Summary
And that’s where we will end the live blog for Friday evening. We will be back tomorrow with live global coronavirus coverage.
Here’s what we learned today:
- The long-awaited report on the Ruby Princess debacle found NSW Health made multiple “serious errors” in handling the Ruby Princess, and effectively “did nothing” – but it has made no recommendations to NSW Health.
- Auckland will remain in stage three lockdown, while the rest of New Zealand will remain in stage two for 12 more days in a bid to prevent an explosion of new cases as the source of the new outbreak remains uncertain.
- Victoria reported 372 new cases of Covid-19, and 14 deaths – including the death of a man in his 20s.
- NSW recorded nine new cases of Covid-19.
- The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has apologised for the government’s role in failing to adequately prepare aged care residences for Covid-19 amid thousands of cases in Victoria, and dozens of deaths.
- He has, however, pushed back against claims made at the aged care royal commission that the government acted with “hubris” after getting NSW outbreaks contained and did not prepare for a second wave.
- There have been just 247 applications to the government’s stimulus-inducing Homebuilder program.
Until tomorrow, stay safe.
Updated
Here are the changed restrictions in South Australia from tonight.
From Friday 14 August, changes to gatherings come into effect. For more information visit: https://t.co/I0s0cnsiM1. pic.twitter.com/0kPf1hu85N
— SA Health (@SAHealth) August 14, 2020
Princess Cruises has put out a statement welcoming the fact the Ruby Princess report does not find any of its staff misled public authorities.
BREAKING: Statement from Princess Cruises RE: Ruby Princess pic.twitter.com/s3n4sXjX4n
— Matt Young (@MattYoung) August 14, 2020
From what I can see, there is no mention of this, this or this in the final Ruby Princess report.
— Naaman Zhou (@naamanzhou) August 14, 2020
"It was only the flu" is mentioned, but not the negative flu test. There are no key findings or recommendations on any of these three pieces of evidencehttps://t.co/1hPYSI22nF pic.twitter.com/PmZ1yyRjq8
Updated
I just received a decision from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to an FOI I filed way back in February.
I was seeking documents related to the Australian government’s initial decision to charge people evacuating from Wuhan back to Australia (this feels like a lifetime ago).
Initially DFAT wanted to practically refuse the decision, but we narrowed down the time, and eventually it found one document relevant to my request, but decided against releasing it because, among other reasons, it was created for the purpose of briefing the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, for cabinet discussions.
It took half a year to reach this decision.
Updated
I am handing over now to m’colleague Josh Taylor who will take you through the evening.
Stay well and write shorter novels.
Updated
This seems relevant, given Bret Walker SC’s dig at Andrew Probyn in the Ruby Princess report.
Here's the PM on March 15, four days before Ruby Princess docked, saying cruise ships would be put "directly under the command of the Australian Border Force"... https://t.co/kIWNOlgt5V pic.twitter.com/t27mGgSr1h
— Andrew Probyn (@andrewprobyn) August 13, 2020
Yesterday, when we reported on the outbreak at the South Morang Bluebird Early Education centre, we said it wasn’t clear whether the centre was going to reopen on Monday as planned because it was waiting on advice from DHHS.
I’ve seen an email from the centre to parents this afternoon which says that despite “constantly calling” DHHS to find out whether they can reopen as planned, the centre has not heard back.
This is a bit difficult for parents because obviously they need to make arrangements with their employers, so the lack of communication from the department has been a cause of concern.
Updated
To other states now.
One of the regional areas named as areas of concern by the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has recorded a reduction in the number of active cases, according to the Victorian health department’s daily summary.
Greater Geelong, which had recorded an increase in community transmission, now has just 167 active cases – down five from yesterday.
Geelong is part of the Barwon health district, which also includes the Colac Otway shire, the centre of the Australian Lamb Company outbreak.
That outbreak is now under control and shrinking – it also recorded a reduction in active cases today as people were declared recovered.
The other two cities of concern were Ballarat, where the active cases went up one to 25 today, and greater Bendigo, which had a net increase of four cases.
But keep in mind that the increased testing capacity only started today – so we won’t see those numbers come through until Sunday or Monday.
Updated
Ruby Princess inquiry clears Australian Border Force and home affairs department
The final report has also cleared the Australian Border Force and the home affairs department of any responsibility.
Commissioner Bret Walker found that the relevant legislation:
... Makes it crystal clear that the Australian Border Force (ABF), despite its portentous title, has no relevant responsibility for the processes by which ... passengers were permitted to disembark from the Ruby Princess, as they did, on 19 March 2020.
Given its lack of medical or epidemiological expertise, it is well for the public good that the ABF (and, for that matter, the Department of Home Affairs) do not bear any responsibility for the Ruby Princess mishap.
He criticises a report from the ABC’s Andrew Probyn.
As this report was being finished, some interesting journalism was published that advanced the notion that a basic misreading by an ABF officer of negative influenza results as meaning negative Covid-19 results had somehow contributed to the decision to let the passengers go as they did on 19 March. As the body of the report spells out, that is not correct.
To repeat, neither the ABF nor any ABF officers played any part in the mishap.
Updated
Walker did, however, find fault with the federal government, which, he says, was “the one fly in the ointment” in their assistance, or lack thereof, to the special commission of inquiry.
He excludes the commonwealth’s lawyers from the criticism.
Walker writes that the issue was the commonwealth’s belief that it had immunity from any compulsory process of a state inquiry.
A summons to a commonwealth officer to attend and give evidence about the grant of pratique for the Ruby Princess was met with steps towards proceedings in the high court of Australia. Quite how this met the prime minister’s early assurance of full cooperation with the commission escapes me.
This waste of time and resources, when time, in particular, was always pressing, was most regrettable.
Walker said a “practical approach” to the inquiry on behalf of the commonwealth government was “swamped by a determination never to concede, apparently on constitutional grounds, the power of a state parliament to compel evidence to be provided to a state executive inquiry (such as a royal commission or a special commission of inquiry) by the commonwealth or any of its officers, agencies or authorities”.
Updated
The final report into the Ruby Princess has also declined to make any recommendations against the operator of the ship, Carnival Australia.
Earlier in the inquiry, evidence was produced that showed NSW Health was relying on an out-of-date log of respiratory diseases when it made its initial assessment of the ship.
The ship’s senior doctor, Dr Ilse von Watzdorf, later sent NSW Health an updated log that showed more people had become sick.
In the report, commissioner Bret Walker said von Watzdorf “should have notified NSW Health late on the evening of 18 March, or sometime early in the morning of 19 March prior to passengers disembarking, of the 20 extra persons who had been diagnosed”.
But, he said, it was an honest oversight, and that even if she had done it earlier, it was “unclear whether any different decision would have been made”.
He wrote:
This is an oversight by Dr von Watzdorf. It should be emphasised as such, but no more. It was not something that was deliberate or calculated. It was not something she was asked or required to do under the enhanced procedures.
Given the lengthy hours she was working, and the pressure she was no doubt under in the final stages of the cruise, it is understandable why it did not enter Dr von Watzdorf’s mind to inform NSW Health about the additional persons who had been diagnosed.
Walker also said “no criticism” is made of von Watzdorf and the fact that the Ruby Princess left Sydney with fewer Covid-19 swabs than it should have had.
He also said there should be no criticism of another Carnival employee, Peter Little, for not informing NSW Health of the spike in sick passengers.
No recommendations were made regarding the cruise ship’s conduct.
Updated
The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard ,should not be made to resign as a result of anything uncovered in the Ruby Princess inquiry, special commissioner Bret Walker SC wrote.
Walker said there was “political and public comment” demanding the inquiry question Hazzard, and that he “would certainly have done so ... if questions of substance” about areas directly under his control – the law, the organisation of the NSW health department, and its resourcing – had arisen. They did not, he said.
Perhaps those making calls for the minister to appear at a commission hearing during the inquiry had in mind some version of the rather nebulous so-called Westminster theory of ministerial responsibility. This report is not the place to expatiate on the unsatisfactory nature of this idea, that does not really warrant being called a doctrine.
Of course a minister should resign in some circumstances, but as this commission sees it, without wading into the partisan politics, this case would not appear to fit that outcome.
The failures were professional – failures in decision-making by experts. They are not, as to their expert judgments, subject to ministerial direction. Nor should they be, unless our system of government were to become farcical. Respectful as this commissioner is of political accountability, especially in the parliamentary chambers, this commission saw no aspect of ministerial conduct that amounted to any action or inaction of any relevance to be investigated in this inquiry – let alone by calling the minister as a witness.
Updated
Walker said there were “basic mistakes” made in the public health protections against the Ruby Princess cruise ship.
Namely, the failure of the health department to update its epidemiological criteria to class all cruise ship passengers as overseas travellers – which would have moved them out of a low-risk category; the failure to await test results before letting passengers disembark; and the failure of Carnival cruise ships to stock enough swabs to do Covid-19 tests onboard.
In his 320-page report, Walker said NSW public health officials “did adequately attempt to protect the public health against Covid-19 on cruise ships” but that “their attempts sadly miscarried in this event”.
He found that the failure to update the risk associated with cruise ships in late February and early March of 2020:
... was a serious mistake that contributed to the relatively unrestrained scattering of passengers on 19 March 2020.
Walker also said there were “woeful shortcomings” in the number of swabs taken of passengers onboard, and that although there were supply chain issues at the start of the pandemic,
... it cannot constitute prudent public health administration to have tolerated a profitable leisure business like Carnival knowingly taking the risk of insufficient swabs to comply with pre-existing requirements.
Walker said the “avoidable delay in testing notifying its results could have had real public health consequences” and that the failure to await the results of Covid tests before letting people off the ship was another failure.
He said the Diamond Princess experience and risk of infection spreading onboard, if passengers were told to remain in their cabins, “might have justified urgent and secure removal into strict quarantine, but alas did not do so”.
He wrote:
One way of asking how things may have turned out better than they did is to remove, hypothetically, the basic mistakes committed by failing to observe pre-ordained public health procedures. The main ones are the out-of-date epidemiological criterion relating to travel from overseas, and the shortfall in swabs.
If the serious mistake concerning the former had not been made, the expert panel would have been alerted of more than 100 rather than zero travellers meeting that criterion for suspect cases. If the latter had been rectified dockside (if not by more efficient supplies earlier), then more disease intelligence would have been available – assuming results were not delayed – for more rapid response.
And overall, it seems clear the dangerous scattering of passengers either would not have occurred, or else it would have been safeguarded with better social distancing, masking and supervised isolation or quarantine. But it is impossible to estimate how much better the outcome would have been with any really solid numbers: too many variables and sensitivities render modelling of alternatives an exercise with diminishing returns.
What can confidently be concluded is that we – New South Wales and the broader community – would have been very likely considerably better off with respect to Covid-19 had those mistakes not been made.
Updated
NSW Health committed 'serious errors', Ruby Princess inquiry finds
NSW Health’s expert panel committed multiple “serious errors” in handling the Ruby Princess, and effectively “did nothing” – but the final report into the Ruby Princess has made no recommendations to NSW Health.
The final report, handed down today by commissioner Bret Walker SC, has made a number of key findings pointing to mistakes by NSW Health.
The log of acute respiratory diseases, which tracked how many passengers was ill, was not read by all members of the NSW expert panel.
If they did, they “should have noticed the significant spike” in respiratory illness, the report said.
[NSW Health] should have requested an updated log either late on 18 March or early on 19 March. These are all serious errors.
NSW Health also made errors by not testing all passengers onboard who had symptoms and not having enough tests to even do so.
But the report declined to make any recommendations to NSW Health – only recommending that the Biosecurity Act be reviewed.
Commissioner Walker wrote:
Various mistakes and failures have been identified above. It should not be thought though that, by some misguided reflex, recommendations should follow.
He continued that there were “no systemic failures to address”.
It is inappropriate and unhelpful to make recommendations to experts that in truth amount to no more than ‘do your job’.
The mistakes made by NSW Health public health physicians were not made here because they failed to treat the threat of Covid-19 seriously. They were not made because they were disorganised, or did not have proper processes in place …
There are no ‘systemic’ failures to address. Put simply, despite the best efforts of all, some serious mistakes were made.
Updated
NSW releases Ruby Princess inquiry report
The NSW government has just received the report on the special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess.
It has been publicly released here. The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said she will read the report over the weekend and respond early next week.
Updated
My colleague Calla Wahlquist will take over the blog now.
We should have detail on the Ruby Princess report very soon.
The Australian cricket team will travel to England next month for three one-day internationals and three T20 matches.
Canberra airport closing down over multiple days
Just in: Canberra Airport said it is closing on multiple days in the future due to no flights in or out of the capital due to coronavirus travel bans pic.twitter.com/YE8zfnm4Pl
— Andrew Brown (@AndrewBrownAU) August 14, 2020
Jacinda Ardern says there are no signs a stage 4 lockdown is needed.
She says the wage subsidy will be extended to all businesses in stage 3 locations.
Updated
New Covid outbreak is 'new to NZ': Jacinda Ardern
New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, says the genomic sequence of the now 29 cases of coronavirus after 102 days of no cases “appears to be new to New Zealand”.
She says investigations are still ongoing, but there is nothing to suggest it is connected to cases in the early outbreak in March, or that it is connected to anyone in hotel quarantine.
She says that means it doesn’t seem as if it was the virus lingering after the last hard lockdown.
NZ has done 30,000 tests in the past 48 hours.
The stage 3 lockdown in Auckland, and stage 2 in the rest of New Zealand, will continue for another 12 days, taking it to a full two weeks.
Ardern says the settings will be reviewed on 21 August.
Updated
OK, we are expecting the Ruby Princess report to be handed to government before 4pm and the NSW government will make it public shortly after.
Good afternoon.
We have a few things coming up this afternoon:
- The NSW Ruby Princess inquiry report will be handed to government (not sure if it’ll be made public today)
- A Jacinda Ardern press conference
- The daily Victoria DHHS email outlining the detail on the daily case numbers
We will bring that to you when we have them.
I am going to hand you over to the lovely Josh Taylor for the rest of the afternoon – I’ll be back on Monday.
Thank you to everyone who has joined us this week – it is very much appreciated, as are all your comments, messages and missives. This is a whole team effort at the Guardian, but we couldn’t do it without you.
I hope you can take some time for yourselves at the weekend. And take a breath. We’ve all made it another week. You don’t have to have achieved anything – it’s OK to just get by at this point of 2020.
Again, thank you. I’ll see you early Monday morning. Take care of you.
Updated
This sounds very serious – we don’t usually get media releases like this from the police:
Geelong crime investigation unit is investigating an assault at a correctional facility in Lara today.
It is believed one inmate assaulted another around 1pm.
A 47-year-old man was stabbed several times and has been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.
The investigation is ongoing.
Updated
Scott Morrison said earlier that he wished WA well in its court proceedings with Clive Palmer.
Anthony Albanese:
Scott Morrison was in it up to his neck. Scott Morrison and his government was supporting Clive Palmer make legal case against WA.
Scott Morrison said, and indeed Christian Porter repeated, they had no choice but to participate in the legal case on the side of Palmer.
They criticise Mark McGowan repeatedly for maintaining WA borders.
This prime minister opposed border closures before he supported them. He opposed wage subsidies before he supported them. He opposed lockdowns before supporting them.
He opposed restrictions in areas like entry from the US until he supported them; he opposed parliament sitting for six months, remember, before he supported them.
This is a prime minister who changes when the mood changes. This is not a prime minister who is showing leadership on issues like the need to protect Western Australians, and Western Australians should be very grateful that they have Mark McGowan leading that the state rather than Scott Morrison and his allied Clive Palmer.
Updated
Anthony Albanese on Scott Morrison’s comment that the aged care issues in Victoria are because of community transmission:
Where was the problem before? It was in NSW. That is the point.
Put in place mechanisms and systems that drive it through. One of the problems with the government response has been that it has been that word ‘response’.
What we actually moved across a range of issues is pre-emptive action. That is what this government does not seem to understand and when it comes to, for example, paid pandemic leave, they say it should have occurred after the recent an outbreak of the pandemic.
No, what we need is structures put in place that minimise damage – not that deal with the damage.
Q: Should there be more facilities run by the state and not left to the private sector?
Albanese:
It is something that needs to be looked. One of the things that happened in general when you look at service delivery, when service delivery is based upon making profits, you change the dynamic of that service delivery, and in aged care we are seeing a real distinction between outcomes in publicly run facilities and those run by the private sector for profit.
Updated
Anthony Albanese:
The prime minister likes to pretend there has been a plan. If this is a plan, I would hate to see what it was like if it was not planned.
Updated
Anthony Albanese continues:
The commissioner urged the government to create an aged care specific national coordinating body. Labor is urging today the federal government to ensure that it creates an aged care specific national coordinating body in line with the statement of the commissioner.
We urge the government to act on this as a matter of urgency and therefore to use that body to make sure that the risk-appropriate training and, importantly, one of the most astonishing facts that has come out through the royal commission and other evidence and statements is the fact that aged care workers have not had access to personal protective equipment.
The idea that in 2020, someone looking after an elderly, sick Australian, who has helped build this country, has to decide whether they will use a left glove or right glove because they cannot use both is not good enough.
We need to do much better and be inspired by the stories that we will commemorate tomorrow and we will commemorate this week about the effort that these Australians had done for us, for our country. The least we could do is to give them dignity and respect in their elder years.
Updated
'My heart is shredded' – Anthony Albanese
The Labor leader has called a very quick press conference to respond to Scott Morrison’s aged care comments:
When I think of what is going on in aged care facilities at the moment, some of the stories that I am hearing and the pictures that we are seeing, my heart is shredded.
The fact is that too many of our sons and daughters of our second world war veterans said their final goodbyes to their parents over Facetime.
Our incredible aged care workers are holding the hands of our precious elderly as they pass. The fact is, we as a country need to do much better.
When the prime minister stood in the courtyard on the Thursday of a sitting week, after question time, and waved around the document saying that it was the plan to deal with [coronavirus] and it’s impact on Australians, that document said very clearly and I quote section 4.1.4: “The Australian government will also be responsible for residential aged care facilities.”
Nothing equivocal, about it: very clearly from the prime minister saying that the Australian government was responsible.
The Australian government now needs to do more than say they will await a national cabinet discussion so that once again we can have lines drawn between whether things are federal or make federal responsibilities because the prime minister has already declared that it is a federal responsibility.
Updated
This story is why I’m so upset at the aged care response and the responses from the prime minister in the face of criticism of the federal government’s “plan”.
This story and everything behind it.
People have died. Their age shouldn’t come into whether that was “expected” or not.
Updated
AAP has an update on the Tangara School for Girls cluster:
An independent Catholic school in Sydney linked to 21 Covid-19 cases has been cleared by police of any public health order breaches.
Police were called in to investigate whether Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook had broken the rules after media reports alleging social distancing was not being enforced and extracurricular activities and school assemblies were going ahead.
A police spokeswoman on Friday confirmed NSW Health had asked officers to investigate, but the probe had concluded and the college had been cleared of any wrongdoing.
In a statement on its website, the school said the “misinformation” circulating during the “challenging and emotional period” needed to be clarified.
“We have always followed the advice of NSW Health around Covid-19 and will continue to do so,” it said.
The outbreak has been linked to a nearby Opus Dei Catholic study centre, Eremeran, which is closed for cleaning after recently hosting five senior schoolgirls.
The school said it plays no role in organising or monitoring attendees at Eremeran, which is a third-party provider.
It comes as St Vincent’s College in Potts Point became the third independent Catholic school to shut after being exposed to the virus, with a student testing positive on Thursday.
The school was closed on Friday for cleaning and to allow health authorities to contact trace.
It joins Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta, which is linked to three cases. Both are closed until 24 August.
NSW recorded nine new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday including a third linked to Liverpool hospital, and a second connected to Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club.
People who attended the club at specified hours between 7 and 10 August are considered close contacts, and must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.
Anyone who attended the hospital between 6 and 9 August is advised to monitor for symptoms and get tested if even mild symptoms emerge.
Of the new cases reported on Friday, one is linked to the Tangara school, three are returned travellers in hotel quarantine, and there is one case with an unknown source.
The state on Thursday recorded its first death since 1 August 1 – a Sydney woman in her 80s linked to the Our Lady of Lebanon Church cluster.
Updated
Speaking of grants, the arts and entertainment sector still don’t have any.
That would include the tradies who work backstage building sets and whatnot.
Labor’s Tony Burke:
It’s been 154 days – more than five months – since Labor first called on the government to help this struggling sector.
But this week arts minister Paul Fletcher refused to even guarantee that this urgent, emergency funding would start flowing before the end of 2020.
This is truly pathetic.
The Covid-19 crisis began in March.
For more than three months the government stubbornly insisted there was no problem and that a sector completely shut down by restrictions was somehow doing fine.
In June, they found they couldn’t keep denying reality and finally relented with a loans and grants program.
It took another six weeks for the government to approve a set of guidelines for less than half of that package. We have no idea when they will release guidelines for the rest of the money – or indeed when any of the money will actually be released.
This is a sector that employs hundreds of thousands of Australians. These are workers who are hurting and they need help.
They deserve better than this inept, dithering government.
Updated
Only 247 applications for Homebuilder
Remember Homebuilder? You know – spend a bunch of money and get a tiny bit of money in return to renovate/build your house, but only if you are in a particular wage bracket?
Homebuilder applicants will be subject to eligibility criteria, including income caps of $125,000 for singles and $200,000 for couples, based on their latest assessable income. A national dwelling price cap of $750,000 will apply for new home builds, and a renovation price range of $150,000 up to $750,000 will apply to renovating an existing home with a current value of no more than $1.5m.
The program is expected to provide around 27,000 grants at a total cost of around $680m.
Well, the policy take-up has been as predicted. Not a lot.
The Covid committee has just heard that since 4 June there have been 247 applications.
That is 247. Across Australia. 157 in South Australia, 90 in Tasmania.
None have been approved as yet.
Updated
The RBA governor, Philip Lowe, has spent a lot of time during his parliamentary appearance this morning rejecting modern monetary theory, in particular directly printing money to fund government spending.
This despite the fact the RBA has already been doing “money printer go brrrr” in its relations with private banks, by buying government bonds from them.
— cumbrained but polite egirl (@femalelandlords) March 9, 2020
That money came from nowhere – the RBA simply used “the computer to mark up the size of the account” the banks hold with the RBA, as the former Fed boss, Ben Bernanke, once memorably explained.
Readers may remember that earlier Lowe said there was “no free lunch” by directly printing money to finance government spending – a remark that is likely to irk MMT fans no end.
Greens MP Adam Bandt has been pushing hard on the issue this morning, but Lowe isn’t for moving.
Bandt said that if RBA funding was used to get people back to work, taking up spare capacity in the economy, it wouldn’t lead to inflation (which the RBA continues to fear despite the fact Lowe also says it will be below the target band for years).
“What gets people back into work is the fiscal spending – I agree with you that’s something that we should be looking at,” Lowe said.
“I think where we disagree is how that should be financed.
“I do not see monetary financing changing the total amount of resources that need to be raised by the government in the end. It just changes when and how they’re raised.
“And I do not see any benefit at all in us financing the government right now and changing the usual way that the government pays for its fiscal spending.”
Updated
The Victorian chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, also told reporters that the daily case numbers in Victoria suggest that the peak in daily case numbers was reached four or five days ago. So that’s great news.
Speaking at the press conference earlier in Melbourne, Sutton said:
Peak overall would likely be the peak of community transmission. It would be terrific if it’s true; I would like it to be true. I am fairly confident.
That does not sound especially confident. He continues:
The five-day trend, the seven-day trend, indicates that the peak was probably four or five days ago and we will continue to see lower numbers overall from here on in.”
Sutton said his message to Victorians was to “keep at it” and warned that restrictions would not be lifted until case numbers were much, much lower.
We know that numbers are heading down but we could not conceive of opening up with 200 cases a day. We couldn’t do it with 100 cases a day. We have to head for the lowest possible number, including zero.”
The premier, Daniel Andrews, said he was “not going to make predictions” and would just watch the daily case numbers, saying: “I want to see the numbers continue to fall.”
He said Victorians have to remember that beating Covid is not “a sprint, it is an endurance race, it’s an ultra-marathon”.
We can’t be in a situation where we don’t quite do this job and all we are doing is setting ourselves up for a third and fourth wave ... We have got to get ourselves to the point that we have real confidence that we could keep a lid on this ... We are a long way away from that point.”
He added:
If we were to open up at 372 or 250 cases we would not have beaten the second wave. We would have just stayed the course for the third wave.”
Updated
So the aged care “apology” only came in response to a question, and was not offered up in the opening monologue, which amounted to “Sometimes we have good days and sometimes we have bad days.” And I’ve put apology in inverted quotes, because it was a qualified apology:
On the days that the system falls short, on the days that expectations are not met, I’m deeply sorry about that, of course I am, and I know that everyone who is involved in the process who is trying to meet those expectations is equally sorry.
Scott Morrison also deflected criticism as criticism against aged care workers which is not where it has been directed. At all.
All the criticism from the royal commission has been aimed squarely at the federal government. Morrison called those “assertions” made by “people”.
That person was Peter Rozen QC, the counsel assisting the commission. Who was roundly criticising the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Not aged care workers.
That’s not just “some person” making an assertion at the pub based on a whoosh whoosh reading of a tweet headline.
Updated
Scott Morrison offers his thoughts on border closures, before leaving the press conference as journalists continue to call out questions:
On borders. I raised this with premiers and chief ministers and indeed if you look at the letter I wrote to Mark McGowan, I set out how it could be done in the future and I appreciate what I thought was a positive response from premier McGowan about how that could be done, and I think it’s quite reasonable that people would expect that there is some certainty or at least some process about how premiers are making decisions about when they close and open borders.
Personally the way that NSW and Victoria went about that process provided the best model.
I made it very clear to chief ministers and premiers that what we should be focusing on is the containment of the virus and where there are hotspots – and I have been saying this since early March – the three areas you had to focus on: testing, tracing, containment of outbreaks, defining those outbreaks, where they are ... and it is just as important to stop someone from moving out of an outbreak area within a state to go to another part of the state as it is for them to go to any other state.
So focusing on where the containment is as the outbreak has always been, we think, is the priority.
States and territories, I can assure you, though, have been very adamant about their sovereignty when it comes to who sets their borders, and that is a very strong view held by all – I would say pretty much all premiers and chief ministers.
So I can only tell you that there is some resistance to that idea, but constructive suggestions have been made in the spirit of partnership.
Updated
Scott Morrison:
On the broader issue, the plan was put in place back in March. The plan was updated.
Well over 100 meetings of the AHPPC and many meetings of the national cabinet, the aged-care issues have been regularly, regularly gone over, and sometimes in great detail and improvements have been made and discussions about the preparedness of other states and territories and we saw a very good example of that recently in Queensland, and I commend the Queensland government with the way they dealt with a prospect of an outbreak there recently ... and so there has been a higher level of confidence in those jurisdictions and that has been evidenced when they have been tested.
Similarly, it has been the case in New South Wales, despite the many outbreaks they’ve had to face in recent times. We’ve been able to contain that situation there ... and they’ve done a great job to date on that.
But you can’t be complacent about it, you never can, and we never are and we never will be.
Updated
Q: Following up on aged care, the counsel assisting also suggested there was a degree of congratulation and possibly complacency that crept in when it looked like the virus was under control.
Do you accept that, and take responsibility when the complacency may have crept in a couple of weeks ago, and the state and territory preparedness for aged care around the country? A lot of people would be confused that that hadn’t been done sooner. Why is that only being done now?
Scott Morrison:
Well, firstly, no, I don’t accept the assertion that was made. Where there have been failings, where things are fallen short, I can assure you it wasn’t as a result of complacency.
Those who are doing a professional job each and every day are doing the best job they possibly can, and so, no, I don’t accept that reflection that was made against all of those hard-working people.*
That has not been the attitude of our government and will not be when it comes to the very serious issue of protecting the life of elder Australians in the places where they receive care. That is someone else’s opinion. It is not a finding, and it is not an opinion that I share. Quite the contrary.
*Peter Rozen did not aim his comments at “those hard-working people” in aged care. He aimed them at the federal government.
Updated
Scott Morrison is holding this press conference before the Ruby Princess report is released.
Just for some more context.
Q: Prime minister, on 15 March, just before the Ruby Princess docked, you said that you wanted the Australian Border Force to be in command of the arrangements for cruise ships.
Since then we’ve seen a long debate about facilities and border force has said: ‘Human health is not the responsibility of the ABF.’ Was that your understanding when you put them in command – the ABF is not responsible for human health?
Scott Morrison:
Well, if you are looking for a doctor at the ABF, you won’t find one. That’s not their job. In the same way that I have someone down at the Victorian aged care response centre who comes out of Emergency Management Australia. They are not a geriatrician. There is a mixture of leadership responsibilities and capacities that exist. That doesn’t change the fundamental responsibilities of the agency and what they are tasking.
Q: They have a surgeon general.
Morrison:
Well, if you go down to the border force office at the airport, you won’t find someone doing medical checks. That’s not their job. That’s not their job.
Q: So they don’t need to take into account public health?
Morrison:
That’s not their job. Health, public health, is a responsibility of the state jurisdictions. That is very clearly set out. That is responsible for delivering public health in those state and territory jurisdictions.
Q: So no responsibility when those passengers were getting off the Ruby Princess to consider human health in that situation?
Morrison: As the border force commissioner has made very clear and the royal commission commissioner has made clear, that is exactly what their responsibilities are. The special commission will hand down its report later today and we will deal with that and take the opportunity to deal with that and see what they have to say. I’m sure they will touch on all of those issues.
Updated
Should the states take over aged care?
Scott Morrison:
The aged care royal commission I called* for the reasons I think you’ve set out, Phil, that this has been a long-running complicated issue for governments. And I remember those days, too, as well, that you referred to.
There is a generation of problems that each government has sought to try and deal with, and for many, much of that time – I remember when we were in opposition we were very supportive of changes that the then Labor government made.
We saw it as a problem that we had to deal with on a bipartisan basis and there were some very unpopular things that they did and we supported them because we thought they were making a good, genuine effort to fix this problem, and I have the same approach now and would welcome any support we could get to pursue what we would see as important changes.
I want to see the royal commission do its job. I’m looking forward to receiving their recommendations.
That doesn’t mean we will be standing still in the meantime. We continue to deliver an extra billion dollars every year into aged care. We will continue to increase the number of aged care in home places.
We will continue to look at the work that needs to be done. The pandemic exposes weaknesses and that in some ways is in many ways unforeseen**, and in other ways is very disappointing, but we are dealing with a system that is now dealing with a very different demand than it had even in the times you are talking about.
People, when going into aged care now, it’s hard because we make the decisions when we make decisions about loved ones going into aged care these days.
It is very much at a stage of pre-palliative care, and that is a very different proposition in terms of the facilities, the workforce, the clinical needs to what it was 10 years ago, five years ago, 20 years ago.
And the system needs to be adjusted to be able to meet that at a clinical level. And where delivery models need to be changed to ensure that it can do that, that’s what we want to do.
* He loves this line
** Peter Rozen QC, said the situation was not unforeseeable
Updated
Scott Morrison continues:
In terms of the issue that you raised about the sharing of manifests, you would be aware of the privacy restrictions that apply to the sharing of those details.
It is appropriate, I’m advised, for the ABF to have alerted and shared information with the relevant state health authorities who provide that interface.
So the handling of people’s personal information in other circumstances, I’m sure you would be asking me questions about if that sort of personal information was shared contrary to the restrictions that are placed on that by governments – you would rightly take me to task over that.
So the ABF has to operate within those guidelines, like any other government agency and any other government department. In this case, it worked through that channel, as I’m told, and if there are improvements as to how that can be done more swiftly, then certainly I would expect the ABF and any agency of government to do things as efficiently as possible, but as I’m advised they were following the protocol that was there.
Updated
Q: You have talked today about federal shortcomings. Let me ask you about the Ruby Princess. Putting aside the mistakes by border forces, biosecurity officer, one thing that has emerged was there was an inability or refusal by border force and the federal health department in sharing the passenger manifest to allow the airlines to stop passengers who were potentially infected passengers, travelling Australia and travelling the world.
Can you pledge here that you will ensure at least a protocol is established so that cruise ship manifests are shared with those who need it, including airlines?
Scott Morrison:
Well, I will put the assertions in the start of your question to one side, because I don’t share those assertions ...
No, I’m talking about the earlier ones you made.
Updated
There have been numerous call-outs from medical professionals to keep going to your normal appointments.
I know, because I have reported them. If you are worried there’s telehealth.
Go to your doctor, if you need to.
Updated
Q: Prof Kelly, cancer diagnosis has dropped about 30% during the lockdowns and I’m hearing similar stories from heart disease specialists, stroke specialists as well.
Healthscope’s chief health officer says that people have been terrified into believing that the only safe place to be is in their homes, so they are not going out for other medical treatments. Medical professionals are saying this could cost hundreds, possibly thousands of other lives in the future.
So my question is: is our singular, narrow, at times hysterical focus on the virus costing many other unintended consequences, many other lives?
Why aren’t our health professionals at the federal and state level talking more publicly about this? And could you in the future, when you do your briefings on the coronavirus cases and deaths, which are very sad, but could you provide a more holistic view of the other consequences of our policy responses as well – the suicides, the mental health issues, the family violence, cancer deaths, heart disease deaths, job losses as well – to give people a full picture of our policy responses to the coronavirus?
Paul Kelly:
It is a rather comprehensive question, thank you. Firstly, we, of course, and have many times, and in fact my colleague, Prof Kidd has had – I think his 50th webinar with GPs, primary care and other health professionals this week, and at each of those, he has stressed the need to not ignore those other things. You are quite correct.
So to our colleagues in the professions: absolutely make sure that people who do have chronic disease, who are at risk of cancer, who are due for immunisations or for cancer screening or whatever it is, that routine care – it must continue.
And we have put out those communications before as well to the wider public. Maybe we need to reinforce that, about that importance of not neglecting those other things. It is absolutely important.
In terms of the consequences of our actions, there has been some actually quite positive consequences outside of Covid.
We’ve talked before about the fact that we haven’t had a flu season. Normally this time of year our hospitals are full of flu; our aged-care facilities often having flu outbreaks at this point.
We’ve had virtually no flu at all since April, so there is a positive side there.
Some of the other infectious diseases have also decreased from their normal levels. But you’re right, those other consequences, and particularly in Melbourne, it is very difficult, the situation that people are now in lockdown.
That does take a toll – the things you mentioned – mental health, domestic violence, all of those things are of concern, absolutely, and we need to have a balance there, as well as with the economic disruption.
That why we’ve always gone for the suppression strategy, rather than an elimination one, and we can see what’s happened in New Zealand. Sorry to hear about their cases, but no one is immune to this. We need to take that balance of what we need to do, but including the economic and social disruption that can occur.
Updated
Death of man in his 20s could be looked at by coroner: Andrews
Back in Melbourne for a moment, Daniel Andrews has told reporters he does not have any more details about the man in his 20s who died in the past 24 hours, but that it may be the subject of a coronial investigation.
The man is the youngest person to die after testing positive to Covid-19 in Australia. Andrews stressed it was still not known whether the man died “with” Covid-19 or “from” Covid-19, and said it would breach the man’s privacy to discuss any potential co-morbidities. However, he did confirm the man was not living in a disability facility.
“I can’t speak to the circumstances of that individual and it may well be that the coroner will look at that matter and determine the circumstances ... I can’t speak any further about that other than to say I think you’re correct to say they are the youngest person.”
The man was one of 14 people who died with or from Covid in Victoria in the past 24 hours. The remaining 13 were over 80, and 12 were connected to aged care outbreaks.
Andrews stressed the decision to conduct an inquest would be made by the coroner – and it has not been made yet.
“There may well be a whole range of different issues there – that’s for the coroner to look at.”
Updated
Yes but what lessons have been applied to the situation in Melbourne?
Scott Morrison:
There is community outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in Melbourne. That’s where the system received the greatest challenge. We can’t ignore that fact.
I mean, COVID-19 broke out in Melbourne. It has got into meat packing plants, it has got into pharmacies, it has got into distribution centres. It has got into hospitals. It has got into aged-care facilities.
That’s what happens with a pandemic. There is not some special force field around aged-care facilities that can ultimately protect in that environment, and that’s what occurred. And that has caused an enormous disruption in the continuity of care in those aged-care facilities.
The Aged Care Response Centre has been vital and it has been - as each day has gone on, the partnership between - and I should stress this: this is an emergency services-led initiative.
It is important for this reason: You have to pull together the health response, the ADF response, the logistical responses and all of that and deal with the acute crises in specific facilities.
There are more than 350 aged-care facilities in Melbourne. We have been dealing with acute responses in about half a dozen. There are many more facilities that actually have COVID cases, but the overwhelming majority, almost entirely, of those cases, of those facilities, are managing.
They are managing. It is difficult, but they’re managing.
So we keep - every day I have a list of the acute facilities and the actions at every single one of those facilities. Then there is a broader watch list of those which are on a watching brief.
There are others that are managing well and then there are those with no COVID and that’s when we’ve been sending people to check on PPE compliance to make sure we are not getting a spread across those other facilities.
I’ve got to tell you, it is a battle every day. So lessons applied, but this is a very complex and challenging situation.
What lessons did the federal government take from Newmarch and how were they applied to what is happening in Melbourne?
Scott Morrison:
The key takeouts for Newmarch, I think, that we were seeking to apply as we were dealing with the crisis in Victoria, which arose from a very different context - we had broad-based community transmission occurring in Victoria - in New South Wales, that’s not what was occurring at that time.
The infection was able to get into those facilities and that was dealt with. The there were a couple of points.
The first one is that the way of handling the workforce was really important, and that was that you didn’t completely denude the workforce, so you could keep a continuity of care.
Now, that broke down with the way that this issue began in Victoria, and I’m pleased that that has been remedied between the state and the Commonwealth Government about when there are public health officers going and telling people to stand down that there is a coordination that takes place with the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre so that they can manage as best they can within a limited workforce and strained would, force because a lot of people have COVID who work there and many other parts of the health sector, that you have to manage the transition of your workforce when you have the facility.
The other point that had to be learnt from that is how you transfer people out of aged care into public or private hospital facilities. Now, that was an issue that came up as part of the discussion at the Aged Care Royal Commission, and there were challenges and issues and a bit of lack of clarity around those matters and they have been openly discussed.
And it was important - that’s why we were saying when this was really escalating, it was vital that elective surgery be cancelled. It was vital that we were able to conduct transfers and transfer people out of those facilities so we could bring them back to a manageable level so a quality of care could be maintained.
That was another important lesson out of Newmarch. The other important one, and there are many more, was communications and right from the outset, Minister Colbeck was tasked with ensuring that we got those communications into families as best we could.
Now, we had some facilities there who it wasn’t just the nurses and the nurses’ a assistants and others who got sent home, it was the receptionist, it was the manager, the book keeper, the back office staff - all gone. And families are ringing to phones that don’t answer.
And so we used Services Australia in those facilities that suffered that, to ensure that we were getting outgoing calls to families to ensure there was contact being made and we bolstered the call receiving in those particular facilities that were most acute so people could get a response. Communications in those situations is incredibly important. I think that is - while it has been a very challenging task in a lot of these cases, that has been a priority that we put into our response. They were some of the very important lessons out of that process
Updated
Those “bad days”?
More than 200 people died earlier than they should have.
Updated
Scott Morrison apologises for 'days the system falls short'
Q: Prime minister, you said a minute ago that you intended to be straight. You said that some days the pandemic gets the better of us. So just for perfect clarity, are you saying that the pandemic got better because of the commonwealth’s response in aged-care facilities? And if the answer to that is yes, then do the residents in those facilities and their families – are they owed an apology by the commonwealth?
Scott Morrison:
Well, I’ve made such a statement from this very podium once – I’m happy to do it again.
On the days that the system falls short, on the days that expectations are not met, I’m deeply sorry about that, of course I am, and I know that everyone who is involved in the process who is trying to meet those expectations is equally sorry.
On days where workforces are completely stripped from facilities and there is nobody there and you scramble for a workforce to try to put them in place and you have ADF officers who go there at 11 at night to try to clean up the mess, that’s not good enough, but they are the actions we had to take to stabilise those facilities in those situations.
So each and every day there are going to be challenges, and on many days the success in how they are able to deal with these challenges has been significant.
And so they are the good days, but other days are not as good, and that’s the simple honesty that I’m offering to the Australian people ... Of course we we’re sorry about that, of course we’re devastated by it.
Of course it is something that motivates to try to ensure that those issues don’t arise again. In so many cases, these are unforeseen consequences and unforeseen issues and people do the best they can in the circumstances they find themselves.
Updated
And on the point that there was no plan for aged care specifically?
Scott Morrison disagrees:
There has been a plan and it has been updated and so we completely reject the assertion that there was not a plan because there was a plan.
We have addressed that issue. There was a plan. That has been given in evidence to the royal commission and we will continue to provide the facts to the royal commission.
But what we need to do every day is to ensure that we put that plan into action. I will tell you one of the things we have learned during this pandemic:
You can have a plan, you can do the training, you can provide the funding – all of this has been done. Then you’ve got to go back and reinforce the plan and you’ve got to reinforce the learnings, and you’ve got to reinforce the training, and that’s what is happening, and that has been our process the entire time.
So my focus is what I need to do now and going forward, to learn from where there have been things where on days the system has fallen short, and to ensure that we provide against that in the future.
But there are no guarantees, and anyone seeking them in a pandemic, I think, that will be not something they will be able to find. It is something that we would all dearly like to provide, but I think you’ve got to be realistic in a pandemic and you’ve got to deal with the situations as you find them, not as you would like them to be.
That has always been our approach. I want to be very clear here: the government has made it absolutely crystal clear, the plan was in place, the plan was not only in place, but refreshed. The plan was funded. The training modules were delivered and they are now being reinforced again. People will make these claims and assertions, and they can, but they must also be subject to the facts and we will point out the facts.
Updated
On the assertion made by Peter Rozen, QC, the counsel assisting the commissioner in the aged care royal commission, that the aged care sector is still not prepared for the pandemic, that the federal government “plan” was not a plan for aged care, and the deaths were not unforeseeable, Scott Morrison says people can “make assertions”.
That’s not someone having a vent on twitter though. That’s the person representing the commissioner.
First, I would reflect what I said in my opening statement and that is every day every effort is being made and on those days that we fall short, we’re sorry, and the next day we get up and we seek to make it right the next day.
The royal commission has not found what you’ve just said. That is not a royal commission finding. That is a statement that has been made by the counsel assisting.
So that is not a finding of the royal commission. That is a position that has been asserted. People can make those assertions.
I think that’s fair enough. I called the royal commission because I want all these issues ... and I remember some time ago in this very courtyard when we were dealing with very difficult issues around aged care in relation to the pandemic and I said it was important for the to deal with it.
The assertion also must be tested. The government has provided its response to those assertions and maintained very strongly that the plan was in place, the plan was in place from March, and indeed, going back to January, preparations had been made and the plan had been updated twice.
That’s all on the record. I won’t delay the press conference by going into the government’s very strong refuting of the points that you have made. Assertions can be made, but that doesn’t make them right.
Updated
Prof Paul Kelly:
We’re up to 22,739 cases of Covid-19 now in Australia since the beginning of this pandemic – those first cases in January. Really sadly, 375 deaths.
As I always do at every press conference, I just give my condolences to those people who have lost loved ones. These are just numbers to some, but they’re not to me, and they’re not to the PM and all of the people working on this understand what that means, losing a loved one.
We’ve all been there. So 375 deaths to date; 680 in hospital. Many of those – most of those – are in Victoria, and many of those are related to exactly the response that the PM has outlined there in terms of what we’re doing with our aged care residents. There’s 47 in ICU, 31 ventilated.
I want to stress, as the PM has done, we are learning as we go through this process. It doesn’t mean we haven’t got a plan. We do have plans. We have very detailed plans for aged care ...
And since the very beginning of this issue – even before it started in Australia – we’ve been meeting virtually daily and we’ve had [more than] 170 meetings now of the AHPPC on almost every occasion, we’ve talked about aged care and the particular issues of vulnerable people, and particularly in the case of our aged members of our community.
There have been very detailed, specific operational plans for dealing with aged-care outbreaks and for preparing ways to prevent them since the middle of March and those plans are working in many ways.
I would just like to point out the huge challenges that are in particular related to the scale of this problem. The PM has said the numbers – I won’t repeat them – but there are a large number of outbreaks, there are a large number of staff that have been affected and that has made it difficult throughout.
Let’s look at the example of Queensland, for example. Recently when they had those small number of cases last week or the week before, there was the link to an aged care worker that was recognised immediately and immediately that aged care resident followed the plan that has been outlined and has prevented any further spread. That is the majority of our experience so far in relation to aged care.
Mostly we have seen very small outbreaks, mostly with a single or couple of staff, a single or a couple of residents, and that has been it. There have, however, with the situation we are facing in Melbourne with large community outbreaks, that has been a very different situation, and we are learning to work through that, including the setting up very early in that outbreak of the Victorian aged care response centre which is working incredibly well in relation to that in collaboration with all the partners and specifically with the Victorian authorities.
Updated
Scott Morrison outlines the extra assistance which is now being given to the aged care sector before moving to:
New things will be added. There’ll be additional activities, no doubt. And I fear that we will still see things that will occur that we will find absolutely unacceptable, and they are unacceptable.
They don’t meet those standards.
And they’re not tolerated by anybody.
But the struggles we face and the complexity that is there means that those things have occurred, and we’re doing everything we can to prevent them from occurring wherever we can.
There’ll be no lack of commitment or effort.
But guarantees in a global pandemic, if someone’s offering them to you - then they’re not being straight with you. So I’m going to be straight with you. That’s where we’re at.
We’re moving heaven and earth, as a country, at the moment, to ensure that we can deal with this. And we’re in the fight.
And we’re going to win it. It’s just going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort.
So yeah, totally fine then. Except it didn’t have to be this way.
The “something” here being the federal government adequately preparing the aged care sector for the pandemic.
Aged care is a federal responsibility.
Updated
Talking about acknowledging something is not the same as actually acknowledging it.
'There are no absolute assurances that can be provided,' Scott Morrison says
Morrison continues:
Each and every day, they are all just doing their best to ensure that Australians are not let down during this period.
And the sad truth is, some days, we fall short. And other days, we don’t.
On some days, the pandemic gets the better of us, and on other days, it doesn’t.
And I think we’ve got to have a reality check about this. There are no absolute guarantees in a global pandemic. There are no absolute assurances that can be provided. I think great that Australians have high expectations of the services and standards and facilities, whether it’s in a school or a hospital, an aged care facility – anywhere.
That’s what Australia should aspire to.
And that’s what everybody seeks to do each and every single day, just as you do, as members of the gallery here, and others seek to do exactly the same thing. But it’s tough.
And the challenges are complex. And no one has had to ever deal with this before ...
The combination of a global recession, a global pandemic, and how that impacts particularly on the most vulnerable in our community. It’s tough. And it’s going to continue to be tough.
I said that back in March of this year and even earlier: 2020 was going to be the hardest year of our lives. And so it is proving to be. But I said Australians would be tested, and we’d measure up.
Some days we wish better than has occurred. But I tell you what we do the next day – where there are lessons, where there are things to be acknowledged, you do that, and you set about the task the next morning and you get about what you need to do over the course of that next 24 hours, until the next time you’re back in the same place, working the same issues.
That is the attitude that my government is taking and, that is, I believe, the attitude being taken right across the country as people honestly seek to deal with the incredibly complex and often life-threatening challenges that are being faced around the country.
Updated
Scott Morrison press conference
The prime minister starts on aged care.
There are thousands upon thousands of people in the country right now, each and every day, doing the very best they can to look after Australians. There are millions of Australians at home every day trying to get through, particularly in Victoria and Melbourne, looking after the kids, and loved ones, open, trying to keep people employed.
But for those directly dealing with the health challenges around the Covid-19 pandemic, and particularly in Melbourne and Victoria, there is an army of people, and there is literally an army of people in Victoria, with the support of the ADF.
And each and every day, whether it’s myself here or Paul and his team, minister Hunt, Mr Colbeck, as we gather every morning and discuss the issues each day – right through to the aged care worker who gets to work and goes through a very difficult task, often in a facility they may not have worked in before because of the disruption to the workforce in those places – those attending at emergency wards, those working on contact tracing, those sitting behind desks, working on logistics and support.
Updated
The broadcast goes to Scott Morrison’s press conference.
I’ll do my best to catch up with the Daniel Andrews press conference a little bit later.
Asked about the Age story, that the first person to be infected with the virus was a night manager in the hotel quarantine program, not a security guard, Daniel Andrews says:
Those matters to the level of detail will be determined by judge Coate and that process. I don’t have any advice about who that person might be. I think that whole notion that we could necessarily have to the degree of certainty clarity about one particular person, I don’t know the science would lead you to that. It could, but it may not.
Updated
Daniel Andrews has been very careful with his language here – and in the past few days – in talking about the hotel quarantine program in relation to the ADF offer.
Updated
We are back on hotel quarantine.
Q: Yesterday you didn’t want to comment on reports 100 ADF troops were put on standby to help with hotel quarantine. The ADF has confirmed those reports were correct.
Daniel Andrews:
I don’t know that that’s what has been confirmed today.
Q: The ADF has confirmed it today. I have a statement if you’d like me to read it.
Andrews:
There is a statement from a spokesperson but I don’t know if it goes to those issues. I would refer you to the statement issued by the emergency management commissioner.
Q: I’ve received a statement from the ADF saying 100 troops were put on standby to help with hotel quarantine. Are you saying that is wrong?
Andrews:
No, no, I’m saying there are two important operations here and it’s important for all of us to have a really acute understanding that operation Soteria (hotel quarantine) and Sentinel (enforcement and doorknocking home checks) are not the same things.
I don’t think it’s referenced in the department of defence statement. One relates to hotels, one relates to people self isolating, so like yesterday, I have not presented here today to answer any and all questions and have spent a large amount of my time quibbling about what is in a statement that was not issued by me, but I will make the point as politely as I can: operations Soteria and Sentinel are two different things.
Q: I’m sorry to keep going back and forth. You don’t have to apologise. You said ADF troops were not available and that is not right. The ADF are confirming today: 100 of them were on standby.
Andrews:
What for? What are they confirming they were available for? Soteria and Sentinel? In-home quarantine or hotel quarantine, because they are very different things. There’s no need for you to read the statement; I’m making the point that ADF support and involvement, and they were involved in hotel quarantine, they were at the meetings that established it.
Updated
On the question of federal officials not appearing in front of the Ruby Princess inquiry, Daniel Andrews says:
I won’t run a running commentary. I could offer you a commentary on the inquiry of New South Wales which would be gratuitous on my part. You can have a judgment about who has turned up.
In terms of very broadly, and quite clearly, I’ve made the point that whatever judge Coate needs, she will get and that’s despite the fact it was frustrating to see that for all of us, more time will be needed to come with an ultimate report.
When she asks for an extension, the answer can only be yes. To an extent, there is no argument. I’m incredibly cautious not to be seen to be directing that process – it is an independent process. People should cooperate with it but where it goes, who it calls, that’s entirely a matter for judge Coate, counsel assisting, in that whole process.
Updated
Victorian police have reported one person has been fined nine times for breaching quarantine. Daniel Andrews says there could be many, many reasons someone is not following the restrictions:
Again, I don’t want to be reflecting on an individual – what might drive a person to abscond nine times. There could be many different reasons. That person may not be well and have all sorts of underlying issues.
I don’t know the answers to those questions. I don’t want to trample all over the privacy of a particular person. Let me go and have a bit of a look at that.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is back at the microphone. He is asked about the main age group of those breaking the rules:
We always have to be careful when extrapolating that sort of data to make broad statements about any one group. I think my sense of it [is] ... it evolves every day.
My sense of it is more Victorians, a high percentage of whom are following the rules, and that is so important. I think that I would probably draw your attention to the obvious link between those age groups and not their representation in cases but their proportional overrepresentation. When you consider how many age groups across the general Victorian community, it’s probably a function more of movement.
They are the people doing the shopping, working in a permitted industries – those who are out and about for lawful reasons as much as they are out and about breaking rules. So I’m not drawing conclusion ... A high percentage of Victorians are doing the right thing and I’m grateful to them ...
Unless all of us make the right choice, then we won’t limit movement and limit and get to the other side of this – but I’m hopeful about the likely success of the strategy and I’m certainly hopeful when I see data and ... lots of reports from lots of different sources, I think the percentage of Victorians is actually up and that’s a very important thing.
Updated
What about the number of people dying?
Prof Brett Sutton:
Because we’ve seen a stabilisation in the number of cases, it’s essentially levelled off.
I think we will see a levelling off of hospitalisations for community cases in the next couple of weeks and the same for deaths. If we can drive numbers down from here on in, knowing what we know, and people who are at their greatest risk of dying, we should see a stabilisation of deaths in the next couple of weeks. We are concerned about the significant number of aged care cases, over 2,000. They are most at risk. Most at risk of dying. We also have to drive those numbers down as well.
Updated
Victorian authorities will be watching the numbers over the next couple of days to see what the trend says, Prof Sutton says:
Stage four will only show in the numbers over the next few days. These are still the effect of mask wearing and stage three so that is encouraging – we’ve turned the corner with those interventions and we should see a further driving down to transmission with stage 4 restrictions so it is going on the right direction and I’m confident we’ve seen the peak – but it’s got to come down quickly.
Updated
There has been a bit of chatter about asymptomatic cases, lately.
Prof Brett Sutton:
The whole question of asymptomatic cases and how they contribute to transmission is a vexed issue. Truly asymptomatic people probably don’t commit much to transmission at all.
What we are concerned about is people who have pre-symptomatic illness. In the two days before you develop symptoms, they are known to be infectious and can be highly infectious before they develop symptoms.
So some of those mystery cases will absolutely have been exposed to someone pre-symptomatic and they can’t identify – when we are asking them ‘Have you been in contact,” – they can’t identify that person, because they have been pre-symptomatic.
So that is one of the key elements about wearing a mask. But for all of us who are wearing a mask, when we are pre-symptomatic and developing an illness, we will be exposing others much less by virtue of wearing a mask – and it’s not just for those with symptoms.
Updated
The situation in regional Victoria is still under control (as much as anything can be in this pandemic) Prof Brett Sutton says:
It’s reasonable. I’m pleased people are going to come forward. We will see those results over the next several hours, and I think there are positive signs in Geelong in terms of stabilisation – some of those large outbreaks – as a proportion of total cases, and I think they are at 13% in terms of the mystery cases.
Ballarat, Bendigo have relatively small numbers – easier to manage – but we need to dig down to each case to understand how much is mystery transmission and make sure we can get on top of the known cases.
Updated
Asked about healthcare workers, Sutton says:
There will be data next week that we present on both the particular workforce that are mostly represented in our healthcare worker cases, but we’ll try and dig down to where they’ve acquired it – but I imagine there will be a similar proportion of so-called mystery cases, although healthcare workers, as we know, are involved in outbreaks – they are involved in direct care.
There are probably going to be more that get resolved in terms of where it’s been picked up or that it’s been picked up from a known case, but often it will be a question of which known case for determining the exact transmission that might have occurred for health workers – that is the challenge.
Updated
Prof Brett Sutton:
Someone can be exposed but will not become unwell until two weeks later, but most people develop symptoms in the first week – around five or six days.
For our contact traces in our team who do the interviews, there is a detailed process of not just working out your close contacts when infectious, where you’ve been, who you’ve been in close contact, but also the acquisition.
Or that period of time before you become symptomatic so we do go into a really detailed process of trying to find out where people have been in the days prior to becoming unwell and the people they’ve been in close contact with.
We’re trying to work out where they’ve got it from. One in five cases we can’t determine that. They don’t have anyone in their household who has been unwell – nobody in the workplace.
The places they nominate don’t have existing cases, clusters, outbreaks so we can’t determine absolutely where they got it from, but we know there are other opportunities where people can pick it up.
Sometimes they won’t recall a close contact and sometimes they’ve had a more casual contact, and for those people, they can’t identify where they’ve been or with whom, but they will be picked up there. Notably it has plateaued in the last week or so – that is related to a plateauing of overall cases but the mystery cases have plateaued as well.
Updated
Brett Sutton talks about Victoria's 'mystery cases'
Victoria’s chief medical officer, Prof Brett Sutton, is giving a powerpoint display today of Victoria’s “mystery cases” – the number of cases where there is no obvious link, meaning most of the time it has come from community transmission.
There are 3,119 cases under the “mystery” category in Victoria at the moment.
Updated
Daniel Andrews:
I had a rather lengthy zoom discussion with a number of nurses from hospitals across Melbourne, some aged care nursing staff as well, not those we are sending in but people who work for private operators as well as regional hospitals, and I won’t go through the details but it was a really important opportunity for them to speak to me directly and give me feedback on a whole range of different issues.
By and large, they are under significant pressure. They are doing amazing work under very difficult circumstances and I want to thank them personally for the time they gave me to give me that insight about how the virus is presenting and challenges they face, there are a number of issues we will follow up, in the main PPE, and more than that.
There was a real sense of unity that the PPE provision is working well but have always got to strive to do more and do better but I just wanted to acknowledge those staff who took the time out of their very busy schedule, took some of their precious down time, to speak with me directly and to communicate and give me a really clear sense of some of the challenges they face.
We are with you and we thank you so deeply for your courage, your care, your compassion, the work you are doing is so, so important and we honour the service that you provide to some of the most vulnerable Victorians at this difficult time.
Updated
Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 12.40.
Updated
The youngest death in Australia linked to Covid before today was a man in his 30s.
Today’s report of a man in his 20s would make him the youngest person to be diagnosed with Covid to die in Australia.
41 people are in intensive care in Victoria.
Updated
A man in his 20s among Victoria's Covid deaths
The Victorian premier starts his press conference with the breakdown of the new cases, including a man in his 20s.
Our thoughts and best wishes, our sympathies, are obviously with the families of those 14 Victorians, and we wish them well at what will be an incredibly difficult time for them.
In terms of limited information I can provide you: one man in his 20s, three women and two men in their 80s, four women and four men in their 90s; 12 of those 14 fatalities are linked to aged care outbreaks; there are 659 Victorians in hospital – 41 of those are in intensive care and 26 of those 41 are on a ventilator.
Updated
We should hear from Daniel Andrews very soon – the stage is set.
Updated
Brendan Murphy says Peter Rozen QC statements to royal commission 'ludicrous'
Prof Brendan Murphy, the head of the federal health department, has pushed back strongly at “ludicrous” statements made at the royal commission into aged care this week.
Yesterday the counsel assisting the royal commission, Peter Rozen QC, accused the federal government of acting with “self-congratulation” and “hubris” by not learning lessons and not preparing Victoria for its devastating outbreak of coronavirus in aged care.
The commission heard evidence on Wednesday from Prof Joseph Ibrahim, head of the health law and ageing research unit at Monash University’s forensic medicine department, that he believed Australia’s rate of death in residential aged care was more than 68% – the second-highest in the world behind Canada at 80%.
At the Covid-19 Senate committee hearing this morning, Labor senator Kristina Keneally challenged Murphy over his statement that Covid-19 had claimed the lives of 0.1% of residents in aged care in Australia. She suggested that sounded “like a degree of self-congratulation” and she was surprised that he had not used his opening statement to apologise to the families of more than 200 people in aged care who had died.
“We have at every occasion expressed incredible sorrow at the tragedy,” Murphy replied.
“That 0.1% was not in any way self-congratulatory; it was merely to try and point out the context of the somewhat ludicrous conclusion that the percentage of deaths in aged care of all of the deaths was somehow by intentional comparisons bad ...
“I don’t for a minute underestimate the horrible tragedy of every single death and we are absolutely devastated by it. Every day we look at death statistics and we are deeply shocked and deeply concerned, so I think it’s a very unfair characterisation to claim that.”
Murphy conceded that the federal government was responsible for regulating and funding aged care but said “we have a partnership with the states and territories … in managing the outbreaks”.
He rejected the claims of the royal commission that not a single death being was unforeseeable: “No, I don’t believe that, I’m not even quite sure what that contention means.”
And on the claim that authorities were not currently prepared for aged care, he said: “Respectfully I would disagree with counsel assisting ... I’m saying we’re actively looking at what else we can do.”
Updated
Nickelback has threatened to release something today.
Is today the day we get graphs??? https://t.co/SXABPJA8yr pic.twitter.com/3QJLdGjlpX
— Kaitlyn Offer (@KaitlynOffer) August 14, 2020
AAP has delved into Clive Palmer’s latest mess, so I don’t have to.
Worth their weight in gold, those reporters:
Western Australia’s government has shielded taxpayers from Clive Palmer’s potential $30bn claim against the state, the premier says.
On Thursday night WA’s parliament passed legislation to amend a 2002 state agreement with Palmer’s Mineralogy company and terminate arbitration between the two parties.
The extraordinary bill was signed into law by the governor, Kim Beazley, close to midnight, just two days after it was introduced to parliament.
But Palmer filed an application in the federal court seeking to force the legislation’s withdrawal.
The government has said the injunction, which also seeks further damages and costs, is doomed to fail.
“We’re very confident and all the legal advice says these laws will work,” the premier, Mark McGowan, said on Thursday night.
“We’ve done something unprecedented but we’ve done what we needed to do to protect the people of this state.”
Palmer has responded by launching local radio advertisements in which he labels WA a “banana republic” and claims McGowan wants control of the courts.
“This matter will be thrown out by the high court and these people will be as stupid as they look because they’ve down valued every investment in Western Australia,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program.
On Thursday the billionaire mining magnate revealed the Queensland supreme court had formally registered his two arbitration awards.
He said this meant WA’s “draconian and disgraceful” legislation would now be invalid under the constitution.
The state’s attorney general, John Quigley, has previously said any court action between the bill’s introduction and assent would be covered by the bill, which was fast-tracked through parliament with the support of the WA Nationals and Greens.
Liberal MP Nick Goiran labelled the process a “pathetic charade for democracy” after the opposition was denied more time to scrutinise the legislation.
Palmer and his associated companies Mineralogy and International Minerals are pursuing damages over a 2012 decision by the former Liberal government to not assess his proposed Balmoral South iron ore mine in the Pilbara.
The government has calculated the total claim to be $27.7bn minus costs, an amount the premier said would cripple the state.
Palmer is also challenging WA’s borders in the high court, but it emerged this week he had offered to withdraw the bid if officials agreed to move arbitration hearings relating to the damages claim from Perth to Canberra.
Updated
To be fair, this is true in a lot of areas.
Every other state in Australia hangs head in shame after realising they're less progressive than Queensland https://t.co/5EXPIYVWRP
— 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚛 (@chaser) August 13, 2020
The state is not perfect, and neither is its government, but it has come a long way since Joh.
Updated
Thank goodness actual sunscreen is more effective.
Federal officials tell the Senate COVID-19 committee the COVIDSafe app has been used in only limited circumstances in Victoria. It hasn't been a major element of identifying cases in the huge second wave outbreak. Elsewhere the app is operating "as intended" and is being used.
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) August 14, 2020
Updated
Looks like there are attempts under way to get the parliament ready for a virtual-ish sitting.
Giant screens have been wheeled into the House and Senate and there seems to be quite a few people working out where they’ll work.
If I can host an AFL party and work out the projector, pretty sure we can work this out too.
Updated
I mean, the border is closed.
But the ABS likes data, so here you go:
Australia recorded 6.7 million overseas visitor arrivals for the year 2019-20, down 27.9 per cent on the previous year and the lowest since 2013-14, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The impact of COVID-19 on travel to Australia commenced in February 2020, with the start of border restrictions by the Australian Government. Prior to this the nation set a record with 9.5 million visitors for the year ending January 2020.
ABS Director of Migration Statistics Jenny Dobak said: “Over the last year there were increases every month until February 2020 when the impact of COVID-19 started.
“Once the tighter restrictions came into effect on the 20 March, the drop in visitors arriving was dramatic, being close to 100 per cent.”
Updated
If, like me, you’ve never had the chance – and never will – to score some of the fancy Qantas pyjamas because cattle-class means you’re lucky to get a seat, here’s your chance.
For $25.
From Qantas’s newsroom:
Qantas will turn some of its excess stock of pyjamas, amenity kits and snacks into care packs that can be sent directly to the doors of people doing it tough in lockdown during the Covid-19 crisis.
With all Qantas international flights and the majority of domestic flights currently suspended, the airline has an oversupply of items including the iconic business class pyjamas, business class amenity kits featuring Aspar skin products, as well as Tim Tams and snacks that would normally be offered to passengers travelling in premium cabins.
Qantas has put these items together in a care package that can be sent anonymously as a surprise “random act of kindness” to a friend, family member, anyone who might be doing it tough or as a “treat yourself” gift.
Updated
The RBA governor, Philip Lowe, has veered off into fantasyland in evidence to a parliamentary inquiry this morning.
Asked by LNP MP Ted O’Brien if Australia’s households should pay down their debts – extremely high – or spend money to stimulate the Covid-ravaged economy, Lowe said: “Well, I want them to do both. And I think they can do both.”
He said that at the moment households were using government support to pay down their debts.
But: “If our income growth is strong enough we can both spend and pay down our debt.”
Unfortunately for Lowe, he had just told the committee that there would be no real wages growth in the economy for the next several years.
Thanks in large part to our outrageously high house prices, Australia’s households are also some of the most indebted in the developed world, on average owing about twice as much as their yearly disposable income.
The source for that figure? Lowe’s own RBA.
Updated
There you go
Daniel Andrews will be up at midday.
— Calla Wahlquist (@callapilla) August 14, 2020
Labor calls for Gladys Berejiklian to release Ruby Princess report
The NSW government has the report from the Ruby Princess special inquiry.
As AAP reports:
NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay is calling on the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, to release the report as soon as she receives it.
She also urged the Berejiklian government to implement every recommendation in full and called on the premier to apologise to the families affected by the debacle.
“The premier just needs to admit the government was deficient in some aspects,” McKay said in Sydney on Friday.
“I do hope that out of today we see responsibility and accountability allocated where they should be and we ensure this never happens again.”
The Ruby Princess, which docked at Sydney’s Circular Quay on 19 March, has been linked to hundreds of cases and more than 20 coronavirus-related deaths across Australia.
Updated
Another 13 cases in New Zealand taking total to 48
NZ’s director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, says there are another 13 cases in New Zealand today.
There are 48 active cases; 30 are linked to the most recent community outbreak.
At the beginning of the week, New Zealand had gone more than 100 days without an infection.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is expected to hold his press conference after midday. He held a zoom press conference for regional Victorian reporters this morning.
Updated
NSW records nine new cases – three in quarantine
NSW Health has announced today’s figures: nine new cases in total.
Just three are from hotel quarantine. There are three people in ICU.
Updated
Those recommendations?
Recommendation 1:
The department remind staff that they are not to use force for purposes that are not outlined in the procedures and reinforces the potential consequences of using force for other purposes.
Recommendation 2:
The department ensure that reviews of use of force undertaken by their Detention Assurance Team are completed within six months of the incident being referred to them. This may mean developing a six monthly forward plan. If the review is not completed in a timely manner, this is reported to the Risk and Audit Committee.
Recommendation 3
The department provide feedback to Serco that the response to this complaint was inadequate and update guidance to confirm that where an internal report has identified room for improvement in the department’s handling of a matter, this can and should be shared with the complainant (even if in general terms).
Recommendation 4
The department provide an apology to the complainant, for both the use of force and the way the complaint was managed.
Updated
Concern over use of force in immigration detention centres
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has published its latest report on immigration detention:
Of particular note is our increasing concerns about the use of force in detention facilities, and the report includes a focus and recommendations on this issue.
The report expands on that part from the foreword:
4.8 A detainee contacted the Office in early 2019 to complain about being injured as a result of Serco officers’ excessive use of force when restraining them at an immigration detention facility.
4.9 We investigated the complaint by considering CCTV footage, body camera video, incident reports, medical reports, complaint records, policy and procedures and the department’s response to our questions.
4.10 We concluded that the force used was outside standard operating procedures and did not appear to have a lawful basis. The procedures provide for the use of force by officers to defend themselves, prevent a detainee from harming themselves or another person, to prevent a detainee from escaping immigration detention, or to prevent damage to property.
4.11 We found that the circumstances in this case did not fall within the procedures, as the detainee’s behaviour was merely obstructive but they were not threatening staff, being physically aggressive or otherwise resisting being detained. Further, in the circumstances, we found the use of force was excessive given they did not appear to pose a risk to themselves or any other person.
4.12 We also found that the investigations undertaken by Serco and the department into the concerns raised by our Office were inadequate. In particular, Serco and the department did not appropriately share the outcomes of their investigations with the individual concerned, despite a complaint being raised.
4.13 In response to our investigation, the department advised it has commenced a review of the use of force at the detention centre, in part due to the concerns raised in this complaint and other observations made by the Office. While we acknowledge this step, we are still concerned about the time taken to commence a review, noting the incident occurred in late 2018.
4.14 We also suggested the department obtain legal advice regarding the limitations on the protected use of force in all states in which detention facilities operate, and the department advised it is doing so.
4.15 The findings of this investigation, combined with our observations from immigration detention inspections over recent years, has revealed some broader issues with use of force in immigration detention. We make the following recommendations to the department to address this issue.
Updated
Australia’s acting chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, was asked by the Liberal senator James Paterson about the suppression versus elimination debate – and specifically whether any lessons could be drawn from New Zealand’s fresh outbreak.
Kelly told the Senate’s Covid-19 committee that he had spoken with a colleague in New Zealand yesterday.
They went for a very hard lockdown which had large economic effects in New Zealand. They were successful and remained successful for 100 days. But I think it’s a really interesting case study of why we’ve gone for a suppression strategy here in Australia.
Kelly said both countries had looked to gain no community transmission. However, New Zealand was a demonstration of “why we have to remain cautious” even in parts of Australia with low case numbers.
Referring to those states and territories that currently have low numbers of cases, Kelly said: “They remain non-immune, absolutely non-immune.”
He said all it took was “one little slip-up in hotel quarantine, for example” for the virus to spread. He said it was still being investigated exactly how the Auckland situation had developed.
But he noted it had led to the “big decision” to shut down Auckland again, consistent with New Zealand’s approach of going “hard and fast”.
Kelly said even if authorities got a lid on community transmission, it would be dangerous to go back to revert to pre-Covid habits (things like physical distancing, hand hygiene and cough etiquette, hand hygiene). Victoria was “being very cautious and I think that’s the way we need to remain”.
Paterson suggested that the only way to achieve complete elimination was to completely seal off the country – including returning citizens and curbing trade. Kelly seemed to agree with the thrust of the question, saying the only way to achieve full protection was when a “successful and safe” vaccine was available to all.
Updated
Negative interest rates would hurt bank profits, RBA governor says
Negative interest rates would hurt the profits of banks, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has told a parliamentary committee.
But he denied this was the primary reason behind his long-standing opposition to bringing official rates below zero, as some other central banks have done.
Lowe was challenged by Labor’s shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh on his complete failure since he was appointed in 2016 to bring inflation up to the RBA’s target band of between 2% and 3%.
Leigh pointed out that it was now likely that Lowe would do two terms as governor without once hitting the target.
“Wouldn’t a year of negative rates be better than a decade of zero rates?”, Leigh asked.
“I don’t rule it out but it’s extremely unlikely,” Lowe said.
He said the benefit would be that the currency fell (this would make Australian exports more competitive).
But he said it would impair the profitability and efficiency of the banks, impairing their ability to provide credit.
He also claimed that the negative rates would somehow encourage people to save more, even though they would be getting less back than they put in.
Leigh accused him of putting bank profits before jobs. “That seems like a mistaken call,” he said.
Lowe’s statement on savings also seemed to conflict with his previous evidence to the committee, Leigh said.
Lowe wasn’t able to point to any solid evidence for the proposition.
“It’s an emerging area of research,” he said, somewhat lamely.
He denied he was putting bank profits before jobs.
“My concern, at least at the moment, is that negative interest rates would make credit supply more difficult and that would hurt jobs.”
It’s worth remembering that banks have continued to make profits during the crisis, thanks in part to generous support from the RBA.
NAB today announced a $1.5bn profit for the three months to the end of June, and earlier this week the CBA unveiled a full-year cash profit of $7.3bn, down 11.3% from the previous year.
Updated
People are still turning up to Queensland in their thousands.
Queensland police report 65 flights with more than 2,600 have come through the airports, with five people turned back and 142 put into hotel quarantine.
At the road border, 4,575 vehicles have been checked, 253 sent back home and 54 ordered to quarantine.
Updated
Geezus.
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) August 14, 2020
That would essentially mean inflation growth would have been below 2% for 11 years. https://t.co/Qsp8bGfDSy
Queensland has recorded two new cases – one in hotel quarantine, after they travelled to Sydney.
Another is from a cargo ship, which is sitting off the Queensland coast.
Updated
Scott Morrison will hold a press conference today, we are hearing.
New Zealand has recorded more Covid cases – two more workers at the Mt Wellington coldstore company, Americold have tested positive.
There are now six workers from that plant who have contracted the virus.
Updated
Pressed on the fact the issues with aged care were “a known risk”, Prof Brendan Murphy said authorities were “very careful” when they relaxed the measures in May to ensure every state had good quarantine measures, good public health response measures, widespread testing, good access to PPE and ventilators.
Unfortunately, he said, the Victorian public health response was overwhelmed after the quarantine outbreak. He said that led to a degree of community transmission “that we had not anticipated”.
So it has been a tragic situation in Victoria and the loss of life in aged care is absolutely tragic and clearly there will be lessons learnt from that, there were lessons learnt from Dorothy Henderson Lodge and Newmarch but we believe that there was a lot of planning done, there was a lot of preparation, Clearly, when we look at the events that have happened, there are things we could always do better. We are certainly not arrogant or we don’t show hubris. We know that what’s happening in Victoria is absolutely tragic which is why we have a large team in the Victorian response centre working very closely with the Victorian Department of Health.
He said responders were going into every aged care centre without an outbreak to ensure infection control training in place and PPE was on hand.
Clearly more can always be done ... We have a meeting every morning with the prime minister to discuss the Victorian aged care outbreaks - it is a serious concern for government and it is a tragic situation which we had hoped would not occur. We are responding to it but I do take issue, respectfully, with the conclusions of counsel assisting.”
He said many of those claims were made in the opening address of the counsel assisting, before the evidence was heard. When asked about 70% of Australian covid deaths being linked to aged care, and the claim that it was one of the worst such rates in the world, Murphy said that was an “extraordinary” interpretation of statistics.
He said deaths had affected 0.1% of aged care residents compared with 5% in the UK.
Every death is an absolute tragedy ... but to interpret a percentage of an extremely low death rate as an example of poor aged care management is simply not defensible ... We find that a very misleading conclusion and we reject that it represents a pejorative assessment of our aged care.
Every single death is an absolute tragedy. We are devastated every day when we hear of deaths ... All I’m saying is by international comparison we have not had the absolutely gutting outcomes that the UK has had.
Updated
Health boss Brendan Murphy "takes issue" with royal commission comments
Covid-19 Senate committee chair Katy Gallagher has taken Prof Brendan Murphy to the submissions of the counsel assisting the royal commission into aged care, such as the suggestion that the problems in aged care were not unforeseeable, that the sector was not well prepared, and that the sector was not properly prepared now.
Gallagher said: “It’s a pretty damning indictment on the preparation for aged care outbreaks – would you agree?”
Murphy, who is now secretary of the department of health, countered that it was “an interpretation of his comments”. He signalled his displeasure with the focus of the royal commission hearings this week:
I would take issue with those comments, as I did in the royal commission. Clearly we can always do more – in fact I went to the royal commission aiming to discuss what we could do better, but we ended up discussing an interpretation of statistics and whether or not a plan was a plan. The issue that I think we face is – as I’ve said on many occasions – that clearly there was a lot of preparation done, and there were lessons learnt after Dorothy Henderson Lodge and Newmarch and a huge amount of work is going on in Victoria with the aged care response centre and a lot of preparation was done.
Murphy pointed to the investment of $850m in workforce surge, training, PPE, first responders, testing. He said the challenge was “when we relaxed, when the national cabinet took the decision to relax physical distancing measures in May”, governments did not believe that there would be widespread community transmission on the scale seen in Victoria.
He argued that international experience indicated that “however well prepared you are” it was not possible to prevent aged care outbreaks.
Updated
Australia’s soaring unemployment needs to be tackled through government spending, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has told federal parliament.
Lowe has been making an opening statement to the house economics committee setting out Australia’s grim economic situation.
He said things were better than they would have been without the jobkeeper package and the bank’s intervention to prop up the banks – but said recovery would take longer than expected, in part due to the second wave of infections in Victoria.
Unemployment will peak at 10% by the end of the year – or higher if you count people who are working zero hours – he said.
We are expecting the published unemployment rate to decline gradually from 10%, but to still be around 7% in a few years’ time.
As I will come back to later, addressing this should be high on our list of national priorities.
Lowe also repeated his message that government borrowing was cheaper than ever, and that the RBA had reached the limits of what it could do with interest rates to support the economy.
The RBA has consistently been pushing the government to tip more money into the economy – something Lowe has made explicit today.
Looking forward, an important priority will be to boost jobs.
Based on the forecast I discussed earlier, high unemployment is likely to be with us for some time, which should be a concern for us all. The Reserve Bank will do what it can with its policy instruments to support the journey back to full employment. Beyond that, government policies that support people’s incomes, that add to aggregate demand through direct government spending and that make it easier for firms to hire people all have important roles to play.
He said inflation will be between 1% and 1.5% for the next few years, well below the RBA’s target range, and wages growth will be just 1.5% – meaning there will be no wage increases in real terms.
In a blow for modern monetary theory fans, Lowe also ruled out the use of money printing to directly finance the federal budget.
For some, this offers the possibility of a ‘free lunch’.
The reality, though, is that there is no free lunch. There is no magic pudding. There is no way of putting aside the government’s budget constraint permanently.
Updated
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has launched a campaign to help culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients:
GPs are helping to spread the message by sharing videos of themselves speaking in different languages, urging patients not to delay routine healthcare and explaining how they can safely consult with their GP.
Updated
The head of Australia’s department of health says the government is still considering whether to publicly name all aged care facilities experiencing outbreaks.
Prof Brendan Murphy, the secretary of the health department, has begun giving evidence to the Senate’s Covid-19 committee which is looking at the overall health response. There is expected to be another aged care-specific Covid-19 committee hearing next week, but given the damning revelations at the aged care royal commission this week Murphy is facing questions over the aged care issue today as well.
At his last appearance before the Covid-19 committee, Murphy raised concern about reputational damage if all aged care facilities with outbreaks were named publicly.
Committee chair Katy Gallagher said there were now 125 different outbreaks across residential aged care facilities in Victoria and asked whether he had changed his disposition on providing information to the public or the committee.
Murphy said the government would reach a position by next week’s hearing after a discussion with the aged care minister, Richard Colbeck. “It would be a decision of government,” he said.
Murphy added:
We haven’t reached a final position. We have concerns about publishing the complete list because more than half of those have not had significant outbreaks, some of them had a single case some months ago in the first wave and they’re completely resolved and it would be damaging to those facilities because they were fully managed and there is no impact on residents and staff. I do understand the desire.
When asked about his definition of a significant outbreak, Murphy said more than one case among either staff or residents would be a significant outbreak if there were some transmission in the facility.
Updated
Seems like we are at the swearing point of parliamentary discourse. Kristina Keneally joins the list (not that I consider bloody to be a swear word anymore, but my next door neighbour Margaret would still give me *the* look if I used it in her presence).
.@D_LittleproudMP said “the Federal Agricultural agency only looks after plants and animals; they don’t look after human health.... state governments that they hold the responsibility of human health and make decisions predicated on human health.”
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) August 13, 2020
Not true. Just. Not. True. 👇 pic.twitter.com/5tUiCzJKxm
.@ScottMorrisonMP refused a legal summons for these federal Agriculture officials to appear at the NSW #RubyPrincess Inquiry. Ducking, weaving, lying. Not leadership. Cowardice.
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) August 13, 2020
Australians got sick, and died, because the Morrison Govt did not stop the one boat that mattered.
Updated
RBA Governor Phil Lowe is in front of the economics committee today.
By now, you should have a rough idea of what he is going to say. Things aren’t great, but they could be worse, although, there needs to be some very big thinking to get the economy out of this.
The prime minister had a chat with the Indonesian president Joko Widodo overnight.
It’s part of ongoing bilateral talks between the two – Covid might be forcing us all apart, but in some cases, it’s bringing international relations, closer together.
Among the discussion points – that a vaccine, once found, must be shared. That seems a conversation aimed at an audience not part of the conversation.
That’s the second time Scott Morrison has publicly brought that up – but, when pressed by Murph over who he thought wouldn’t share the vaccine, he wouldn’t say.
Updated
I have just heard from a reader who told me her 70-year-old mum had her windscreen wipers vandalised because she has Victorian number plates, but lives in Victor Harbour – a popular SA holiday* town. I know there are plenty of stories like this – I saw some of it when I was home in Queensland (for the brief time the border was open).
Just be kind, people.
*I know there was some commentary about me labelling VH a border town originally, but when I lived in the Mount it was where we holidayed and even though it was a bit away from the border, it still seemed a hop, skip and a jump in terms of some other areas, but apologies.
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Daniel Hurst will be watching today’s senate Covid committee hearing.
Prof Brendan Murphy will be appearing, as will Prof Paul Kelly (as the acting chief medical officer) answering questions on the aged care response.
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This came through late yesterday from NSW Health:
NSW Health is advising of a new public health alert for Liverpool hospital and Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club.
A third case of Covid-19 has today been confirmed in a staff member at Liverpool hospital. The staff members with Covid-19 are in isolation and all close contacts of the staff members have been identified and advised to isolate for 14 days, get tested for Covid-19 and monitor their health.
The first staff member notified with Covid-19 is linked to a known cluster. The contact tracing team is continuing its work to identify how the other two staff members acquired the coronavirus.
There is no evidence that there is ongoing risk in the hospital, and patients should continue to visit to receive the medical care they need.
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Peter Dutton had some things to say about the border closure between NSW and Queensland on the Nine network today:
When you get a premier like Annastacia Palaszczuk making announcements about border closures when Gladys Berejiklian is doing a press conference and she is caught out, the question is asked of her and she knows nothing about it, she hadn’t been contacted by Queensland, well you would imagine she would be a bit miffed. I think it is childish. There is a growing mood here in Queensland at the moment, I have got to say, Ally, of people who say if the doctors are saying close the borders or put in place this regime, fair enough, but there is a lot of politics being played in Queensland at the moment by the state government here in relation to this issue. You see brochures now going out into letterboxes in marginal seats and what not, and Annastacia Palaszczuk is walking a fine line here. People will be cynical if they think these decisions are being made for political reasons and her break down in the relationship with the New South Wales premier, particularly for those people who live in the Tweed or on the Gold Coast, is negatively impacting on those lives and businesses and it is unacceptable.
Meanwhile, Queensland gave four days notice of the most recent border closure. NSW shut the border to ACT residents trying to get home, after they had been given permission, within hours.
Just a bit of context.
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That is 94 new cases more than yesterday. That doesn’t mean the lockdowns aren’t having an impact – we need to look at the seven-day average for that, and it is still, slowly, pointing down.
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372 new Covid cases in Victoria and 14 deaths
Victoria’s daily figures are in:
#Covid19VicData for 14 August 2020.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 13, 2020
372 new cases of #coronavirus (#COVID19) detected in Victoria in the last 24 hours. We are sad to report that there have been 14 deaths.
More detail will be provided this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/orkOby2h3i
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While we wait for the special inquiry into the Ruby Princess to be handed down, there is this story from the ABC’s political editor, Andrew Probyn (yes, that Andrew) on what airlines were worried about but couldn’t stop.
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Asked about Clive Palmer’s court action with WA, David Littleproud said:
It’s safer with Clive Palmer not to have a view at all. I just think I’ll let Clive Palmer do what he wants. I think Australia has made their mind up about Clive Palmer. I think we are better to leave it at that. Some of us get relevance deprivation and want to be on TV. I will just leave it alone.
David Littleproud was also out and about on the ABC, talking more on his issue with the border closures:
It is just the practical application of them.
While I respect the fact that states have made arbitrary decisions to close off borders as a result of Covid-19, in regional areas where it’s not as pronounced, Covid-19, there is not as many cases, the practical application is that agricultural movement between states and most of those regional communities out there don’t really care about border, they actually have businesses on both sides or they actually deal businesses on other side of the boarders just because it is convenient otherwise it is hundreds of thousands of kilometres away so it is more convenient to deal with your closest community that could be just on the other side.
The practical application of some of the arbitrary closures means that supply chains can be interrupted.
We are coming up to harvest and if we can’t get our harvesters there, if we can’t even get our vets into some of these community, there is also animal welfare issues. We have farmers with property properties on both sides of the border and can’t get up and make sure their stock have food and water.
There is a real challenge that we’ve got to just – I’m asking the state premiers to come together and understand and appreciate that regional Australia is a little bit different.
Not asking them to take back the border closures but work in a practical sense with these communities, with industry as I understand it, as well as the human toll. That is also what I am hearing very much so right across regional Australia from some of these arbitrary calls.
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Simon Birmingham has spent the morning asking Australians who can, to book a domestic trip to help the tourism industry:
It is incredibly tough times for the tourism industry. Our $45bn international tourism market is of course all but switched off right now, and domestic tourism, we see from this latest data through April and May, has taken a whopping hit of nearly $12bn reduction in spend. That’s shocking news for so many small and medium businesses around Australia.
Now, what we need is that for Australians who can and are able to, to book travel and to not just go and stay at the beach and have a few relaxing days, but to make sure when they book travel they engage in local experiences. They get out there, and immerse themselves in the environment locally and support tour operators, those who provide amazing experiences that are unforgettable memories of your lifetime. Get out there and pretend that you’re overseas and do the types of things you would do overseas whilst travelling around Australia.
Except, you know, there are the border lockdowns.
Birmingham:
Nobody disputes the need to quarantine Victoria, and I understand the caution in relation to New South Wales as well. But I would encourage state premiers and chief ministers to take a pragmatic approach in terms of dealing with states who are in almost identical, or perhaps even better conditions than themselves. Some states have taken that approach of opening up to the states where it is safe to do so whilst keeping restrictions in place around Victoria, and for many of them New South Wales too. That’s understandable, that’s proportionate, and that’s the type of sensible approach that I would hope the premiers can bring.
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Keeping all the fingers and things crossed.
"It's looking really good in Melbourne now ... it's looking really solid that we have turned the corner and we are now seeing the daily cases drop."
— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) August 13, 2020
- @Deakin epidemiologist Catherine Bennett on #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/2ZhyHMR1IH
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Oh dear https://t.co/jYFwBNMXvK
— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) August 13, 2020
The Age has reported this morning that the first known infected worker at the infamous Rydges Hotel quarantine program, was not in fact a security guard, but a hotel night duty manager.
The article reads:
Leaked emails show the night manager reported on Monday, 25 May, that he had come down with a fever, and late on the afternoon of the following day Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions officials were told the hotel employee had tested positive. It is presumed he caught it from a returned traveller, who has not been identified...
It is not known how the hotel’s night duty manager became infected and there is no suggestion it was through any improper behaviour. Records show he displayed no symptoms on his previous overnight shift on 23 May and had registered a normal body temperature before starting work on that date.
The article goes on to suggest that a number of security guards were then tested and found to be positive, although not before they spread the virus to family members.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has faced constant scrutiny over the hotel quarantine program after genomic testing revealed that a large proportion of Melbourne’s second wave cases stemmed from breaches of quarantine protocol at hotels.
If the Age’s report is correct this could go some way to ease accusation of government mismanagement, but this report doesn’t account for a possible hotel quarantine breach at the Stamford Plaza hotel shortly after.
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The NSW government gets the Bret Walker led inquiry report into what went wrong with the Ruby Princess today.
Federal officials did not testify at the inquiry, despite Scott Morrison promising cooperation. That came in written ‘here’s what we did’ statements, but the officials did not appear to be questioned.
Simon Birmingham maintained the federal line while talking to ABC News this morning:
We’re making sure there is cooperation with that inquiry and everyone wants to make sure that lessons out of this pandemic are learned for the future.
We will make sure we deal with recommendations when we see them and deal with them appropriately.
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New Zealand also has a nervous day ahead of it, after more cases of Covid community transmission were picked up in Auckland. Jacinda Ardern and her cabinet will most likely make the decision to extend Auckland’s stage three lockdown, given the number of cases so far:
As AAP reports:
Extending a Covid-19 lockdown and possibly delaying the election will be top of mind when New Zealand’s cabinet meets in Wellington for a crunch meeting this afternoon.
The first community outbreak in more than three months has thrown New Zealanders back into the clutches of the pandemic, after weeks of living free of restrictions.
First identified on Tuesday, the new Auckland cluster has 17 confirmed cases, all within the country’s biggest city, with an additional number of probable cases.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern sent Auckland back into lockdown on Wednesday in an attempt the arrest the spread of the spread of the virus.
Ardern has warned case numbers will get worse before they get better, foreshadowing the extension of the lockdown.
But her original order expires at midnight tonight, making Friday a major decision day.
On Friday at 1pm NZST, director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield will address the nation with updated numbers and details.
Then at 3pm NZST, the cabinet will meet to discuss the findings, and at 5:30pm NZST, Ardern will present them at a keenly anticipated press conference.
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Western Australia’s war with Clive Palmer over his latest court action continues:
This law protects the taxpayers of Western Australia, so essential services won’t be under threat.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) August 13, 2020
Thank you to all the Members of Parliament that genuinely supported us on this extremely important matter.
We are waiting on the official word from NSW Health, but as always, the schools have to announce cases first (given that they have to close).
COVID-19 Potts Point Update: A student at St. Vincent’s College in Potts Point has tested positive for COVID-19. The school will be closed today for deep cleaning & contact tracing.
— Alex Greenwich MP (@AlexGreenwich) August 13, 2020
Wash hands, keep social distance, stay home & get tested if sick, wear a mask in crowded places.
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Good morning
Happy Friday, peeps – you have almost made it through another week of this weird time-soup we’re all sitting in.
A special shoutout to our Melbourne readers – I promise we haven’t forgotten that you are doing it even tougher. We are all thinking of you and hope to see all those numbers come down again, so you can begin to see that path out of this lockdown.
On Melbourne, the Age reports private security may not have been the source of the hotel quarantine infection breakout:
The Age front page for Friday, August 14, 2020. Read more online: https://t.co/jI69MmqQE4 pic.twitter.com/dMQfZX7JX1
— The Age (@theage) August 13, 2020
We’ll bring you more on that as it comes. Daniel Andrews will hold his daily press conference (I think he must be up to at least 40 days straight by now) where no doubt more questions will be asked.
We have also had an intervention on the border closures from agricultural minister, David Littleproud. He says supply chains and people’s health in border communities are being adversely impacted and it’s time for the federation to come together and sort it out:
The arbitrary closure of state borders have had serious unintended consequences not only on agricultural supply chains but also regional Australians wellbeing,” Minister Littleproud said.
Hard closures are stopping the flow of silage contractors and grain harvesters between Queensland and NSW, Queensland veterinarians and agronomists are also unable to visit clients in Northern NSW, and there are numerous human health impacts impacting on residents who rely on GPs, specialists and allied health care across state borders.
In one case, a Victorian pastoralist is unable to get to Broken Hill to feed and water her 500 cattle. In Corowa, a number of Victorian-based management and staff of a 5000 head dairy are prevented from crossing the border, putting at risk the health and welfare of animals.
Cancer patients in Tenterfield are unable to access treatment in Queensland, and a heavily pregnant woman in Moree has also been declined a permit to visit Toowoomba to visit her obstetrician.
These are just some of the many examples of the devastating impacts these hard borders are having on rural families and communities.
State health officials need to engage specifically with regional communities and industries at the direction of the premiers to identify workable solutions that keep supply chains open while keeping Australians safe rather than arbitrary broad reaching decisions.
Where practical the prime minister will seek to raise these issues with premiers.
The Liberal government in South Australia has tightened restrictons on its border with Victoria, meaning Victorian border communities are even further restricted on what services they can access. It all seems like a line until somone is driving three hours to get milk or see a doctor.
There have been growing reports of people with Victorian number plates being abused in South Australian centres, like Mount Gambier, despite having obeyed the border restrictions (many workers have set up camp away from home, so they can keep going to their jobs).
So there will be more on that today.
There will also be a lot more on the Commonwealth response preparing the aged care sector for the pandemic. As we heard from the counsel assisting the commissioner, Peter Rozen QC, yesterday, the sector is STILL not prepared. Rozen said the deaths were not unforeesable and people had been failed.
Acting chief medical officer Prof Paul Kelly is in front of the senate Covid committee today. He’ll be tasked with answering a lot of those questions.
It’s been quite a few days since we have had a press conference with the prime minister – there was a video posted to his social media feed commiserating over the deaths in Victoria, after 21 people died in what was Australia’s deadliest day in the pandemic so far (and hopeful we don’t ever see that topped) – but there hasn’t been a press conference.
There’s also the inquiry report into the Ruby Princess debacle (which federal officers were shielded from having to give evidence at) and NSW keeping a nervous eye on community transmission in Sydney’s north-west.
We’ll bring you all the day’s events as they happen. You have Amy Remeikis with you this morning.
Ready?
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