Today's main developments
And that’s where we’ll leave the blog for today.
We’ll be back tomorrow with all the news as it happens. Here’s what happened today:
- Victoria will ramp up asymptomatic testing of people in key industries, including aged care staff and meat processing plants.
- The NSW planning commission approved the controversial $3.6bn Narrabri coal-seam gas development.
- Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s said state debt would soar as a result of the pandemic.
- NSW reported no new locally acquired cases for the fifth day in a row, but four new cases among returned travellers. Queensland reported no new coronavirus cases
- Victoria recorded 13 new cases and four deaths
- Regional airline Rex announced it would start flights between capital cities in 2021, as a competitor to Qantas and Virgin, and lease six Boeing 737 planes.
- Travel agency Flight Centre said it would close another 91 Australian stores and further cut its staff numbers, having already closed 330 of its 740 stores due to the pandemic.
- Deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said young people should be encouraged to pick fruit in regional areas because it “would be a great Instagram moment for them to get up the tree to pick some fruit”.
Thanks for reading and stay safe.
Updated
Jacqui Lambie says university bill 'deserves to fail'
Senate crossbencher Jacqui Lambie has indicated she will vote against the government’s proposed changes to universities.
In a statement from her office, Lambie said it would “make university life harder for poor kids and poor parents”.
“I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the vote that tells the country that poor people don’t get dream jobs.”
👏 BREAKING from @JacquiLambie: "I want everyone to get a chance at being what they want to be. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the vote that tells the country that poor people don’t get dream jobs."
— NTEU National (@NTEUNational) September 30, 2020
Over to you @MakeMayoMatter & @Stirling_G #FundUniFairly #BlockTheBill pic.twitter.com/wrdyS063LP
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Flight Centre to close another 91 stores
Breaking news from Ben Butler:
Travel agency Flight Centre will close another 91 Australian stores and further cut its staff numbers, after it already closed 330 of its 740 stores due to the pandemic earlier.
Updated
On #AfternoonBriefing today, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the government's still considering local content quotas/spending requirements for streaming services.
— Jane Norman (@janeenorman) September 30, 2020
"We've very clearly signaled that's something we're considering. We haven't made a decision on that."
The government has been asked to “show a bit of backbone” over the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Pat Turner, the co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap, told the National Press Club today that Scott Morrison had to do better.
Shell to cut up to 9,000 jobs globally
According to the Press Association in the UK, oil company Shell will cut 9,000 jobs globally.
We’re covering the news in our global business blog if you’d like to follow that as well:
#Breaking Oil giant Shell has said it plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs worldwide following a collapse in demand for oil following the coronavirus pandemic
— PA Media (@PA) September 30, 2020
The deputy PM, Michael McCormack, has insisted that the government doesn’t want fewer audits, even as the auditor general’s office says it doesn’t have enough funding.
Earlier today, Guardian Australia’s Paul Karp revealed that budget constraints have resulted in the Australian National Audit Office conducting six audits fewer than its target, and the auditor general, Grant Hehir, wrote to Scott Morrison pleading for more funding in next week’s budget.
Updated
Fiji’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, has again pressured Australia to commit to net zero emissions by 2050, labelling it a matter of life or death.
“Any later than 1st January 2050 will be too late to achieve net zero emissions,” he told a Smart Energy Council forum today, AAP reports.
“These aren’t aimless targets, they are life or death deadlines backed by science.”
Bainimarama also urged countries to use the coronavirus recovery to transition to clean energy, saying its far-reaching benefits will span generations.
He praised Jacinda Ardern for pledging to reach 100% renewable energy by 2030.
“Our neighbours in New Zealand get it,” Bainamarama said.
Updated
Macquarie University to keep gender studies major
An update on a story from earlier. We reported today that Macquarie University was preparing to cut its gender studies major, which has been in place since 1984, as part of huge course cuts across Australia.
The university also earmarked whole degrees in maths and science to be phased out, and 30 out of the current 56 majors offered in arts.
Academics teaching gender studies have just confirmed the 36-year-old major will now be saved, after management emailed them this afternoon.
Earlier, Macquarie said it would “preserve” gender studies subjects “albeit as part of curriculum innovations where the experiences will be embedded within broader domains”.
Updated
From my colleagues Christopher Knaus and Michael McGowan.
The government is hiding the self-declared conflicts of interest of six departmental and contracted staff who worked in the unit responsible for the $30m Leppington Triangle purchase scandal.
Read the full story here:
And the federal Nationals leader, Michael McCormack, addressed the Narrabri gas project at a press conference earlier today.
The issue is of some sensitivity because the National Farmers Federation has urged the government to be cautious with a gas-led recovery because water quality is their number one concern.
But McCormack saw all upside:
Absolutely [I support it]. This is going to provide $3.6bn – 3.6 thousand million dollars – most of which is going to go in and around that Narrabri region. This is fantastic. Look at the region - it’s scrub country some of this region, at best. It is there for a resource to be tapped, to be used, to bring gas prices down, to bring energy prices down, to get that area realising its potential. And I congratulate the NSW government, what Keith Pitt and Angus Taylor have said about this endeavour. It’s going to create jobs and opportunity and unlocking the potential of that Narrabri region.
McCormack said concerns will “all be addressed” and the Nationals would ensure if farmers’ use of land is impacted “there is compensation for that”.
There are provisions for those farmers to ensure they are not left high and dry either.
Updated
In environment news you may have missed earlier, the controversial coal seam gas development at Narrabri has been approved by the NSW planning commission.
The project has been approved but with 134 stringent conditions, and some elements of the proposal, including the construction of a gas-fired power station at Leewood, were knocked back.
Adam Morton and Lisa Cox have the full story here:
Rex airlines to compete with Qantas and Virgin on capital city routes
In aviation news, the regional airline Rex has announced it will start flights between capital cities in 2021, as a competitor to Qantas and Virgin.
Rex has signed letters of intent to lease six Boeing 737 planes, which will fly between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, AAP reports.
The airline’s deputy chairman, John Sharp, said three of the six 737s would fly in March when the airline started services between Sydney and Melbourne.
Rex aims to have 10 of the planes by the end of 2021.
Sharp said Rex hoped to gain regulatory approval by December and ticket sales would follow. Rex shares were higher by 3.56% as of 3.30pm today on the back of the announcement.
Updated
Hi all, it is Naaman Zhou here. Thanks as always to Amy Remeikis for her blog captaining today.
Pokies profits dropped sharply during the first wave of the pandemic, but are still in the billions, according to new figures released today and reported by AAP.
Statistics from Liquor and Gaming NSW show that gaming machine profits dropped 41% for hotels and 40% for clubs between December 2019 and May 2020 for clubs, and January to June 2020 for clubs.
That covers 10 weeks from 23 March to 31 May when all gaming venues were closed.
Despite that, clubs still made an overall $1.2bn in profit from the pokies during the reporting period, while hotels made just under $830m in profit.
Updated
Former Ipswich mayor sentenced to seven and a half years in jail
The former mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale, has been sentenced to jail for seven and a half years.
Pisasale pleaded guilty to a range of charges last week, from corruption to sexual assault.
This afternoon, he was sentenced by judge Dennis Lynch in Ipswich district court to seven and a half years in jail.
Pisasale had first been charged in 2017 after an investigation from Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission.
Updated
Naaman Zhou has come on deck to take you through the afternoon.
You are in very good hands. A very big thank you to those who spent the day with me – I’ll be back early tomorrow morning. Until then, please, take care of you.
Updated
The aspiring Liberal party candidate who has brought a court action against the Victorian government’s (now lifted) curfew wants her case heard with priority.
Michelle Loielo is arguing the curfew, which was lifted on Monday, had infringed upon her human rights.
AAP has the latest:
Melbourne’s coronavirus curfew could be reinstated as quickly as it was taken away, say lawyers challenging the validity of the scrapped restriction.
Mornington Peninsula cafe owner and aspiring Liberal MP Michelle Loielo fears the 9pm to 5am curfew will be reinstated, and has pushed ahead with a legal claim that it breaches her human rights.
In a supreme court trial on Wednesday, her lawyer Jason Harkess argued that it was important the case go ahead with priority, while those behind the curfew argued the urgency went away with the restriction.
A curfew had applied in metropolitan Melbourne from 13 September until 5am on Monday as part of stage four restrictions ordered by Victoria’s chief health officer.
Those rules were signed off by associate professor Michelle Giles, who is the subject of Loielo’s action.
“When the premier announced its revocation on Sunday he also said at the same time ‘we don’t want to have to take any backward steps in this’,” Harkess said.
“The reality is a third wave is a real possibility and as long as the state of emergency continues to exist, Ms Loielo’s rights can be taken away with a curfew as quickly as they were given back.”
He said Loielo never used to fear a curfew, but does now and continues to live in uncertainty about whether her liberties and freedoms would be preserved.
Prof Giles’ lawyers have challenged whether Loielo even has standing to make the challenge now that the curfew has been scrapped.
They compared the case to journalist Annika Smethurst’s high court case on the legality of police raids on her home under laws that had been repealed by the time the case was heard.
“Because the section has been repealed, and even though she remained under threat of criminal charges, she had no interest that set her apart from interests generally,” solicitor general Kristen Walker said.
In this case, without Loielo admitting or being prosecuted for breaching the curfew she too had no interest over and above millions of others affected by the restriction, she said.
Updated
Christian Porter spoke to Perth radio 6PR about the pick-for-the-dole scheme this morning. He doesn’t seem to think it can be solved with a doing it for the ‘gram campaign push – unlike the deputy prime minister:
Well, there’s been a lot done.
So we’ve had working holiday makers can now work for longer than six months, they can stay an additional 12 months in Australia if they work in agriculture.
We’ve done some work around the seasonal worker programme with the Pacific Labour Scheme.
As you note we’ve increased the amount that you can earn to $300 before you lose a dollar of welfare payment.
Yesterday it was announced that people who earn good money out of fruit picking, once they reach the cut out for getting welfare we won’t take them out of the welfare system, we’ll leave them in so they wouldn’t need to reapply, obviously, because it’s seasonal work.
So, we’ve engaged in a suite of measures. We’ll have to keep a very close watching brief on the space to see how those measures are working.
I mean it clearly is a real problem, I might say it’s a problem that’s not going to be solved by putting glossy advertisements on state TV with people like they’re in a Cherry Ripe ad – you know, glamorous models picking one cherry down south.
I mean, this is – it’s a real problem, it’s real work, but you can earn decent money from this work.
And when we’ve got very high unemployment in Australia, and we’re letting people earn large amounts of money without losing a dollar of their welfare payment, you know, we hope that people will respond to that.
Updated
This is still bubbling away in the background.
Labor's Penny Wong on the UK Internal Market Bill - and possible consequences for an Australian FTA pic.twitter.com/0aceuCgVLS
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) September 30, 2020
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Saddened to hear of the passing of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Under his leadership, Kuwait has played an important role supporting peace and security in the Middle East, and Australia and Kuwait have enjoyed strong trade, investment & defence ties.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) September 30, 2020
And to round out those case updates:
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest active case numbers are as follows:
- Estia Aged Care Facility Keilor: 33 (46 total).
- Opal Hobsons Bay Aged Care Facility Altona North: 21 (total cases: 45).
- Embracia Moonee Valley Aged Care Facility: 19 (total cases: 80).
- Edenvale Manor Aged Care Facility Keilor East: 14 (total cases: 23).
- Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee: 12 (total cases: 260).
- Doutta Galla Aged Services Woornack: 7 (total cases: 60).
- Mercy Place Parkville Aged Care Facility: 7 (total cases: 104).
- Twin Parks Aged Care Reservoir: 4 (total cases: 127).
- Churches of Christ Care Arcadia Aged Care Essendon: 4 (total cases: 22).
- Epping Gardens Aged Care Facility: 3 (total cases: 220).
In Victoria there is currently one active case in residential disability accommodation:
- Total resident cases: 0; total staff cases: 1.
- Active cases in NDIS homes: 1 (0 residents).
- Active cases in ‘transfer’ homes (state regulated/funded): 0 (0 residents).
- Active cases in state government delivered and funded homes: 0.
Non-aged care outbreaks with the highest number of active cases include:
- Eight active cases are currently linked to the Casey community outbreak (total cases: 45).
- Five active cases are currently linked to the Springvale shared accommodation outbreak (total cases: 5).
- Four active cases are currently linked to Alfred Hospital (total cases: 11).
- Three active cases are currently linked to Footscray Hospital (total cases: 20).
Updated
That continues:
In Victoria at the current time:
- 4,272 cases may indicate community transmission – a decrease of one since yesterday.
- 305 cases are currently active in Victoria.
- 44 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including six in intensive care.
- 19,006 people have recovered from the virus.
- A total of 2,694,959 test results have been received which is an increase of 17,937 since yesterday.
Of the 305 current active cases in Victoria:
- 302 are in metropolitan Melbourne under the Second Step of our roadmap.
- Three are in regional local government areas under the Third Step of our roadmap.
- Zero are interstate residents.
- Zero are either unknown or subject to further investigation.
- Colac Otway has one active case and Greater Geelong, Greater Bendigo and Ballarat have no active cases.
Of the total cases:
- 18,777 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 1192 are from regional Victoria.
- Total cases include 9,618 men and 10,537 women.
- Total number of healthcare workers: 3,542, active cases: 46.
- There are 147 active cases relating to aged care facilities.
Updated
We have the official data from Victoria Health:
Victoria has recorded 13 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 20,169.
The overall total has increased by 11 due to two cases being reclassified.
Four of today’s 13 new cases have been linked to known outbreaks or complex cases. Two are linked to aged care (Estia Keilor and Edenvale Manor) and two are linked to the Butcher Club at Chadstone. The other nine cases remain under investigation.
Of today’s 13 new cases, there are three cases in Melton, two cases in Monash, Moonee Valley and Stonnington and single cases in Boroondara, Greater Dandenong, Kingston and Whitehorse.
There have been four new deaths from Covid-19 reported since yesterday. One woman in her 70s, one woman in her 80s, one woman in her 90s and one man in his 90s. One death occurred prior to yesterday.
Two of today’s four deaths are linked to a known aged care facility outbreak. To date, 798 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
The average number of cases diagnosed in the last 14 days for metropolitan Melbourne is 16.4 and regional Victoria is 0.3. The rolling daily average case number is calculated by averaging out the number of new cases over the past 14 days.
The total number of cases from an unknown source in the last 14 days is 21 for metropolitan Melbourne and zero for regional Victoria. The 14-day period for the source of acquisition data ends 48 hours earlier than the 14-day period used to calculate the new case average due to the time required to fully investigate a case and assign its mode of acquisition.
Updated
Speaking of Michael McCormack (which the transcription service has, in the past, translated to ‘the big sleep’) he has finished his speech on reinvigorating Australia’s regions.
The deputy prime minister seems to think that young Australians live to take selfies.
AAP listened so I didn’t have to. Yet another reason why the newswire service is invaluable.
Deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has appealed to young Australians to work in farm harvest jobs with the lure of love and an Instagram moment.
The federal government is weighing up cash incentives for school leavers and university students with farmers desperate for 26,000 extra workers this summer.
McCormack extolled the virtues of a regional gap year to pick fruit and vegetables.
“If you know somebody who might be on the coast who might be lounging around with a surfboard, tell them to come to the regions,” he told the Regional Australia Institute on Wednesday.
“Bring their mobile with them because it would be a great Instagram moment for them to get up the tree to pick some fruit.
“Who knows, they might take some friends with them, they might meet new friends there, they might meet the love of their life.”
The government has already announced allowing job seekers to earn $300 a fortnight without affecting their welfare payments.
Backpackers working on farms can stay with one employer for more than six months and stay in Australia an extra year.
Programs aimed at bringing in Pacific and Timorese workers to fill rural and regional job shortages have reopened.
But there are warnings more need to be done, including from a bipartisan parliamentary committee that wants student loan discounts.
The committee has also called for dole recipients to be able to keep more of their payments while doing low-paid farm work.
Agriculture minister David Littleproud said he was working closely with farmers on additional measures ahead of next week’s federal budget.
“Farmers don’t have the luxury of sitting around waiting for workers to turn up and we don’t want fruit rotting on the vine or crops left in the field,” he said on Wednesday.
Even before coronavirus, labour shortages have been a key issue in agriculture, with the coalition yet to heed calls for a dedicated farm worker visa.
Tough working conditions and low pay have historically been seen as a barrier to Australians filling the jobs.
There have been shocking cases of exploitation across horticulture.
McCormack is also pushing a regional road trip revival to stimulate local tourism with international borders shut.
He believes millennials who may have intended to holiday in Europe or Bali will spend money in the regions.
“They’re now going to go to the Big Banana. They’re going to go to the Big Prawn,” McCormack said.
“They’re going to the big whatever - and there are lots and lots of big things out in regional Australia for them to go and get photographed in front of.”
Updated
While we are on budget statements – fun fact – former Coalition women’s minister, Kelly O’Dwyer, had to fight to have the women’s economic statement reinstated as part of the budget, after the former minister for women, Tony Abbott, scrapped it.
Updated
The government has announced a ‘regional and rural Australia’ budget outcome statement as part of the next budget – it is the first time that a statement like this will be part of the budget.
From Scott Morrison and Michael McCormack:
The Statement will update the House on the Coalition Government’s economic roadmap for rural and regional communities. It is the government’s intention to deliver this update annually.
Regional communities and industries have been disproportionately affected by recent challenges including Covid-19, prolonged drought and bushfires.
Our economic recovery plan will create jobs and more resilient regions helping to rebuild our economy and to secure Australia’s future.
Just in the last week, the Government has announced $385 million for the new Regional Recovery Partnerships program, the regional Connectivity Program and the new Resilient Regional Leaders initiative, as well as further investment in the Building Better Regions Fund and regional tourism.
Regional Australia will be key to helping Australia’s economic recovery from Covid-19.
Updated
Anthony Albanese has delivered his McKell Institute speech.
It finishes with this:
The test for next week’s Budget isn’t the quality of the slogans or marketing stunts. It won’t matter what merchandise the Liberals have commissioned to replace the “Back in Black” mugs.
This moment is too big for the Prime Minister’s small-minded obsession with his own image.
The country needs more than the person who has devolved from being the Chair of the so-called National Cabinet, to being a commentator on its outcomes.
Far from accepting responsibility, Scott Morrison gave a big hint of what was to come with his declaration of “I don’t hold a hose, mate.”
Australia has been built on the core value of fairness and looking out for each other.
The pandemic has seen the best of these values as Australians have responded magnificently, and in the case of those on the frontline it has been nothing less than heroic.
Our is a country forged of mateship, not leaving people to fend for themselves. Australia needs a real plan for recovery.
A plan for jobs, for productivity, for industry, for investment in Australia’s future. A plan to help those hit hardest by the crisis, including women, young people, the aged and small business.
That’s what Labor is offering.
Updated
Australian Bureau of Statistics release report on wellbeing
The ABS has put out its latest report – this time on wellbeing.
And apparently, more than half of us felt rushed for time in 2019. So obviously, 2020 is the result of our collective wish to slow things down on New Year’s Eve.
Key statistics:
- Overall life satisfaction of Australians aged 15 years and over was 7.5 out of 10 in 2019, compared to 7.6 in 2014.
- More than half of Australians (56.3%) experienced at least one personal stressor in the last 12 months.
- Almost two in five Australians (39.5%) reported ‘Always’ or ‘Often’ feeling rushed for time.
Life satisfaction:
- Overall life satisfaction is a summary measure of subjective wellbeing against a scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 means ‘not at all satisfied’ and 10 means ‘completely satisfied’.
- In 2019, on average, Australians rated their overall life satisfaction as 7.5, compared to 7.6 in 2014 (Table 2).
- Average life satisfaction was relatively low for people with a mental health condition (6.4), people who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual (6.8) and people with disability (7.0).
- People aged 70 years or over reported an overall life satisfaction of 7.8 while those aged 40 to 54 years reported 7.2.
Personal stressors and feeling rushed for time:
- More than half of Australians (56.3%) experienced at least one personal stressor in the last 12 months. This was significantly higher for people with a mental health condition compared to those who do not have a mental health condition (81.0% and 52.8%). People with disability were also more likely to have experienced at least one personal stressor compared to those with no disability (69.6% and 50.8%) (Table 4).
- Nearly 8 million Australians (39.5%) reported ‘Always’ or ‘Often’ feeling rushed for time. Those aged 40-54 years are most likely to report feeling rushed for time (56.2%) (Table 3).
- More females (43.1%) reported ‘Always’ or ‘Often’ feeling rushed for time than males (35.8%). Females aged 15-24 years are more likely than males aged 15-24 to report feeling rushed for time (55.7% compared to 37.1%).
Updated
State debt to soar while battling Covid: S&P
Ratings agency S&P have taken a look at Australia’s debt position.
(Via AAP)
Debt among Australia’s states is set to soar in combating the coronavirus pandemic, reducing their buffers against further shocks, a global rating agency has warned.
State government bonds have already surged past $300bn.
Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Martin Foo said the states had committed tens of billions of dollars to emergency measures this year.
“There is more red ink to come,” he said on Wednesday.
“Upcoming annual budgets will likely contain new initiatives, to be paid for with debt.”
He said the recession was driving deeper budget deficits, as tax revenues plunged and emergency fiscal support flowed.
“But borrowing costs should remain manageable with yields at historic lows,” Foo said.
However, even prior to the onset of the pandemic, S&P expected debt to climb, as eastern states planned large infrastructure projects.
“Federal policymakers are now piling pressure on the states to deliver more infrastructure stimulus during the next two years,” Foo said.
Updated
14,500 children displaced during Australia's bushfires
The International Displacement Monitoring Centre – which looks at people who have been displaced from their homes by events, such as war, famine and natural disasters, has looked at the Australian bushfires.
You can find the whole report here.
But interestingly:
- Of the 64,578 total displaced people, around 14,500 children were displaced and around 8,000 were school-aged (aged 5-14).
You may remember a little earlier this month, Save the Children made a submission to the bushfire royal commission, asking for systematic inclusion of child services as part of Australia’s disaster planning, so the needs of kids aren’t forgotten in the response.
So that should help their case a little.
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First of all, everyone is on TikTok now. Secondly – what.
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I just checked in with Michael McCormack, and well, it is going as well as you would expect.
"If you're on your surfboard, you're unemployed, you're on the coast and you really want to improve yourself and help your nation besides, have a look what's available... you'll meet a lot of new friends and you'll get adventures that you'll remember for the rest of your life."
— Jade Macmillan (@JadeMacmillan1) September 30, 2020
Updated
My feed has dropped out, but the press conference was coming to its end. I’ll let you know if there was anything else.
Daniel Andrews then moves on to staying the course, even though there is a lot of hurt in the community at the moment, which has been caused by the restrictions:
... We can have a Covid normal that we can lock in, and I don’t for a moment want to diminish the challenge that many families are facing.
And there will be a big job of support. We talk a lot about economic repair – there’ll be personal repair that we have to do also.
And we’re absolutely committed to that.
And that’s why the budget, when it’s delivered later in the year won’t just be about bricks and mortar, as important as that isn’t unemployment support and all of those sorts of issues.
It’ll also be about wrapping the support around those who needed the most.
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Asked about the letter from the federal government asking for more students to return to school (years seven to 10) Daniel Andrews says he understands it is difficult, but he is trying to look at the bigger picture:
I’ve got three kids at home. Noah is doing Year 12, Grace is in Year 10 and Joseph is in year eight.
On behalf of the [younger] members of my household, they’d very much like to be back at school, when their older brother is going back, if not sooner.
But we’ll get, we’ll get the seven to 10 back as soon as it’s safe to do that.
And we can have a situation in the face of an excellent piece of work from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute that does bear out the fact that children, small children and older, young people who are not children for the purposes of this far as they’re transitioning into adulthood, the epidemiology the science of this thing is different and that’s the work that the Murdoch has given us and we’re very grateful to them.
But there’ll be a time.
I’m very confident that we will, we’ll be able to change those settings, but when it’s safe to do that.
The last thing we want is you get some of the benefits here so having those young adults, back at school, but in a situation where you finish up with many many outbreaks and potentially all the settings, well beyond schools could potentially be impacted by that.
So as a parent of young people exactly in that age group, I know and understand this is not easy. And I say to every family who is doing it tough because of these reasons and others, we will get to a better place, but only when it’s safe to do that.
Updated
Outdoor gatherings in Melbourne are limited to five.
So if you have three kids, you can not take your kids out to meet another parent with three kids.
But if your household is more than five, you can go outside together. The difference is the “gathering” – a household going outside is not considered a gathering, but a meet-up with people from another household is.
Updated
The rapid testing kits you may heard a little about – are being tested against the gold standard in Victoria at the moment – but they want to make sure they reasonably catch as many infections.
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What about their mental health? Has Brett Sutton heard reports of an increase in mental health issues in school students?
Yes.
Sutton:
I’ve certainly heard reports of that. It’s more in the mental health branch and the office of the chief psychiatrist and Safe Care Victoria to be following that data, but I am aware of, you know, those significant pressures.
These are these are really tricky choices we know, we know what we’re balancing here what we don’t want is the situation where we’re stepping into early.
And the modeling tells us that we have to, you know, constrain ourselves again we don’t want to go back to any restrictions.
Updated
Why aren’t more students back at school?
Brett Sutton:
We know that primary school is a lesser risk because of the transmission potential for younger kids, but there is a transition, the likelihood of transmission is more adult like above 12-15 years of age.
And so we have to be mindful of that we certainly don’t want to interrupt your 11 and 12, learning, by virtue of an outbreak and needing to close the school, and we don’t want to drive transmission at all because we’re introducing kids too early.
But we’ve worked really closely with Department of Education and Training and there are so many mitigations that they are looking at now - obviously there’ll be mask wearing, there’ll be cleaning there’ll be distancing to the extent possible, they’re looking at ventilation, they’re looking at the awareness of symptoms.
So all of those things will be in place, and we will not defer kids coming back any longer than we have to but we need to we need to pick a time when it’s safe for them.
Brett Sutton says Jenny Mikakos was “extraordinarily hard-working” in his first comments since her resignation as health minister.
But he says he and new health minister Martin Foley are also “on the same page” and he doesn’t believe the change will cause much disruption to the department.
Updated
Former Victorian health minister, Jenny Mikakos tweeted the other day that Victoria was “well on its way to eradication” which is not something Victoria has been pursuing.
Prof Brett Sutton is asked about that comment:
There is nothing new in this space, the aggressive suppression strategy is a national cabinet strategy.
It speaks of the fact that we are looking to get to zero community transmission, but it’s in recognition of the fact that the virus is out there globally.
The virus will always have an opportunity to reemerge in any jurisdiction.
No matter how long they might have gone without any community transmission that’s the case in Auckland, New Zealand and has been the case in other jurisdictions in Australia.
Updated
Prof Brett Sutton gives a little more detail on the numbers authorities are looking for, in terms of opening up:
When we look at the successful jurisdictions other states and territories other countries that have gotten to a point where they’ve either gotten to no community transmission or sustained extremely low levels.
They have gotten to a point of fewer than five mystery cases over a 14-day period.
So we absolutely have to focus on that and and we would not tolerate.
You know, 15-20 mystery cases over a 14 day period that we’re at currently in terms of the daily rolling average.
Again, we want to get below five, but if it’s above five and the great majority of those cases are known contained linked.
And we’re confident about the control measures in place, we might accept that as a threshold to move to another step. So we would look at those.
Updated
Victoria Health is going to break down the active cases by LGA again, now that numbers are more manageable.
“The criticality of protecting regional Victoria is very high,” Prof Brett Sutton says, which is why there probably won’t be too much more movement in easing restrictions in regional Victoria very soon, despite the low case numbers.
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Victorian CHO Brett Sutton says he thinks the spike in testing on Tuesdays is a bit of human nature in play – it is more convenient for people to get tested on a Monday or Tuesday, which tends to mean higher numbers on Wednesdays.
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At the moment, there will be about 95 different businesses which will have to step up its testing regime, but that number could grow.
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Coronavirus viral fragments detected in Anglesea wastewater
Victoria Health has just put out this statement, after viral fragments of Covid were found in the Anglesea sewer network – despite there being no confirmed cases:
While the preliminary result may not mean there are currently active cases of Covid-19 in the Anglesea community, the Department of Health and Human Services has increased testing in the area with local health services and taken further wastewater samples.
Residents of Anglesea and recent visitors who have even the mildest of symptoms are urged to get tested and isolate as they await their result.
A pop-up testing site has been established at Anglesea Memorial Hall, 1B McMillan Street. It will be open from 11am to 6pm on Wednesday 30 September and from 10am to 6pm every day until Sunday.
The department is analysing wastewater for fragments of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, at sites across Victoria as part of the national collaboration for sewage surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 (ColoSSoS).
The positive trace of coronavirus was detected in a preliminary test result and then confirmed on Tuesday 29 September in a sample collected from the entry to wastewater treatment plant on Tuesday 22 September.
The test result may be a result of someone with coronavirus infection who hasn’t been detected through testing. It could also be because someone who has previously been infected is continuing to “shed” the virus.
It can take several weeks for someone to stop shedding the virus. The fragments themselves are not infectious.
Victoria’s chief health officer Prof Brett Sutton said that while positive samples have been expected at sewage testing sites because of the prevalence of Covid-19 cases in Victoria, the Anglesea result is of interest because there have been no known cases in the local community in recent weeks.
While the result may not signify any current cases and could represent virus shed from people who had visited the town, it has provided an opportunity to increase testing and minimise potential transmission.
In early September, testing was stepped up in the Apollo Bay area after virus fragments were detected in wastewater. With more than three weeks having passed since detection, it is unlikely that there is an active undiagnosed case in the area.
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Why is this step being taken? Why step up testing at the high risk worksites, given the plans which are already in place?
Daniel Andrews:
It’s all about trying to just have the most complete picture.
Also, particularly aged care now I think it just guarantees for us that there’s a constant, constant discussion between providers about making sure that they’ve got the best practices in place that all the Covid site planning isn’t just a document isn’t just a piece of paper or something that static, it’s a real thing. And it’s part of culture and practice in each and every workplace.
Asked if businesses will follow the new Covid-safe plans, Daniel Andrews says:
I’m really confident that people will do this because they want to stay open they want to be safe. And that’s exactly what these arrangements underpin.
There is an update on testing – there have been 160,000 tests over the last 2 weeks, which is about 3,300 tests for every positive found, which is very good news.
Still, if you have any symptoms, get tested.
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Victoria has recorded 13 new coronavirus cases and four more deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 798 and the national figure to 886.
The new cases, confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, bring Melbourne’s 14-day average down to 16.4.
“I can report to you that the strategy is absolutely working,” Andrews said.
There remain 21 mystery cases between 14-27 September, all in Melbourne.
Melbourne’s 14-day average must drop below five and have fewer than five mystery cases for a fortnight before the state eases restrictions further, and no further easing will occur before 19 October.
“The good news is, though, our modelling from multiple sources… [shows] that we are on track and, all things being equal, we will be able to take a significant step in just three weeks time,” Andrews said.
Only 44 Victorians remain in hospital with Covid-19, six are in intensive care, and three requiring a ventilator. There are now 147 active cases in aged care facilities and only one active case, a staff member, in disability care.
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Daniel Andrews then addresses critics who have been calling for restrictions to be lifted faster – which includes federal government ministers – now that case numbers are coming down.
Now I just want to make a comment that was the active case numbers.
You can see them falling, and let’s hope we can get below 300 for the first time in a very long time, when tomorrow’s numbers come through.
But the most important thing here is, people are free of course to make comparisons with other states and the number of active cases they had in a historic sense and what they might or might not have done at that point, but it’s really important I think, that we just focus on that 14 day trend.
If you pick a moment in time when another state – say New South Wales was at about 300 or 350 active cases – that’s not really a fair comparison at a point in time when we have 300 or 350 active cases, you’ve got to look at that 14 day trend that got you to that number.
And we didn’t have the sort of opening up that some people are urging, I understand why.
But I also understand that it’s not something we can do at the moment we’re very close, we’ve got three weeks to go before we can take big steps, but the notion of opening up at 16.4 cases per day in metropolitan Melbourne is not safe.
It is not steady, and it will not last.
I know these numbers are coming down that’s a great thing. and the temptation always is to perhaps read more into that, then is there. You’ve got to do this in a steady way, and 16.4 cases was to to, it’s the trend is with us and it’s a fantastic result.
That is not still low enough for us to be able to take those really big steps. The good news is, though, are modeling from multiple sources, as well as the actuals that are fed in every single day confirm for all of us that we are on track and all things being equal, we will be able to take a significant step in just three weeks time
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Daniel Andrews press conference
I missed the beginning of the press conference looking for a feed (apologies) but there were about 18,000 people who came forward to get tested yesterday, which makes the 13 new infections, on what is usually a peak numbers day, very good news indeed.
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There were a lot of questions on this yesterday – how Victoria was dealing with high risk worksites.
Well, here is the answer.
A new ‘surveillance testing program’ will aim to test 25% of staff working in high risk workplaces in Victoria each week @abcmelbourne #springst pic.twitter.com/25Gl8ZxhkH
— Bridget Rollason (@bridgerollo) September 30, 2020
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That is from 13,575 tests which is great news – the 24 hours prior just 6,381 New South Wales residents were tested.
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NSW reports four new Covid cases but fifth day in a row of no new locally acquired cases
NSW has recorded four new cases of Covid – but all are in hotel quarantine.
This is the fifth day of no community transmission/locally acquired cases for NSW.
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If you want to follow along with the debate though, and can’t get to a TV, you’ll find the Guardian’s live coverage here
Everyone is broadcasting the Trump v Biden debate (do debates even matter anymore?) but I’m trying to hunt down the Australian press conference feeds.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has released its report looking at jobseeker.
It doesn’t look at social impacts – that is not its job – but it does include this:
The rise of long-term recipients and older recipients is likely to continue irrespective of short-term fluctuations in unemployment, given the gradual increase in age pension qualifying age to 67 currently underway and the jobseeker payment appearing to function as a kind of pre age-pension payment for some older Australians in the labour market.
Changes to eligibility for other payments over previous decades may mean that the jobseeker recipient population has a larger share of recipients with higher barriers to employment than was previously the case. This is reflected in the lower proportion of existing recipients (also referred to as the “stock”) who move off the payment each year relative to new recipients and will likely lead to higher jobseeker expenditure in the future.
It is important to note, however, that this increased expenditure is at least partially offset by savings from other income support payments due to eligibility changes. These eligibility changes mean expenditure on these other payments such as DSP and the age pension is lower than it would have otherwise been as a result of the payment rate for jobseeker being lower relative to these payments.
Overall, these longer-run developments are likely to maintain upward pressure on jobseeker expenditure into the medium term.
The PBO will continue to monitor developments and adapt its projection approaches across payments in the social welfare system as a whole, given the importance of these inter-relationships for expenditure trends.
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Ahead of that presser is a new high-risk locations list.
UPDATED - High risk locations list:
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 30, 2020
📍 Woolworths Ashwood, 26 Sept
📍 Coles Chadstone, 27 Sept
📍 Chadstone Shopping Centre Fresh Food Precinct, 23-26 Sept 6am-6pm
📍 The Butcher Club - Chadstone Shopping Centre, 23-26 Sept 6am-6pm
Full list: https://t.co/tkawOvqIid #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/57izeyeG6T
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I understand you can still watch the Daniel Andrews press conference on the ABC website – but yes, this is a very good point.
Today will probably be the first day in about three months ABC doesn't take the Dan presser live (I assume they won't cut into the US presidential debate)
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) September 30, 2020
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It’s 11am for Daniel Andrews 90th consecutive press conference.
10 more and he gets a telegram from the Queen, or something.
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Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba to be celebrated on new $100 note
There is a new $100 note coming at the end of next month.
It has taken a year to get the new Granny Smiths ready for circulation – they’ll be out on 29 October. Apparently, there are more than 400 million $100 banknotes in circulation, unless you are a pensioner, on benefits, or a millennial political blogger, in which case, there are about three.
From the Reserve Bank statement:
The new $100 banknote celebrates the contributions of two outstanding Australians, Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba. Sir John Monash was an engineer, soldier and civic leader. He was a significant figure in the building/construction industry. Monash is also widely recognised for his service as a commander in the first world war. Dame Nellie Melba was an internationally renowned soprano who performed in Australia, Europe and the United States of America in the late 19th and early 20th century. Melba also made important contributions to the arts through teaching at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, now the Melba Opera Trust, in her home town of Melbourne.
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Queensland reports no new coronavirus cases
Queensland has recorded no new cases of Covid-19.
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Michael McCormack is also giving a speech today, at the Regional Institute.
That is at midday, with a press conference to follow at 1.30pm.
We imagine he has been well-briefed at not calling government purchases for 10 times their value “a bargain” by now.
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Anthony Albanese was on ABC radio AM this morning, where he was asked why he was calling the economic downturn the “Morrison recession”.
Q: In the speech, you’re labelling the economic downturn the Morrison recession. The World Bank’s not calling it that. Europe and the US aren’t calling it that. How’s that fair?
Albanese: “Well, the fact is the economy was really struggling last year. We had wages stagnant. We had the Reserve Bank intervening on multiple occasions to lower interest rates to record low levels. We had business investment in decline. We had productivity going backwards. We entered the difficulty of the global pandemic from a position of weakness.
Q: At a time when people are really frustrated with needless partisanship, why are you making this personal?
Albanese: Well, the fact is that Scott Morrison was the treasurer who presided over a weakening of the economy and then the prime minister.
Q: But the Morrison recession?
Albanese: Well, Scott Morrison is the prime minister. And this is a government that spent a long time talking about Labor’s debt issues as if there wasn’t a global financial crisis, it must be said, a debt that will be pretty close to one quarter of what it is now is what they inherited.
Q: So, political payback?
Albanese: The fact is that Scott Morrison is the prime minister.
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For those interested in what Anthony Albanese has to say at the McKell Institute later today, Murph has you covered.
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States with closed borders living with a 'false sense of security', says Gladys Berejiklian
Gladys Berejiklian still wants those Queensland borders open (and presumably the other states that are not Victoria, who still have closed borders with NSW, but Queensland is usually the focus here). One, because, well, the states butt up against each other, and two because relations haven’t exactly been warm between the two leaders for quite some time and three, they come from different parties and there is an election campaign on).
Asked on the Seven network this morning why NSW still had the one person per 4 sq metre rule for some spaces, while other states had moved to the one person per 2 sq metres, Berejiklian accused the states with closed borders of having “a false sense of security”:
Some other states have adopted 2 sq metres because they have the borders up.
They are living in a false sense of security because they are not welcoming people from other states.
We have said if you want to keep the economy going, get rid of the borders, allow people to move freely, get the tourism industry going and of course, we can look at the opportunities into allowing more people into hospitality venues but we need to make sure we are ready for that.
But also, can I congratulate so many businesses who’ve been innovative and instead of having one seating at dinner, they have had two or three and actually managed to get around those issues.
In NSW, we have encouraged businesses to do that, we have supported them and we will continue to do that. We want to see a further easing of restrictions but not at the expense of then having to restrict activity in the medium term because we have acted too quickly.
I will be the first state to look at things like allowing Kiwis in, allowing reciprocal arrangements on international travel.
We are not afraid of taking the steps but we need to make sure we do it at the right time, not to lose control of all the great work we have done to date.
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It being the last day of the month, the ADF is packing up and leaving the Queensland border, after being “redeployed” by the federal government.
The federal government says the personnel are needed to prepare for any potential disasters this summer (we are in for floods, because fires are so last season) but Queensland says it is a political decision, as ADF personnel are remaining at other border zones across the country.
Queensland will open to northern NSW residents from 1am tomorrow, so that border zone is about to get a lot busier.
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People of all binaries, it is my pleasure to inform you that the pandemic is apparently over.
#BREAKING: The Bunnings sausage sizzle is BACK! Mark your calendars - Saturday October 3 in the ACT and October 10 in NSW. #9News pic.twitter.com/SQkemLRsNU
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) September 29, 2020
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It’s not known as the “no actual investment fund” for no good reason – but the $5bn fund which was meant to turn northern Australia into an economic powerhouse (and was one of the Coalition government’s first projects) is about to get another revamp under its latest minister, Keith Pitt.
From the minister’s statement:
Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt said the 2020-21 Budget will include reforms to the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) which will provide more flexibility, increased risk appetite and widen the scope of projects eligible for funding.
Minister Pitt said the changes are on top of July’s announcement of a five-year extension to NAIF operations until 30 June 2026.
“The reforms to NAIF will ensure the $5 billion facility will have more flexibility to bankroll investment in a wider range of projects across Northern Australia,” Minister Pitt said.
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Government to offer welfare and visa boosts for picking fruit
Scott Morrison said there was work being done on this, which would be announced very soon – but pick for the dole looks like becoming a reality.
As AAP reports:
Unemployed young people could soon be offered extra cash incentives to help with the harvest season.
Backpackers and seasonal workers picking fruit could also be able to extend their visas even further.
Fruit and vegetable farmers will need an extra 26,000 workers to harvest their crops this summer.
They are calling for urgent government interventions to help fill the massive workforce shortfalls caused by coronavirus border closures.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has already announced a range of changes aimed at plugging the gaps.
Jobseekers can earn $300 a fortnight without affecting their welfare payments.
Backpackers working on farms can stay with one employer for more than six months and stay in Australia an extra year.
Programs aimed at bringing in Pacific and Timorese workers to fill rural and regional job shortages have reopened.
The prime minister has signalled he will do more to open the seasonal labour schemes and encourage Australians to take up regional jobs.
Mr Littleproud said he was working closely with farmers on additional measures ahead of next week’s federal budget.
“Farmers don’t have the luxury of sitting around waiting for workers to turn up and we don’t want fruit rotting on the vine or crops left in the field,” he told AAP on Wednesday.
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Victoria records 13 new cases and four deaths
The Victorian numbers have landed.
#COVID19VicData: Yesterday there were 13 new cases & the loss of 4 lives reported. Our thoughts are with all affected.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 29, 2020
The 14 day rolling average & number of cases with unknown source are down from yesterday as we move toward COVID Normal
Info: https://t.co/eTputEZdhs#COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/Yp216DuE58
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And here is the AMA urging the government to be realistic about when a viable vaccine is likely, and to include that in any budget forecasts:
Budget forecasts must be realistic about a vaccine says @ama_media #auspol #COVID19Aus pic.twitter.com/9rl58cd2iB
— Political Alert (@political_alert) September 29, 2020
The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, did the Australian media rounds this morning and, obviously, the travel bubble was the main topic of conversation.
But she was also asked by the Seven Network about the hard lockdown she and her government put New Zealand under as they went for eradication of the virus instead of suppression.
Asked if she would do it again, given that it “crushed” the economy, Ardern said:
Well, I would reject that it did. Our unemployment, we have managed to keep it low. It’s actually the predictions on employment have come down, also our debt compared to other countries looks to remain low compared to others.
And, of course, the most important measure of all, the impact on our people’s health, you know, our death rate. Very low.
And so it all depends on what you measure success. I had a small business owner say to me recently, “What good is my business if I lose my family ?”
We went hard early because it allowed us to open up quickly and it allowed us to get our economy moving quickly again and it allowed us to keep our people safe.
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Overnight the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, acknowledged the grim milestone the world passed yesterday.
We've lost 1 million lives to #COVID19 & many more are suffering.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) September 29, 2020
My heart is with all those grieving.
My prayers are with those who are sick.
My thoughts are with #healthworkers working tirelessly on the front lines to save lives.
We must #ACTogether to end the pandemic.
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Anthony Albanese will deliver his speech to the McKell Institute at 12.30 today.
Experts warn people not to expect a vaccine until next year
Assoc Prof Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease expert at ANU, has joined the list of medical experts managing expectations about when a vaccine for Covid-19 is likely to be available.
Senanayake had a chat to the Seven network this morning. He said he believes that won’t be until “at least the middle of next year”:
It is hard to say, but I would have thought at least the middle of next year, because it is unprecedented vaccine development, but it does take a long time.
I don’t know if it’ll be 2022, but I would have thought at least 2021.
That comes after the AMA boss, Dr Omar Khorshid, told 7.30 overnight people shouldn’t expect a vaccine next year as it was “really important that we are realistic about the time it takes to get a vaccination through all of the many production issues”.
Khorshid said it would take many months and he wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a viable vaccine until 2022.
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AAP has a little more on what Jacinda Ardern is thinking when it comes to travel between New Zealand and Australia (assuming she is still prime minister when it comes to the point of becoming reality – the NZ election is 17 October):
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Australia could be on the verge of letting New Zealanders enter without the need for a fortnight quarantining in a hotel.
Ms Ardern advanced talks on the creation of a trans-Tasman bubble with counterpart Scott Morrison in a phone meeting on Tuesday night.
“There is a chance that we could have Australia simply open to New Zealand because of our status and where we are right now, which is pretty good,” she told AAP.
“They could just say, ‘Well look one way (travel from New Zealand to Australia) is fine by us’ until we work through some of the detail, and it’s a possibility.”
The NZ Labour leader, overseeing a COVID-19 elimination strategy, has established a series of criteria that must be met before opening borders to other nations.
That means New Zealand reciprocating and allowing Australians in for quarantine-free travel is a little further away.
The Victorian outbreak led to an impasse in trans-Tasman bubble talks with Australia, though Ms Ardern says Mr Morrison’s embrace of a “hotspot” system would allow travel to resume sooner.
“Essentially what a hotspot system would do, it would shut down those areas where there were heightened cases, while allowing the rest to be open. And so absolutely, we can also make that work,” she told AAP.
“What we just need to hear a bit more from Australia on is what the definition of a hotspot will be, how they’ll manage the state borders in those situations, but we’re working that through.”
Ms Ardern said opening up to Pacific nations – beginning with the Cook Islands – was “absolutely” still part of New Zealand’s re-engagement with the world.
“The threshold that we’ll set will meet the Cooks’ expectations,” she said.
On Tuesday, Mr Morrison said people flying into Australia from overseas could soon be allowed to quarantine at home, asking officials to look into the proposal.
Ms Ardern said New Zealand was unlikely to follow suit, saying “quarantine-free travel is our version of that”.
“I do think there’s something to be said at looking at the other end, thinking about whether or not for high-risk countries we need to have, an additional element of extra self-isolation,” she said.
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Good morning
Welcome to day 274 of 2020, and the last day of September. As far as we know. The clock could hit 23:60 on New Year’s Eve, and we could just end up doing this whole year again – none of us would be surprised.
With case numbers starting to drop, the federal government is once again putting pressure on Victoria to open up Melbourne but, at this stage, Daniel Andrews is staying firm. Last time Victoria eased restrictions there was still community transmission occurring and we know how quickly that jumped out of control. So the cautious response is understandable. But as the days tick by, the ceasefire between the two governments seems increasingly shaky.
In Queensland it is all about the election, which is now just a month away. Covid has become almost a side issue in the sunshine state – the closed borders means there have been no community transmissions for more than two weeks, although federal government MPs are also demanding those borders come down too. Northern NSW residents can enter Queensland from tomorrow but, with the Northern Territory and South Australia also welcoming Sydney and surrounds, pressure is increasing on the Queensland government to open up again
Even Mark McGowan, who leads the state with the hardest border closure in the land at the moment, felt some of the pressure – he announced that from next Monday, people travelling to Western Australia from Victoria won’t have to pay for hotel quarantine if they can complete 14 days of self-isolation in a “suitable premises” – like a house. That means a lot of people can go home for longed-for visits. NSW residents will also be treated the same as other visitors to WA – a Covid test on day 11 but entry won’t be so difficult to obtain.
NSW, often held up as the “gold standard” by the prime minister in terms of dealing with Covid, has gone four days without community transmission but authorities are worried about low testing rates. For the second day in a row, numbers were hovering at the lower end of the 8,000s, which, for Australia’s biggest state, is not great. There is still some risk of community transmission there, and, so far, its success in opening the economy and dealing with the virus has rested on catching any outbreaks before they take hold. But there seems to be some testing fatigue, which puts pressure on the system to keep up with the potential of an outbreak.
Federally, it is all about the budget, which yesterday Scott Morrison called the most important in a generation. That will be handed down on Tuesday but, the at the moment, most people are just looking for some reassurance there will be some big spending and ideas to help navigate the absolute shitstorm which is headed our way. The cuts to jobkeeper and jobseeker already have people worried – and the prime minister’s comment yesterday – “We’ve got to keep moving forward. We need to keep leaning into the next step to see our economy strengthen and not have it held back by keeping support measures in place for too long” – hasn’t done a lot to allay those fears.
Anthony Albanese will give a speech today laying out what Labor thinks needs to happen, as well as increase his criticisms of Morrison.
Meanwhile, Jacinda Ardern has been having a chat on the Nine Network about the travel bubble – she says negotiations have shifted to “hotspot regimes” which she seems a little sceptical of, so stay tuned there.
We will cover all of the news, in terms of Covid and federal politics (with a few bits and pieces from elsewhere) as it happens. You have Amy Remeikis at the helm for the day.
Ready?
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