Summary
That is where we will leave the blog for tonight. We will be back tomorrow morning with all the latest Covid-19 news from Australia.
Here’s what we learned today:
- Victoria reported its lowest number of new Covid-19 cases this month, with 278 new cases, and eight deaths.
- Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announced more testing sites in regional locations, and an increase in the payment for workers awaiting test results who don’t have sick leave up to $450 from $300.
- NSW recorded 12 new cases, with an elderly woman in intensive care dying.
- NSW residents have been warned to wear masks on public transport, or the state government may consider making them mandatory.
- The official unemployment rate is 7.5%, but the figure from the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not take into account the recent lockdown in Victoria, or the so-called “zombie businesses” on jobkeeper.
- The royal commission into aged care heard that the federal government acted with “hubris” in not preparing aged care facilities after Newmarch, but before the current crisis in aged care in Victoria.
- New Zealand has recorded nine new Covid-19 cases, as the country’s deputy prime minister, Winston Peters has suggested he has a tip-off from a local journalist that the source of the outbreak is a quarantine breach.
Until tomorrow, stay safe.
Updated
ABC is reporting the Queensland Supreme Court has granted an order banning a planned refugee protest on Brisbane’s Story Bridge on the weekend.
The protest, against the detention of around 120 asylum seekers in the Kangaroo Point hotel, was deemed too risky with social distancing not being able to be enforced if police had to remove people from blocking traffic on the bridge.
Queensland attorney general, Yvette D’Ath said in a statement that a protest could go ahead if it was “Covidsafe”.
“If the organisers are serious they should seek to proceed in a lawful way under the Peaceful Assembly Act and demonstrate it can be done in a Covidsafe way,” she said.
“We support the right to peaceful protest but only if it can be done in a Covidsafe way that doesn’t put public safety at risk.”
Updated
I was in the Melbourne CBD last week for this story, and you never really get used to the quiet.
Little Collins st and block place.
— Jacqueline Felgate (@Jacquifelgate) August 13, 2020
Peak hour in lockdown. @7newsmelbourne 💔 pic.twitter.com/4WTQvRCvH4
The Australian government says it will monitor progress in the international inquiry into the origins and handling of Covid-19 to ensure it “leads us to the answers that are needed for the world to move forward from this difficult event”.
Australia angered China with its early and vocal support for an independent international investigation into the matter – a move that Beijing had claimed was politically motivated against it, leading to intense diplomatic and trade tensions.
But “an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the lessons learned” ended up winning overwhelming support at the World Health Assembly in May. And the World Health Organization (WHO) announced last month that the resulting “Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response” would be co-chaired by Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia.
Australian Department of Health officials were asked about the matter during an appearance before a parliamentary inquiry into the implications of the pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade.
Caroline Edwards, the department’s associate secretary, said Australia was participating and working hard “to ensure that there is an independent inquiry as has been agreed and it leads us to the answers that are needed for the world to move forward from this difficult event”.
She faced a series of pointed questions from the NSW Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who is highly critical of China and argues the motion that passed the World Health Assembly was a watered-down version of what Australia had sought. Fierravanti-Wells said she was worried it could be “a Sir Humphrey-type inquiry” – a reference to the TV series Yes Minister – and wanted to know whether there were mechanisms for Australia to intervene if it came to the view the inquiry had been stymied by Chinese authorities.
Edwards said the government was “monitoring very closely the progress of the work that’s being done”. She said Australia was offering to be involved in the process and drew confidence from the WHO’s announcement of the eminent chairs.
If the government ended up being concerned about the progress, Edwards said, there were “numerous forums” for it to pursue the matter, including through the WHO and bilaterally. She added that it would be a matter for the government “as to what action, if any, might be taken”.
Updated
Australian health officials say the national medical stockpile now contains – or will soon contain – more than 500m surgical masks and more than 160m P2/N95 respirators.
The Department of Health has been addressing a federal parliamentary inquiry into the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade.
Senior officials provided an update on the status of the national medical stockpile, based on the numbers of items that are currently on hand or have been contracted to arrive this year. They said about half of the 500m surgical masks mentioned were already on hand, with the remainder expected to arrive by October.
Apart from the masks and respirators mentioned above, officials provided the following national stockpile figures:
- 200m units of gloves
- 50m units of gowns
- 43m units of goggles or face shields
- 10m units of hand sanitiser (which were procured early on when there appeared to be shortages but this has since been resolved “in a big way”)
- 5,000 non-invasive ventilators
- 4,000 invasive ventilators
These are in addition to items already in use and in addition to the stockpiles held by the states and territories. The national medical stockpile also contains a range of pharmaceuticals but the details are kept confidential.
The committee was told the national medical stockpile had been in place for some time, but was previously intended to be ready for threats such as a flu pandemic or a biological or other terrorist attack. It traditionally held quite small stocks of personal protective equipment – but the Covid-19 pandemic had sparked a rethink of what was needed in that stockpile.
An official told the hearing via teleconference:
“We do guard the stockpile very jealously to make sure it’s used for distribution to people who need it in clinically required circumstances. [Based on our modelling] we feel like we have sufficient PPE on hand and on order. Now, I say that with some caution because we do know we need to be very careful and make sure that we ensure all frontline staff – medical and related – have access to it. But we do feel we’re in a good place at the moment – certainly much better than we were in late February and March when this did come – all of us, no one expected a pandemic of this nature.”
Updated
I don’t think they’ve thought this one through.
Hi JB, for the safety and security of our team members and customers we are asking people to momentarily pull down their masks so our CCTV cameras can capture an image
— 7-Eleven Australia (@7ElevenAus) August 13, 2020
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has reported another case of coronavirus.
The club has told members that the person did not attend the club in recent weeks, but sailed twice on Sunday and Wednesday, and attended a committee meeting on Tuesday night.
Those who attended the meeting are being tested and isolating pending results. The club has said it will be closed today and Friday out of an abundance of caution.
NSW police won’t conduct any further investigation into the early June incident after a Black Lives Matter protest at Central station when about 40-60 protesters were kettled in the station and hit with capsicum spray, but after reviewing the bodycam footage, NSW police has told those who complained that there would be no further internal investigation.
@nswpolice have deemed that no further investigation of @nswpolice is necessary. Gosh, imagine life being this easy???????? pic.twitter.com/frqAC98EhB
— Samuel Leighton-Dore (@SamLeightonDore) August 13, 2020
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission will review the decision.
Incidentally, after this letter was sent to those who complained, a list of the more than 100 people who complained was sent by accident to one of the complainants, including their names and email addresses.
That would be a data breach that NSW police would likely have to report to the OAIC.
Updated
After all that drama, Labor’s employment spokesman, Brendan O’Connor, is next on ABC talking about the unemployment rate.
He says the ABS data today is four weeks old and doesn’t account for the stage 4 lockdown in Victoria yet, among other things.
“They’re not taking into account those that are not looking for work,” he says. “They’re not really taking into account the 3.5m people supported by jobkeeper. And they’re not taking into account what’s happened in Victoria.
“Let’s hope Victoria recovers quickly and, you know, [there’s] some promising movement today. But that has to be fully considered. And the government, I don’t think, has really taken the Victorian situation into account.”
The government should be looking at making jobkeeper broader, and look at other ways to get people employed during a recession.
Updated
'Disaster' to use private security guards for hotel quarantine, says Winston Peters
Winston Peters was also highly critical of the Victorian government’s decision to use private security guards for hotel quarantine.
“In Melbourne’s case, of course, it was – how shall I say it without being too critical? – pretty slack oversight and supervision, where it was put in the hands of private industry, which was a disaster,” he said.
“In our case, we got the army in early enough to know that that wouldn’t have been the problem. But there’s been a breach, and we’ll find out in a matter of hours, or within a day.”
Updated
No new cases in South Australia.
South Australian COVID-19 update 13/8/20. For more information go to https://t.co/mYnZsG7zGQ or contact the South Australian COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/bLkV5aBdih
— SA Health (@SAHealth) August 13, 2020
Is it wise for the deputy prime minister to be airing a tip-off he had about the outbreak in the media, Winston Peters is asked?
“I think, as an experienced politician and as a lawyer, that the moment I found out that this strain is not unique to my country, it had to go to a point of entry either by sea, by air, or in quarantine facilities. And the quarantine facility is the one I think is the most likely.”
Peters also says he thinks masks will become mandatory in Auckland.
NZ deputy PM suggests quarantine breach behind outbreak
New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, is on ABC TV talking about the recent surprising resurgence of coronavirus in his country.
He says he hasn’t heard through officials but through a “very reliable” NZ journalist that a quarantine system breach led to the new cases after 102 days.
“I think, when that comes out very shortly, in a matter of maybe less than a day, we’ll find out that was the case. But you don’t always find out from your officials. You don’t always find out from the experts.
“It’s something you sort of find out by contact with other people.”
He says elimination and eradication was never going to work, but New Zealand is trying to “get on top of it and beat the crap out of it”.
“We’ve got to get out there and find it and all of its traces, all of its elements, and all of its reach, as fast as we possibly can.”
Updated
Masks should have been compulsory earlier, royal commission hears
The federal government acted too late in making masks compulsory in aged care, the royal commission has heard.
In strong closing remarks, the counsel assisting the commission, Peter Rozen QC, also said the advice given on masks was so confusing that it “appeared to be [done] by press release”.
Masks were not made compulsory for aged care workers until 13 July, two days after a resident had died from Covid-19 in Victoria, and months after dozens of people had died in aged care in NSW. By 13 July there were 250 infections in Victoria.
“The masks order should have been made earlier,” Rozen said.
He also criticised confusion among the members of the AHPPC, including the former national chief medical officer, Prof Brendan Murphy.
Rozen said Murphy, who gave evidence earlier in the week, could not say whether the AHPPC had discussed compulsory masks at all in the four weeks between 16 June and 13 July.
Also earlier, neither Murphy nor Michael Lye, who is the deputy secretary at the federal health department, could say what legal order made masks compulsory.
“The legal instrument by which this important measure concerning masks was effected is unclear,” Rozen said. “Our researchers have not revealed any instrument in imposing the requirement.
“Prof Murphy was not sure and thought it might have been a Victorian public health order. He said he would have to check; we are awaiting the outlook of that checking. Mr Lye was not necessarily sure it was such an order. This level of confusion by senior officers in the department of health is far from reassuring. It appears to be more by press release.”
He continued: “Prof Murphy and Mr Lye were unable to clarify if there had been discussions within the AHPPC regarding making mask wearing compulsory any time between 16 June and 13 July. Commissioners, one is left with the sense that it was the death of an aged care resident on 11 July, the first in the current outbreak, that prompted the advice.”
Rozen said the federal government did not do enough.
“The time between the two Sydney outbreaks and the increase in community transmission in Melbourne in June was an important period ... What did the commonwealth do to ensure the lessons of the two outbreaks were conveyed to the aged care sector? We say it’s not enough.”
Updated
Here’s the data on the 12 new cases of coronavirus in NSW for today:
- 24,621 people were tested
- Four were locally acquired and linked to known cases
- Three were locally acquired, without a known source
- Five were returned travellers in hotel quarantine
- There was one new death, a woman in her 80s who was linked to the Our Lady of Lebanon Church cluster
Of the 135 cases being treated by NSW Health:
- Seven are in ICU
- Six are on ventilators
Updated
Amy back here again. I’ve just been speaking to some MPs who made the point that if the border restrictions stay in place, from the 5 October session Victorian MPs will effectively have to quarantine with their families/households (or stay apart in hotels) until Christmas.
Same for the Queensland MPs, if Queensland keeps the ACT border lockdown going.
That’s a big ask of MPs families/loved ones – lockdown-Canberra-lockdown-Canberra until Christmas. Or it means not seeing an MP for just as long.
That’s the reality they’re facing though.
Updated
The counsel assisting the aged care royal commission has recommended that blanket bans on visitors into aged care homes should be overturned.
In his closing remarks to the commission’s hearings into Covid-19, Peter Rozen QC said “blanket bans” on visitors into aged care homes was doing more harm to residents’ health than good.
He pointed to evidence from earlier in the week from experts who said they were “not aware of any cases where visitation has resulted in a case of Covid-19 within a facility.”
“Visits from family and friends are critical to the physical and emotional health of people living in residential aged care,” he said. “The position on visitation must be continually reviewed and revised and must adapted to the particular circumstances of each facility.
“We submit that a blanket ban on visitation is unacceptable in all but extreme cases.”
Earlier this week the commission heard from a woman, given the pseudonym UY, whose father had died in an aged care home in Victoria in May, before the state’s second outbreak.
She told the commission she “begged” to be able to take her father for walks, and when she did she noticed he had visibly deteriorated without visitors.
Her father was “an Italian man for whom family was everything” and who had dementia meaning he “relied on physical touch to communicate”, Rozen said.
The woman told the commission that “Dad gave up wanting to live” as a result of his lack of visitors, and he died in his sleep.
Rozen also said that for similar reasons, allied health professionals should be allowed to enter aged care homes, and some barriers to their entry should be removed.
Updated
Josh Taylor will take you through the afternoon. Thank you again so much for joining me again today.
I’ll be back early tomorrow morning. I’m getting through your questions, so bear with me – but thank you for your messages.
Please – take care of you. Ax
Updated
Aged care deaths 'foreseeable' commission hears
The aged care royal commission has been told the federal government acted with “self-congratulation” and “hubris” as it did not prepare Victoria for its devastating outbreak of coronavirus in aged care.
The counsel assisting the commission, Peter Rozen QC, delivered the strong criticism in his closing remarks into an emergency week of hearings into how the coronavirus pandemic entered Australia’s nursing homes.
Rozen told the commission that none of the hundreds of deaths were “unforeseeable”, the sector was “not properly prepared” and the sector is still “not properly prepared now”.
He said the federal government did not learn the lessons from the outbreaks in NSW at Newmarch House and the Dorothy Henderson Lodge earlier in the year. Later outbreaks in Victoria in mid-June were even more devastating.
There is reason to think that in the crucial months between the Newmarch House outbreak in April and mid-June a degree of self-congratulation and even hubris was displayed by the commonwealth.
Perhaps they were reflecting the general mood in the country that we were through it.
There have been 220 deaths of residents in aged care due to Covid-19, which is 70% of all the country’s deaths. Rozen said this made Australia one of the worst performing countries in the world.
Updated
Victoria Health has put out its official update:
Victoria has recorded 278 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 15,863.
The overall total has increased by 217 due to 61 cases being reclassified – largely due to duplication.
Within Victoria, 64 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 214 are under investigation.
There have been eight new deaths from Covid reported since yesterday: one woman in her 50s, two men in their 70s, two women and two men in their 80s and one man his 90s.
Four of the eight are linked to known outbreaks in aged care facilities. To date, 275 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
- 3,068 cases may indicate community transmission
- 7,866 cases are active
- 664 cases are in hospital, including 37 in intensive care
- 7,493 people have recovered
- More than 1,895,566 tests have been processed – an increase of 20,951 since yesterday.
Of the total cases:
- 14,556 are from metropolitan Melbourne; 957 are from regional Victoria
- Total cases include 7,636 men and 8,156 women
- Total number of healthcare workers: 2,073; active cases: 1,140
- There are 2,018 active cases relating to aged care facilities.
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest cumulative case numbers are:
- 201 cases have been linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping
- 184 cases have been linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner
- 153 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer
- 131 cases have been linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth
- 119 cases have been linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee
- 108 cases have been linked to Outlook Gardens Aged Care Facility in Dandenong North
- 99 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg
- 89 cases have been linked to Arcare Aged Care Facility in Craigieburn
- 87 cases have been linked to Twin Parks Aged Care in Reservoir
- 82 cases have been linked to Glendale Aged Care Facility in Werribee
In Victoria there are 84 active cases in residential disability accommodation.
- Total resident cases: 20; total staff cases: 64
- Active cases in NDIS homes: 59 (17 residents)
- Active cases in “transfer” homes (state regulated/funded*): 24 (3 residents)
- Active cases in state government delivered and funded homes: 1
Updated
Naaman Zhou has been watching the aged care royal commission for you today.
In case you missed it, the counsel assisting the commissioner, Peter Rozen QC, has just given the federal government an absolute bollocking over its handling of aged care during the pandemic.
He says the sector is “still” not prepared.
Senior Counsel Assisting, Mr Peter Rozen QC, has begun his closing remarks for Sydney Hearing 2.
— Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (@RoyalAged) August 13, 2020
Watch live on the Royal Commission webcast https://t.co/kCCf6PGiIk#AgedCareRC pic.twitter.com/hlRy5Z6445
Updated
The Victorian aged care response centre has put out a release:
The Victorian aged care response centre continues to align its resources and operations, with the cooperation of more than a dozen federal and state agencies, in a robust effort to address the unfolding situation in aged care facilities.
The centre’s preventive and critical response efforts remain focused on continuity of care for aged care residents, the safety and wellbeing of staff and residents, and increasing communication with residents’ families.
- More than 400 residents in aged care facilities have been transferred to hospitals, with the centre playing an active role in more than 300 of those cases. This includes the transfer of 14 residents this week.
- The centre has facilitated communications support for seven aged care facilities with 859 outbound calls conducted to families of residents, including 682 inbound calls received since 23 July.
- Ausmat has deployed 24 members into Victoria who have made 61 visits across 41 aged care facilities to date. They have been assessing existing procedures and boosting infection prevention and control measures, including on the use of PPE.
- 61 facilities have been clinically screened by ADF and Western Health, with an additional 10 being visited today, making 71 Covid-free facilities that had their infection control bolstered.
- In addition to two teams assisting Victoria from South Australia, a further two teams of six personnel from Queensland and Western Australia were deployed this week to support workforce in aged care facilities. These teams are made up of nurses, personal care workers and hotel services.
- 30 staff from allied health services were trained yesterday at Monash University as residential aged care safety officers to support staff in higher-risk facilities in safety, facility operations, and PPE compliance.
- 20 ADF staff are being trained in PPE usage and compliance today and will be deployed next week. More training sessions will continue into the coming weeks with the support of the ADF.
- A team from the aged care quality and safety commission is on the ground making daily visits and delivering unannounced on-the-spot checks on appropriate PPE usage and infection control practices.
- Chief executives of all major metro and regional hospitals and aged care provider peak bodies have been contacted and briefed to ensure they have the support they need; and the response centre is working with Qantas, Virgin and Spotless to consider whether staff can be retrained to support aged care services.
Updated
Queensland MP quarantine decision rests with state CMO
Queensland federal MPs are still waiting to hear whether or not they will have to do a reverse Victoria (Victorians have to quarantine before entering the ACT or for two weeks in the ACT ahead of parliament) and quarantine when they get back to Queensland.
The big question is whether or not families will be locked down with the MPs on their return to the sunshine state.
Staff will most likely be sent into hotel quarantine (at their own expense). MPs who self isolate at home might have to make their household do it with them.
That’s going to affect the LNP MPs more than the Labor ones – just on sheer numbers.
Not sure how Matt Canavan or George Christensen or Amanda Stoker or James McGrath (all such famous, reasonable, media-adverse MPS) will feel about this, but I guess we’ll soon find out.
But we’ll all learn more when the state’s chief medical officer, Dr Jeanette Young, makes her decision.
But given the good doctor gave advice that the ACT was to be included in the NSW border ban, I don’t think Queensland MPs can expect to be free for two weeks upon their return.
Which is going to have a pretty big impact on who travels for the sitting, I would think.
(We would suggest having all the Queensland MPs quarantined together in a Big Brother style broadcast, but don’t think Dr Young is taking requests)
Updated
The aged care royal commission is hearing from the counsel assisting the commissioner, Peter Rozen, again.
He is not holding back and says the sector “is not properly prepared now” for the pandemic, and that the federal government document aged care minister Richard Colbeck has been referring to “is a plan, it’s just not an aged care plan”.
Updated
Counterpoint – it actually speaks to lockdown restrictions being lifted and businesses opening back up but, once again, you do you, employment minister.
Michaelia Cash on today’s job figures:
I think, you know, with the figure of almost 110,000 jobs created today, building on the excess of 200,000 jobs created last month, what that speaks to is the strength of the Australian economy.
You know, I often remind people that going into Covid-19 we had a record number of Australians participating in the labour market – in excess of 13m Australians. We had a record number of women participating in the labour market.
We had a record number of youth participating in the labour market. The fundamentals in terms of the labour market were strong. And that has carried us through to where we are today.
But again, that resilience of, in particular, small and family businesses across Australia, they want to do what they can to keep their doors open, and that is why, as a government, we have backed them every step of the way.
And in particular, you know, putting in place jobkeeper: 980,000 businesses access jobkeeper. That is supporting around 3.5m Australians to maintain that very, very important connection with their workplace.
As a government, we understand that ongoing support is required, and that is why we announced that we would extend the jobkeeper payment, with some slight changes, through to the end of March next year. But again, as you get the health crisis under control, you’re able to then ease restrictions, and the strength and the resilience of the Australian economy really does come to the forefront as you see businesses do what we need them to do, and that is keep their doors open, keep their employees on, and in some cases actually take on more employees.
Perhaps minister Cash should stick to having curries for the country.
Updated
Always grim reading:
Here is the latest Victorian Covid-19 hospitalisation and death data: @AmyRemeikis pic.twitter.com/C5Yu6dDIrm
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) August 13, 2020
Updated
For those living on the South Australian/Victorian border, here are the new border crossing details:
With a direction coming into effect on Friday, the essential traveller category cross-border community member will be suspended from 21 August. This means further restrictions will apply to people wishing to enter South Australia from Victoria.
Special dispensation will be given to farmers with properties that span the border, and students completing years 11 and 12.
If a person currently has that status they can reapply to be an essential traveller if they fit into another category. A seven-day transition period will apply to allow new applications to be made.
Persons wishing to enter South Australia from Victoria may reapply under another category:
- national and state security and governance
- emergency services (SA Health approved)
- freight and transport
- urgent medical, dental, health (SA Health approved)
- compassionate grounds (SA Health approved)
- specialist workers in essential sectors (includes primary industries and agriculture).
If you do not meet those criteria you will no longer be able to enter South Australia from Victoria. South Australians are strongly advised not travel to Victoria.
(And I do not find South Australian news “trivial”. I was born in Mount Gambier and still have family there. But I am not able to be across each and every court case and border charge.)
Updated
That last post is a good reminder of the additional impacts of the pandemic – while Australia won’t be running out of food any time soon, the agricultural industry has already sounded the alarm over its labour force.
You’ll start seeing the effects of that in the produce aisles (and some of it is happening already).
Updated
Northern Territory desperately needs fruit pickers
The industry department has just put out this release:
Our iconic territory mangoes are facing new challenges this year due to Covid-19 travel restrictions restricting seasonal and backpacker workforces, with farmers expecting a shortfall of up to 1,000 workers.
The ‘Be the pick of the bunch campaign’ encourages locals to be a territory hero and support our farmers to get our produce off to market quickly.
‘With many territorians hurting from job losses or reduced hours due to Covid, this is a chance for meaningful work for locals, and with an iconic territory product” said Paul Burke, chief executive of NT Farmers.
With the mango picking season set to commence in August, territorians have the opportunity to learn new skills, work hard, make friends, earn good money and work next to some of the NT’s iconic locations.
Burke said anyone can apply to do fruit picking. “All you need is a good attitude, willingness to learn and to be reliable. Fruit picking makes a huge contribution to the local economy, helps our farmers, and gives people an iconic Territory adventure.”
Updated
To be fair, Greg Hunt is taking questions.
Holding press conferences if you are a Victorian is a difficult process at the moment, given the self-quarantine aspect of their ability to attend parliament.
But there should be others who can step up here ... like maybe the prime minister?
Updated
Greg Hunt is holding his “virtual press conference” that didn’t come with any call-in details.
There is a very official government backdrop. Terrible lighting though.
Updated
Back to Victoria for a moment – the deputy chief medical officer, Prof Allen Cheng, adds his voice to the chorus of “calm your farm” and act cautiously over the Russian claims of a vaccine.
Updated
Man charged in Sydney for spitting at police
NSW police have fined someone for spitting on police officers:
Police have charged a man in Sydney’s CBD after he allegedly spat at multiple officers yesterday.
About 6.30pm officers from Sydney city police area command were called to a hotel on George Street after reports of an altercation.
Police stopped a man at Railway Square, at the intersection of George and Lee Streets, and the 32-year-old was arrested after he refused to provide details and attempted to walk away.
His identity was established, and he was issued a move-on direction.
After failing to comply, he was arrested and taken to Day Street police station where he allegedly repeatedly spat at multiple officers while being held in custody.
The man was charged with use offensive language in/near public place/school, refuse/fail to comply with direction under part 14, and not comply noticed direction re spitting/coughing – Covid-19.
The man was refused bail to appear at central local court today.
Updated
And to another Victorian leader:
Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp has said the council learned from the lockdown of the nine public housing towers in Melbourne that it is important to consult cultural leaders people for advice at the start in seeking to tackle outbreaks in residential towers.
“I think that establishing those connections and networks early, and really relying on them in some cases, really stepping out of the way and playing a support role rather than the lead role was vital,” Capp told the Victorian parliament’s Covid-19 inquiry.
“We have 84% of our population in the city of Melbourne living in high-rise of one form or another and so there have been learnings right across those scenarios.”
Capp also said not one of the council’s employees has been stood down during lockdown because recreational and library staff were able to be redeployed as part of the state government’s Covid-support package to work in call centres, or cleaning the city.
Updated
On to insurance:
Insurers have launched a pair of test cases in the NSW supreme court in a bid to make sure they don’t have to pay out on business interruption policies due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Companies take out business interruption insurance to protect themselves against events that force them to close their doors.
But the insurance industry has long maintained that the policies don’t cover interruptions due to pandemics – they are “not insurable due to the magnitude of potential losses, and the challenges of modelling the risk and ensuring coverage affordability”, the Insurance Council of Australia said.
There is a lot at stake – on one side there are millions of businesses with this type of insurance out there, while on the other the insurance industry is under significant financial pressure after a horror year of drought, floods and bushfires.
As an industry, profit in the 12 months to March was $1.5bn, a 57% fall from the $3.5bn recorded the previous year, the ICA said.
The two cases off to the Supremes today have been before the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, which has not resolved them.
The ICA will pay the costs of the court cases, which it will ask be heard as soon as possible.
Insurers Hollard and HDI Global Specialty wrote the policies at the centre of the two cases.
ICA chief executive Rob Holland:
“The industry wishes to have the case heard as quickly as possible, given the challenging times being experienced by the small business sector because of Covid-19, the past season of natural disasters and the recession.
“Most insurers have never contemplated coverage for pandemics in their policies, and did not price pandemic risks into premiums. They believe pandemic-related exclusions are appropriate, but wish to provide greater clarity through engaging a superior court process.”
Updated
What is the threshold for winding back the SA restrictions?
Grant Stevens:
We are monitoring very closely what is happening in Victoria, particularly western Victoria. If we were to return to a scenario we had a few weeks ago, where the major concerns regarding Victoria were around central Melbourne, then we would be in the position to reconsider the current direction in relation to cross-border communities.
We appreciate the impact that this has on families and businesses, and that’s not a decision that was taken lightly. So it will be one of the first ones that we relax when all of the indicators show us that it’s safe to do so, and the risk of Covid-19 finding its way into South Australia through regional transmission is reduced.
Updated
SA tightens border restrictions with Victorian border community
South Australia’s premier, Steven Marshall, has announced tighter border controls with the Victorian border towns.
This is going to have a massive impact on those communities who are already struggling being cut off from services.
Police commissioner Grant Stevens:
We have been stopping every vehicle that comes across the border to verify a person’s approval to enter South Australia, except for the heavy vehicle sector which has been given some latitude for the issues associated with that.
This is a health-based response. This is recognising the risk and putting in a strategy to minimise that risk as much as possible ...
Essential travellers, whether it be under the new provisions for year 11 or 12 students, or farmers who have properties straddling the border, or any other essential traveller with an approval, they’re only allowed to come into South Australia for the purposes of their essential travel. So this is not a licence to wander through the community of South Australia. This is to enable those critical services or critical requirements to be met ....
South Australians who leave South Australia into Victoria without prior approvals or exemptions will not be allowed to re-enter South Australia.
Updated
This is a new one: a “virtual press conference” with no call-in details, with vision to be provided on the minister’s social media page:
The minister for health, Greg Hunt, is holding a virtual press conference and will provide a Covid-19 update.
Date: 13 August, 2020
Time: 1.30pm.
Media note: Vision will be available via the minister’s Facebook page.
That’s not a press conference. That’s a recorded press release.
Updated
Really interesting tactic from the Premier today in talking about what the public is focused on right now. @abcmelbourne
— Richard Willingham (@rwillingham) August 13, 2020
Think we’re approaching 40 days straight of daily @DanielAndrewsMP pressers
Does Daniel Andrews believe the working relationship he has with Scott Morrison is still as strong as it was at the beginning of the pandemic?
Yes. Because Victorian problems are Australian problems. We are all in this together.
And nothing the prime minister said to me would give me even any doubt whatsoever that this partnership [isn’t] a strong one, because it needs to be. It absolutely needs to be.
And that’s why I wouldn’t be wasting his time on talking about these matters. I will probably speak to him later in the week about aged care – [and] a number of other issues.
My office and his office speak very, very regularly. But you know we’re all very busy.
When I need to speak with him I do and that usually focuses on asking for things or seeking clarification. Sometimes they need some things from me, like stepping into provide care and support in private aged care.
That won’t be changing; we’re going to continue to work together very strongly. I’m grateful to him for the partnership because it is a very important one.
That answer is an absolute masterclass in politics.
Updated
Daniel Andrews says he hasn’t spoken to the prime minister about Linda Reynold’s statement because he believes it would be a waste of time:
I’ll just go back to the point that I made before: I think Victorians in my judgment – it’s only my judgment, you may have a better sense of those things but my judgment – is that Victorians are focused on getting to the other side of this, not, not duelling statements from, whether it be members of parliament or others, but Andrew Crisp put out a statement because I think it was important that he do that. That’s what he did. That’s a matter for him but I think it was important that he make that statement to make sure there was no doubt about about these issues.
Beyond that, as I said to you before, you’re perfectly entitled to ask questions. I’m in no way being critical of you.
But what I would just say is I think I’ve spent more time talking about this today than I really ought to, because I’ve got more than a few other things to go on with. And I think those things – this is just my view, I might not be accurate in that – but my view would be that people are much more focused on getting to the other side of this rather than a quarrels or arguments or fights with anyone or anything other than this coronavirus.
He says he doesn’t see the point in clarifying anything on this with the prime minister:
There’s no point, because it’s not relevant to the fight we’re in. It’s not relevant to the work that I’m doing ... I’m not going to be wasting my time or the prime minister’s time talking about a statement issued by a federal minister, which has been 100% refuted by the emergency management commissioner ...
I’ll stand here and answer each and every one of your questions because that’s a really important part of my job, and it’s an important part of yours.
But I always reserve the right to perhaps point out as politely as I can ... when I don’t think that that is an issue, that that is a proper use of [our time] or where I might point out to you that is an issue. I don’t think is really directly related or even indirectly related to the task at hand.
I think that politics is not what we need at the moment. And I’m not offering that as [an excuse]. [I’m focused on the] difficult decisions, the tough decisions, to get us to the other side of this. That’s what I’m focused on and you and your network and each of you and your readers and viewers and listeners, you, they will make their own judgments.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is asked about the request for 850 ADF personnel, which was rescinded, a month after the Rydges hotel quarantine issues.
There is a back and forth where he says he did not make the request. But he says he “doesn’t know” when he learned of the request. Asked multiple times if he was aware of the request, Andrews repeats: “I did not make the request.”
Updated
On the difference in statements between Andrew Crisp and the defence minister, Daniel Andrews says:
There’s some reporting today, there’s no names attached to that reporting so I won’t be going into that.
And I can just again – there’s a statement from the emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp. I have a high regard for Andrew Crisp, I work very closely with him. I think all Victorians know and understand and saw first-hand the job that he did in the fires.
And that’s why it’s with confidence that I can refer you to a statement that he’s made. I make no judgments about anybody else.
I’m just telling you what I know about Andrew Crisp and the fact that he’s put a statement out that this is really a matter that you’ll have to look at both of those statements and make your own judgments.
Updated
Daniel Andrews speaks more about the aged care takeover of some homes, as well as the decisions being made there:
We will go in and essentially run that, as if it were a public sector aged care facility.
Or perhaps another way to put it – essentially as if it was a ward of a public or private hospital.
So getting back to that point about clinical need driving all these choices.
And again, people are free to make their own judgments, they’re free to write their own columns, that’s fine, but I just, I just thought it was important today just to re-emphasise that point: clinical need.
That’s what drives these important decisions not whether it’s easy for the private operator. That is not the issue.
The issue is how do we provide the very best care to some of the most vulnerable people in our state.
That’s not a judgment of politicians or bureaucrats, that’s a judgment that the doctors, nurses, people who are expert in these matters, they make those judgments, and I wouldn’t want to think that anybody in the community was needlessly anxious because there was this sense that other factors were driving those sorts of choices.
It’s the patient or the resident, it’s their wellbeing, their care that drives those choices.
And that’s a point of agreement, as I said before – there’s that nightly meeting.
I’m not aware of any concerns being raised or any other issues there. I know that this is a very difficult time for many, many families who have loved ones in aged care.
I suppose what I’m saying is I just think we all have to be careful not to make that an even more difficult thing by perhaps giving the impression that something other than healthcare is driving all of these choices because all the advice I have is that that would simply be wrong.
Updated
Daniel Andrews did not come to play today.
'This is not a popularity contest, it’s a global pandemic'
Daniel Andrews then addresses reports claiming 100 ADF personnel were put on stand-by for the hotel quarantine program:
I see some reports, but there’s no names associated with any of those reports.
It’s not my practice nor will it ever be to comment on claims that don’t have someone’s name next to them. I would just again – I don’t know that I could be much clearer, but I’m going to try – my only quarrel, my only argument, my only thought is with the coronavirus.
That is my exclusive focus. I will again refer you to the fact that commissioner Crisp issued a statement and as far as I’m concerned, I just don’t have the time.
And I don’t think those who are watching this today, and every day, would want me to be spending time on those sorts of political issues there. They apparently relate to matters that are three or four months old.
We’ve we’re in the fight of our lives right now. And that’s what I’m exclusively focused on, whether whether that be popular or not.
This is not a popularity contest, it’s a global pandemic. That’s my focus, and it will not be changing.
But what I’m saying to you is that I’ve got no idea who’s made those claims, so I won’t make any judgment on their accuracy or otherwise.
I stand here every day. My name is associated with everything I say because I’m saying it.
If people want to make claims then they probably need to put their name to what they’re saying, I would have thought, but again, could I just, the greatest respect to you I’m not in any way, criticising you for asking the question, but in my judgment, I’ve just spent more time on that issue than I should, because I’ve got a lot of other very, very important things to get on with – things that I can change and can influence, things that are about saving lives and driving down case numbers.
That’s always been my focus. So I think I’ve answered your question.
Updated
The deputy chief medical officer says there is no mandate to remove residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 in aged care homes, because each case needs to be independently assessed.
They are isolated in their own rooms, when not transferred to a hospital.
But for some residents, moving them to an unfamiliar space would result in a worse outcome, he says, due to other risk factors – like dementia.
Updated
Allen Cheng* says authorities are watching the regional Victorian cases very carefully:
In Geelong as of yesterday there had been 176 cases reported over the past 14 days.
A lot of those have been attributed to outbreaks, which are coming under control, but there are certainly some outbreaks and some cases where we don’t know where they’ve come from and it’s very important that people in the community there get tested if they have any symptoms.
In Ballarat, there’s a smaller number of cases – 23 over the past two weeks – but with three unrelated outbreaks with very small numbers between them.
The sense is this is starting to come under control but again we encourage anyone from the community who is unwell in Ballarat to be tested.
In Bendigo, slightly more cases – 51 in the past two weeks – but a high proportion of these aren’t attributed to known outbreaks, which are coming under control. So my sense is that these will probably play out a bit more like Colac.
So, again, we’re not wanting to, you know, make any assumptions about what will happen. We get these numbers every day and we look at them very closely, but we’re certainly keeping a very close eye on these settings.
*apologies for the autocorrect slip in this first post
Updated
Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng is hosting the medical aspect of today’s press conference in Melbourne.
He says we should start to see the effect of the lockdowns in the figures very soon.
The R-number is at 0.9 to 0.97 at last check, he says.
Victoria increases payment for casual workers
Victoria is also increasing the payment to casual workers, or those without sick leave, to get tested, and stay at home until the result comes through, to make up for missed shifts.
From today the $300 payment will be $450. That is on top of the $1,500 paid pandemic leave for self-isolation.
Daniel Andrews:
Now just in terms of worker support payments: as you know – and again I’ll give a shout-out to the commonwealth – we’re very grateful that they are making payments to people who test positive and don’t have secure work, don’t have sick leave they can fall back on.
We remain in charge of the payment to those who don’t have sick leave but to isolate between getting tested and getting your test result would mean they were out of pocket because if you don’t work the shift you don’t get paid. We have made around 17,000 of those payments – that’s my latest update.
That’s a $300 payment. You would be aware that up until recently we had responsibility for that $1,500 payment for those who are positive and have to isolate for the 14 days.
As I said, the commonwealth are now doing that, and we’re very grateful to them for that. But I can announce today that that $300 payment will increase to a $450 payment.
That’s after consultation with unions, consultation with employers and, indeed, listening to many of those 17,000 people who have applied and have got that many.
We think $450 is a better reckoning for the loss of income that they would normally – if they were in different employment circumstances they would simply draw down on their sick leave and that would be closer to a payment of around $450. So I thank everybody who has been involved in that consultative process.
We think $450 is a fair payment, particularly for people for whom their employment circumstances might lead them – their bank balance might lead them to make the choice to not get tested at all or to, perhaps, get tested but then go to work while they were waiting for the results of those tests. We can’t have that happen. We’re not making any judgments on those people. We think that’s the right approach to take.
Updated
Daniel Andrews continues:
I want to make the point, because some of this is causing, I think, distress in a number of families that have loved ones nowhere near these particular settings but, I think, are becoming particularly anxious when there’s no need for that to occur.
We don’t have a system that is designed to deliver the easiest outcome for the private operator. We have a system that is designed to provide the best care for the resident. That is what will always guide us.
That’s what always has. And in terms of these matters, these decisions, there is a meeting each evening, to go through the operational response. Minister Colbeck was part of that meeting.
As far as I know, as far as I’m concerned, all my advice says that this is a big team that covers both our government and the commonwealth government, as the regulator of this, of all of these homes.
And all parties are satisfied that clinical need is driving those important choices. That’s what has to drive it, not the convenience or the ease of those private sector providers but the need, the absolute need, in clinical terms of each and every one of those residents. I hope that is some reassurance to some people who have got relatives in aged care that are in no way connected to some of the homes I’ve just listed and others who feel anxious about this. I will again make it clear.
The clinical needs, the healthcare needs of your loved one, will drive, exclusively, any decisions made about whether they stay in place in their home, or whether they come to a hospital, whether that be a public hospital or, indeed, a private hospital.
That’s the way it should be. That’s the way it always has been and that policy will not be changing. Their care, their best interests, as a patient, as a resident, will continue to dominate and be the exclusive focus of those decisions that are made.
Updated
Daniel Andrews then addresses reports of how decisions of moving aged care residents are made:
In a number of these sites, the three that I have listed for you, doctors and nurses have sat down on a case-by-case basis and made assessments, based on clinical need, about what is the best way to handle the Covid presence – the fact that the virus has got into these aged care facilities.
In some cases, all of the negative cases have been taken out and have gone to hospital. In some cases, all of the positive cases have been taken out and have gone to hospital. In other cases, it’s a mixture of both.
They’re not decisions that are made by members of parliament, politicians, members of the government.
They are decisions that are, rightly, made by treating doctors, experts in this field, and I would just again make the point – because it does need to be made again, it would seem – it is ... very challenging and often quite traumatic, and can in fact be tragic, if people are, without due consideration to their individual circumstances, and their clinical need, simply moved from one setting – which is their home – to a completely unfamiliar setting, which is a clinical environment, a hospital environment.
These decisions are made on clinical need and no other factors come into it. We have created capacity. We have additional capacity. Anybody who needs, in the view of their treating doctor, to go to hospital, will go to hospital.
We have had some private aged care providers, some from this industry, who would rather like their entire resident group to be taken out of their home in one go. We did – and I think I’ve mentioned this before – we did have early on in this aged care crisis, a particular provider who rang and ordered 100 ambulances, as if that was something that would be in any way feasible.
Updated
Public hospitals take over private aged care homes
As part of an attempt to stem the outbreak in aged care, Daniel Andrews announces the state has taken control of another three aged care homes:
Almost 1,400 shifts have been covered by hospital staff – nurses and others – and there are more than 400 private aged care residents who have been transferred into hospital.
There are three aged care facilities in broad terms in the west of Melbourne that are of particular concern and public health services have today assumed operational management responsibility. They’ve essentially taken those three facilities over so that vulnerable residents can get the care they need.
They are Glenland aged care – that’s being managed by Melbourne Health.
Florence aged care, which is now being managed by Western Health, and Calina aged care, which is now being managed by Bacchus Marsh hospital.
Ramsey and Gerriwarra are now on site. That’s a joint process but it’s been led by Gerriwarra health service.
Those public hospitals will work with nurses and personal care attendants from private partners, whether it be Ramsey, Epworth, St Vincent’s Private etc.
We’ve essentially assumed responsibility, taken over those facilities for the purposes of the highest-quality care and to deal with challenging circumstances in each of those three. That is by no means the first.
They are just the latest that we have stepped in to take control of. I want to say on behalf of all Victorians how grateful we are to nurses, personal care workers, our partners in the private hospital system who are part of those 1,400 shifts.
This is all about making sure that each and every one of those residents and those who need to become patients because of their illness get the very best care.
Updated
Daniel Andrews:
We encourage anybody in Bendigo, Ballarat or Geelong and anyone across regional Victoria, if you’ve got even the mildest of symptoms please come forward and get tested. That’s an important part of our fight against this virus.
As far as some of those worrying trends in those three large regional cities, this testing push over the coming days and weeks will be a really important way in which we can be confident that we’re finding all of the virus that’s there, or at least as much of it as we can.
That allows us to then trace and lock down those positive cases, do what has to be done to support those people, but keep them away from others, and try and pull up any further spread.
Updated
From tomorrow, a regional testing push will be set up in Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo, after an increase of cases in those centres.
Daniel Andrews press conference
As always, the Victorian premier starts with a breakdown of the new Victorian cases:
I’m saddened to have to say there are now 275 Victorians who have died due to this global pandemic. That’s eight since yesterday’s update.
Our thoughts and prayers, our best wishes, our sympathies, are with each and every one of their families. I can provide you with some detail.
One female in their 50s, two males in their 70s, two females in their 80s, two males in their 80s, and one male in their 90s. Again, we send our best wishes and condolences to each of those families.
This will be a very difficult time for them. Four or those eight fatalities are connected to aged-care outbreaks.
There are 664 Victorians in hospital, 37 of whom are receiving intensive care and 25 of those 37 are on a ventilator.
A total of 1,895,566 test results have been received. That’s an increase of 20,951 since yesterday.
There are 3,068 cases with an unknown source, 107 more in that category since yesterday.
Updated
The company which owns Cadbury has responded to the court decision on leave for shift workers:
It means that all employees, irrespective of their shift roster or number of ordinary working hours, will receive the effect of two weeks’ personal/carer’s leave.
The decision will:
• ensure continued equality between employees in the same workplace, who complete the same ordinary hours in their working week but on different rosters
• provide certainty for all Australian employers with non-standard shift arrangements and those that employ part-time employees, including Mondelēz International and others such as those in the nursing, mining, building and construction and transport and distribution industries
• ensure Cadbury Claremont 12-hour shift workers continue to have 96 hours/2.7 weeks of personal/carer’s leave.
We welcome the decision and are pleased the matter is now resolved.
Updated
Unions are calling for the government to legislate pandemic leave, after the Cadbury decision:
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union is disappointed by today’s high court decision in the matter of Cadbury-Mondelez v AMWU.
The decision means that Australian shift workers are entitled to fewer than 10 days’ personal leave each year.
“While we respect the decision of the high court, this is a obviously a very disappointing outcome for us and for the delegates, Natasha and Brendon, who have been fighting for their personal leave entitlements through the courts for years now”, the AMWU’s Tasmania state secretary, John Short, said.
The high court’s decision comes after the full court of the federal court ruled in August last year that for the purposes of calculating personal leave entitlements, a day was “the period of time in a 24-hour period that would otherwise be allocated to work”.
The decision has implications for workers working ordinary days of more than the standard 7.6 hours.
“Cadbury workers do 12-hour days making the chocolate that we know and love. This decision means that they will get fewer days of personal leave per year than someone doing an office job working nine to five,” Short said.
“While we are very disappointed in the outcome, we are very proud of our members and delegates who have taken up the fight at every stage. It’s not easy for a food worker to stand up in court against a big company like Cadbury-Mondelez that has got the backing of the federal government, but our members held their ground every step of the way.”
The federal government intervened at every level in support of Cadbury-Mondelez – at the Fair Work Commission, at the federal court, and at the high court.
“We are now calling for the federal government to amend the Fair Work Act so that every worker has access to 10 days of paid personal leave every year, no matter what hours they work,” Short said.
Updated
Looks like Scott Morrison won’t be holding a press conference today either - Michaelia Cash will be holding the unemployment press conference.
Prof Peter Collignon is an infectious diseases doctor and a former adviser to the World Health Organisation, and he has some thoughts about the cases in New Zealand.
He said the term “elimination” was problematic when it comes to a novel virus where most people have no immunity.
“I’ve always been concerned when people talk about New Zealand having eliminated the virus,” Collignon, who is advising the Australian government on its Covid response, said.
“While we have all been very hopeful about New Zealand, the fact is that a lot of young people and people in their 20s and 30s may develop the virus and never display symptoms, and so when you have this silent spread occurring it’s only a matter of time before it pops up somewhere again.”
He said the country was wise to use genomic sequencing, which analyses the virus sample taken from a diagnosed patient and compares it with other cases to help health officials understand where the virus may have originated. This was how Victoria identified that the virus had spread from the hotel quarantine program and into returned travellers.
“This data will really help us to understand more about what is going on,” he said.
Our lab @masseyuni (w/ @osilander) sequenced these 4 community samples yesterday and uploaded them (sample to upload in under 9 hr) so we can begin to understand to where this came from. ESR (@Jemma_Geoghegan @Joepdl @una) is independently confirming today.
— Nikki Freed (@freed_nikki) August 12, 2020
Updated
That number doesn’t take into account the Victorian lockdown.
It also counts those on jobkeeper who don’t have a job to go back to – the so-called “zombie businesses” the wage subsidy is propping up (no shade – this is a pandemic and shiz is hard).
The participation rate is up by 0.6%, but there are still a lot of people who have just dropped out of the figures because they aren’t employed and they aren’t looking for work.
The labour force includes the total number of employed and unemployed people. Between June and July the labour force increased by 130,500 people (1%) to 13,470,200. Over the past year the labour force decreased by 0.9%, while the total civilian population 15 and over increased by 1.2%.
That puts the unemployment rate, unofficially, at 13% or so. Which would more accurately reflect what we’re all seeing.
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been affected by this. And I doubt you do either.
Updated
Official unemployment at 7.5%
The ABS has released its labour force figures for July.
Australia’s seasonally adjusted estimate of employment increased by 114,700 people with:
- the number of unemployed people increasing by 15,700 people
- the unemployment rate increasing by less than 0.1 percentage points to 7.5%
- the underemployment rate decreasing by 0.5 pts to 11.2%
- the underutilisation rate decreasing by 0.4 pts to 18.7%
- the participation rate increasing 0.6 pts to 64.7%
- the employment to population ratio increasing 0.5 pts to 59.8%.
Employment increased by 114,700 people (0.9%) between June and July with full-time employment increasing by 43,500 people and part-time employment increasing by 71,200. Compared with a year ago, there were 282,800 fewer people employed full time and 131,700 fewer people employed part time.
The employment to population ratio, which is a measure of how employed the population (15 and over) is, increased by 0.5 pts to 59.8%.
Updated
New Zealand now has 13 active cases
There are now 13 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
That’s four more than Queensland.
Updated
As we wait for the ABS labour force statistics (due in less than 10 minutes) this is some pretty big news for much of the workforce:
#BREAKING: The operators of Tasmania’s Cadbury factory have lost their bid to cut personal leave for shift workers, in a ruling which could have implications for other Australian shift workers.
— ABC News (@abcnews) August 13, 2020
New Zealand’s version of a chief medical officer, Dr Ashley Bloomfield says authorities still have no idea where the virus re-emerged from.
What we know so far is there has been no exact link made between the genome sequence of the positive swabs in this new cluster with ... the genome sequence of any recent case in an MIQ [managed isolation and quarantine] facility.
Not all the samples from the MIQ facilities have been able to be genome sequenced. At the moment, there’s no link.
What we do know is the genome sequence of the new cases broadly – most closely – resembles the pattern from the UK and Australia.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is up at 12pm. @AmyRemeikis
— Calla Wahlquist (@callapilla) August 13, 2020
Just five of those 12 cases have come from hotel quarantine.
12 new cases of #COVID19 have been diagnosed in NSW between 8pm on 11 August and 8pm on 12 August.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 13, 2020
For the latest list of COVID-19 locations, visit: https://t.co/pqkRdfyEBr pic.twitter.com/3EdVLpBmq2
NSW records 12 new cases
That’s down from the 18 which were recorded yesterday.
One woman, who had been in intensive care, has died.
NZ records nine cases of Covid
New Zealand has gone from no cases to nine in just a day.
A ninth case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Auckland. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is speaking live with more details. https://t.co/DjaJry1aBB
— SBS News (@SBSNews) August 13, 2020
Updated
Couldn’t he have just tried Windex?
204 #covid19 fines from @VictoriaPolice in past 24 hours including a bloke who didn’t wear a mask because he had a “bad pimple on his chin”! @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/C8tcoetOzu
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) August 13, 2020
Clive Palmer is still finding ways to make everything in Australia all about him.
See my latest statement about Mark McGowan and the Cover Up.
— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) August 13, 2020
Betrayal of the Rule of Law, exemptions from the Criminal Law and removing freedom of information is not what Australia is about!#wapol #auspol pic.twitter.com/Yn2i78HU71
Updated
The peak Victorian authority for safety improvement in healthcare is still examining how almost 1,600 healthcare workers acquired Covid, calling into question claims from the premier, Daniel Andrews, and health minister, Jenny Mikakos, that most workers were infected in the community.
An email sent to health workers by the chief medical officer of Safer Care Victoria, Prof Andrew Wilson, says as of 8 August 1,835 healthcare workers had been infected. The figure includes healthcare workers with active infections and those who have recovered.
Of those infected, 50 were confirmed to have acquired the virus in a healthcare setting, Wilson said, including 12 doctors, 29 nurses and nine health practitioners such as paramedics and allied health workers.
Wilson, who also chairs the Victoria PPE [personal protective equipment] taskforce, said in an email: “Healthcare acquisition remains under investigation for 1,598 healthcare workers.”
The figures included all data to 8 August.
It calls into question statements from Mikakos before the parliamentary inquiry into the Victorian government’s response to Covid-19 that up to 15% of those with active infections had been infected at work. The source of many cases are still under investigation.
Read more:
Updated
Meanwhile, talking about the parliament sitting which is coming up on 24 August, there are still questions over what the Queensland MPs will have to do when they return.
Queensland has declared the ACT a Covid-hotspot and banned ACT residents from entering.
The ACT has no cases, but there was a suggestion that NSW residents were using the Canberra airport to avoid the earlier border shutdown to those from greater Sydney.
So, at this stage, it looks like Queensland federal MPs will have to quarantine on their return – which means either hotel quarantine at their own expense (about $2,800) or locking down their entire family with them in their home for two weeks.
Same for staff.
So it’s not just Victorian MPs that will have a tricky time of it.
Updated
NSW residents warned masks will be mandatory if more people don't wear them
The NSW transport minister, Andrew Constance, says if people don’t start wearing masks as a general rule on public transport, it will be mandated:
We need everyone to put them on so we don’t have Melbourne-style lockdown. We need everyone to practise good physical distancing, great hygiene. If you have a runny nose or a sniffle, go and get tested. We want to put all the measures in place alongside masks.
It’s really important we start to see more people wear them. The premier, in terms of her very strong messaging and, you know, this is the type of leadership this state needs. Let’s get the masks on.
You know, ultimately, how do you enforce it? Melbourne are fining people.
My preference is not to fine people, but if we’ve got to move to that mandatory requirement, that’s what we’ll potentially need to go to. If everyone can start wearing them, that’s the best thing we can get everyone to do and be guided by Kerry Chant in terms of the mandating of them.
Updated
Andrew Leigh had a chat about this story from Christopher Knaus with ABC radio earlier this morning.
We’ve had a lot of parliamentary sitting days cancelled. Now that parliament is finally getting together, all politicians’ focus should be on the main game.
And that shouldn’t be on raising money for the Liberal party. It should be on doing the work that our constituents want us to be doing.
We need to be very careful and cautious about the spread of coronavirus. I know all politicians are being judicious in terms of the number of face-to-face meetings they take. Our office is still doing phone calls and zoom where that works, just as a safer way of making sure we reduce any chance of the spread of the virus.
I just don’t think it passes the pub test to have a $2,500 fundraiser at the moment.
Updated
Liberal Democrat* MP David Limbrick questioned the transport minister on whether the government considered shutting public transport after curfew and supplying essential workers with vouchers for private transport.
Jacinta Allan suggested this wouldn’t save a huge amount of money.
Allan:
8% of normal patronage is what we say we’ve seen yesterday on a metropolitan train network, obviously after 8pm that number plummets even further …
In relation to your question on the cost of the public transport network, particularly the heavy rail network and the light rail network. They have big fixed costs that regardless of how many services you may run on a given day and given week or month, those costs don’t go away … This there is an additional cost to running additional services but in the scheme of running the network, it’s quite a modest additional cost.
*apologies– an earlier version of this post incorrectly listed Limbrick’s party as the Liberal-Nationals
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We had fireworks to celebrate the end of 2019. I’m just saying.
But yes, it it has been “a pretty shitty 2020”, Stuart Ayres.
"I think everyone's just had a pretty shitty 2020" - @stuartayresmp #nswpol #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/fBI651Y8DC
— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) August 13, 2020
You can find all the international Covid news here, with Helen Sullivan
The transport minister, Jacinta Allan, is asked by Nationals MP Danny O’Brien to name which minister was “ultimately responsible for the hotel quarantine program”.
Allan:
Mr O’Brien, you and your colleagues have canvassed this on multiple occasions during the course of this week. You will know that I have nothing to add to the comments that have been made already over the course of this week on that matter ...
O’Brien:
“It’s a pretty simple question – which minister was responsible – and yet no minister wants to say who it was, or seems to be able to say.
“Earlier you said you were ‘very clear on your roles and responsibilities as a minister and the accountabilities that go with that’. So you were very clear on yours, that’s fine. I’m just trying to find out who was responsible for what?”
Allan has previously said her role in the quarantine program was to organise transport of returned travellers to the hotels using the private transport company SkyBus.
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53 people have died in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic.
NSW records a new Covid death
We are still waiting on the official update from NSW, but this is terrible news.
#BREAKING: An elderly woman has died from coronavirus in NSW.
— ABC News (@abcnews) August 12, 2020
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Queensland has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
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Further to Matilda’s post on this a little earlier:
In this day and age......How completely unsurprising that a Liberal MP would try to define a Labor woman by reference to her husband’s role. My COS and Lizzie have been married for years and have a daughter. It’s not like it’s a secret https://t.co/h2uNVP0P2H
— Martin Pakula (@MartinPakulaMP) August 12, 2020
The Nationals MP and regional education minister, Andrew Gee, is just one of those against the changes to university loan funding Dan Tehan has put forward.
Here was Tehan talking about why the changes were necessary, on ABC radio:
Tehan: Well, research has shown that nearly 6% of university students fail every subject in their first year. What this is designed to do is to make sure that universities and students understand that they need to work together to make sure that the student is suitable for the course that they’re undertaking and then to make sure that throughout their course, that they get the guidance, support and help that they need to complete their studies.
Q: I’m just thinking, minister, about the cuts universities have had to make during this pandemic, and staff numbers, of course, being well down. How will they ensure that this new legislation, put forward by the federal government, will actually be enacted the way you want it to be?
Tehan: Well, we’re obviously working with the sector. We’re putting in place reforms which puts the focus back on making sure that we’re looking after our domestic students, and we’re preparing our domestic students for the challenges that they’re going to face as we come out of this Covid-19 pandemic. And, I think, that the way our universities go about educating young Australians, they’re up to the challenge to making sure that we’re getting students enrolled in the right courses, and that they can complete those courses.
Q: So, how will they do that, minister? What exactly will universities need to do to make sure students are academically suitable and also engaged with the course they propose to do?
Tehan: So when a student, for instance, say, is struggling, and might fail a couple of units, they can talk to that student, talk to them about whether the choice they’ve made about the degree that they want to undertake is the right one for them. They could suggest to them that, maybe, there is another more suitable degree that they might want to look at ... This is just a commonsense approach that we want both universities and students to take to make sure that we’ve got students in the right degrees, and that universities are working with students to help them complete those degrees.
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Labor backs calls for telehealth to be extended
Chris Bowen has backed calls by doctor groups to extend the subsidised telehealth program:
Medical and allied health services delivered by telehealth have allowed Australians to access healthcare from home while reducing Covid-19 risks for patients and healthcare workers alike.
Labor backs these calls by the AMA and RACGP and urges the government to extend the program.
The extension should include both telephone and videoconference items, to maintain access and choice for patients and providers – including those who can’t access video services.
And the extension period must be used to agree a long-term future for telehealth, as part of broader efforts to boost the quality and coordination of care.
Labor also urges the government to extend telehealth access for mental health services in consultation with the sector, and to release and respond to the Productivity Commission report on mental health urgently.
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It’s been found correct, because it is.
Treasurer @JoshFrydenberg says we can expect to see "eye-watering" levels of debt and deficit due to #COVID19.
— RMIT ABC Fact Check (@ABCFactCheck) August 12, 2020
But @JEChalmers says 2/3 of the debt in the budget was borrowed by the Govt b4 the pandemic.
We found Mr Chalmers to be correct: https://t.co/EH3xvE9DcN #factcheck pic.twitter.com/810RMjcRtK
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Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to Dan Tehan’s announcement that failing students may face having their university loan access cut (this is after announcing that those loans for arts degrees will increase, and all during a pandemic):
There’s no doubt some students struggle at university, but choosing to punish rather than support them makes no sense.
We should be resourcing universities to help struggling students, not denying those students government support to finish their studies.
I’m really concerned this approach will target and harm disadvantaged students, who are already at greater risk of dropping out.
The Liberals are more concerned about saving money than helping students get through university.
Years of government cuts have prevented universities from supporting at-risk students. Now the government is trying to blame universities and wash their hands of responsibility.
We should be investing our time and money in building well-funded, fee-free university and Tafe. Instead, all the Liberals are interested in doing is cutting uni funding, hiking up fees, and punishing students who fall through the cracks.
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Today’s inquiry into the Victorian government’s response to the pandemic has started off with a little spice, in fact, 90 seconds in and the word “pathetic” has already been thrown around.
Liberal MP Richard Riordan has suggested committee chair Labor’s Lizzie Blandthorn failed to disclose a conflict of interest during yesterday’s hearing. Her husband is the chief of staff for jobs, precincts and regions minister Martin Pakula.
Riordan:
This was a situation that should have been made known to all members of the committee before we started, particularly considering what turned out to be a most interventionist approach to our questioning of the minister yesterday, as noticed by members of the opposition.
Labor MP Tim Richardson interjected saying this was “pathetic”: “This isn’t the 1950s mate. Women can think for themselves.”
Blandthorn said she did not agree there was a conflict of interest.
Blandthorn:
“His chief of staff is my husband … I don’t actually believe that there is any conflict of interest, in and of itself, in who a female or male may actually be married to and this suggestion is actually quite offensive.”
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Anthony Albanese finishes on this point:
This government avoids scrutiny. Wherever possible. We know the aged care royal commission began before the pandemic.
Aged care was in crisis before the pandemic. The interim report of the royal commission documented quite, just shocking revelations about older Australians lying in their own faeces, about older Australians not getting fed properly. There has been a crisis of basic nutrition in aged care facilities.
The royal commission is playing a vital role in opening up the information, which should be of concern, and is of concern, to every Australian.
But whether it’s the aged care royal commission, whether it’s the federal government actually stopping federal officials giving evidence before the Berejiklian government’s commission into the Ruby Princess, or whether it be the cancelling of parliament, and now the absurd argument that maybe the virtual participation of members won’t be available on the first week of parliament, but will be available in the second week – all of this is about a government that’s determined to avoid scrutiny at every single turn.
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Anthony Albanese press conference
The Labor leader is focusing on aged care after another day of awful revelations in the royal commission yesterday. He wants Scott Morrison to take responsibility:
It’s not enough for this government to simply pass the buck and say they simply don’t have responsibility.
When Scott Morrison stood in the parliament on that Thursday earlier this year and said that he had a plan – he waved it around in the prime minister’s courtyard. That plan said the federal government was responsible for aged care.
And what we know now from the aged care royal commission is that they didn’t have a plan, and we know as well from expert evidence that many hundreds of aged care residents will have a premature death as a result of the failure to put in place an appropriate plan to give older Australians the respect, the care and the dignity that they deserve.
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Queensland has a trial under way where pharmacies are established as Covid testing sites.
It is aimed at increasing the state’s testing capability, but the Royal Australian College of GPs has some reservations:
RACGP Queensland’s chair Dr Bruce Willett said:
While the RACGP supports the principle of increased testing to help curb Covid-19, the safety of patients and the broader community needs to come first.
Testing sites need considerable infection control procedures in place, including the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and environmental cleaning. Doctors and nurses are experienced in the use of PPE which requires training and is not a simple task.
Testing sites should limit exposure to the community and risk to nearby businesses – the RACGP’s guidelines for GP-led respiratory clinics state that access to the testing site must not require a patient to walk through another health facility or public space, as this risks infection spreading. Testing sites should not be located in a mixed-purpose location.
There are genuine concerns about whether retail pharmacists could meet these requirements and ensure the safety of patients coming in for Covid-19 tests, the safety of their other customers, and pharmacy staff.
We seek reassurance from the state government that the pharmacists involved in this trial will meet the necessary safety standards and receive the necessary training, and can provide a safe environment for any patients coming in for tests, as well as customers and staff.
To prevent fragmented care, the RACGP strongly recommends that pharmacists pass on test results to a patient’s usual GP, and this way they can also benefit from ongoing care from their GP.
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Telstra puts job cuts on hold
Telstra says it will put on hold until February plans to cut jobs because “many are doing it tough at the moment” due to the coronavirus crisis.
The telco planned to slash 8,000 jobs under a plan announced in 2018 but in March, as Covid-19 gripped the community, it paused the axe at the 6,900 mark.
Today Telstra said some people would still lose their jobs as their contracts came to an end or work on the NBN rollout finished.
“However, for the majority of our teams this will continue to give them some certainty at least until the new year,” the company told the ASX.
The company reported a full-year profit of $1.8bn, down 14.4%.
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Dressing this up as “putting students first” is some huge Orwellian energy.
Dan Tehan:
Putting students’ interests first
The Morrison Government is taking action to protect students and taxpayers from the accumulation of large HELP debts that do not provide benefits to the student and are unlikely to be repaid.
The Job-ready Graduates legislation contains measures to strengthen and extend student protection and provider integrity by:
- Requiring that universities ensure that all students are academically suitable for their course of enrolment, and that students are engaged with the course and maintaining a reasonable completion rate.
- Ensuring that a student’s HECS-HELP debts can be forgiven if their progress has been affected by special circumstances.
- Students with low completion or progression rates will no longer be able to access a Commonwealth supported place, HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. A low completion rate would be a student who has failed more than 50 per cent of eight or more units in a Bachelor course.
- If a student can demonstrate circumstances have adversely affected their academic performance – for example, illness or bereavement – their education provider can allow for consideration of these impacts. If a student transfers to another course the low completion rate will not be carried with them.
That these changes are being floated (along with legislating freedom of speech at universities) during a pandemic, when education of senior students and those embarking on study for the first time has already been disrupted tells its own story.
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The official announcement is here.
#Covid19VicData for 13 August 2020.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 12, 2020
278 new cases of #coronavirus (#COVID19) detected in Victoria in the last 24 hours. Sadly, 8 lives have been lost.
More detail will be provided this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/8SWet6eHv1
Updated
Victoria records 278 Covid cases, eight deaths
The number of cases has come down from the 410 we saw yesterday (and the high 300s we had seen before) which is excellent news.
There were eight deaths. Which is still a tragedy.
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New Zealand has recorded another Covid case, shutting down a school.
A Mount Albert grammar school student has tested positive. They were a close contact of the family who have tested positive with no known source. That came after more than 100 days with no cases.
Genome-sequencing of the family’s virus is being done to see if it links back to any of the known cases in quarantine.
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It’s not all doom and gloom, thankfully.
After they closed in March, staff from Melbourne’s Yarra Plenty libraries pulled from their database the phone numbers of every library member over the age of 70 – 16,000 records — and started calling those members to say hi and see if they needed anything https://t.co/vwAFUFQsSA
— Stephanie H Convery (@gingerandhoney) August 12, 2020
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It was rolled out really quickly but it’s been a massive help for a lot of people. Now the AMA wants Medicare-subsidised telehealth sessions to continue. As AAP reports:
Australia’s peak medical group has urged the federal government to extend Medicare-subsidised telehealth services until March as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The service is due to end September 30, but the government has said it will consider an extension upon the advice of a panel of chief medical officers.
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says that’s the way to go because the September deadline was decided when there was optimism the nation would be over the worst of coronavirus by then.
“We now know that the virus will be with us well past the end of September,” Dr Khorshid said.
“Victoria is in the midst of a second wave of infections and NSW is increasingly struggling in its daily battle to reduce its daily infection numbers. Most other states have also seen new infections, albeit at very low levels.
“Telehealth remains fundamental to our national efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, and ending the temporary Medicare arrangements in September would be premature.”
Dr Khorshid says the scheme is vital to ensure Australians who are self-isolating can still access medical care.
The AMA said a March 2012 end date would align with the cessation of the government’s wage subsidy program.
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Behind each of those daily death reports is a whole life.
They are reported as "three men in their 80s" or "two women in their 90s" - this series looks at the lives behind the numbers - From tragedy in the Philippines to Melbourne matriarch: family lose beloved 'Nanay' to Covid-19 https://t.co/JYC1K11hVA
— Lenore Taylor (@lenoretaylor) August 12, 2020
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After Australia recorded its (newest) deadliest day in the pandemic yesterday (a grim record indeed) Scott Morrison didn’t hold a press conference.
Instead, he posted this video to his social media feed:
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The ACT has been included as a hotspot by Queensland, despite having no (known) active Covid cases, after the Queensland government (which goes to the polls on 31 October) was worried NSW residents were using the Canberra airport to bypass the sunshine state’s border closure.
Andrew Barr says he hopes that situation is resolved soon but says in a pandemic, things tend to move quickly, and everyone is just reacting as best they can:
These conditions living through a pandemic present obvious challenges and things do change rapidly. But for Canberra, the city that is the meeting place of the nation, it is particularly challenging.
We obviously want to manage our federal parliament and that we can continue to have our parliament meet, that’s a very important thing and that’s a very fundamental role for this city, but equally I have a responsibility to look after the health and wellbeing of ACT residents and so we need to manage that carefully and, through the national cabinet, all of the state and territory leaders and the prime minister are regularly discussing these border closure matters.
They are inconvenient for people, that is very, very clear and what we have just been talking about is just another practical example of that.
But right now, the best advice that we can give everyone is that really only undertake essential travel.
There will always be a need for some essential travel, but if you are crossing a state border at the moment, or intending to, there is a risk that you might find yourself inconvenienced, and often for several days.
So right now, it’s probably best just to stay close to home.
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Asked about federal MPs who have been able to make the journey with no hassle, Andrew Barr says:
That was a very obvious point that we made early on that something was possible to put in place, a set of safe transit arrangements. This should have happened a few days ago but I’m pleased it has now. I want to thank the New South Wales government for putting the public health directions in place to enable it to happen. We will work with our residents to safely manage their transit through New South Wales, get them back home into Canberra and then into their two weeks of isolation.
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ACT residents have four days to make the journey (to give time for those who have not yet reached the border to get there – some stayed in self-isolation while they waited for the mess to be sorted out) and can travel with a police escort from 9am to 3pm.
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In about an hour or so the Canberrans stranded at the Victoria/NSW border can begin the three-and-a-half-hour journey home to the ACT after a deal was struck between the Barr and Berejiklian governments.
Andrew Barr spoke about the negotiations, which have been going on since Friday, with ABC News Breakfast this morning:
The New South Wales government was most concerned about the transit from the border to the ACT. So there is one designated rest point allowed.
The journey is a little over three hours and so a destination around Gundagai has been chosen, which is about two hours’ drive from the Albury-Wodonga border.
That will then enable people to then do another journey of about an hour to get to the ACT. So it splits up a three-hour trip for those who would need a comfort stop. It can be managed safely and it’s been, you know, part of our efforts to get New South Wales over the line that this could be managed safely.
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Speaking to ABC radio news, Dan Tehan says it is a “commonsense” change.
Asked about his Nationals colleague and minister for regional education Andrew Gee’s opposition to the changes, Tehan says the legislation is open to consultation:
Obviously Andrew has put forward some suggestions which he thinks will improve the legislation. I have spoken to every vice-chancellor over the last few months, who have put forward suggestions to me, about what they think will improve the legislation. We have obviously sent the draft legislation out for consultation, we will continue to consult. I look forward to receiving more feedback on the legislation. These are major reforms – we want to get them right, we will will continue to consult as we take this legislation through the parliament.
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The other news sneaking in today is this change to university fee funding announced by Dan Tehan – students who fail 50% of their subjects risk having their Hecs-Help funding access revoked.
Given that you do pay back that funding, with interest, and university isn’t always a ball for people who are financially disadvantaged, have mental health issues, including ADHD or other issues, or are just coping with the shock of being away from home for the first time – regional and rural teenagers living in the city included – this just seems like another burden for the disadvantaged.
University students who fail half their subjects face losing HECS-HELP access as part of proposed higher ed overhaul pic.twitter.com/GMkDut6Lm6
— Gavin Coote (@GavinCoote) August 12, 2020
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I can’t tell you how many emails I have had from people on the issue Elias is reporting on.
The ability to just jump on a plane and fly home while living overseas is something we should never take for granted again.
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The ACCC has been moved to investigate the behaviour of international airlines when it comes to people who have been trying to fly home to Australia. As Elias Visontay reports:
Australia’s consumer watchdog is investigating international airlines flying into the country during the pandemic amid allegations operators are cancelling economy passengers’ tickets in favour of business and first-class customers, as companies comply with a strict cap on overseas arrivals.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s inquiry comes after the opposition infrastructure and transport spokeswoman, Catherine King, wrote to the ACCC chair, Rod Sims, on Wednesday following the Guardian’s reports of allegedly “unethical” behaviour from some airlines.
Accusations include customers claiming airlines are repeatedly removing economy passengers, citing an overbooked flight, while still selling more expensive seats for the same service on their websites.
Updated
Good morning
We awake to some very nervous NSW authorities – the Tangara School for Girls cluster in Sydney’s north-west has some anxious eyes on it at the moment.
The Cherrybrook school is closed but has at least 19 cases linked to it. It’s the reason Gladys Berejiklian warned schools, particularly non-government schools, to cool it on the extra-curricular activities.
But there have also been a couple of mystery cases of Covid popping up in the NSW numbers – infections with no known source – which points to community transmission, which also has the state worried. Masks are not yet mandatory but Berejiklian warned of stronger measures coming if social distancing wasn’t properly observed – and they include wearing masks when in close quarters with other people.
In Victoria, there are still questions about the hotel quarantine program and whether the ADF was offered up. We’ll learn more about where the Victorian curve is headed today – with early indications showing its pointing down. Let’s hope the number of deaths are down as well. Those numbers have been just heartbreaking.
And the July labour force figures will be released today but they won’t paint the whole picture – not just because the ABS accounts for people who are on jobkeeper, but who might not have jobs to go back to, but also because the jobs were counted at a time before the Victorian lockdown came into effect.
So once again we will see an official rate – but the unofficial rate will be much higher.
We’ll cover all the news as it comes. You have Amy Remeikis with you today. Hit me up with your questions here and here and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Ready?
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