refers to reports that some former Afghan employees were knocked back by Australia under the locally engaged employee scheme because they did not apply within six months of ending their employment. You can see the Guardian’s story on that here. Wong asks whether the policy will be revised given the Taliban won’t check people’s employment dates.
Birmingham says he’s seen “certain media reports or suggestions” and is “not convinced these are all accurate”. He says the government is working hard to process applications. On the ground in Afghanistan, he says, Australian officials have been working hard to ensure visas are issued in emergency situations.
Wong asks a supplementary question about the ADF staying inside Kabul airport. Birmingham stresses the complexity of the situation.
Wong then asks Birmingham to specify the deadline for the evacuation of Australian and Australian visa holders from Afghanistan. Has Scott Morrison spoken to Joe Biden yet about arrangements to ensure evacuation before any such deadline?
Birmingham replies:
“The deadline is to action everything with the utmost urgency right now. That’s why we see multiple flights … each and every day.”
Birmingham says if the 31 August deadline set by the US is pushed out, Morrison has made it clear to the US “that we support that”. Australia wants to continue operations for as long as it is safe and feasible, he says.
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Morrison says he has more than just two jobs
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister. Would Australia be closer to reopening if the prime minister had not failed his two jobs on vaccine and quarantine?
Morrison:
I thank the member for his question because he has made this reference once more implying the prime minister of this country only has two jobs, Mr Speaker.
As I said before, anyone who thinks the prime minister of this country only has two jobs isn’t up to the job, Mr Speaker. I can say that because those of us who have been dealing with one of the most serious situations that we have had to address during our time in government and that is to seek the evacuation of what has almost been 1,700 people out of Kabul right now, Mr Speaker, they would understand that a prime minister at any given time has more than two jobs, Mr Speaker, and that matter is the one ... that we have been particularly applied on in this most recent week. And I want to thank again those Australians on the ground in Kabul right now doing that very important job.
(A bold answer choice, given the delay in evacuating people from Afghanistan, given the calls have been coming for months – and in some cases years – to get the evacuations started).
Updated
Question time then pauses for an official photograph.
Updated
In the first dixer, Scott Morrison continues the messaging pivot to changing the mindset to living with Covid:
Mr Speaker, the national plan provides ... the safety for Australians to move forward out of the lockdowns that we see before us now, which are necessary for this time. But enables them to see past the lockdowns, it enables them to see their ability to live with the virus in the future.
... The national plan means we will get out of this, Mr Speaker, we will move forward. Our plan is to get there and we need to support and stick to that plan, not stand in the way ... like those opposite.
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SA sets new entry rules for essential workers
Meanwhile in South Australia:
BREAKING: Essential workers travelling into SA from NSW, VIC or the ACT - other than transport workers - will now have to show they've had at least one covid vaccination dose. @9NewsAdel
— Fiona Clark (@fionaclark_) August 24, 2021
Question time begins
We have already had a Big Mac reference and we are only two minutes in.
Anthony Albanese:
Isn’t the reason vaccination rates are not higher is because the prime minister failed to order enough vaccines when it counted and failed also to fix national quarantine?
Scott Morrison:
More than half of Australians aged over 16 have had their first dose of the vaccine. Mr Speaker more than half.
That’s one in two, Mr Speaker. Six million doses of that vaccine have been delivered in New South Wales, two-thirds have been delivered by the magnificent GPs and pharmacists who will doing this all around the country. Mr Speaker, there are more points of presence where you can get the seen in Australia today than you can get a Big Mac around this country because of the excellent work that is being done by General Frewen, by the GPs, by the pharmacists working together, states and territories to to get this job done, to get this job done, and it is an important job to get done because under the national plan, under the national plan, Mr Speaker, that would see 70 and 80% of the population vaccinated, that means Australia will be able to move forward.
Australia will be able to move forward and live with this virus, and that is why it is so important, Mr Speaker, that people stand up for the plan rather than standing in the way of the plan, Mr Speaker, like those in the Labor Party seem intent on doing, as they come in here day after day, Mr Speaker, running down the vaccination program, running down those who are seeking to implement it.
For the record, there are apparently 970 McDonald’s in Australia.
Anthony Albanese makes a point of order on relevance. Peter Dutton gets upset.
Morrison continues:
The National plan which will see our vaccination levels rise to 70 and 80%, Mr Speaker, and enable Australians to move forward, not stay shut in, that will be achieved by continuing to get on with the job. It won’t be achieved by the negativity of those opposite, but by the positivity of the Government and all those they are working with, Mr Speaker.
Updated
OK, it is the downhill slide to QT, which means it is 90-second statement time.
So it is time for ‘who is that MP’ – today, as we switch over, it is Gladys Liu.
Updated
Labor to oppose Beetaloo basin funding disallowance
Labor has agreed that it will oppose a disallowance motion to prevent $50m of grant funding in the Beetaloo basin, including for the gas industry.
Labor has been pressed heavily by the Greens, independent Zali Steggall, and environmental groups to vote in favour of the disallowance. The Senate environment committee is due to report on the issue this afternoon.
In Labor caucus, a number of MPs expressed concern about voting against the disallowance including Ged Kearney and Malarndirri McCarthy, who went the extra step and urged Labor to vote for it.
McCarthy told caucus there was “much more to be uncovered with the inquiry” and that the projects being funded are not dependent on the federal money.
Kearney was one of several speakers who warned about the lack of consultation and the need for free prior informed consent from traditional owners.
In total, six MPs spoke, including two that explicitly said Labor should oppose the disallowance.
Updated
Hopefully everyone is up to date now – we have less than half an hour before QT begins and the whole rigmarole starts again, so take some time to take a break from the constant stream of news, if you can.
And in case you missed it in there, Queensland recorded two new cases of community transmission – both truck drivers who caught the virus in NSW and have been isolating.
The risk to the community is thought to be “very low”.
Their households have also been placed into isolation.
Updated
ACT Covid summary
The ACT recorded 30 new cases a “record” daily number for the territory.
- 25 are linked to known cases.
- 13 were in quarantine for their infectious period.
- Four people are in hospital, one person is in the ICU.
- mRNA appointments for 16 to 29-year-olds will open from October, but AstraZeneca is available now (just chat to a doctor).
- 85% of Canberra’s cases are under 40.
Andrew Barr was also more nuanced when it came to the national plan. He says the Doherty Institute sets out a measured transition but there will still be work to do past 80%.
Updated
Victorian Covid summary
- Victoria recorded 50 new cases.
- Just 11 were in isolation for their whole infectious period.
- Victoria now has 522 active cases – 113 of those diagnosed with Covid are under 9-years-old, 101 are aged between 10 and 19 and 92 are aged between 20 and 29.
- 34 people are in hospital, nine in intensive care, and seven on a ventilator. Twenty-three of the 34 in hospital are under 40, including one infant.
- 16 to 29-year-olds will be eligible for Pfizer from 7am tomorrow (using the Poland supply).
- 830,000 new appointments over the next for weeks for vaccinations will be made available from tomorrow, with 450,000 of those appointments for Pfizer.
- People under 40 who have existing AstraZeneca appointments with the state run hubs will be offered Pfizer from tomorrow, if they want it.
Updated
NSW Covid summary
There has been a lot to take in this morning, so while we wait for QT, let’s run down what we learned.
- NSW recorded 753 new cases.
- 609 cases are under investigation.
- NSW reached 6m vaccinations, meaning 30% of the eligible population has received a double dose and 60% has received at least one dose.
- The “additional freedom” for those double dosed will be announced on either Thursday or Friday.
- There is NO guarantee that additional freedom will be made available to people in the LGAs of concern.
- Gladys Berejiklian repeated that all states will have to learn to live with Delta
- Dr Kerry Chant was more nuanced and pointed to continued restrictions, including masks in doors and potential for only vaccinated people to attend certain events during the transition.
Updated
Adam Bandt has responded to the caves analogy (this is never going to end now).
Scott Morrison’s plan will have kids leaving the cave and going straight to the ICU.
Yesterday I wrote to the prime minister urging him to stop excluding under 16s from the vaccination targets and to at least to seek further expert advice about the impact of Delta on children and teenagers.
Morrison’s targets are a political solution to an epidemiological problem. Having lower targets might make them easier to meet but won’t make us safer.
The prime minister is desperately trying to use vaccination targets as a club to bash the premiers, chief health officers, and public, but Delta infections and transmissions amongst children are rising and kids and teenagers need to be included in vaccination targets.
No vaccine has been approved for children younger than 12 at the moment. There should be updated advice for 12 to 15-year-olds released at the end of this week.
Updated
85% of Canberra’s Covid cases are people under 40.
Latest Canberra case links:
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) August 24, 2021
- 3 Bright Bees Early Learning Centre
- 2 Gold Creek School
- 11 Downer Early Learning
- 30 Fiction nightclub
- 40 Assembly bar
- 15 Lennock car dealership
- 40 Lyneham High School
- 6 Belconnen basketball
- 27 Southern Cross basketball
Updated
The Croods sequel took more than seven years to get made, deals with overcoming childhood trauma, a war with monkeys, a manipulative but charming everyman trying to gaslight a key character into turning against their interests, before everyone unites to save anyone from having to be sacrificed, defeating a monster, before two teenagers move in together to be their own “tomorrow”.
(I have a lot of nieces and nephews.)
Updated
It being Tuesday, the Coalition party room has met – the MPs in Canberra and people who dialled in virtually.
Scott Morrison acknowledged it was three years since he’d become prime minister.
He thanked the National party leaders Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce for their support.
The prime minister noted they were gathered in the government party room (actually they were in the Great Hall on Tuesday, but let’s not quibble) and the government party room was where “we intend to remain” because this was a government that stuck together and got things done (words to that effect in any case). Morrison paid tribute to the ADF personnel evacuating people from Afghanistan and predicted the “hardest, most difficult and dangerous” part of the current mission was “still ahead of us”.
He thanked veterans for helping inform his views and (referencing John Howard) said there was “no hierarchy in sacrifice” (presumably responding to people saying the conflict has all been for nothing).
On Covid, Morrison said good government had decided the path to managing the pandemic but he acknowledged “not every call is going to be right”.
Picking up from his comments on breakfast television earlier that Amy alerted you to, there was an extended narration of The Croods and its implications for transiting to living with Covid.
Morrison noted the story had ended happily, there was a sequel, and he hoped for his own sequel next year.
(This would make a lot more sense to me if I’d actually seen this film.)
MPs raised a number of issues: one said there was a “mood of quiet desperation” in their home state (this was about lockdowns) – this person said average people had joined the anti-lockdown rallies.
This same MP said if the government in Canberra had to differentiate from states worried about the transition to Covid-normal “then so be it”.
Other MPs raised issues in aged care (we need to make sure the workforce is vaccinated), disability (we can’t cede ownership of the NDIS to Labor), tourism businesses in strife because of the pandemic, and other businesses in distress and hopefully the banks will be reasonable.
One MP predicted there would be a diminished small business sector post-Covid, and people should be able to access their superannuation if they were facing hardship.
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Meanwhile, back in the Labor caucus meeting:
Anthony Albanese told Labor caucus that Scott Morrison is "a barrier to the end of the tunnel not the light at the end, he’s the gaslight on the hill"#auspol
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) August 24, 2021
Things are still happening in the parliament (although it is not exactly the main event lately).
Here is a statement Labor’s Andrew Giles has made to the house:
Watching Eddie Betts on the football field brought me, and so many others, much joy.
But throughout his wonderful career he was subjected to awful racism, on the field and off it, including on social media.
To watch him speaking of this in recent weeks was as compelling as any of his goals of the year.
These words, and how they were spoken, demand action.
For all of us to recognise the persistence of the scourge that is racism, and all its impacts.
Eddie Betts has spoken of his exhaustion at explaining what had been done to him, and why this matters.
Those of us who haven’t been subjected to racism must respond to this.
And stand up, and be counted.
Racism in football isn’t just a matter for the AFL – it’s a reflection of racism in our society more broadly.
While I know the vast majority of Australians reject its destructive ugliness, this, of itself, isn’t enough.
People today are being hurt, people feel exhausted – and we are all diminished.
We need to do more – as individuals, to no longer walk past or pretend not to notice.
And collectively, as a society, to set the standard we demand of each and every one of us.
To end this, together.
To share in the responsibility to end racism.
In particular, for all of us elected to this place, to make the difference we have the power to make.
To deliver a national anti-racism strategy, with zero tolerance at its core.
Surely, this is something we can all commit to?
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You might remember a story we published earlier this month about a private PR firm the health department was paying to email a copy of the Covid-19 vaccination data displayed on its website to media outlets each day.
The firm is being paid to simply take a copy of the daily vaccine data PDF published by the department, attach it to an email, and send it to media outlets.
The department, which has a huge communications team, had flatly refused to say how much it was paying the firm, Cox Inall, to conduct the work.
But it said the contract with the firm was for a broader range of public relations and communications activities, rather than just sending the email.
The contract with Cox Inall has now been published. It is paying the firm $2.9m for five months’ work.
Updated
Paul Karp also tells me that Labor will OPPOSE the Greens disallowance motion to the Beetaloo basin funding grants.
He has more information coming on that decision very soon.
Updated
According to federal government guidelines, some children aged 12-15 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Those are:
- Children with specified medical conditions.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children.
- Children in remote communities, as part of community outreach vaccination programs.
- Those living with disability requiring frequent assistance with activities of daily living, including down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, and severe intellectual disability.
The health minister, Greg Hunt, said this week that children who are NDIS participants but didn’t previously qualify through an underlying health condition will also now have access to the Pfizer vaccine.
But we’ve heard anecdotal reports reports that parents are finding it difficult to find a booking for children aged 12-15.
If that’s you, please get in touch with Luke Henriques-Gomes by email: luke.henriques-gomes@theguardian.com
Updated
Let’s dip back into federal politics:
Labor has decided to wave through a suite of electoral bills that could deregister dozens of minor parties and will give old parties a monopoly on words used in their name.
On Tuesday the Labor caucus backed the changes proposed by the Morrison government, although the opposition will object to one bill that attempts to lower the disclosure threshold for political campaigners, such as NGOs and charities.
Earlier in August the assistant minister for electoral matters, Ben Morton, introduced four electoral bills into federal parliament to crack down on multiple voting and violence at polls, and raise the bar for party registration.
The crossbench and minor parties opposed the party registration integrity bill, which would require parties to have a member in parliament or 1,500 members, up from 500, to be registered.
The socially liberal New Liberals and libertarian Liberal Democrats blasted the government for a new provision that would require them to get permission from the Liberal party of Australia to use the word “Liberal” in their names.
The party registration bill will now pass the House of Representatives and Senate with the support of Labor.
The rest of the package of electoral bills supported by Labor:
- Clarify what counts as “interference with political liberty”, specifying that “violence, obscene or discriminatory abuse, property damage and harassment or stalking” can constitute a breach of the existing section.
- Raise the penalty for interference with political liberty to three years in prison.
- Reduce the period of pre-poll to a maximum of 12 days.
- Allow the electoral commissioner to classify someone a “designated elector” who must use a declaration vote to prevent them casting multiple votes.
However, Labor will oppose the bill that would lower the expenditure threshold to register as a political campaigner from $500,000 to $100,000.
Updated
There is no escaping The Croods today.
It was apparently also mentioned in the joint party room meeting.
Nice to see national policy based on such relatable content.
Updated
When it comes to some of the people in Canberra health who are in quarantine there is this update:
Q re covid+ UC Hospital worker
— Anna Vidot (@AnnaVidot) August 24, 2021
Dave Peffer, CHS interim CEO: Notified 6:30pm yest someone in food services had unknowingly worked 3 shifts while infectious (20-22 Aug). Likely transmission risk to patients or clinical staff "very low". "Elevated risk" to other food services staff
15 UC Hospital staff members have been moved into quarantine as a result.
— Anna Vidot (@AnnaVidot) August 24, 2021
Food prep area has been deep cleaned, other 'back of house' areas have been classified as Red Zones overnight requiring full PPE for people in those zones. "Terminal cleans" of those zones underway.
Updated
Again, that is a more nuanced take than what we are hearing from the federal government.
Andrew Barr also spoke about the “national plan”:
The 70-80% targets that are so often spoken about in the national media are important milestones but they reflect the opportunity to take gentle and measured steps forward in the national plan.
They are not the end game, though, for vaccination.
So the ACT will be striving for much more than 80%. And we will be including in our goals all those currently eligible for vaccination.
This will figure in our decision-making on what future public health settings will look like. So that is everyone over the age of 12.
They will figure in our decision-making, in our vaccination goals and our desire to protect this community. The more Canberrans who are vaccinated, the better protected our community will be from the virus and from the decisions of other governments that are beyond the control of the ACT government.
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On vaccinations in the ACT (registrations have opened for 16 to 29-year-olds) Andrew Barr says:
We will open bookings in September for vaccinations in October. That is the timeframe, the best possible timeframe based on current Pfizer supply. 16 to 29-year-olds are a really big age group in Canberra.
There are 85,000 of them. 21,000 are already vaccinated as part of the earlier priority vaccination rounds.
This means we have 64,000 of you still to go. So the fact is that it will take some time, based on the available supply of Pfizer. Which is why I remind you that the AstraZeneca vaccine is available now through your local GPs and pharmacists.
It is seriously worth considering, following a conversation with your trusted health professional, getting the AstraZeneca vaccine as soon as possible.
Now while the ACT’s overall vaccination figures continue to be nation leading it is important to remember that it takes about three weeks from the day you have the jab in your arm, for the vaccines to provide the maximum protection for you.
This 3-week vaccine efficacy means that the daily rates that have been reported in our jurisdiction and across Australia do not yet reflect the actual level of protection in our community and in the other states and territories.
Updated
Four in hospital with Covid in ACT
ACT chief minister Andrew Barr says that there are now four people with Covid in ACT hospitals, including one person in the ICU:
Of the 30 new cases, 13 were in quarantine during their entire infectious period. Of the remaining 17 we believe that 11 were infectious in the community and we are still assessing the remaining six as to how long they may have been infectious in the community.
We now have four people hospitalised and we have one person in intensive care.
Now I know that this case number today will cause concern. It is a record day of cases for the ACT.
It confirms what we know, that the Delta strain of this virus is highly infectious. If you contract the virus, it is highly likely that all the people you live with and the people that you work closely with will also contract the virus.
If those people are unvaccinated it is almost certain that they will. That is the situation that we are dealing with.
And that is why it is so important that if you are identified as a close contact, that you isolate. This is how we get the number of cases infectious in the community down to the lowest possible number. This is absolutely critical. In our ability to contain the spread of the virus.
Updated
Looks like quite a lot of people were following along with the Victorian presser.
Victoria's vaccination booking site has crashed - moments after the premier announced Pfizer will be available to 16-39 starting tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/KeMhsLL9b6
— Antoun Issa (@antissa) August 24, 2021
Updated
The Victorian presser is moving to more local issues, so I will head over to the ACT now.
Daniel Andrews then gives David Littleproud a serve for his announcement yesterday on an agriculture visa, which Andrews says no one had a heads-up about, no one was spoken to about quarantine, and no one in national cabinet was consulted.
He also made the point that he has never met Littleproud, which is very big Mariah Carey vibes (if you know, you know).
Apparently we have to quarantine them all in some unlimited capacity quarantine facility somewhere, but it’s fantasy.
...I’ve said on more than one occasion, there’s a whole lot of Pacific Islands that if only they had a slightly higher testing rate, they would be green countries, and we could have a bubble with them, and people could move here without having to be quarantined.
They are orange because their community testing is not high enough. I’ve talked about, ‘why don’t we fly the samples back and we’ll run the tests here’. ‘Why don’t we go and set up testing clinics in some of these countries’, we’ve talked about all these things.
This is not just about issuing visas, and then hand balling it to state governments who apparently are in charge of quarantine, like, it’ll always be limited by the number of quarantine spots we have.
So just say to Mr Littleproud, I don’t think any AG minister knew about this. And if you, if you now have some unlimited quarantine facility somewhere, please let me know about it, and we’ll be sure to use it, if not this sort of grandstanding seems like nothing, nothing at all. They’re just words.
Updated
Daniel Andrews says if he could, he would “send it [Delta outbreak] back to Sydney where it came from”, but he can’t, so everyone has to find a way to work together.
But in terms of opening up, Andrews says:
People often say this in very binary terms, you know, zero cases.
...But in the long term like a medium and long-term goal.
So could you get to zero and be at zero for three months, six months, that’s going to be incredibly difficult, particularly when you look at how many cases are raging up in New South Wales and the fact that there is still some movement between New South Wales and Victoria.
Now that’s where I’ve said a few times and New South Wales kind of sets the tone for all, this seems like there are in fact national decisions – I’ve made the point they’re not just New South Wales cases they’re in fact Australian cases.
So, can we get to zero. That is to say, can we get to a very low number.
That is still ‘doable’ Andrews, says, “hard but doable”. The maintenance will be tricky though.
Updated
Daniel Andrews:
It is not for me to tell you what vaccine to get, it is for me to make them all available as soon as I possibly can. We are doing more than half the vaccinating in the state, much more than was ever counted when we signed up for this but we are getting it done and if I have got stock and that means you can have a choice then it is only fair to give the choice and that is what I have done.
Updated
Daniel Andrews then moves on to some of those other “challenges” with the AstraZeneca announcements (not the vaccine, how it has been treated).
I did not make announcements about Pfizer last Thursday that saw AstraZeneca appointments cancelled, some 15,000 cancelled yesterday. We need to get this stuff out there and it is only fair if I have Pfizer available then people should have that choice. Hopefully they can all make that choice based on medical advice and they will get the vaccine that is most appropriate for them as fast as possible and we will all benefit from that.
He is talking about the prime minister there.
Andrews continues:
I am saying that because of supply provided to us or that will very soon arrive, I will have 450,000 doses and the spot for them is not in the freezer.
While I continue to try and push AstraZeneca, it is in people’s arms, it is simply wrong to have that stockpile which is not anywhere near – I will check myself here using the term stockpile – I don’t know if we have ever had one, but we have 450,000 doses.
I will not leave them in the fridge and then deny people the choice that is a real choice.
There is a choice available and it is only fair that people, when it is clear that there is availability for both should be offered both. But if you are in the older group then medically you are recommended to take AstraZeneca, not Pfizer.
So...you know? We are not at 100% at any age group. There are still many people in their 60s and 50s who need to come forward and get either a second dose or their first and second dose. AstraZeneca will be a continued part of our rollout and continue part of the federal government program and we will do our best to be consistent.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is then challenged on his comment about supply, given there is six million AstraZeneca vaccines waiting to be used and he says (a little bit cranky it could be said):
The prime minister has made comments today about my position on AstraZeneca but I’m grateful for his acknowledgement that I’ve been clear, it is not for politicians to tell you what vaccine to get.
The doctor should tell you.
If you haven’t got a GP and come to our clinics, I’ve made sure all of those clinics, there is a senior health professional who can sit with you and talk with you about which vaccine is best for you.
You can make an informed choice.
Many have chosen AstraZeneca and follow the advice of the chief health officer that the vaccine you can get that is the best vaccine.
An appointment today is better than an actual appointment to get the job today is better than a booking and/or four weeks. But the bookings are unimportant.
I’m opening up tomorrow and they will go really fast. I’ll have further announcements when additional stock gets here.
If I had 3m doses of Pfizer, Moderna, whatever, I open those appointments up. I don’t have that. AstraZeneca is more complicated because of some Atagi advice and some other challenges [on announcements].
It is better to get medical advice from a medical practitioner, from a health professional.
Not from people who are not qualified to do that. From a health professional, not from those unqualified. But I have been keen to push this. It is a conversation. It has been through the TGA, the world’s strongest approval process. They are both safe they relate differently to different people and your circumstances come into that.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is asked again about Year 12s and vaccinations and says:
The problem is I don’t know what the numbers will be tomorrow but I know that if people are compliant with rules, as challenging and difficult as they are, it is the acknowledgement that there is no other option.
There just isn’t and it is why the country has signed on to the plan and has or is using lockdowns to deal with this fundamental dilemma.
Delta infects really fast. We can’t vaccinate people fast enough because we haven’t got the supply to vaccinate ahead of the infection curve.
... If there was another way, every premier in the country would have chosen it including me.
Updated
A very big thank you to Josh Taylor for covering the Victorian presser during that overlap period. We move on to the question and answer part of the Vic presser now.
Daniel Andrews is asked about prioritising senior students and says:
We will have more to say about prioritisation for our students. I’ll draw people to discussions held at national cabinet last Friday where we literally went around the room and everyone was asked what their intentions were in relation to 12 and up. We have made it clear that it is our intention to have at least kids with a first dose, children and young adults, and if we can do better, we will by the end of the school year.
The school year and environments provide us with a unique platform, a trusted platform, it is a significant number of jabs to get into arms but it will have more to say about Year 12s and exams and their vaccine and the sense of priority for them and some will be involved in delivering those exams. We will have more to say about that soon when we can.
Updated
Anyone who is under 40 and has an existing AstraZeneca appointment, will be offered Pfizer as well as AZ during their appointment.
You don’t have to do anything – you’ll receive the choice when you turn up.
Infant among Victorian Covid hospitalisations
Victoria’s Covid commander, Jeroen Weimar, has run through the detailed information about the cases in the state.
Of the 50 new cases today:
- Seven are linked to the Shepparton cluster, which has now been genomically linked to the Glenroy outbreak, so not a new transmission from NSW.
- Six are associated with the childcare centre in Broadmeadows
- Twelve are associated with the Newport Altona North and Wyndham outbreak areas.
- Six are day 13 tests from the Hobsons Bay cluster, including Al-Taqwa college
- Four are associated with the Royal Melbourne outbreak.
- Two are existing primary close contacts with the Royal Children’s hospital ophthalmologist, and three are known contacts of earlier household cases.
Of the 10 unlinked cases, Weimar says contact tracers have been able to determine that four have been associated with the Altona outbreak, three with the Carlton and Fitzroy North area, two are linked to Thomastown and one is linked to Southbank.
He says of the 522 active cases, 34 people are in hospital, nine in intensive care, and 7 on a ventilator. Twenty-three of the 34 in hospital are under 40, including one infant.
There are currently 16,612 primary close contacts and 14,440 secondary close contacts isolating.
Weimar says health officials have a “very firm grip” on the Shepparton outbreak.
He says 450 Royal Melbourne staff are furloughing while getting tested, and the area of most concern is the Altona North, Newport and Wyndham area outbreak due to “quite a large scatter field of a number of exposure sites”:
We continue to put more focus on those areas and we will continue to work, but remember we are still seeing positive cases in many other suburbs across Melbourne. We will do a lot more work over the coming days.
Updated
Jeroen Weimar is giving an update on the ‘shape’ of the outbreak.
He says there are 34 people in hospital.
Nine are in ICU and seven people need ventilators.
23 of the 34 people in hospital are under 40, and that includes one infant.
OK, we are up to date with the case numbers.
I’ll do a couple of summaries for you in a moment, because we have had a lot of information.
But we’ll bring you some more from the Victorian presser first.
Victoria to begin vaccinating 16-year-olds
All 16-39-year-olds will be eligible for Pfizer from 7am tomorrow in Victoria, premier Daniel Andrews has announced. He says the state will be able to do this on the guarantee of the supply from Poland.
There are 830,000 new appointments over the next for weeks for vaccinations being available from tomorrow, with 450,000 of those appointments for Pfizer.
He says people will be given the option at the appointment for AstraZeneca or Pfizer, but notes 16 and 17-year-olds will not be able to get AZ.
He says there is 1.2m in the 16-39 demographic, so he notes that not everyone in that bracket will be able to get a booking. Currently there are 41,101 vaccination bookings available at state-run hubs. He says it’s about 50-50 between the two vaccines.
Andrews said earlier given the case spread among young people, the virus was “everybody’s business”.
There are now, with these 50 cases, there are now 522 active cases across the state. Of these, 113 are between zero and 9 in terms of age. 101 are between 10 and 19. And 92 are between 20 and 29. So I think that makes the point beyond any doubt that this is relevant to all age groups, and we have people in hospital from all age groups and we have people testing positive from all age groups. So this is very much everybody’s business, if that were ever in doubt.
Updated
New Zealand records 41 new cases
New Zealand’s coronavirus outbreak has grown by 41 people, increasing the total number of cases to 148. The country is currently in a nationwide lockdown as it grapples with a Delta variant outbreak that has spread from Auckland to Wellington.
Of the 41 new cases, 38 are in Auckland, and 3 are in Wellington. Of the 148 cases, 89 are epidemiologically linked to the Auckland cluster, with the remaining still under investigation, but likely to be linked because they are either household contacts or have been at a location of interest.
The majority of the cases are Samoan and linked to a sub-cluster who assembled at the Assembly of God church in Mangere.
Eight people are in hospital with the virus, but no one is in intensive care.
More than 400 locations are listed for potential exposure, including schools, universities, hospitals, churches, bars, restaurants, airports and a casino. There are now more than 15,700 close contacts across the country, who are being tested. In August 2020’s outbreak there were 1,5oo close contacts identified.
Genome sequencing has linked the cluster to a returnee from Australia. It is not yet known how the virus was transmitted from the traveller, who was in quarantine, to the community, but a walkway and an atrium in the facility is being investigated.
On Tuesday afternoon, the director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said dealing with the Delta variant is like dealing with a whole new virus.
It is, as we know, highly infectious and transmissible, and as we have seen spreads rapidly.
Bloomfield said this reinforces “just how critical it is” that people follow the level 4 lockdown rules.
Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout has ramped up, with 63,333 doses administered on Monday – the most on any single day.
Updated
ACT records 30 new cases
The ACT update has just started – there have been 30 new cases recorded.
Just 13 of those were in quarantine for the whole infectious period.
Updated
And that is where the NSW press conference ends.
Updated
John Barilaro is asked about concerns construction workers might be spreading the virus in the regions and says:
Yes, we’ve had a number of cases with construction workers in regional settings in Orange and Coffs Harbour and other settings, the Costco site at Toronto.
They are areas of concern but we’ve got to allow those industries to continue. We’ve got strict requirements on industry in relation to testing and vaccination.
Of course everything is up for consideration, if it continues to pose a great risk to the regions. It’s something I’ll take back to crisis cabinet but at this stage we can manage it with the changes that we’ve made and let it run its course.
Updated
Q: What poses more risk? A fully vaccinated hairdresser servicing a fully vaccinated client? Or allowing people in Blacktown to go out of the house for exercise under strict rules for more than one hour a day? Which is riskier in that scenario?
Dr Kerry Chant:
I’ll answer that question I think, by saying we have a set of rules in place. They are amongst the toughest and what we’re doing at the moment doing is trying to drive case numbers down and we are also trying to increase the opportunities for access to vaccination and prioritising the communities of south-western Sydney and western Sydney, where we know going into this outbreak they had lower rates of vaccination. Go to the website. Get vaccinated. That’s critical.
Obviously when we see case numbers going down and vaccination levels going up, that will allow us to be more confident we have got control.
The Delta variant is very, very challenging and we need all at the moment to keep those case numbers under control and even then, I wouldn’t be surprised, notwithstanding the fact that I want them to be going down, if we see an uptick over the coming days.
As I said, because the effect of the vaccination will not particular in until probably around mid-September in terms of that, obviously it’s been progressive because of the rapid increase but in terms of a big slug of vaccines that we’re giving into the workers in those areas, that will take two weeks from when we get them in.
Updated
Lorena Allam has pointed me to the case numbers for western NSW:
Up to 8pm last night there have been 36 new cases identified in the western NSW Local Health District. 23 in Dubbo, 5 in Parkes, 1 in Coonamble, 2 in Bourke, 2 located in Gilgandra, 2 in Wellington and 1 in Narromine. NSW Health’s ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus that causes Covid-19 at Cobar sewage treatment plants.
These detections are of particular concern and everyone in these areas is urged to monitor for the onset of symptoms, and if they appear, to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
Updated
Dr Kerry Chant is asked whether she has heard reports an ambulance responded to a woman in her 20s at her home who was dying from Covid.
Chant answers:
We don’t but we can update you afterwards. We were aware of media reports of that and we haven’t been able to confirm anything prior to this press conference.
Updated
Shouldn’t NSW make sure that all teachers are vaccinated, given that it is considering sending students back to school:
Gladys Berejiklian:
We have invited teachers and everybody between 16 and 39 already in those LGAs of concern to come forward for the vaccine.
There are a number of very good vaccines available so we are asking everybody to come forward to get their vaccine especially if you are in occupation with contact with a lot of people.
There is a callout teachers and every other frontline worker, every other worker who has contact with people, we are urging them together vaccine.
Our focus is lifting the rate of vaccine in those communities where there is high circulation of the virus because that protects human life, keep people out of hospital, reduces credit especially people who have to physically work outside the house.
What you have to deal with an epidemic is prioritise those areas of concern, prioritise we were putting resources that have a very targeted approach.
Health officials have been in touch with officials in places and provinces in Canada, for example, they had a similar targeted approach as all vaccinations are left and case numbers go down. We have a very targeted approach but every teacher, every frontline worker, anybody who has contact with others in their occupation should be coming forward with the vaccine.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian again pushes that “every state will go through this in their own way”.
Everybody judges every decision we make and that is fine but please judge us at the end of this process and look back and say we do our best and every stage to keep the community safe and offer freedoms.
Every state will go through this in their own way. This is a way New South Wales is dealing with this, the largest state, the most densely populated state, the gateway to the nation, this is how we are dealing with it and we deal with it with the best advice available.
Updated
Q: If Dr Chant says she is uncomfortable with sending children back to school until they have the vaccine and if she says she doesn’t feel we are ready to give freedom, will you do so anyway because you have promised them?
Gladys Berejiklian:
Let me just say we have never taken a decision in New South Wales which directly contradicts the health advice. Our team have had conversations for some weeks about what is safe to do.
Updated
Conversations are continuing on how students may return back to school.
There will be more on that at the end of the week.
So there is a lot more nuance again, from Dr Kerry Chant there.
She wants to see uniform vaccinations, particularly protecting the vulnerable, and there may still be social distancing measures, like mask wearing indoors and only vaccinated people allowed at certain events.
Is that across the whole state?
Dr Kerry Chant doesn’t answer directly, but she makes the point that all vulnerable groups – the homeless, socially economic disadvantaged etc, need to be vaccinated. That’s not geo-specific. That’s across the whole state.
Updated
Dr Kerry Chant continues:
The other issue I’d like to say – and this is a really key point – we are only as safe if we protect our vulnerables in our community.
And our vulnerables – I use the definition of our aged care residents, our disability home residents but also the people that live in large households, that have to go to ... That don’t have the option of working from home, that have underlying health conditions, that have complex interactions, maybe live across multiple households.
We have to protect our mental health, our drug and alcohol patients, our people in correctional settings, juvenile justice.
So my 80% means I want a strong equity focus across that vaccination coverage and we need to have it very high across the population uniformly.
Updated
NSW CHO Dr Kerry Chant steps in then and says:
So in terms of the Doherty modelling, what they’re saying is around 80% you have options and choices.
It’s not to say you’re not going to have to calibrate and respond your level of restrictions, what you permit – it may be that we actually have indoor mask-wearing for years in certain settings.
We may have factors that you’re only permitted to go to certain high-risk venues if you’re vaccinated and show proof of vaccination.
The world is grappling with how we co-exist with Covid and the virus may throw us curve balls. You know, we’ve got the Delta variant. God help us if we have another variant.
This is not a one size fits all.
Updated
Q: There are 600 people in hospital with Covid. The Doherty report was predicated on 30 to 40 cases. The Doherty Institute said if you open up at 80% vaccination rate with a higher case load, you’ll reach the same peak but get there more quickly. That means the hospitals will continue to be overwhelmed with Covid. They’re already stretched.
Gladys Berejiklian:
But we know for a fact that we have the capacity to manage that and also...
Q: Do we, though?
Berejiklian:
Yes. Absolutely we do. But also please know that because we’ve seen a number of people succumb to the disease, it’s highly unlikely – especially once they’re vaccinated – they’ll succumb to the disease again.
I’ll get Dr Chant to talk about that. But in essence when you’ve had number of cases with a high rate of vaccination, it allows you to completely manage what will happen beyond that point and, in fact, at least we are ready to confront whatever comes our way as opposed to other states who have had not had to deal with this at all. So when they open at 80%, they’re going to have to make sure they’ve got capacity and are ready to deal with these issues. I’ll ask Dr Chant to explain the important point about the fact that once you have 80% double-dose vaccination coupled with the number of cases that have already been in the community, the rate of hospitalisation can further decline rather than increase, but I’ll get Dr Chant to explain that from a medical perspective.
So what she is saying there, is that the high rate of infections in NSW means that there are a whole heap of people, who may not have had the vaccine, who have had the virus, and on her advice, will be unlikely to get the virus again.
Updated
Anne Davies asks about whether or not the hospital system, particularly in regional areas, is prepared for what is coming at 70% eligible population being vaccinated.
Here is the whole answer from Gladys Berejiklian (because it is important based on the Doherty Institute analysis).
All that work goes on on an ongoing basis. But the last figure I looked at, the rate of hospitalisation is 5.5% at the moment.
Obviously the case numbers determine the capacity constraints.
Know that when we started the pandemic, nearly two years ago now, or at the beginning of the pandemics, we quadrupled our intensive care capacity.
We’re nowhere near needing that but please know that back then we had 2,000 ventilators and Dr Chant read out how many are on ventilators.
It’s far less than that number. We have 2,000 ventilators. We’ve quadrupled our intensive care capacity, our surge capacity, if required.
We’re hoping it won’t be required. We’re seeing, even now with case numbers where they are, the hospitalisation rate is very, very low and that’s because a lot of people who have the vaccine are protected from being in hospital and as Dr Chant said, regrettably, the vast, vast majority of people, out of everybody in ICU, only 12 had received one dose of one vaccine and everybody else had zero vaccine so it’s obvious that those that are vaccinated are protected which is why some time ago, Dr Chant and I said let’s get vaccinated, increase the rates of vaccination, because that’s an obvious protection.
Those scary numbers don’t have to come to fruition if the majority of our population are vaccinated.
Updated
No guarantee people in LGA hotspots will receive the additional freedom
Asked directly if people in the 12 LGAs of concern will receive the additional freedom, Gladys Berejiklian will only say “we are having those discussions now”.
So she is asked again and says:
With respect, I did answer that question. We’re having those conversations now.
We’re having those conversations now.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian is asked whether the little treat double dosed vaccinated people will receive can be fair for everyone:
Because high rates of vaccination give us extra protection and we don’t ever want to have to burden our citizens more than we need to and that’s really important.
Of course health and safety comes first but we also need to consider mental health, livelihoods and a range of things. And I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to the people of the state who really stepped up in a short amount of time.
We’re not exaggerating when we say New South Wales has if not the highest, one of the highest vaccination rates now in the world in terms of how quickly people are getting vaccinated. That’s something we can be proud of and something that we believe will give us extra protection. We’re keen to make sure we do everything in a safe way.
Victoria will hold its press conference at 11.45am.
Back to NSW.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian then moves on to what other states will be dealing with when borders are opened:
When they do, they will all be confronted, perhaps not as starkly as New South Wales, being the largest and densely regulated state and most of us, Victoria has similar demographics so it is only stand to reason we are the first two states confronting the reality of the Delta strain other states will have to go through it.
Other states who have had zero cases for a long time, when they open their borders and welcome the international travel, welcome people from other states, the Delta strain will take hold and is why it is important to be prepared by getting high vaccine rates, ensuring the health system is in place to deal with that.
Gladys Berejiklian:
Our first and foremost priority is protecting human life and living as freely as possible while we do that we also have to accept that there has been no state or nation on the planet that has escaped the Delta strain, having cases.
We have to be real about that. It is confronting, that is what we are in.
It is a plague, a contagious strain of a contagious disease which is sweeping the world.
Australia has done very well compared to the rest of the world.
It is hard to say going through our most difficult times in New South Wales that we’ve done incredibly well compared to other parts of the world. Our effective is around 1.3 or what I should say is the fact that only that is a rate which people are passing the virus, we want to see it decreased below one but in many places around the world is between seven and nine. In places where there some restrictions.
I look forward to us moving forward as a nation because every state, no matter what stage every state is up to, some states have zero cases and border closures but every state will have to come out of that eventually.
On today’s numbers being lower than yesterday’s 818, Gladys Berejiklian says:
We always say there is no way you can get a trend from a day. What we are focused on is, I don’t want people to ride the rollercoaster of emotions on the case numbers every day. Let’s focus on the vaccine rates because that is what will determine how we can live moving forward.
And on the targets, Berejiklian says:
Dr Chant gave advice months before the Doherty report about 80% double dose in the adult population.
That’s why we based our 6 million target on to say once we get to that number, we can at least provide additional support to our communities.
We pride ourselves New South Wales of always following the health advice to make a public policy decisions.
That is the advice I received some months ago and is why I was the most enthusiastic participant in modality discussion in National Cabinet because that was validating the advice I’d received.
I look forward to New South Wales heading those targets. I am proud and which during our darkest time everybody has come forward and is doing the right thing.
To have so many people who otherwise may not have wanted to get the vaccine to come forward and get it, has really lifted our spear and this morning Dr Chant, myself that he premier others discussed what we can announce on Thursday or Friday to allow our citizens to have the extra degree of freedom in the next little while which we are looking forward to do.
Once again to 70% double those at 80% double those, we look forward to living much more freely than that we are.
To try and make vaccines ‘fun’ NSW residents receiving their vaccination this weekend are asked to wear their team’s colours for their appointments this week, and then take a ‘vaxxie’ (which I assume is a vaccine selfie) and share it, so they can see which code had the higher turn out.
NSW deputy premier, John Barilaro, wants the regions to “continue to strive” to reach the 70% or 80% vaccination target.
That means the data now looks like this:
Updated
And the break down of LGAs:
Of the 753 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 283 are from Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 233 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 73 are from Sydney LHD, 41 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 36 are from Western NSW, -
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 24, 2021
36 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 19 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 14 are from Far West LHD, three are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, three are from Central Coast LHD, one is from Hunter New England LHD, and 11 cases are yet to be assigned to an LHD.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 24, 2021
Updated
134 of the new NSW cases have been linked to existing cases (so far).
There are 609 cases under investigation – NSW can say that only 73 of the new cases were in isolation at this point.
Seventy-three cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 22 were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Forty-nine cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 609 cases remains under investigation.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 24, 2021
Updated
“We need to hold the course,” says Dr Kerry Chant.
...It is incredibly important that has we increase vaccine coverage, we do what we can to stop further infections.
So more of a nuanced message from the NSW CHO here – get vaccinated, but infections need to be kept as low as possible.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian is focussing on the positive – 30% of the eligible population having received two doses and the “additional thing” those people will be able to do, which will be announced at the end of the week.
CHO Dr Kerry Chant is encouraging everyone who has received their first dose to see how quickly they can receive their second.
NSW records 753 new cases
Gladys Berejiklian opens up by announcing NSW has passed its six millionth vaccination, which she says is 60% of the NSW eligible population having at least one dose.
There have been thankfully no deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
Updated
The ACT will hold it’s daily briefing at 11.45am and we are still waiting to hear when Victoria will hold theirs.
As usual, we’ll signal which jurisdiction we are talking about in each post to cut down on confusion and we’ll focus on Covid for the press conferences, leaving the federal politics to the side (unless urgent) until they are over.
We’ll update you on anything you might have missed straight after.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian will be up in the next few minutes with NSW’s daily update.
Berejiklian has said she doesn’t want to concentrate on the “emotional roller coaster” of the daily case numbers, and instead wants the focus to switch to vaccinations and hospitalisations.
We have moved from “freedom day” to “science day” this morning.
Dan Hurst has covered some of this off, but here was the first question and answer from Scott Morrison this morning on Melbourne radio 3AW:
Q: But there’s a horrible truth here, prime minister, is that you’re being forced really to take a punt that the Doherty Institute’s right and the others are wrong. That’s a punt that could, if it goes wrong, cost 30,000 lives.
Scott Morrison:
Well, I don’t agree with that assessment, but I know others who have put that forward. And they assume that there’s, you know, vaccinations don’t continue to rise. They assume there’s no other public health measures in place and all of that. So, I mean, that’s, that’s not a realistic scenario and that’s not what is going to happen. But the Doherty Institute, as your listeners know, as you will know, is the one of the most significant scientific agencies in the world. They were the first one that could actually reproduce the virus in the lab. I remember going to see them at the Doherty Institute in February last year and they shared all of that with the world. So this is the most significant, I believe, advisory group in the world on these issues. And they’ve been very clear because we’ve got a plan to do this safely. This is not Freedom Day. It’s a science day, if you like, it’s telling us that we can do this safely and we can move ahead and we can when we can get going again.
Updated
AAP has a little more on the two positive Queensland cases reported today:
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the cases were picked up after 8,378 tests in the past 24 hours to 6.30am on Tuesday.
She says both drivers have stayed at their homes, in the Somerset region and the Sunshine Coast, while not working and only visited a few venues in transit in southern Queensland.
“We will get the exposure sites up but we aren’t overly concerned about these two,” the premier told reporters on Tuesday.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the two truckers’ families have been put into home quarantine with more than 700 other people in the state.
She also said their drivers’ first tested positive in NSW, who then notified Queensland Health about the result.
Dr Young said the driver’s second test came back negative.
“These two truck drivers did everything they should do but it is at a point that we could have a case turn up anywhere, so please, to all Queenslanders, please get vaccinated,” she said.
Updated
I am yet to be convinced we are not all in some giant reality TV experiment.
Data don't lie.
— Elise Thomas (@elisethoma5) August 24, 2021
TBH the most interesting thing is that more of you have been googling The Croods than I would have expected up to this point. #auspol https://t.co/qAVVASWoid pic.twitter.com/Gsjtwe8IQB
Updated
Australia has the potential to become a regional hydrogen superpower, according to a new report out today.
But the report says that will require federal and state governments to accelerate domestic hydrogen development, “with a focus on export-oriented green hydrogen projects” – that is, hydrogen created using renewable sources.
The report – written by James Bowen, a policy fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre at the University of Western Australia – also says the Australian government should set clear targets for expected future growth in Australian hydrogen production and export levels. This is presented as a way to move beyond fossil fuel exports:
Australia has the potential to be the principal hydrogen supplier to the Indo-Pacific. It has the natural resources and technical capability required, and an established reputation as a trusted energy supplier to regional economies. Seizing the hydrogen opportunity would help Australia pivot from being a hydrocarbon to renewable energy exporter. This is critical for its economic success in a clean energy future.
Bowen’s report says China “is highly likely to be both a sizeable producer and consumer of hydrogen, as well as provider of related technologies and infrastructure.” The paper predicts that the transition to hydrogen “will reshape global energy politics in the same manner that adoption of oil as a source of primary energy did in the late 19th century.”
One of the fans of this new paper? Australia’s high commissioner to the UK, George Brandis:
Green hydrogen will commercially transform the Indo-Pacific, and we intend to lead our transition to a new energy economy.
— George Brandis (@AusHCUK) August 23, 2021
I was very pleased to speak with @lgflake and @j_s_bowen about their new report on how we can achieve a prosperous + secure net zero future for our region. pic.twitter.com/2a1Uu15vjY
Updated
Police in Western Australia have arrested a woman who allegedly towed a caravan through a border checkpoint without stopping, attempted to flee, then allegedly rammed a police vehicle with the caravan and nearly ran over another officer before losing the caravan and taking off again.
Police said the 47-year-old woman drove through the checkpoint on the Eyre Highway in a Volvo station wagon towing a caravan at 10.10am yesterday.
In a statement, WA police said:
It is alleged the woman drove through the border crossing where she had been directed to stop and supply the relevant approvals for both quarantining and the G2G pass. The woman allegedly failed to stop as directed and continued through the border without speaking to police.
Officers in a police vehicle activated their emergency lights and sirens and it is alleged the woman failed to stop and accelerated away. The woman allegedly drove erratically causing the caravan to move from side to side unpredictably.
It will be alleged the woman came to a stop on the Eyre Highway as she had a police vehicle both in front of her vehicle and behind. As police approached the vehicle, the woman put the vehicle, still towing the caravan, into reverse at speed, making heavy contact with the unmarked police vehicle (Toyota Prado), before angling her vehicle towards an officer and driving at speed, resulting in the officer taking evasive action to avoid being struck. The caravan eventually dislodged from the vehicle, travelling onto the incorrect side of the road and into the bush. The woman drove away from speed as the Volvo was now free of the caravan.
It is further alleged when the woman came to a stop and was approached by police officers she yelled at them before opening the driver’s door armed with a large glass jar which contained an unknown liquid. The woman smashed the glass and liquid near the feet of an officer and attempted to light the liquid on fire. The woman then got inside the Volvo, drove around officers and fled.
The unmarked police vehicle did not try and intercept the vehicle but followed the vehicle at a safe distance and approximately 40 minutes later the woman drove in a truck rest bay. Police stopped their vehicle behind her and it is alleged she reversed the Volvo at speed towards the police vehicle. The officers were able to drive away to avoid the collision.
The woman was arrested later at Madura Roadhouse and has been charged with two counts of reckless driving to escape pursuit by police, one count of unlawfully throwing fluid on a person (a real offence), one count of endangering life, and four other offences. She is due to appear before court in Kalgoorlie today.
Updated
ACT Health has reported more than 12,000 registrations for the vaccine since opening up its registration system to 16 to 29-year-olds (appointments are booked out until mid-October for mRNA vaccines).
It has also asked that people only get tested for Covid if they have been asked to, are a close contact, or have symptoms.
Thank you for your patience, Canberra. At this stage, you should only get tested if you have been notified by ACT Health that you are a close or casual contact or you have COVID-19 symptoms.
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 23, 2021
You can find the full list of testing clinics in the ACT here: https://t.co/UQrvLv7xvW
Updated
Labor’s Julian Hill – who has become the MP the opposition sends out when it wants a spicier than usual take on the daily lines – was deployed this morning to talk on it being the third anniversary of when Scott Morrison became prime minister:
It’s the third anniversary today of Scott Morrison becoming prime minister, of when he knifed Malcolm Turnbull for the top job. You’ve got to hand it to him. He’s a cunning politician.
Remember, he was out there in the courtyard with his arm around his ‘best buddy’ Malcolm – “I’m ambitious for my leader”. Scott Morrison told us he had no ambition to lead the country. Well, that’s turned out to be true!
We’ve now had three years to get a measure of this bloke’s character to get a sense of who he really is. His incompetence. His failure. His refusal to take responsibility. His blame shifting. His shape shifting. It’s always too little too late.
...Scott Morrison likes though, to pretend he’s just a shiny new prime minister. It’s only been three years. It’s not like he’s been in government for over eight years. It’s not like he was the treasurer or the social services minister. It’s not like he’s racked up a trillion dollars of Liberal debt with nothing to show for it. It’s not like when he was running the economy as treasurer that wages in this country went backwards from 2013 to 2019. And they’re going backwards down. They’re going backwards for the next four years.
There is a lot more, but you get the gist.
Updated
Queensland records two new Covid cases
The Queensland update has just dropped – there are two new cases of Covid in the community.
Both are truck drivers who had travelled into Queensland from NSW, but Queensland CHO Dr Jeannette Young says there is no reason to be overly worried, as the risk to the community is “very low”.
Updated
For those who need a little lockdown relief:
Day 2 of quarantine. Really feel like I’m settling in to Australia! pic.twitter.com/IA70B93GRd
— Kyle MacLachlan (@Kyle_MacLachlan) August 23, 2021
Here are the latest Victorian numbers in data form:
For those who were doubting me this morning, here is the prime minister’s official transcript from his interview with the Nine Network this morning.
He did, I assure you, refer to The Croods.
Scott Morrison:
Now, it’s like that movie in The Croods – people wanted to stay in the cave. Some wanted to stay in the cave, and that young girl, she wanted to go out and live again and deal with the challenges of living in a different world. Well, Covid is a new, different world, and we need to get out there and live in it. We can’t stay in the cave and we can get out of it safely. That’s what the plan does.
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Labor’s shadow health minister, Mark Butler was also on ABC radio RN Breakfast this morning, where he was asked about the Doherty Institute modelling. There was a lot of cave talk.
Then it got to this:
Q: Just importantly, we talk about, and Doherty is based on 70% and 80% vaccination amongst the adult community. It doesn’t include children. National cabinet will be briefed on Friday about vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds. We think that is imminent now. The prime minister says it will be done in parallel with the adult population later in the year. Should the 80% target, for instance, be adjusted to include the whole of the population over the age of 12, which would push back the reopening dates for sure?
Butler: One of two things has to happen. Either you include 12 to 15-year-olds in the eligible population, because they will become eligible, we are told very imminently. Or at the very least, even if you’re not going to do that, because it changes the dates of the modelling, you at least have to give parents and grandparents some assurance about when their children will be vaccinated. You know, we can’t have a position where the prime minister exposes the community to the full force of this Delta variant, the full force of this disastrous third wave, while our children are unprotected. So if he’s not going to include them in that whole population figure, then at least he must give a clear commitment about when our children will be vaccinated, and whether that is before the opening up happens.
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Gladys Berejiklian will be up very soon with the latest NSW update.
She appeared on ABC’s 7.30 overnight and promised there would be “at least” one freedom announced at the end of the week for people who are double vaccinated.
There has been no confirmation it will be a screening of The Croods, but it hasn’t been denied as yet, either.
AAP has taken a look at the latest confidence figures:
Confidence among Australians crept higher in the past week, although there was a clear divide between those in a Covid-19 lockdown and those who are not.
The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index rose 0.5% in the past week, which ANZ head of Australian economics David Plank felt partly reflected the surprise drop in the unemployment rate to 4.6%.
There were strong confidence gains in Western Australia, up 11.4%, while it rose 8% in South Australia. Brisbane was also up 1.7%.
However, locked down NSW fell by 1.9% and Victoria was off 2.9%.
“But even with this drop, sentiment in these two states remains well above the lows of last year,” Plank said.
“This supports our expectation that household spending will likely rebound sharply in lockdown areas when restrictions ease.”
However, other economists are concerned political bickering over when internal border closures will become a thing of the past may slow the sharp recovery experienced when previous restrictions ended.
Prime minister Scott Morrison is pinning hopes on the national plan to open up the economy once vaccination rates of 70 and 80% are met.
Just over 30% of Australians are fully vaccinated at present.
However, some states appear to be baulking at the national cabinet agreement at a time when NSW is posting more than 800 new infections a day.
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There is to be three new statues in the parliamentary triangle. Someone better make sure Matt Canavan is sitting down though – the statues represent d i v e r s i t y and not one of the three is an Anglo man, which may upset the senator for (anti) wokeness.
The statues will honour:
Enid Lyons, born in 1897 in Smithton, Tasmania, was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in federal cabinet. Prior to her own political career, she was best known as the wife of Joseph Lyons, who was prime minister of Australia (1932–1939) and premier of Tasmania (1923–1928). Enid Lyons and Senator Dorothy Tangney became the first two women elected to federal parliament.
Dorothy Tangney was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1907 and served as the first woman elected to the Senate for Western Australia from 1943 to 1968. She was the first woman elected to the Senate and one of the first two women elected to federal parliament, along with Enid Lyons.
Neville Bonner was an elder of the Jagera people born in 1922 in northern NSW. He was appointed by the Queensland parliament to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of Queensland in the Senate, and later became the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to the parliament by popular vote.
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Anyway, The Croods, which appears to be the basis of the prime minister’s latest national plan, is about a prehistoric family, who survive a bunch of natural disasters by living in a cave.
The dad doesn’t want to leave the cave, the daughter does, and then everyone is forced to after the cave is destroyed in an earthquake.
Then the family, under the dad’s command, go looking for a new cave. But the lessons they learned on the journey along the way means no one but the dad wants to go live in a cave again, then is some sort of tar emergency, a volcano erupts and badda bing, badda boo, a bunch of fertile land is revealed and the family lives out in the open, happily ever after.
The family is saved despite of the dad, not because of him.
Again, the Doherty Institute is a lot more nuanced than this message from the prime minister (this is him on the Seven network this morning, talking about restrictions post national plan).
I mean, there’s not zero restrictions. There’s common sense, a baseline sort of level restrictions, and I wouldn’t even call them restrictions. It’s just common sense behaviour about washing your hands and maintaining good hygiene and doing all that sort of common sense stuff, like you do with the flu.
He also spoke about “getting out of the cave” in this interview.
It’s his new favourite analogy.
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There will be a virtual community forum in Shepparton tonight to discuss the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Victorian regional centre has recorded at least 36 cases of Covid since Friday. Three large schools in the area have been listed as tier 1 sites, and supermarkets, gyms and hairdressers in the town have also been listed as exposure sites.The local public health district, Goulburn Valley Health, has been keeping people in the loop on its Facebook page.
The community meeting will run from 6.30pm to 7.30pm tonight. Details here.
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Notice how Morrison said on 3AW about the opening-up plan: “On three occasions we’ve agreed this plan.”
Well, here’s the fine print – you’ll notice plenty of caveats.
On 2 July the prime minister’s national cabinet statement said the leaders had “agreed to formulate a national plan to transition Australia’s National Covid Response”. The national cabinet “agreed in-principle that the plan consists of the following phases” with the triggers to be based on yet-to-be-completed scientific modelling. The national cabinet also “agreed that the Covid-19 Risk Analysis and Response Task Force be tasked to make recommendations on finalising the plan, including recommended vaccination targets for each phase of the plan based on the modelling”.
On 30 July the prime minister’s statement said: “The national cabinet agreed in-principle to an updated four-step national plan to transition Australia’s National Covid-19 Response (national plan) taking into account the Doherty Institute Covid-19 modelling and the Commonwealth Department of Treasury economic analysis.”
This was when the 70% of over-16s fully vaccinated and 80% of over-16s fully vaccinated were pencilled in as the triggers to move to Phase B and Phase C of the plan. “The updates agreed in-principle today by the national cabinet are the vaccination thresholds to move to Phase B and Phase C. The national cabinet will commission further detailed modelling over the coming months to update and refine the national plan as required.”
The statement said when the nation moved to Phase B, “measures may include maintaining high vaccination rates, encouraging uptake through incentives and other measures, minimising cases in the community through ongoing low-level restrictions and effective track and trace, and with lockdowns unlikely but possible and targeted”.
It also said when Australia was in Phase C, “measures may include maximising vaccination coverage, minimum ongoing baseline restrictions adjusted to minimise cases without lockdowns, and highly targeted lockdowns only”.
A week later, on 6 August, Morrison statement said the national cabinet “fully agreed to the four-step national plan”, which he described as a “graduated pathway”. But that’s not the end of the story: “National cabinet agreed to further analysis under the national plan to transition Australia’s National Covid-19 Response, with the Doherty Institute to model optimisation of the public health measures and managing outbreak responses and scenarios to support vulnerable cohorts and areas with low vaccination uptake.”
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It would be worth checking your jurisdiction’s health site to see if you are able to register 16 year olds+ for a vaccine appointment.
After the announcement late last week (made by Scott Morrison, who didn’t give the national cabinet a head’s up) the states and territories have been opening up their registration systems for 16 and 17-year-olds. There is not a lot of room for appointments as yet (that will depend on supply of mRNA vaccines), but registering is the first step.
And of course, talk to a doctor about AstraZeneca if you want a vaccine sooner.
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The Doherty Institute modelling continues to be front-and-centre of public debate this morning.
Sabra Lane interviewed the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, on the ABC’s AM program. She asked him about the institute’s prediction that opening up at 70% vaccine coverage of the adult population and with “partial public health measures” in place would lead to 385,983 symptomatic cases and 1,457 deaths over six months.
Lane: “That would be confronting for some. How comfortable are you with that?”
Hunt: “But the next sentence which you didn’t read is that with optimal public health can be significantly reduced to 2,737 infections and 13 deaths. That’s the path which we’re pursuing – optimal public health measures.”
Hunt said Phase B of the national plan had lockdowns as less likely but still possible. It’s a progressive process, he said. The task was to “ensure that every Australian, every Australian who seeks to vaccinated, can be vaccinated”.
Hunt then spoke out against an argument that no one is actually suggesting:
“We cannot live in lockdown forever.”
Only moments later, when asked about pushback from the Queensland and Western Australian premiers, Hunt said he didn’t think they were really asking for permanent lockdowns:
“I don’t think they’re actually saying that they want to keep their people locked down forever.”
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Scott Morrison, continuing his round of morning interviews, is on 3AW.
Neil Mitchell: “Have you got national unity?”
Morrison: “On three occasions we’ve agreed this plan.”
He says the national cabinet agreed on the phases of the plan, and then the vaccination thresholds to get to phase B and phase C, and then the plan was confirmed a week later “when the outbreak in Sydney was already well under way”. (Let’s look at that fine print in a moment.)
“It’s not an agreement with me – it’s an agreement with the Australian people.”
Updated
In case you missed it yesterday, the prime minister said this:
To realise the plan at 70% and 80%, the task is not to walk away, the task is not to delay, the task is not to fear, the task is to embrace, prepare, plan, ensure that we are in a position to do that. Now, we’ve got time to achieve that and already we’re seeing our public health system stand up very strongly, and I would envisage that in the time we have between now and when we reach those targets that there will be the opportunity to reinforce those plans, for states and territories to know that they will be able to deal with this, because we have to deal with it. Otherwise, we stay in the cave forever. And, that’s not a sustainable solution.
Today, we learned where he got that analogy. Here is the prime minister on the Nine Network this morning:
Now it’s like that movie The Croods. Some wanted to it stay in the cave and the young girl wanted to deal with the challenges of living in a different world. Covid is a different world. Covid is a different world. We need to get out of there and live with it. We can’t stay in the cave.
The Croods came out in 2013. It’s about prehistoric times.
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The number of mystery cases in Victoria is down from 22 yesterday, to 10, which is good news.
Victoria reports 50 new local Covid cases
Victoria has reported 50 new Covid local cases and one new case acquired overseas. The state vaccinated 29,810 people yesterday and received 48,424 Covid test results.
Of the 50 local Covid cases recorded, 40 were linked to current outbreaks and 10 are still under investigation. Just 11 cases were isolating throughout their infectious period.
Reported yesterday: 50 new local cases and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 23, 2021
- 29,810 vaccine doses were administered
- 48,424 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/62uLKpu7zY
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Greg Hunt was on ABC radio RN Breakfast.
He was defending the national plan (a theme for this week).
Daniel Hurst will bring you a post on that very soon.
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Talks under way for HSC
The NSW education minister, Sarah Mitchell, held meetings with the chief executives of the independent and Catholic schools sector on Monday to discuss how the higher school certificate can go ahead, face-to-face, in October.
The talks are understood to have covered getting information about vaccination rates of teachers in each sector, whether socially distanced exam rooms were possible, the number of vaccinated invigilators available to supervise exams and whether HSC students could be vaccinated in time.
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, promised on Monday that she would make an announcement later this week about when schools would be returning, but said her announcement last week about the lockdown continuing until the end of September meant that schools would not be back in term three.
HSC written exams start on 12 October. The NSW government would face a mammoth logistic task to vaccinate the 77,000 students sitting their final exam this year.
The government prioritised an estimated 22,000 HSC students in the 12 government areas of concern for vaccination two weeks ago – but it is unclear how many have taken up the Pfizer doses which were administered at a special hub.
“We have also started the process of HSC students being vaccinated, so we will provide those plans now that we have some certainty as to what the supply of vaccines looks like in September, October,” Berejiklian said, hinting that there may be further mass vaccination drives.
Public school teachers are currently being surveyed on their vaccination status and intentions, but there are no current plans to make vaccination mandatory for teachers.
The private schools and the Catholic education sector have now been asked to do urgent surveys of their teachers’ vaccination status.
It is likely that vaccination rates among teachers are relatively high because half the public sector workforce is over 50 and has had access to AstraZeneca.
The minister is also said to have discussed options for getting other age groups back in classrooms – most likely older high school students.
Because there are no vaccinations currently approved for 12-year-olds and younger, and trials of vaccines in the age group are still not expected until 2022, it is unlikely that there is an easy path to have primary school children return to school unless there is a dramatic drop in cases.
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Scott Morrison said this morning it was not “zero restrictions” but he’s focused on the “good hygiene” message which he is calling the “common sense” stuff.
The Doherty Institute advice is more forthcoming and includes more of the social distancing measures we are used to. It stops short of a lockdown, yes, but it still includes things like capacity limits, and if test, trace, isolate and quarantine fails (for instance, too many “mystery cases”), then those public health measures would increase – although again, it stops short of lockdowns.
Everything will come down to how Australians deal with higher case numbers and deaths as part of “living with” Covid. It would mean people accepting higher case numbers than when we have seen, and the deaths which will come with that.
Gladys Berejiklian has been using “succumb” instead of deaths. But that is the bottom line. Yes, people still die from the flu (about 600 a year), but there has been years and years for people to get used to influenza. This will be one of the first times in a lot of people’s lifetimes they are being asked to accept deaths (and long-term effects) from a new illness. One which they have been told to keep out. Vaccinations will help improve confidence, but it’s not going to change the bottom line. So it is not just the “common sense” measures which people need to hear about – it’s also going to be accepting the case numbers and deaths that come with it.
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As has been pointed out, there is a lot of nuance missing in the “we open at 70%-80%” rhetoric.
A lot.
As Murph explains it is not set and forget:
Q: Does the Doherty modelling present vaccination rates of 70% or 80% as freedom day?
Two words.
Absolutely not.
Q: What does it say then?
The Doherty work suggests Australia’s ability to move past restrictions without significant adverse consequences depends on two variables. One: how many of us are vaccinated and in what order. Two: whether or not state health systems are able to test, trace, isolate and quarantine (TTIQ) new infections effectively.
Q: What happens with lockdowns?
Well, that depends. Doherty says if TTIQ becomes “partially effective” during a significant outbreak because of pressure on the public health system, then “light or moderate restrictions will probably be insufficient to regain control of epidemics, even at 70% coverage”. It says “prolonged lockdowns would probably be needed to limit infection numbers and caseloads”. But if TTIQ holds up, it’s a different story.
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Scott Morrison also gave an update on the Afghanistan evacuations, while speaking with the Nine Network:
Last night, we got over 650 people out. It was our biggest night. That was on five flights, including one Kiwi flight ... They were with us last night uplifting Aussies so we thank them for that but five flights over 650, almost 1,700 people, we’ve evacuated now.
The people are doing this job on the ground, they are real heroes. Compassionate heroes. Dealing with people in the most distressing and dangerous of situations.
Our ADF, our air force flying people in and out, those from 3 brigade there on the ground doing the job providing security and supporting people getting onto these planes, our home affairs official, our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials, they’re going through what is an extraordinarily intense time. And they’re getting people out.
Now, yes, that (August 31) is the deadline, and I’ve been working to that. I’ve made no assumptions about the Taliban. We know their form.
We’ve been going like we won’t be able to get another flight in the next day so we’ve been trying to make every flight as successful as possible. We’ll keep doing that for as long as we can. If that deadline is able to be pushed out, we’ve made that clear to the United States that we would support that, but in the meantime, we’ll just keep getting on with the job.
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Scott Morrison is now also claiming personal responsibility for the “national plan” – previously he had said it wasn’t his plan, it was the national plan, agreed by the national cabinet.
Now it is his plan (then back to “our plan” when he realised the slip) and then relates the plan to a 2013 children’s movie.
Morrison:
... So we’re getting it done. Australians are getting it done. They’re doing it because they want their lives back. And my plan ensures, I should say our plan, because it’s all the states and territories and mine, our plan ...
Q: See? It was your plan, PM.
Morrison:
I put it on the table.
Q: So it was your plan? They agreed to your plan. Now they’re going to back out of it.
Morrison:
It’s only a plan if everybody agrees to it they shouldn’t back out and I don’t believe they will.
Q: What will you do about it?
Morrison:
I believe we’ll get there. That’s the point and we’ve just got to remain focused on getting there because as I say, it’s a deal with the Australian people. They’re the ones, 7 and 8 out of 10 Australians would’ve made it very clear that they want to move forward. Now it’s like that movie The Croods. Some wanted to it stay in the cave and the young girl wanted to deal with the challenges of living in a different world. Covid is a different world. Covid is a different world. We need to get out of there and live with it. We can’t stay in the cave.
Updated
Scott Morrison though, along with Gladys Berejiklian, is pushing for the national plan to be followed – which would mean an end to lockdowns once the eligible population vaccination rates hits 70-80%.
Here’s Morrison on the Nine Network (he was very similar on the Seven network. It’s almost like he has lines prepared):
The idea of Covid zero is not the issue once you get to 70 and 80%. Any state and territory that thinks that somehow they can protect themselves from Covid with the Delta strain forever, that’s just absurd. New Zealand can’t do that. They were following an elimination strategy. They’re in lockdown.
[After tracing back an infection to the Sydney outbreak.]
The way through is to get to those 70 and 80% marks, open safely.
Of course there are baseline things you still have to do, and when you hit 70 and 80%, you will have an even higher rate of first-dose vaccinations and an even higher rate of double-dose vaccinations for the most elderly in our community. And the proof of this plan is what we’ve already seen.
In Sydney right now, we are not experiencing the same level of fatalities as we did in Melbourne last year. The reason? We got our older population vaccinated. And as a result, that is protecting people.
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Scott Morrison is on the breakfast TV circuit, explaining the national plan.
He’s trying to get ahead of premiers who are balking at opening up before NSW gets its case numbers down.
Murph explains that in her piece cutting through the “national plan” spin:
But there’s political brinkmanship here too of the most obvious kind. Morrison is setting up a blame game. If the country doesn’t reopen once we’ve hit 70% vaccination rates, the prime minister wants frustrated people to blame the premiers. Seeing that manoeuvre coming, some premiers (the people who run health systems that could be overwhelmed) sprinted ahead of the prime minister last week, foregrounding the various risks, identifying the crossroads Australia had now reached. How many hospitalisations are Australians prepared to tolerate? How much serious illness? How many deaths? What about kids?
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Good morning
Happy Tuesday (if there is such a thing).
It’s grey, raining and cold in Canberra today, which probably suits the mood of the almost empty parliament.
Tuesday means it is party room and caucus meeting day, where each leader will try and rah-rah their sides. Scott Morrison will probably talk about dawns and plans and hastening towards them, while Anthony Albanese will talk about holding people to account for mistakes and two jobs.
All in all, second verse, same as the first.
The vaccination push continues, with 12-to-15-year-olds the next cohort everyone is waiting to hear about. Greg Hunt says he expects news on that from Atagi by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, NSW is working on its back-to-school plan, which Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday should be ready by the end of the week. The Sydney Morning Herald reports a staggered return, with kindy to Year 2 headed back first, along with Year 11. But with case numbers in NSW still in the 800s, a return for term four isn’t set in stone.
Berejiklian, who has wholeheartedly embraced the “national plan”, says she doesn’t want people concentrating on case numbers any longer. The Doherty Institute moved to explain its modelling late yesterday, setting out how it is possible to open up even with high case numbers – as long as the test, trace, isolate and quarantine system was working. Essentially, it relies on each jurisdiction’s health system being ready.
Statement on the Doherty Institute modelling:
— Doherty Institute (@TheDohertyInst) August 23, 2021
The Doherty Institute understands how extremely challenging lockdown restrictions are for everyone.
Katharine Murphy has cut through all of the national plan spin here, if it helps:
We’ll cover all of that and more as the day rolls on. We’ll also cover what is happening in the parliament (if they decide to do anything).
We didn’t see a lot of ministers yesterday – despite having the virtual access to do so, a whole heap have decided to follow the Barnaby Joyce model of not attending parliament while in lockdown, which makes answering questions difficult.
Mike Bowers will be in the (socially distanced) halls for you, while Katharine Murphy, Sarah Martin, Paul Karp and Daniel Hurst will explain what’s going on. It being a sitting day, you have Amy Remeikis on the blog.
The coffee is free-flowing already. It’s that sort of day.
Ready?
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