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Naaman Zhou (now) and Michael McGowan and Matilda Boseley (earlier)

Second McDonald's in Victoria closed over Covid-19 case – as it happened

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Summary

And with that, we’ll be closing the blog for today. We’ll be back following all the news tomorrow. Stay safe and thanks for reading.

Here is what happened today:

Updated

The deadline for expressions of interest in Virgin Australia has passed. While not all the bidders are out yet, it is confirmed that the parent company of IndiGo airlines is interested.

ABC News have just played the entirety of my colleague Paul Karp’s questioning of former sports minister Bridget McKenzie about the sports grants program.

McKenzie said it was the responsibility of the public service to raise concerns over her authority to issue millions of dollars in grants.

The former deputy Nationals leader was asked “why weren’t you a bit more inquisitive about whether you had any ability to make $140 million of sports grants?”

McKenzie replied: “It is the responsibility of the Australian public service to inform ministers around appropriate arrangements.

“It was never raised with me that this was an issue. This went through cabinet. This was approved by ERC ... so if there was an issue, there are multiple steps through that process that that should have been raised.”

Updated

31 staff and residents at locked-down Rockhampton nursing home test negative

Queensland Health say 31 people have tested negative at the Rockhampton aged care home where a nurse earlier tested positive.

23 residents and eight staff members were urgently tested today at the North Rockhampton nursing centre, which is in lockdown.

The home has approximately 115 residents and 180 staff. More people will be tested over the next 24 hours, the department said.

The chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, said they had used rapid testing that gives results within an hour.

“We are isolating and testing residents and staff, using our GeneXpert rapid testing equipment,” she said. “That testing can return results within an hour but there’s limited capacity in Queensland and Australia. These samples will be run through our normal PCR testing regime as a precautionary measure.”

The nurse is believed to have been infectious on 3 May, and 70 people have been identified as close contacts through contact tracing.

Young said anyone in Rockhampton who had symptoms should get tested.

“It is likely this person has been infectious for almost two weeks and has been in the community on several occasions,” she said.

Updated

And sorry, just a quick correction on an earlier post. WA does not have zero Covid-19 cases, it has zero cases in hospitals.

There are still seven people with Covid-19 in the state. But it recorded no new cases today, and the last person in hospital is no longer testing positive, but remains in hospital. The previous post has been amended.

Updated

The Liberal party has revealed its two preselection contenders for the Eden-Monaro byelection.

Dr Fiona Kotvojs, who ran for the Liberal party in the seat last election, and Mark Schweikert, who is a local councillor, will run against each other to be the party’s nominee for the upcoming byelection.

Labor has already preselected its candidate, the Bega mayor, Kristy McBain.

And here are the fuller figures from the SA health update that announced zero active cases for the first time.

WA reaches zero hospital cases

More great news, this time from WA.

There are no longer any people in hospitals in the state with Covid-19, after a patient recovered overnight. They are still in hospital, but no longer Covid-positive.

There remain 7 people in the state with Covid-19. The state reported no new cases today.

Updated

In media news, the Australian newspaper has appointed its first female editor, Michelle Gunn.

Updated

NSW domestic travel will 'happen soon', Berejiklian says

The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has said domestic travel in NSW will “happen soon” while on radio station 2GB.

She told host Ben Fordham: “I don’t think it is far away; it is a short time away, and we are making a plan to make it safe ... I’m pretty confident it will happen soon.”

But: “People are feeling anxious about the virus. And if their town has been virus-free they are worried that all these tourists are going to come in and that is going to change.”

Updated

Zero active cases in SA

South Australia has just announced it has zero active Covid-19 cases for the first time.

The state has now gone eight consecutive days with no new infections.

However, as the virus has an incubation period of 14 days, health authorities warned against complacency.

Updated

Here’s more on the new fixtures for the NRL’s return.

And Rugby Australia has announced its new chairman, Hamish McLennan, who is a former managing director of Network Ten.

Second Victorian McDonald's closed after Covid case

Another staff member at a Victorian McDonald’s has been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The person last worked at the Craigieburn Rd West McDonalds on 12 May, and was a relative of an employee from the Fawkner McDonald’s.

The store has been closed.

Updated

Virtual school climate strike to start

Today was supposed to be another day of protest for the school climate strike movement.

But physical distancing laws mean that mass gatherings are no longer allowed, delaying what organisers said would have been one of the biggest Australian school strikes yet.

Today from 4pm (AEST) until 8pm, student organisers will hold their rally online through an interactive livestream.

It includes a panel with scientist Tim Flannery, a panel with Michele O’Neil (the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions) and a musical performance from Lisa Mitchell.

Updated

Greens MP foreshadows help for international students

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge has just said there will be an announcement next week about support for international students and higher education funding.

Shoebridge is the chair of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the state’s response to Covid-19.

Updated

It’s deadline day (or at least one of the many) for Virgin Australia.

Any interested parties have to lodge preliminary, non-binding bids for the airline by 6pm.

So far the Queensland government has revealed it will be bidding, but there are many other parties yet to reveal their intentions.

Final offers don’t have to be made until June.

Updated

Shocking foodlines continue across Australia for international students who have lost jobs but cannot access jobkeeper, jobseeker, youth allowance or other support.

Updated

Tasmania forecasts $716m deficit

The Tasmanian government’s economic update has flagged a deficit of $716m in 2019-20, and a deficit of $1bn by mid-2021.

Earlier, we brought you comments by the premier, Peter Gutwein, that the state would embark on an “aggressive construction program” to stimulate its economy, and look at easing restrictions again after four weeks.

He said the deficit was a “bleak picture”, but added that other states would do even worse.

Before the pandemic the state had been forecast for a $10.8m surplus.

It also forecast a peak unemployment rate in the state of 12%. In the national jobs figures for April released yesterday, Tasmania recorded the biggest rise of all the states and territories: from 4.9% to 6.2%.

Updated

No new cases in ACT

The ACT has just announced that it has recorded no new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

But the territory’s chief health officer, Dr Kerryn Coleman, warned against complacency.

“Just because restrictions have eased, it doesn’t mean our responsibilities have,” she said. “As a community, we must adjust to the new way of life where physical distancing and good hygiene is the best way to fight this virus.

“Canberrans will be able to start doing some of the things they love and enjoy, such as going to a playground or park, grabbing a bite to eat at a restaurant or cafe or getting back into non-contact community and social sport.

“However, in doing so Canberrans must continue to avoid large crowds, maintain physical distancing of 1.5 metres from others, practise good hand and respiratory hygiene and stay at home if unwell.”

Updated

NRL announces fixtures for restart of season

And in non-virtual sports news, the NRL has unveiled the fixtures for the league’s restart on 28 May.

Brisbane will host Parramatta on the opening night, and the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters will play the very next day in what the league described as “a blockbuster return”.

The league said this was “designed to give fans as much drama and excitement as possible”.

Also, as the anti-vaccination controversy rumbles on, none of the teams with non-vaccinated players have been scheduled to play in Queensland in the opening two rounds.

Updated

Gutwein is flagging a series of construction programs to stimulate the Tasmanian economy.

“This week I’ve tasked Treasury to do an immediate review of our $3.7bn infrastructure program and identify those projects that can be brought forward and commenced swiftly,” he says.

“We’re going to lay out the most aggressive construction program in Tasmania’s history.”

That will include renewables and green energy.

“Our state’s traditional strengths haven’t gone away ... We will harness our renewable energy advantage [and] we will ensure that Tasmania remains the renewable energy powerhouse of this country.”

Updated

The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, is speaking now. He says the Treasury report paints “a bleak picture” for the state.

“There is no other way of explaining it,” he says.

But he notes that other states will be worse off.

He says a further lifting of restrictions will be “looked at” in four weeks.

“There are a number of well-advanced western democracies that have already lifted restrictions and are now being hit with their second wave. We need to ensure that we do everything that we can to ensure that that doesn’t happen.”

Updated

South Australia opens popular tourist spots

Popular tourist spots across South Australia are reopening today, AAP reports.

The Cleland Wildlife park in the Adelaide Hills, the Mount Lofty botanic gardens, Adelaide Jail, Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island and the Naracoorte and Tantanoola caves in the south-east are all opening again after the state government eased restrictions.

The state environment minister, David Speirs, said the sites would all have amended services to ensure restrictions on gatherings and social distancing could be maintained.

“Earlier this week we saw a huge response to our reopening of campgrounds in South Australia’s national parks with nearly 900 people making bookings in the first 24 hours and I expect there will be the same enthusiasm to revisit our iconic tourism sites,” he said.

“I urge everyone to visit these places responsibly to ensure we don’t undo the good work that’s been achieved in South Australia.

“So please continue to follow all directives on social distancing, comply with relevant limits on gatherings, wash your hands and download the Covidsafe app.”

Updated

Hi everyone, it’s Naaman Zhou here, and I’ll be taking over the blog for the rest of the day. I’d like the record to show that I later drew 1-1 with Michael McGowan in a subsequent game of Fifa, where I squandered many chances to win.

Updated

And that’s all from me, too. I’m going to hand you over to my colleague Naaman Zhou, who I recently beat 4-0 in a game of Fifa. Thanks as always for reading.

And that’s all from the prime minister.

PM: childcare subsidy 'not a sustainable model'

Morrison is asked about the free childcare pledge, which is due to expire around the end of June. He says the education minister, Dan Tehan, is “currently considering the program beyond its current expiry” but says it is “not a sustainable model”.

As you’ll recall, it was effectively suspending the normal payment arrangements and subsidy arrangements that have been in place, and moved to that different model for a period of time to give a certainty of income to those facilities, to enable them to operate, which combined with the jobkeeper payment, enabled them to do just that.

But that is not a sustainable model for how the childcare sector should work, and nor was it intended to be. And so at this point no final decision has been made on those issues. But the intention was always to return to the payment arrangements and subsidy arrangements that had been put in place prior to those things coming into effect.

Updated

Morrison is asked if he’s concerned about misinformation circulating on the internet and social media, including from anti-vaxxer and conspiracy groups.

First of all, I think Australians are very sensible, and I think they tend to discount those sorts of conspiracy theories when they see them. I know the chief medical officer has assisted in discouraging people from some of the most extreme of those. But they’re, I think, pretty self-apparent.

Updated

PM: relationship with China 'built on mutual benefit'

Morrison is also asked about recent actions by China, specifically around exports from Australia of beef and barley.

He says the relationship with China is “built on mutual benefit”.

“As far as what the commonwealth government is doing, we’re doing that through the channels that we have available. But I’d stress again that what the Australian government is doing is completely unremarkable. We are standing our ground on our values and the things that we know are always important [and] we’ll continue to do that in good faith, and we’ll do that, though, always standing by the values and the positions that we have consistently held.

One of the most important things about our approach to [the] relationship is we’re always consistent. We’re always consistent. We draw very clear lines about things that are very important to us, as does the Chinese government.

Updated

Morrison is asked for the second time about comments from the US president, Donald Trump, on the supply chain for the F-35 fighter plane.

Trump has threatened to end offshore manufacturing of parts for the Joint Strike Fighter, calling it “crazy” to spread manufacturing of the plane across US allies. More than 50 Australian companies are involved in the F-35 supply chain, according to Lockheed Martin.

Morrison:

We have our contracts and arrangements in place as suppliers into the programs. We will continue to pursue those contracts as they have been set out. So I would caution against getting too far ahead of oneself when it comes to reading into the statements that have been made.

Updated

Given the government has declined to expand the reach of the jobkeeper program, Morrison is asked whether the government will consider changing the rate of the payment.

He says it’s “premature” to talk about changes but says “there will be some things to sort out”.

What we have done with jobkeeper so far is we’ve dealt with anomalies or issues that have arisen. Let’s not forget, as I reminded you the other day, that this is a $130bn program which has been able to connect with over six million Australians, and that has occurred in just over a month.

That is an extraordinary pace of change for a program the likes of which the country has never seen before. And so, of course, there will be some things to sort out. But so far the things that have required sorting out have been relatively modest. And those changes have been able to be made. There’s a review that will be undertaken; it is being undertaken by Treasury as we move into 30 June. I’m sure they’ll identify other issues which will be addressed at that time.

Updated

PM: 'Economic support is finite ... The clock is ticking'

Morrison is asked whether his comments at the beginning of the press conferences about the powers of the banks being finite is a message to the states not to be too slow to reopen their economies.

He says:

I mean, it’s just a simple statement, I think, of the obvious. And that is – while our banks, and indeed the federal government, has stepped up significantly in the packages of support that have been provided, the deferral and, indeed, the waiving in some cases of commitments, and also holding back on issues such as recovery operations and things of that nature, that is very welcome.

“But, you know, our system is finite, essentially, when it comes to these things, and that’s why it is so important that we restart our economy. And that’s why I applaud those many small- and medium-sized enterprises who are doing just that today. And I know they have been looking forward to doing it. So we have to be very mindful as we go through this crisis that the clock is ticking when it comes to how far and how much can be done.

Updated

Christine Morgan, who heads up the national mental health commission, says the plan will aim to help people struggling with substance use and substance abuse, including gambling.

She says the plan “must, and we will, deal with the issues around violence: domestic, family, sexual violence”.

“We have included that in this plan,” she says. “It belongs with us. And we are committed, absolutely committed, to being there for anybody who needs help. And we call it out, reach out, we are there for you.”

Updated

Hunt says there are three parts to the mental health plan.

First is $7.3m investing in “research and data into what’s happening in real time”.

“We’ve already had some information from Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania that is heartening, and more heartening than we’d expected. For the first four months, there has been no known increase in suicide rates in those three states,” he says.

Second, $29.5m will be invested in outreach to vulnerable communities including the elderly, people from non-Engish-speaking backgrounds, Indigenous Australians and people with pre-existing mental health conditions.

Third, $11.3m will go towards communication and outreach; $10.4m of that will be spent on a national campaign based around the slogan “It’s OK not to be OK.”

Updated

Health minister elaborates on mental health plan

The health minister, Greg Hunt, is now speaking about the release of a national mental health and wellbeing pandemic response plan.

The stress of concerns about health, the loneliness of isolation, anxiety about a job, a small business’s set of finances, the mortgage – all of these pressure which come with the pandemic have created specific mental health challenges. Everyone here will have seen or felt, in among their own families or friends or circles, the pressures that are in place right across Australia. So one of the most important things we can do is to provide mental health support.

Updated

With only 50 Covid-19 patients in hospitals around Australia, Murphy says most states are eager to return to broader elective surgery.

There is now pretty good room for further expansion, and clearly in those states that are having essentially no cases, they want to go fairly quickly back to full elective activity. Those states that still have some transmission are probably going to take it a bit more gently. But everybody is now heading towards full elective surgery, which is a really important thing.

Updated

Quarantine for returning travellers stays, says chief medical officer

Murphy says quarantine periods for returning travellers will continue.

I want to make it very clear that there is no amount of PCR testing or swab-testing that can obviate the need for quarantine. If you are a returned traveller from a risk area, and a quarantine requirement is in place, having a test done, a swab and a PCR done, just means whether you are positive on that day. It doesn’t mean that you’re not incubating the virus, and it doesn’t mean that you can get out of quarantine earlier. So there’s been a bit of misinformation around about that, but you can’t test your way out of quarantine, unfortunately.

Updated

The chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, is speaking now, and says there is still “a small number of community-acquired cases in some jurisdictions”.

Just a reminder this virus is still there, at very low levels in the community, and I reiterate the prime minister’s message: as people start to go back to some normal activities and open up, please, please be careful. Please practise all of those new ways of interacting that we’ve talked about on so many occasions.

He says he briefed national cabinet today on the paediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, which is being seen in children overseas and particularly in the US.

I was able to brief them on the fact that this is extremely rare and probably unlikely to be seen in Australia, given our very, very low number of infections in children. It’s still not clear what the association with the virus is, for this condition, but it is extremely rare.

Updated

PM announces $48m for mental health and elective surgery gets green light

Morrison announces the resumption of elective surgery across Australia.

“The boom is going up on elective surgery all around the country,” he says.

“That will be done, of course, at the pace that states set. But that will be welcome, particularly to the private health industry, in particular, and the jobs that are supported throughout that sector.”

National cabinet also adopted a national mental health and wellbeing pandemic response plan, which will receive $48.1m in funding.

“It was particularly encouraging to see that, with the advent of telehealth, we are now seeing the number of presentations and consultations occurring for mental health now back to levels that were being experienced pre-pandemic,” he says.

Updated

Morrison says there have has been $11.7bn in superannuation claims since the crisis began and says that is “consistent” with the Treasury estimate.

“This [is] not presenting liquidity issues. The head of Apra has advised us. And the industry estimates of what the claims would be have not been realised.”

Updated

Morrison said while markets were “fragile”, “stability” has returned and they remain “very functional”.

We noted that our banking system has stood up well, but we must be conscious that the shock ... absorbers that are in our system, whether it be the banking system or, indeed, in federal supports and other supports, they have limits. They are not endless.

“And it’s essential that, as we move forward, that we continue to enable the credit to flow through our banking system, to support those businesses who are taking decisions to reopen, to rehire, and to move ahead.”

Morrison says about $220bn in loan deferrals have already been put in place by banking system – about two-thirds of that in mortgages, and one-third for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Updated

Scott Morrison speaks after national cabinet meeting

Scott Morrison begins with the usual preamble about the difficulties we all face. Says state leaders have met more in the past two months than the previous 10 years.

But with restrictions easing after the release of the government’s roadmap last week, now “the task is to really build that confidence and to get that momentum going, as we move to the next challenge, which is to reset the Australian economy for growth to support Australians and their livelihoods well into the future”.

He says today’s national cabinet meeting was briefed by the head of the Treasury department, Philip Lowe, the head of the Reserve Bank, and Wayne Byres, the head of Apra.

Updated

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is speaking now following the latest national cabinet.

Updated

He says that in order to “maintain flexibility”, the AFL will release fixture schedules in blocks of up to four to six weeks. The first block, including the first weekend of matches, will be released in the next 10 days.

Games in the early part of the season “will be scheduled at AFL venues in states that have approved full-contact training and matches”.

All teams will be based out of their home states, except the four teams based out of Western Australia and South Australia.

The West Coast Eagles and Fremantle will complete pre-season training in WA before relocating interstate ahead of their first scheduled match.

But restrictions in South Australia will mean that Adelaide and Port Adelaide will relocate interstate before 25 May.

All four teams will relocate to the Gold Coast, “a move made possible with the support of Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk”.

Updated

McLachlan said:

[This is] a significant step in getting footy back for everyone – our fans, our clubs, players, coaches, officials and staff, our broadcast and our corporate partners, and all who love the game. We know, as this situation continues to evolve, we have to remain agile and flexible to be able to adapt where necessary. We need to ensure we continue to prioritise the health and welfare of everyone. Importantly we must not place any burden on the public health system. We have developed our model as the best option for returning to play, and we’ve done so following extensive consultation, including with the federal, state and territory governments and chief health officers.

He thanked the prime minister, Scott Morrison, and the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, and chief health officer, Brett Sutton, who he said he’s been “driving mad” with questions.

Updated

AFL to resume playing on 11 June after Covid-19 hiatus.

The AFL’s chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, has just announced the code will resume playing matches on Thursday, 11 June.

“From Monday all clubs will return to training and all AFL clubs will resume full contact training a week later on May 25,” he said.

All players and staff being tested before returning to their clubs.

Updated

Queensland schools open for all grades from 25 May

Queensland schools will reopen for all grades from 25 May but school formals are still off the table until the chief health officer gives her approval.

AAP reports the state government has given a final green light for students in years 2 to 10 to head back to their classrooms. Kindy, prep, year 1 and years 11 and 12 went back this week.

“This latest step is only possible given the low transmission rates that Queensland has experienced and thanks to the efforts of all Queenslanders,” the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said on Friday.

“Our decision to adopt a sensible and deliberate approach with this phased return has proven to be the right one as we progressively move to relax the range of Covid-19 restrictions in place across the state.”

The education minister, Grace Grace, said this week has gone well.

“Our staged return to school has gone so smoothly with parents and carers heeding the advice around ‘stop, drop and go’ to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of all.”

Contact sports have been cancelled but physical education classes will return.

Updated

Live footage of people in Darwin being allowed to drink beer inside pubs. Personally, my desire to drink a beer inside a pub is doing battle with my deep anxiety at the thought of drinking a beer inside a pub.

It’s just passed midday in the Northern Territory, and pubs are now officially allowed to open. The NT’s chief minister, Michael Gunner, is behind a bar pulling beers as we speak. Very top end areas.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, will hold a press conference at 1pm.

Updated

HSC exams in NSW will start five days later than planned

Year 12 students across NSW will start their HSC exams five days later than planned after a “challenging year” amid the Covid-19 pandemic, AAP reports.

On Friday the NSW education minister, Sarah Mitchell, told an upper house inquiry into the government’s management of the pandemic that exam results would still be delivered within a similar timeframe to previous years despite the five-day delay.

The decision to delay exams was a “sensible” one.

“While we are starting five days later, students will still get results in a similar timeframe and will have exams in a similar timeframe,” she said.

The NSW education standards authority announced on Friday the HSC would start five days later than planned to give year 12 students extra face-to-face time in the classroom.

Written exams will start with English on 20 October and oral language exams will begin on 15 August. Students will receive their HSC results on 18 December.

The state education department secretary, Mark Scott, said the five-day delay will also ensure there’s no impact on university offers.

“[Year 12 students] have had a difficult year; they’ve had a challenging year,” Scott said.

“To push their exams and results later, there seemed to be a fairness question around that.”

Scott said NSW schools have also committed to prioritise engagement with year 12 students after face-to-face learning was disrupted in late March because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Face-to-face learning resumed across NSW schools on Monday with year 12 students returning on average three to four days a week while other students are attending school at least one day a week.

Updated

With most states beginning to lift some Covid-19 restrictions, we’ve put together this explainer on what you can and can’t do wherever you live in Australia.

Overseas traveller one of eight new Covid-19 cases in NSW

One of the eight new cases of Covid-19 detected in New South Wales in the past 24 hours is an overseas traveller who recently flew from Brisbane to Sydney after completing their mandatory 14-day quarantine period, the state’s health department said.

Despite completing the quarantine in Brisbane, the person developed symptoms afterwards and NSW Health believes “it is likely they were infectious on the flight to Sydney”.

The department is contact tracing all close contacts in NSW and on the flight to Sydney, and is working with other jurisdictions to identify any other close contacts.

But it’s also alerting all passengers and crew on flight QF537 from Brisbane to Sydney on Tuesday 12 May, arriving about 4.05pm to monitor for symptoms, and contact health authorities if they become sick.

Updated

Look I know it’s not strictly coronavirus-related but this video, put together by my colleagues Steph Harmon and Becca Leaver, of beloved children’s author Andy Griffiths answering questions sent in by our younger readers is very good and fun and wholesome.

Victorian chief health officer says Cedar Meats outbreak could have been handled better

Despite the state government repeatedly saying it had handled the Cedar Meats outbreak “absolutely perfectly”, Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, admits there was room for improvement.

“It’s pretty clear that it’s been an explosive outbreak in terms of numbers,” he said on Melbourne radio station 3AW on Thursday.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have waited for a third linked case for these settings.”

A Cedar Meats worker was diagnosed on 24 April. He listed his employer as a labour-hire company, Labour Solutions Australia, and the department did not contact Cedar Meats directly. Labour Solutions did call Cedar Meats that day, but the factory did not consider this an “official notification”.

The next worker was diagnosed on 26 April after attending hospital for emergency surgery earlier in the week. Cedar Meats was contacted by the department the next day. On Wednesday 29 April the number of infected workers grew to four, and the department ordered all workers be tested and the factory wind down operations.

Sutton said he would consider shutting an entire facility down after only two linked cases in the future.

“I think they’re big calls when some of them will have 1,000-plus employees, but you need to reflect on what’s happened here and what’s happened overseas,” he said.

“I recommended that it shut and go to absolutely skeleton staffing five minutes after I heard about the third linked case, so I think I’ve acted as quickly as I possibly could.”

However, a spokeswoman for Cedar Meats admitted the factory did not go to a “skeleton crew” before it was shut. On Wednesday she confirmed to Guardian Australia that although workers were told they could stay home if they felt uncomfortable, no one was specifically asked not to come in.

Updated

Amal Clooney addresses foreign affairs committee

Amal Clooney, human rights barrister, has given evidence this morning to the joint standing committee on foreign affairs.

Clooney, whose husband is apparently some actor bloke who is in no way relevant to her expertise as one of the world’s leading experts on international law, had to endure a few technical gremlins with the live video feed from Los Angeles.

The committee chairman, Kevin Andrews, did his best to get to the bottom of the issue.

“Our technicians here seem to think that maybe your microphone is muted” he told Clooney. “I’m trying to read your lips but it sounds like you’re saying that it isn’t.”

Once that little problem was resolved, Clooney told the committee that Magnitsky laws – that allow for targeted sanctions against human rights abusers – could be a useful tool to curb abuses that occur under the cover of the coronavirus crisis.

“The current health crisis has only served to exacerbate what was an existing human rights crisis,” Clooney said.

“It seems at times that there is so much bad news in the world that our moral nerve endings have been deadened. Meaning abuses will thrive and impunity will remain the norm.”

Updated

Sydney is back! Kind of ... With restrictions on gatherings in NSW easing from today, there was a flurry of activity around the city this morning.

Women train during an outdoor fitness session at Manly beach.
Women train during an outdoor fitness session at Manly beach. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
An outdoor bootcamp session at Manly beach.
An outdoor bootcamp session at Manly beach. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
People gather outside Gusto Cafe at Bondi beach.
People gather outside Gusto Cafe at Bondi beach. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Breakfast at Albert and Moore Cafe in Freshwater.
Breakfast at Albert and Moore Cafe in Freshwater. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Swimmers leave the water at Bondi beach.
Swimmers leave the water at Bondi beach. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Runners on soft sand run at Manly beach.
Runners on soft sand run at Manly beach. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
A group ocean swim at Manly beach.
A group ocean swim at Manly beach. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Updated

21 new cases of coronavirus in Victoria

Victoria has recorded 21 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

One new case is a household contact linked to the Cedar Meats outbreak, and two others are linked to a cluster at the McDonald’s at Fawkner.

AAP also reports that a staff member who worked in the Myer Highpoint doing online orders has been confirmed as infected with coronavirus.

In a statement, Myer said the “health and wellbeing of our customers and team members is our absolute priority” and once aware of the case it rolled out its Covid-19 protocols.

The company has introduced enhanced hygiene and safety measures and will deep clean the store.

Updated

Meanwhile, in Canberra ...

Updated

Federal court judge says his decision on Virgin administrators 'extraordinary'

A federal court judge has just made what he described as “extraordinary” orders allowing Virgin Australia’s administrators to avoid personal liability for most of the debts the stricken airline runs up while in their hands.

Only the issue of the liability of the administrators for overpayments under the jobkeeper scheme remains unresolved.

The administrators and the Tax Office are locked in discussions and the matter will return to court next week.

“These are quite extraordinarily wide orders but in the circumstances I think they are justified,” judge John Middleton said.

“This shouldn’t be seen as a precedent that would apply in all circumstances in future administrations.”

This morning’s orders come ahead of the deadline for non-binding bids for the airline, which are due today.

Nineteen parties have expressed interest in buying the airline, but this is expected to whittle down substantially after bids close today.

Updated

The AFL’s chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, will announce the code’s plans for its relaunch at 12.45pm today. McLachlan is expected to outline how and when the 17-round regular season will resume.

Updated

Rockhampton aged-care nurse with Covid-19 continued to work while sick

The nurse had continued to work at the aged-care facility while unwell, Queensland chief health officer, Jeannette Young, says. She describes that as “very unfortunate”.

We are clarifying what exactly happened there.

It’s very, very concerning and all I can say is, to everyone out there, if you are sick with any symptoms, it doesn’t matter how mild they are for this particular infection, even with mild symptoms, you can transmit this infection to other people – so if you have any symptoms, please just be ultra cautious. Isolate yourself at home and get tested.

Young says there are 115 residents and 180 staff members at the aged-care home who will all be tested for Covid-19.

The case has “come out of nowhere”, she says. “Now they have another case and they need to manage that case which is what they’re doing and so that is a very important lesson for all of us across the state. We have not beaten the virus yet.”

I’m asking every single person who lives in Rockhampton who has any symptoms at all to immediately go forward, go and see their own GP or go to one of the fever clinics and get tested. That is really important. We need to see whether there are any other cases that have occurred in Rockhampton as a result of this particular individual.

Rockhampton has not had an active case for a number of weeks so this is brand new ... It’s a very important lesson for all of us across the state of Queensland. We don’t know where the next case will happen.”

Updated

Rockhampton aged-care worker tests positive

The Queensland health minister, Steven Miles, is holding a press conference in Townsville and says an aged-care worker has tested positive for Covid-19 in Rockhampton.

The person is a nurse at a state-run facility in north Rockhampton and the test was confirmed at about 8pm yesterday. The home has been put into lock down, and any staff who have been in contact with the nurse are in quarantine.

It’s the first confirmed case in Rockhampton since 30 March, and Miles says the result is “cause for some concern”.

The health service along with the department of health, Queensland health, have responded very rapidly overnight. They have sent a rapid-response team from Brisbane; they are working to quarantine any staff and residents who may be contacts of that individual. They are rapidly testing a large number of people to identify whether any of those people have been affected. The centre is currently locked down [and] any staff in contact [with the nurse] are in quarantine and have been tested.

The last confirmed case in Rockhampton was on the 30 March. So something like seven weeks since they last had a case; the last active case was considered recovered on 1 May. This just serves to underline that even after cities have long periods of time without active cases, things can turn very, very quickly.

Updated

Victoria Police have fined eight people for breaching public health orders in the past 24 hours after a protest against the detainment of asylum seekers inside a Melbourne hotel.

On Tuesday a group of protesters climbed to the roof of the Mantra hotel in Preston, and others barricaded themselves inside to demand the release of asylum seekers held in the property.

Updated

Gillard backs call for independent inquiry into Covid-19

The ABC is reporting today that former prime minister Julia Gillard has been appointed chair of the UK’s Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest investors in medical research and pandemics. It’s one of the organisations investing heavily in finding a vaccine for Covid-19.

In an interview with the ABC’s political editor, Andrew Probyn, Gillard seemed to back the Morrison government’s call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the virus.

I think if we take a broad sweep here, Andrew, what we would say to ourselves is if a major health challenge for the world started anywhere, in any country on Earth, then it is good to have a process which enables us to learn every lesson so that we can keep humanity safer for the future. I think that message applies today, to current circumstances, and it will apply for as long as there are shared health challenges for us to combat.

Asked directly whether she supported the calls for an inquiry, Gillard said:

Well, I’d want to put this in a slightly broader perspective. When I was in politics and international bodies would occasionally come to Australia and say something about what was happening here, there were mixed reactions in the Australian community and by politicians.

Some people listened, some people said, ‘Why on earth have they come from overseas to tell us something that’s really our business? Why don’t they go somewhere else where problems are worse than they are in Australia?’ So I think, you know, we can all understand the emotional pull of nationalism.

Having said that, I do think that as rational human beings we can also say to ourselves whether a problem originates in Sydney, in China, Canada, Portugal, Brazil, the United Kingdom, in any country on Earth, wherever a problem originates that’s got a possibility of having a profound impact on human health around the planet, then, of course, it needs to be studied, it needs to be understood – not so that fingers can be pointed, but so lessons can be learned.

Updated

Pubs can also reopen in the Northern Territory from today. Unlike NSW, there are fewer capacity restrictions. The local paper is being typically mellow about it.

Updated

Insert eye-roll emoji.

AMA calls for more elective surgery

The Australian Medical Association wants national cabinet to expand access to elective surgery further when it meets later today.

The peak body for Australian doctors has said it remains “very concerned” about reduced access to non-coronavirus related healthcare, which is leading “to worsened health outcomes for many people, including increased complications with existing conditions”.

Last month national cabinet agreed to a limited return to elective surgery, but the AMA president, Dr Tony Bartone, says there should now be a “sensible, gradual, and progressive increase in elective surgery, guided by the local situation and environment in each state and territory”.

Patients have been the big winners with improved quality of life, and doctors and other health professionals are back doing what they do best – saving lives and improving lives.

The AMA believes that, on balance, it is now the right time to increase the numbers of elective surgery procedures where it is safe and appropriate.

It is important that we maintain the necessary social distancing and restrictions in all jurisdictions, but it is vital that we get the health system operating at its potential within the guidelines.

The health system must remain geared to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and its after-effects, but we must also continue looking after the everyday health issues of the Australian people.

Updated

Good morning. Lovely to be here. Here, in this case, being my living room where the ABC is competing with the noise from my housemate’s morning work meeting.

As we have already mentioned, pubs are officially allowed to reopen in New South Wales from today but with many, many caveats. My colleague Alyx Gorman explains:

Updated

That’s it for me for the moment but don’t worry, the incredible Michael McGowan will be with you throughout the morning.

Updated

Two more Covid-19 cases in Queensland overnight

Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says the state has had two additional cases overnight. She says this of “some concern”:

One is an old case. One is an active case in Rockhampton.

And my advice at this stage is that Dr Young and the deputy premier will be speaking more about this case when they stand up later this morning. They are getting through some further advice.

Updated

Victoria’s treasurer, Tim Pallas, is fronting media now.

He says if it weren’t for the pandemic and bushfires, Victoria would have recorded a surplus:

I’d say with no trepidation that state would have returned a sixth straight surplus. We were projecting $618m surplus at the budget update. What the March quarterly financial update clearly states is except for the extraordinary event, the state was on track to achieve a surplus in 2019-20 in accordance with the forecast published in the 19-20 budget update.

Let’s be honest, let’s be clear: we’re operating in anything but a normal circumstances. These are unprecedented times. We have seen the impact play out, most notably going forward.

Updated

Household finances face a serious impact because of the coronavirus shutdown, economists have warned, as the loss of earnings, falling house prices and job insecurity combine to reshape the economy in a way not experienced by Australians for decades.

Martin Farrer has the full report:

Updated

Here's a breakdown of Australia's Covid-19 cases to date

With the help of AAP, here is a breakdown of Australia’s Covid-19 numbers to date.

There have been 6,989 case; 688 are still active.

The numbers being treated in hospital or ICU are:

  • ACT - 0
  • SA - 1
  • WA - 1
  • NT - 2
  • Qld - 7
  • Tas - 8
  • Vic - 9
  • NSW - 23

The national death toll is 98, and nearly 5.7m of an estimated 16m people have registered for the federal government’s coronavirus tracing app, CovidSafe, since 26 April.

Updated

Today is the first day of cafes and restaurants reopening in NSW.

But as my colleague Alyx Gorman notes, the health order confirming this has not yet been published.

Without the health order, restaurants and cafes – which have been advised they can serve up to 10 patrons at a time on-premises as long as they follow social distancing guidelines – will not have the authority to trade.

If you are enjoying a morning brew at your local cafe, please tweet me your photos @MatildaBoseley.

Updated

Gladys Berejilklian has emphasised personal responsibility as NSW eases its lockdown restrictions:

I know some may even have already started enjoying the new freedoms that come with easing restrictions today, but that also comes with personal responsibility – and I can’t stress that enough. Easing restrictions have failed in so many places around the world and I don’t want that to happen in NSW. I want people to have personal responsibility for the way we respond. Let’s do our part in keeping everybody safe so that we can keep moving forward, so that we never go backwards. That is really critical.

Updated

Eight new Covid-19 cases in NSW

The NSW premier, Gladys Berejilklian, says eight new cases Covid-19 cases were identified in the past day.

Five were from known sources, including four from hotel quarantine.

The remaining three may be from community transmission, from the hotspot local government areas Waverley and Penrith.

She said:

We are asking people in those communities to come forward and get tested but the fact that 12,200 people came forward and got tested is outstanding.

Updated

Victoria’s chief health officer admits Cedar Meats mistakes

After weeks of scrutiny over the handling of the Cedar Meats Covid-19 outbreak, which has now spread to at least 90 people, Victoria’s chief health officer has admitted authorities could have done better, and the plant should have been shut down sooner.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have waited for a third linked case,” Brett Sutton told 3AW radio on Thursday. “Maybe for these settings, we should shut an entire place down – not just the boning room where it all started, but an entire facility.”

The state government and Cedar Meats’ management have defended their handling of the outbreak, including the decision to allow staff to work for several days after workers tested positive, AAP reports.

The Cedar Meats outbreak is the state’s biggest Covid-19 cluster and is the subject of a WorkSafe investigation as three new infections were linked to the abattoir on Thursday.

The first case linked to the meatworks was confirmed on 2 April but it wasn’t considered a risk site because the worker said they hadn’t been at work for weeks.

Cedar Meats was shut down on 29 April after two more cases surfaced on 24 and 25 April. It plans to partially reopen on Monday.

Updated

The independent MP Zali Steggall is on ABC radio now.

In the past week she has criticised the prime minister’s Covid-19 commission.

I haven’t got an issue with having a commission per se, but we need a commission that has proper guidelines proper transparency and proper accountability. I don’t have an issue with us having a commission – I think it’s an important body that can advise – but it must be done transparently and it must be done with accountability ...

We’ve seen the chairman on numerous occasions talk about a gas-fuelled recovery. Now in light of his background, and in light of the conflicts ... I think that is a very fossil fuel-heavy focus. There’s been no renewable energy specialist on the committee.

Previously the commission’s chairman, Nev Power, a former chief executive of the mining company Fortescue Metals, has argued that the cheap supply of energy to business would be critical to Australia’s recovery from the economic shock.

Updated

There is a push for Australia to emerge from lockdown a greener country.

Research by the Reserve Bank showing renewable energy investment fell sharply last year is fuelling calls for federal and state governments to back changes to help the industry rebound and drive a post-pandemic recovery.

Guardian Australia’s environment editor, Adam Morton, walks you through all the important points in his report below:

Updated

Gillard takes on new medical research role

Former prime minister Julia Gillard will take on a new role as chair of the UK medical investor giant Wellcome Trust.

The charity is investing in a range of research on Covid-19, including efforts to develop a vaccine.

In an interview with ABC, Gillard backed calls for an independent inquiry into the pandemic:

If a major health challenge for the world started anywhere, in any country on Earth, then it is good to have a process which enables us to learn every lesson so that we can keep humanity safer for the future ...

It needs to be studied, it needs to be understood. Not so that fingers can be pointed, but lessons can be learned.

Gillard will continue her role as chair of Beyond Blue.

Updated

Good morning

Hello, Matilda Boseley here, bringing you today’s news and updates on Covid-19.

The national cabinet will meet this morning and mental health is top of the agenda, according to AAP, which reports that the group of state and federal leaders will consider a new mental health pandemic plan to boost support services.

Leaders will also receive an economic update from the heads of Treasury, the Reserve Bank and the superannuation sector watchdog.

Guardian Australia’s political editor, Katharine Murphy, reported the grim unemployment figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics: almost 600,000 Australians lost their jobs between March and April, unemployment rose to 6.2%, the underemployment rate increased by 4.9 points to 13.7% and the underutilisation rate increased by 5.9 points to 19.9%.

Scott Morrison said the figures were “terribly shocking, although not totally unexpected”.

We’ll bring you the press conference live and keep you up-to-date on news from around the country. Let’s get started.

Updated

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