Here is our daily roundup of the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. The main stories on Wednesday 8 April are:
Australia reaches 6,000 cases
Australia recorded 6,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, and 50 deaths from the virus. But the daily rate of new infections continues to fall. The daily infection rate has fallen to just 2%. The highest rate per population is Tasmania, with 4%. Some 2,813 people have recovered, according to government data.
Parliament passes $130bn jobkeeper package
A slimmed-down parliament returned for a single sitting day to debate and pass the government’s $130bn jobkeeper package. Some 730,000 businesses have already registered for the scheme.
The $1,500 fortnightly jobkeeper payment to keep Australian workers attached to jobs during the Covid-19 crisis passed the Senate on Wednesday evening.
The jobkeeper payment is the centrepiece of $300bn of federal government economic supports, which Scott Morrison described as “the biggest economic lifeline in Australia’s history”.
Ruby Princess blame shifting
A team of 30 detectives has started investigating the handling of the Ruby Princess coronavirus scandal as the New South Wales and federal governments continue to point the finger at each other over who is to blame for the fiasco.
Earlier on Wednesday the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age newspapers reported that an Australian Border Force official ordered the Ruby Princess to dock in Sydney Harbour, despite a Sydney harbour master offering to halt the ship at Bradleys Head.
Australian Border Force later issued a statement confirming that it was contacted by the NSW Port Authority in the early hours of 19 March “expressing concern in relation to the health of passengers on board the Ruby Princess”.
But it says it was NSW Health who gave the all-clear for the ship to dock.
Meanwhile, officers from the NSW state crime, counter-terrorism and marine area commands are trying to get the bottom of the scandal. Fourteen people who were passengers on board the Ruby Princess have since died.
The first briefing into the investigation was held on Wednesday morning, NSW police said.
Cruise ship stranded off Uruguay
An Australian cruise company is working to disembark a stricken Antarctic cruise ship on which about 60% of the passengers and crew have been infected with coronavirus.
The Greg Mortimer has been anchored 20km (12 miles) off the coast of Uruguay since 27 March, but authorities in the South American country had until now refused to allow passengers off.
On Tuesday, the ship’s operator, Aurora Expeditions, said that of 132 passengers and 85 crew, 128 people had tested positive for Covid-19. Most on board are understood to be Australian, although there are also citizens of New Zealand, the US and the UK.
Quarantined man in a coma after nine-hour wait to go to hospital
An investigation has been launched into how a man in Perth hotel quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic ended up in an induced coma in intensive care despite his wife allegedly calling for a doctor nearly nine hours before he was admitted to hospital.
ACCC bends rules for business ‘war effort’
The competition tsar Rod Sims says he has allowed competitors to work together during the coronavirus pandemic as part of a war effort to make sure Australia’s economy can survive the crisis.
In the past three weeks, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has authorised industries including supermarkets, banks, medical suppliers, utilities and oil companies to work together to provide goods and services to the community.
How did coronavirus start?
It’s likely Covid-19 originated in bats, scientists say. But did it then jump to pangolins?
What you need to know: get the most important information from some of our key explainers
Australia’s coronavirus lockdown rules explained: can I still visit my partner and other questions
Coronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statistics
Australia’s strict new coronavirus social distancing rules explained: state by state guidelines
Free childcare: what do the Australian government’s coronavirus changes mean for my family?
Am I eligible for the jobkeeper payment? Here’s everything you need to know to register
Groceries, telehealth and pharmaceuticals: how older Australians can get help at home
Have I already had coronavirus? How would I know and what should I do?
Dangerous cures and viral hoaxes: common coronavirus myths busted
How ventilators work and why they are so important in saving people with coronavirus
Looking for more coverage? Read the latest news from across the Guardian’s global network.
