Good evening, here are the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Naaman Zhou and it’s Thursday 11 June.
Robodebt apology
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, apologised for “any hurt or harm” caused by the government’s robodebt program, which is responsible for more than $1bn in unlawful debts.
Further protests
New South Wales police applied to the supreme court to stop a second Black Lives Matter protest that is planned for Friday in Sydney and would be in breach of coronavirus restrictions on public gatherings. Scott Morrison also said that protesters who attend should be charged.
Morrison also said that Australia had “no history of slavery”, a claim which contradicts parts of the nation’s history.
Covid-19 case after Melbourne march
A person in Victoria who attended and Black Lives Matter protest last week in Melbourne tested positive for Covid-19. The state’s chief medical officer, Brett Sutton, said the person developed symptoms only 24 hours after the protest meaning “it would be very unlikely that it’s been acquired from the protest”.
“Normally, people develop symptoms four to six days after being exposed to coronavirus,” Sutton said. However, he said they were “potentially infectious” on the day of the rally.
Treasurer calls for borders to open
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, pushed for all states to open their borders, telling parliament that “closed borders cost jobs”.
“It’s critically important that we maintain that momentum, that we lift those restrictions on the domestic borders,” he said. “Closed borders cost jobs. There is no clear medical reason as to why those domestic borders should be closed.”
Travel voucher for the NT
The Northern Territory announced a tourism voucher worth $200 will be given to 26,000 Territorians to encourage intrastate travel.
The $5.2m initiative is supported by a marketing campaign “Never have I ever …” encouraging people to book something they have never got around to enjoying.
Restrictions further eased in NSW
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, announced that food courts would reopen on Saturday, and that people could have 20 people in their house, and gatherings outside of 20.
Gyms and fitness centres were already slated to reopen on Saturday, and community sport will return on 1 July.
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Union-busting bill dead
The government’s “union-busting” bill is officially dead after the government consented to Labor’s motion to have it removed from the notice paper.
Stock market drops
The Australian stock market dropped 3%, lodging its worst day in six weeks. It had previously been on a seven-day winning streak.
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