What happened today, Friday 28 May
And we’re going to wrap the blog up for the evening. Here is what happened today:
- Victoria recorded four new Covid-19 cases as it entered its first day of a seven-day lockdown. Authorities said more than 15,000 primary and secondary contacts were in isolation and there were more than 120 exposures sites.
- The health minister, Greg Hunt, confirmed the commonwealth would provide 16o Australian Defence Force personnel requested by the Victorian government to help deal with the Covid-19 outbreak. He thanked Victorians for turning out in record numbers for vaccination, with 40,000 vaccinated in the state in the previous 24 hours.
- Hunt said all aged care homes would receive vaccines by the end of the day.
- Jodi McKay resigned as NSW opposition leader.
- The New South Wales deputy premier, John Barilaro, is suing the YouTube comedian Friendlyjordies for defamation.
Thanks for joining us this week. Enjoy your weekend.
Updated
Via AAP:
The Northern Territory’s chief health officer is in COVID-19 quarantine at the Howard Springs facility.
Hugh Heggie was travelling in Victoria when the NT declared Greater Melbourne a hotspot on Thursday.
Dr Heggie returned to Darwin and is undertaking mandatory, supervised quarantine at the former mining camp on Darwin’s outskirts.
Dr Charles Pain will continue as acting chief health officer while Dr Heggie isolates.
Updated
Via AAP:
A flu vaccination centre in suburban Preston is among Melbourne’s latest coronavirus exposure sites.
Preston City Hall was declared a tier-one site on Friday, day one of Victoria’s week-long lockdown.
Anyone who was at the hall between 9.30-11am on May 22 must get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
Updated
Overcrowding in Victoria’s healthcare system is a “bigger public health emergency than Covid,” according to a leading emergency physician who says the state’s doctors and nurses were exhausted even before the latest outbreak.
Victoria is in a seven-day lockdown with 30 cases of community transmission, more than 120 exposure sites, and 15,000 primary and secondary contacts of cases in isolation.
The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Victoria faculty chair, Dr Mya Cubitt, said on Friday that doctors and nurses in public hospitals had been dreading such a situation because they were still recovering from Victoria’s second wave in 2020.
You can read more on that story, by my colleague Melissa Davey, here:
The former NSW opposition leader Michael Daley has issued a statement about Jodi McKay’s resignation as leader:
Today, Jodi McKay stepped down as NSW Labor leader.
I supported her because each and every day she showed great integrity.
She was democratically elected overwhelmingly by both the membership and the caucus. It’s a shameful thing she felt forced to go.
I wish her well and hope she stays in public life for a very long time.
Updated
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, has been speaking to the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.
Patricia Karvelas asked him what percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had been vaccinated.
“In terms of numbers it’s over 50,000 injections that have been given, but the Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations are providing the outreach to Aboriginal people in remote and isolated communities,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt was asked if he knew what percentage that 50,000 figure represented.
“I don’t in that regard, because the program is ongoing and the data is certainly coming back, so I don’t have the contemporary information, other than I know that our community-controlled health services are being very proactive and in some communities they’re visiting people at home. So it varies across the nation, but I would hope that we eventually reach a level that gives us that herd immunity,” Wyatt said.
Updated
Australian scientists have developed a saliva test that can detect Covid-19 in five minutes, AAP reports:
The portable testing device uses infrared light to detect the virus in saliva samples, and scientists say it could be capable of screening 5,000 people a day.
In preliminary testing, the screening device was able to correctly detect the virus in 27 out of 29 patients.
But the research, led by Monash University and the Doherty Institute, is only up to ‘proof-of-concept’ stage, so it may be some time before ‘brain tickler’ nasal swabs are no longer needed.
The breakthrough device uses infrared light to interact with the vibrations of molecules in saliva samples, generating a unique chemical fingerprint which is then analysed using machine learning algorithms.
Because the device works so quickly, it is hoped it can be used for screening at airports, stadiums, universities and schools, as well as to triage patients for further Covid tests.
According to Prof Bayden Wood from Monash University, the device is fast, cheap, and easy to use, and reduces the infection risk for patients and healthcare workers.
Wood did much of the initial work on the device at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne.
Prof Damian Purcell from the Doherty Institute said the new test avoids the discomfort of nasal swabs.
“A person can contribute the sample by simply dribbling into a sterile container,” he said.
“The result can be derived in less than five minutes and a rapid result minimises the delay in determining if quarantine is required, therefore minimising the risk of further spread of infection.”
Similar infrared techniques have been used in the past to detect malaria and hepatitis.
The research was carried out with the University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne hospital, the Dublin Institute of Technology, the University of Strathclyde, Elettra-Sincrotone Trieste, and the Area Science Park Trieste.
The findings were published on Friday in the leading German chemistry journal, Angewandte Chemie.
Updated
And with that, my time on the blog has come to an end. But fear not, I leave you in the expert hands of Lisa Cox for the rest of the day. Thanks for reading!
Updated
Scott Morrison’s visit to New Zealand looks set to go ahead on Sunday after being cast in doubt by Covid restrictions introduced after Melbourne’s Covid outbreak.
On Thursday New Zealand said anyone who had been in the greater Melbourne area between 20 May and 25 May should isolate and get tested. Morrison was in Pakenham on 20 May and it was unclear if he would be able to make the trip, during which he is due to hold talks with New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern.
But on Friday, New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, updated the country’s travel advice, according to RNZ, saying people flying to New Zealand from Australia must return a negative Covid test within 72 hours before departure if they have been in Victoria on or after 20 May. Those who have been in Victoria on or after 25 May cannot fly to New Zealand at all.
Hipkins told reporters Morrison was coming on a special flight and that all on board would be getting pre-departure testing. The new travel settings would not affect his visit, Hipkins said.
Updated
Quick summary of the health minister's press conference
So in perhaps a fittingly low-key affair, the health minister, Greg Hunt, has provided a short coronavirus update today:
- More than 40,000 people were vaccinated overnight in Victoria, with more than 124,000 people across the country getting the jab.
- The commonwealth will provide the requested 160 ADF personnel to support the Victorian government’s efforts to deal with the Covid outbreak.
- All aged care homes will receive vaccines by the end of the day.
- Atagi will meet next week to discuss age recommendations for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
- Hunt dismissed the idea of a vaccination lottery, and said there was “real hope” on the horizon.
Updated
So Hunt ends by rejecting the idea of a vaccination lottery and saying there is “real hope” in the number of people getting vaccinated:
There are many constructive proposals that people are putting forward for government or for the private sector or community.
The strongest reason is to avoid a lottery and to avoid the lottery of Covid and avoid the lottery of death ...
The number one reason to be vaccinated is it can save your life and the life of your family and friends, and so our message today is please come forward and be vaccinated at the earliest possible time.
There is hope out of Victoria, we are making progress, there is real hope with those numbers and the outcomes.
But we are sending 160 ADF personnel to courier, to assist, to support and provide that sense that we will get through this.
Updated
Both Hunt and Kelly are asked about hotel quarantine, and both back it as a relative success so far.
Hunt says more than 300,000 people have passed through the system so far:
Obviously it is a program that has been established and managed Covid as we have had, so it is always under discussion with the states of the commonwealth.
It is the fastest and safest way to bring in large numbers of people to Australia. So far, we have had over 300,000 people go through hotel quarantine ...
At the same time, we are always planning for the next step and the next step.
Kelly says the system has relatively worked so far, with only an “extremely small number of breaches”.
Updated
Kelly says he has been “led to believe” that one of the 30 cases in Victoria has already been vaccinated, but said investigations are still ongoing.
Updated
Chief medical officer says Atagi will reconsider age limit on vaccines
Australia’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, says Atagi will meet next week to discuss age recommendations for the AstraZeneca vaccine:
They are reviewing the evidence all of the time, so they don’t seem to sleep, literally there is one member of Atagi every night on international hookups about these matters ...
They formally look at that advice around the 50 year cut-off, and balance, as they have done from the beginning, the risk and benefit of the vaccine. They will do it again, look at that again ... on Wednesday I think they meet.
Updated
Hunt is asked about vaccinations of disability workers, and says they’ve now reached 424 in-reach visits to disability facilities during this week.
He says that shows the transition of focus, from aged care workforce to disability staffers.
Kelly has (somewhat) waded into the day’s debate about whether or not the first dose of the vaccine counts as a full “vaccination”.
His contribution is to reiterate that the first dose gives “very good protection” very quickly:
Zero doses give you no protection. One dose gives a very good protection quite quickly. Within two or three weeks, we notice from clinical trials and laboratory tests done about antibody production, we know from real-world experience, particularly in the UK and Scotland where they have very good information about the protection given by the AstraZeneca vaccine and Pfizer vaccine after the first dose.
It was medical advice from Atagi about that dose interval and so we don’t have a lot of people fully vaccinated at this stage in Australia because most of the vaccinations we are rolling out in general practice have been the AstraZeneca, so that 12-week dosage interval, which will eventually give us the best outcome in terms of protection, kicks in this weekend.
Updated
Prof Paul Kelly says there are some “positive” things with regards to the work done so far in Victoria, including the fact that all 30 cases have been linked.
But Kelly says the list of “complex or high-risk settings” where people have been infectious is concerning:
Those number of nightclubs, for example, bars and the latest cases related to a cold storage facility.
We know those are high risk for transmission so we watch closely, but there are now those 30 cases that have generated hundreds of close contacts, thousands of casual contacts and there have been positive cases in those casual contacts.
We know this is a variant of concern that is more transmissible. We are watching that carefully and closely. We have to wait and see what happens over the coming days in terms of that spread in Victoria.
Updated
Greg Hunt hails record vaccination numbers across Australia
Hunt confirms the federal government will be sending the requested 160 ADF personnel to assist Victoria, before thanking Victorians for getting tested and vaccinated in such large numbers:
What we’ve seen is record numbers of vaccinations in Victoria and record numbers of vaccinations Australia-wide.
In Victoria, we’ve seen over 41,000 people vaccinated in the last 24 hours, Australia-wide we’ve 124,871 people vaccinated in the last 24 hours. I think that is worth repeating and reinforcing – 124,871 people vaccinated Australia-wide in the last 24 hours.
We want to thank everybody for coming forward. Each person is doing their bit to help attach themselves and protect the nation.
Updated
Hunt begins by backing the Victorian state government’s decision to put the state into a snap lockdown yesterday:
I spoke with my counterpart, Martin Foley, on Tuesday night, the prime minister has spoken with the Victorian acting premier along the way and we indicated that if Victoria were to move early they would have our support, and they have done that and that is to their credit. There are significant events which have led to transmission, but they have moved early.
Hunt laid out three reasons why this lockdown is different, pointing to improved contact tracing, early action and the vaccination rollout underscoring the decision.
Updated
Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt, and chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, have just stepped up for their press conference.
Updated
John Barilaro sues YouTuber for defamation
Lots happening in NSW politics today, with the deputy premier, John Barilaro, suing YouTube “comedian” Friendlyjordies for defamation.
Barilaro is also suing Google for not removing two videos posted by Friendlyjordies, whose real name is Jordan Shanks.
Lawyers for Barilaro say Shanks defamed the deputy premier in a series of videos that allegedly portray him as acting corruptly. He also alleges Shanks launched a series of “racist attacks” in the videos.
You can read more on the suit from Michael McGowan here:
Updated
Labor senator for the Northern Territory, Malarndirri McCarthy has given the government’s 1,000 jobs program a serve at Senate estimates today, asking why “a billion-dollar company would need to have a government grant to take on a CDP worker”.
The 1,000 jobs scheme, which offers generous subsidies to remote businesses to employ remote Aboriginal work-for-the-dole participants, has so far only employed 400 people.
This week Guardian Australia revealed that companies linked to tax havens and one of China’s wealthiest property developers were among those approved to receive the payment.
Shiying Yougawalla was approved for two grants in October and December for $56,099.36, and $114,040.96 to create three jobs. Argyle Cattle Company was approved for a grant of $112,198.72 in December for two jobs.
Shiying Yougawalla No.2 Pty Ltd and Argyle Cattle Company Pty Ltd are both part of one of China’s biggest property development empires, Shimao Property.
Shimao has a roughly $US20bn annual revenue, and is headed by Hui Wing Mau, Australia’s fourth richest man, who has an estimated net worth of $18bn.
At estimates, McCarthy questioned why a “billion-dollar company” would get a grant, ahead of smaller remote businesses who needed support.
“I’m just trying to understand why a billion-dollar company would need to have a government grant to take on a CDP worker,” McCarthy said, “when you have much smaller businesses who are struggling and need the workers first.
“There are so many businesses out there right across Australia, in particular in northern Australia, who are screaming out for staff, who need people.
“And we’ve got 40,000 people here on a CDP program who want to have good jobs.
“They want good conditions, they want superannuation, they want long service leave, they want to be treated with respect,” she said. “And yet your government cannot seem to combine all this together and give those people a real opportunity.”
Ryan Bulmer from the National Indigenous Australians Agency, which manages the program, said the grant to Argyle Cattle Company “is a very successful job that will give a young person pride and all the other benefits of employment”.
Bulmer said that the grant contrasted with another “just down the road in Derby”, where an Aboriginal-run cafe “that does great sandwiches and coffee” has “got a young person starting and working in the hospitality sector as well”.
McCarthy was unimpressed.
“With the greatest of respect,” she replied, “there are people out there who are going hungry, who need to be able to look after their families, who are so impoverished and don’t get an opportunity and a fair go. And when I see programs like this that can provide such incredible support for all of these remote and regional areas in Australia, it just beggars belief that there isn’t a more coordinated structure on all of these funding programs, that’s all.”
Updated
Summary of the day so far
So, Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt, is expected to address the media in half an hour, but in the meantime, here is a summary of the day’s news so far:
- Four new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Victoria overnight, after more than 50,000 tests.
- The Victorian government announced it will work towards providing support for businesses, asked for 160 Australian Defence Force staff to support its efforts, and updated the list of locations of concern.
- No new cases were recorded in NSW, Western Australia and the ACT.
- The NSW opposition leader, Jodi McKay, has resigned as leader of the state’s Labor party, after coming under pressure following the party’s loss at Saturday’s byelection in Upper Hunter.
- Two hitchhiking girls thought missing from Victoria caused a Covid scare after crossing the border into South Australia last night.
We await the health minister’s update with bated breath.
Updated
Fragments of Covid-19 have been detected at a sewage network site in Homebush, NSW Health has said.
The area of concern covers more than 40,000 people, and includes the suburbs of Homebush, Homebush West, Strathfield, Concord, Concord West, Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point, Newington, Lidcombe, Silverwater, Petersham, Liberty Grove, Rhodes and North Strathfield.
In posts to Twitter, NSW Health says it is aware that recent cases of returned travellers live in the region.
NSW Health is aware of recent COVID-19 cases in returned overseas travellers, who have left hotel quarantine and live in this catchment.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) May 28, 2021
The department says it is likely the fragments come as people continue to shed the virus, but warned residents to stay vigilant.
Nonetheless, NSW Health is asking everyone in the area to be vigilant in monitoring for symptoms, and if they appear get tested and isolate immediately until they receive a negative result.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) May 28, 2021
Updated
Victoria’s deputy premier, James Merlino, has had his first vaccination, and also revealed he has an Obama-Biden election T-shirt.
One down, one to go.
— James Merlino (@JamesMerlinoMP) May 28, 2021
Just a reminder that everyone aged 40+ is now eligible – so if that's you, get it done as soon as you can.
Special thanks to all the healthcare workers – like Lynda here – getting vaccines into arms across the state.
It really is our way out of this. pic.twitter.com/VDBZuew3lY
Unclear what election, 2008 or 2012, the shirt was from. Investigations continue.
Updated
In some good news, Western Australia and the ACT have both recorded zero new cases of Covid-19.
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has urged the federal government to provide financial support for Victorians.
Bandt is calling on the government to use “existing Covid discretionary funds and legislative powers” to ensure Victorians can get through the latest lockdown.
Bandt specifically calls for parliamentarians to provide grants immediately to individuals and businesses under the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997.
$10bn in discretionary funds has been set aside for the finance minister to use during Covid, most of which remains unspent.
The prime minister’s failure to ensure strong quarantine and ensure a quick vaccination rollout puts the blame for this lockdown squarely on his shoulders, and by forcing us to endure it without jobkeeper and a higher jobseeker, he’s making this challenge even worse.
There is $10bn in discretionary money set aside to deal with the challenges of Covid, and some of that should be used to support people and businesses doing it tough this week.
Scott Morrison must immediately provide support to all those who have been impacted by his failures on quarantine and his slow vaccination rollout.
Updated
Victoria’s opposition treasury spokeswoman Louise Staley says businesses are being “forgotten” in the lockdown.
Staley says the government was quizzed about support for businesses at parliamentary hearings yesterday and slammed their responses.
Given its track record of failure in contact tracing, it is beyond comprehension that Labor has not planned and not budgeted for another lockdown.
Businesses are still reeling from the February snap lockdown, and many are only just getting back on their feet. The treasurer should have done the work to ensure that businesses can be supported through another lockdown.
Yet again Labor has turned its back on Victorian businesses.
Updated
So after a bumpy week, McKay tearfully announces she will no longer continue as leader of NSW Labor, saying she hopes her move will provide the “best opportunity to heal and to move forward”.
I want to apologise to those who wished I had stayed. But this is the only way that I know that I can unite our party. I have spent the last six days reflecting on how to achieve unity. And I have decided that this offers the party the best opportunity to heal and to move forward.
There also has to be a future where there is no destabilising of the party’s leader from within.
When the leadership of the Labor party will move to a ballot, there must be an acknowledgment that at the end of that process, when the new leader is determined, that we unite as a party.
This time we must accept the outcome, we must all support the new leader, and we have to work to win government in 2023, because NSW deserves no less. I want to thank my incredible staff who have supported me and ... I’m so indebted to them.
Updated
Jodi McKay resigns as NSW Labor leader
NSW opposition leader Jodi McKay has announced she is stepping down as the leader of NSW Labor.
Updated
After acting Victorian premier James Merlino revealed Tim Pallas had spoken to federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg to discuss possible federal assistance, we asked Frydenberg what might be on the table.
The answer was ... a list of things the federal government is already providing.
It seems that – consistent with Greg Hunt’s comments this morning – the federal government thinks it is doing enough and a seven-day lockdown is short and sharp enough that Victoria can manage the economic fallout.
Although the two treasurers have spoken, nothing further has been offered, and no further talks are scheduled.
It’s possible that could change if Covid results go bad and a lockdown longer than a week is required, but we won’t be hearing anything from the feds until after Victoria’s package is announced, likely this weekend.
Frydenberg said:
Victoria’s lockdown is a painful reminder that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic.
That is why in the budget we are continuing to provide record levels of support in order to secure Australia’s economic recovery.
Already $45.2bn in economic support has been provided to Victoria during this crisis and more is flowing in the form of tax cuts to households and businesses as well as additional funding for much needed mental health services.
Targeted support is also continuing to be provided to the tourism, travel and aviation sectors, in addition to the arts and entertainment sectors.
There’s a longstanding view by many in the government that through jobkeeper and jobseeker it footed the lion’s share of the bill for Covid, allowing states to lock down with a smaller financial impact to themselves.
Updated
More than 50 Victorian passengers have been removed from The Ghan and Indian Pacific train services amid travel restrictions imposed by South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales: 32 who boarded the train in Adelaide were pulled from the their trip at Marla and transported back to the city and into hotel quarantine for testing, Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions says.
Twenty travellers going in the opposite direction were pulled from the train at Alice Springs and taken to the nearby Todd quarantine facility, also for testing; 14 passengers on the westbound Indian Pacific train service were also removed.
On board the Ghan. Passengers who have been to Greater Melbourne in past 14 days offloaded in Marla and getting put on a bus back to Adelaide. @7NewsAdelaide @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/i986dXIqsO
— Amanda Bachmann (@akbachmann) May 27, 2021
“Our priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of our guests and staff while complying with state government mandates,” a spokeswoman said.
Updated
Labor’s health spoksman Mark Butler is slamming the Morrison government for the “shockingly slow rate” of the vaccine rollout:
This latest lockdown is the first since the government ripped away jobkeeper, ripped away the economic supports during this pandemic.
We know from the job statistics that after that happened thousands of jobs across Australia were lost and 64,000 Australian simply gave up looking for work at all. Victoria was hardest hit of all of the states in the ripping away of jobkeeper.
In this lockdown, Scott Morrison has left Victorians without any economic support ... He has been far too quick to rip away jobkeeper and far too slow to roll out the vaccines.
Hundreds and thousands of aged care residents in Victoria remain without full protection because of Scott Morrison’s failures on the vaccine rollout.
Scott Morrison needs to come clean with the Australian people about his failures on vaccines and about the failure of the hotel quarantine system, instead of continuing to push out these dodgy and misleading statistics.
Updated
Two girls create Covid scare in SA
Two girls thought missing from Victoria have sparked a Covid scare after hitchhiking to South Australia overnight.
SA police confirmed the two girls had come to visit a friend in Goolwa, and hitchhiked with different vehicles to get to the state.
All three girls caught a school bus to Victor Harbor high school this morning, where police stopped them before anyone could get off.
The girls are now in isolation, with arrangements being made for them to be tested.
Updated
Good afternoon everyone, and a quick thanks to Matilda and Elias for expertly guiding us through the morning’s news. I’ll be here for the afternoon’s headlines, and there’s much to get through, so let’s jump in.
With that, I shall pass you over to the amazing Mostafa Rachwani to take you through the rest of the day.
Did I hear you asking for former Labor leader and frontbencher Bill Shorten’s views on the lockdown?
Oh, well, here they are anyway:
Some people say we should not talk about blame and ... I can understand that, but as a Melburnian I cannot help but wonder that if the Morrison government had an app that works, if they had a public health campaign encouraging people to get vaccinated, if they had built some federal quarantine facilities that were built for purpose, and if they had rolled out their vaccines quicker, then maybe there’s a chance all of this trauma could have been avoided.
Updated
A/Premier @JamesMerlinoMP says Victoria is open to quarantine hub at Avalon. Expression of Interest to builders released today. Not site specific. @abcnews @abcmelbourne
— Richard Willingham (@rwillingham) May 28, 2021
Victorian press conference summary
OK. Here is what we learnt.
- Just four new Covid-19 cases from more than 50,000 tests. All are linked to the current cluster
- There will be an announcement from the state government in the coming days on economic support for businesses
- Victoria has asked the commonwealth for 160 ADF staff to help with lockdown measures such as doorknocking
- One of the cluster early cases may have been out in the community while infectious for 12 days from 13 May
- There are five locations of particular concern for authorities where they believe transmission may have occurred in popular pubs and bars.
These locations are:
- The Sporting Globe, Mordiallioc, 23 May, 6.15pm-9.45pm
- 3 Monkeys, Prahran, 22 May, 9.10pm-11pm
- Somewhere Bar, Prahran, 22 May
- Palace Hotel Sth Melb, 23 May, 5.45-6.45pm
- The Local, Port Melbourne, 21 May, 1.30-3.30pm
They believe hundreds of people will have been at these bars and clubs during these times, but have only got QR code check-in records “in the tens”. Anyone who has been to these locations must come forward and contact the health department.
Updated
NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay expected to stand down
NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay is expected to announce she is standing down at a press conference which should take place shortly.
It is understood head office has intervened and demanded a resolution to the instability that has followed the Upper Hunter byelection result.
It is unclear whether there will be a contest for the leadership. Transport spokesman Chris Minns and the former leader Michael Daley have expressed interest in the past.
McKay has been leading the opposition since March 2019. She won the leadership under the new Labor rules which give the rank and file a vote as well as caucus.
The next state election in NSW is not due until March 2023.
Updated
And to finish off Sutton has reiterated there is no firm case number threshold for lockdown to be extended or eased early.
There is no single figure threshold for how you respond. The considerations, as I think I outlined yesterday, relate to new exposure sites, the number of new cases, but also how many contacts they have, how many places they have been to, and the kind of risk settings and the relative seriousness in those settings that have to be under consideration.
Updated
Brett Sutton says regional Victoria has been locked down as well, basically because the government was worried city-slickers would flood to any restriction-free areas.
The reality is if we carved out a part of regional Victoria and said no restrictions in that place, that’s where everyone from Melbourne would go ... and this virus [could be introduced] into previously unaffected areas. There are operational considerations about how you stop some of the potential movement, if you were to carve out one area or many areas of regional Victoria.
That said, these restrictions are under review and reconsideration every single day and if there is an operational response that can manage that and carve out parts or all of regional Victoria or, indeed, parts of metro Melbourne, that will always be under consideration, but what we do not want to do is export this virus to previously unaffected areas.
Updated
One thing that often happens during lockdowns is a big rise in ambulance call-outs, which can lead to queues of ambulances carrying passengers lining up outside hospitals.
This has already begun in Melbourne and Merlino says the state is working on it.
Look, this is a significant issue, not just here in Victoria but right across the country. We are seeing, as the minister for health has explained and so have I previously, a significant spike in callouts, 10,000 additional callouts compared to the quarter before.
We are seeing a big impact in terms of our ambulance system, our emergency departments, and that’s reflected right across the country.
I was at a national cabinet meeting where almost every state and territory said this is a big problem ... We are seeing a significant challenge on ambulances and in our emergency departments in Victoria and right across the nation ...
It was agreed that health ministers will come together to agree on what to do, and in the meantime, in the budget we handed down last week, there was $759m of additional support. That will go to triage nurses. That will go to additional paramedics, to try to ease the pressure.
I acknowledge this is a challenge and it is a national challenge. We are doing what we can for the state budget, but additional $759m, and it will be discussed at a national level at national cabinet.
Updated
So, these new cases announced today are all linked to the current outbreak, but how?
Testing commander Jeroen Weimar says:
The four new positive cases we have identified today, three of them are associated with the Whittlesea outbreak. All are within the primary close contacts of the existing positive cases.
One of the cases is a friend, a primary close contact of the positive case associated with the Stratton Finance outbreak ...
That fourth case is the one who spent some time in a sporting club with a positive case on Sunday 23 May.
Updated
Let’s play a game of “which politicians in Victoria have been vaccinated” (because Merlino was just asked).
Off the top of my head, I don’t know how many MPs have received the vaccination. I know that Martin Pakula (industry) has; I know Martin Foley (health) has; I know Tim Pallas (treasury) has. I am getting vaccinated today. I think the leader of the opposition is getting vaccinated today. But I don’t know how many have vaccinated.
Reporter:
Has the premier been vaccinated?
Merlino:
I am not sure, Rich. I doubt he has been vaccinated because he is just in the category that is eligible today, so I am not sure if he has got a booking for a vaccination, but I will be getting mine straight after this.
Updated
Chief health officer Brett Sutton says everyone who attended potential exposure sites on Chapel St in the city’s inner-east suburbs has so far tested negative.
All negatives back from those who attended, but again, we want to make absolutely sure that we are capturing everyone who has been to those potential sites.
Updated
Oooh, this is a little juicy.
Merlino was asked if he is asking the commonwealth to reinstate jobkeeper and, well, he didn’t say no.
I won’t talk for the treasurers – they are having discussions right now. I just want to let people know, particularly the business community know, that the Victorian treasurer and federal treasurer are talking about assistance as well as the work that we’re doing in terms of providing business assistance and a package that we will announce the coming days.
Updated
Economic support for Victorian businesses imminent
Merlino says people can “certainly expect” an announcement on support for business owners in the coming days.
He was then asked if he is frustrated by the commonwealth’s refusal to provide similar support.
As I’ve said, and I know ... our industry minister was out this morning talking about this. Our immediate focus in terms of the decisions we have had to make have been on public health. Doing what we need to do to keep our community safe and allow the public health team to get ahead of this outbreak.
Our focus is now both on dealing with the outbreak as well as thinking about what further support we can give our business community, our event organisers. We know this is difficult. We know it is even more difficult because we are in a period now where jobkeeper is not providing the support, the direct support.
Wage subsidies, these are commonwealth matters. So we are discussing between governments, between treasurers about what support the commonwealth can provide. We are doing our work in terms of what assistance we will provide to the business community and we will have something to say in coming days.
Updated
James Merlino says it’s too early to know if the lockdown is likely to end early or be extended further (Which like, given it’s only day one is not that surprising.)
It would be entirely based on the advice of public health and that is how we have operated with other circuit breaker lockdown is over longer periods of lockdown, that would be based on advice from public health in terms of how quickly we can return to the settings that we had prior to the circuit breaker lockdown.
Reporter:
Can you give any indication to people today about what we are working on at the moment? Is there going to be a staged easing?
Merlino:
Sure, I cannot today and as Professor Sutton has said we are in the early days of this circuit breaker lot down. Advice from public health is that need the seven days to get ahead of this outbreak and I’m confident that will happen. We are in early days.
I mentioned a second ago that the federal government had been fairly firm that it would not provide economic support to Victoria during the lockdown, but it looks like acting premier Merlino is still holding out hope.
My response is the respective treasurers, Tim Pallas and Josh Frydenberg, are in active discussions about what support can be provided and I think it is a good thing.
The prime minister made some comments that the commonwealth is looking to work hand in glove with the Victorian government and I welcome it. And that can be done in a number of ways.
There is the formal request that we will be putting through for additional ADF staff to assist the authorised officers and there are discussions happening between the respective treasurers Tim Pallas and Josh Frydenberg in terms of what support can be provided.
Updated
Just a bit more of the Victorian vaccination capacity.
Cowie:
We were saying last week that we had at least double the capacity that we were currently using, we have more than double that already is was referred to previously, so our state system, we are running the numbers now we always wanted to be and we can do a little bit more, we are continuing to invest in more sites and more workforce.
Really, important to remember, most vaccines in Victoria are actually being administered by our GPs. So people really do need to remember also those fantastic GPs in Victoria who are vaccinating more people than the state system every day.
Updated
Cowie:
I would like to see eligibility expanded as soon as we have the capacity to do so. And we will continue to review the uptake of vaccination, the number of people booking in and our booking systems are booking people in up to four weeks’ time, so not everyone will be vaccinated today and not everyone will be able to be vaccinated next week, but our health services – and I think there was a question before about the workforce – we are continuing to expand the vaccination workforce.
We are continuing to connect offers of assistance to work with our services to expand the workforce to ensure that more and more Victorians will be vaccinated with every passing day.
Updated
Prof Ben Cowie, the head of the state’s vaccine program, says he can’t put a date on when Pfizer jabs would be opened up to 30- to 39-year-olds.
Really, that is a dynamic process. Hundreds of thousands of Victorians have become newly eligible for vaccination today. And we have been so gratified by the response. It’s amazing to see how many people are wanting to be vaccinated.
What I would say is that we obviously cannot vaccinate hundreds of thousands of people in a single day and it relates to the questions about people booking in and having difficulties accessing those bookings.
I would say if you are one of those tens of thousands of Victorians calling in at any one time, please, if you cannot get through, I’m sorry but if you could possibly call back in the afternoon. We commit to vaccinating every single Victorian who wants to be vaccinated in the coming weeks. Without question.
In terms of further age groups becoming eligible, we really need to see what the demand looks like over the next few days and we will obviously ask government to ensure that we are increasing eligibility once a system is able to handle it.
Updated
No new Covid cases in NSW today
I will jump back to Victoria in one second, but just quickly: no local Covid-19 cases in NSW today.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) May 28, 2021
Three new cases were acquired overseas in the same period, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,390. pic.twitter.com/bW3c1eVoPk
Updated
Victoria COVID Update
— Joe O'Brien (@JoeABCNews) May 28, 2021
Pubs and bars of particular concern
3 Monkeys and Somewhere Bar, Prahran
The Palace Hotel, South Melb
The Local, Port Melbourne.
The Sporting Globe, Mordialloc
Check https://t.co/T7cjJWRjlb for dates and times
Sutton: it’s not over yet. We could get 10 or 20 cases tomorrow. @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/RQkyXXiZBU
— Sharnelle Vella (@SharnelleVella) May 28, 2021
Reporter:
I know it sounds obvious, but how much of a setback is that? The [person] was presenting symptoms and didn’t go and get tested? Is that one of the reasons we are in this mess?
Sutton:
We are encouraging absolutely everyone at the first sign or symptom of illness, and it can be very mild, it can be just a tickle in the throat or just a runny nose or just a headache or lethargy.
Do not think that it is something else. You have to work on the assumption that it is Covid. Get that negative test, and then assure yourself you are not putting others at risk. We can’t emphasise it enough. It is out there in the community, you have to assume it is Covid until proven otherwise.
Reporter:
Was this person a bit of a sceptic on Covid?
Sutton:
No. Look, there are so many reasons that people say: ‘Am I really at risk? Other people might be at risk but not me. I don’t work out the airport, I don’t work in hotel quarantine, you know, I haven’t been around high-risk settings.’ And yet here we are. So you always have to think about the possibility that it could be you, as an average citizen. That is the key.
Updated
Some of the dates on exposure sites are now stretching back as far as 13 and 14 May, two days earlier than previously thought.
A reporter has asked chief health officer Prof Brett Sutton about this. It looks like one of the first cases was actually symptomatic for longer than we previously knew.
We have revised his timeline, based again, as we do with so many of our cases, reinterviewing, going back to his personal diary and recollections and the likelihood he might have had mild symptoms a couple of days earlier.
Reporter:
So he didn’t get tested until the 25th. That means he was out in the community for 12 days before he got tested?
Sutton:
Potentially, yes.
Updated
Weimar was asked if venues that failed to make everyone check-in via the QR code system will be found. He didn’t answer directly but didn’t seem that jazzed about the idea.
At this point in time, our focus is on finding out who was there. If we are seeing significant breaches, we do have enforcement activity underway, we have had it underway for a number of months, and we will enforce that where necessary.
But my message today is, this is about making sure people are safe. As we sit here today we have 30 people currently awkward COVID-19 in the state, around this community outbreak. We are really keen to ensure that they are safe, but they are being looked after and getting the care they need. We want to minimise any additional cases
There have been reports of extremely long wait times for vaccine bookings in Victoria. Weimar is asked if any doses will go to waste because people are unable to make a booking.
He says: “No.”
One of the very positive things we are seeing now over the last few days, we are seeing an increasing interest in vaccination, and we’re grateful to all Victorians ... The million doses we have now been able to administer, and more as we go forward, both GPs and vaccination clinics are really focused on ensuring that there is no wastage. The more people that book, the more people that come forward, the less wastage we will see ...
A couple of days ago we had 350 people working on vaccination bookings and today we have over 550 working on vaccination bookings [and] we have 150 people dealing with other Covid-related questions ... We have another couple hundred people coming online in the next few days,
Updated
Weimar is being questioned about Victoria’s QR code scanning system. He says although more people were at the venues than necessarily checked in the affected venues had still been doing a good job of record keeping.
What we’re seeing this particular outbreak as examples of really good record-keeping, and I’m so grateful to businesses and individuals for participating in that. But we have a number of locations where we just don’t think we have captured all the people who were in those venues. It is important to get hold of them now...
We have seen over the last couple of months across Australia... lower levels of compliance with QR code systems in a number of other states, as we have seen in Victoria.
We had talked about this and said it is something that we as the community need to deal with it, moving it onto a single platform makes it even easier to comply. Again, I am grateful to everybody, particularly in the business community, for the work they have done to get us on track.
Updated
Weimar:
The five sites I went through are a particular concern to us because essentially they are clubs, social contacts, places where we expect to see significant numbers of people in close proximity, dancing, singing, doing what they do.
In one of those locations we have now had one case of confirmed community transmission. Obviously what we are keen to do is exclude as quickly as we can is whether there has been any other community transmission of those other venues.
Updated
New Victorian exposure sites
Testing commander (yes, real title) Jeroen Weimar says there are a number of new exposure sites from the four new cases overnight.
As the acting premier said we have a total of 30 positive cases across those two outbreaks. One person of course is linked.
Between those two outbreaks we have 121 public exposure venues. I appreciate the number of exposure sites continues to increase as we do more and more interviews and as we identify new, additional cases. The four cases identified in the last 24 hours are of course feeding additional sites ...
So we have an individual who was at the Sporting Globe in Mordialloc between 6.15pm and 9.45pm on Sunday 23 May ... the Three Monkeys in Prahran, 9pm to 11pm ... and again, a bit later. (Those dates and times are of course on our website.) ... Then The Somewhere Bar in Prahran, again on the night of the 22nd; The Palace hotel in Melbourne between 9.45pm and 6.45pm on the 23rd. And The Local in Port Melbourne, again on the 21st, between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
Updated
Victoria asks for 160 ADF personnel to help lockdown
Yesterday the prime minister said the commonwealth would provide ADF assistance to Victoria if needed.
Today the locked-down state has taken up the offer.
James Merlino:
Finally I want to welcome the PM’s comments that the commonwealth will be working hand in glove with Victorian authorities. I want to thank him for that and to that end there is some additional assistance that we require and I’ve contacted the PM this morning.
We will be putting a formal request through for additional ADF staff. The request will be for around 160 ADF staff for at least the next fortnight to assist our authorised offices in doorknocking. Doorknocking positive cases, doorknocking primary close contacts. If we have those additional ADF staff pairing up with authorised officers we are effectively doubling our capacity to do that really important work over the next few weeks.
So the commonwealth are looking at this and I want to again thank the commonwealth for their efforts in supporting Victoria in any way that we need.
The PM also very much shot down any plans for commonwealth financial support for small businesses though, so I’m sure Merlino isn’t THAT thankful this morning.
Updated
James Merlino says he will get his vaccination today as he is in the newly eligible 40-49 age group.
Updated
Victoria has now administered 1m vaccine doses.
Merlino:
We also administered 17,223 vaccine doses. This is exactly the sort of numbers we want to see each and every day. So well over 17,000 vaccine doses.
It takes us, in Victoria, to over 1m vaccines administered, both through the state sites and through the GP networks, so my thanks to everybody. That is a great milestone and we have to keep going.
Updated
All new Victorian cases linked to current outbreak
James Merlino:
There are 39 active cases of coronavirus in Victoria. We recorded four new locally acquired cases yesterday. All of those are linked to the current outbreak which is, again, a good thing.
Plus two new cases in hotel quarantine.
We also saw some record numbers which I want to thank all Victorians: 47,462 Covid tests were processed yesterday.
That is real proof at how seriously Victorians are taking this challenge and how much we have been able to up to the system to cater for the demand. But those testing numbers are outstanding and I want to thank all Victorians
Updated
Acting Victorian premier James Merlino is speaking now.
Updated
We’re standing by for the Victorian acting premier and CHO to arrive for today’s update.
Updated
10.25am at the GPO on day one of Lockdown 4. Doing well, Melbourne. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aseehDPmox
— Paul Dowsley (@paul_dowsley) May 28, 2021
If you have a spare minute or two this Sunrise clip is worth a watch.
During the federal health minister Greg Hunt’s appearance this morning he repeatedly stated that he had never said there was “no rush” to get the vaccine.
The only problem is his boss, the prime minister, has repeatedly said the vaccine rollout “isn’t a race”, and Sunrise had the proof ready to go.
Here's what happened when we fact-checked some of Health Minister @GregHuntMP's claims in this morning’s interview about Australia's vaccine rollout. pic.twitter.com/ixE3mHPDZx
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 27, 2021
Updated
Victorian deputy premier and CHO to speak about 10.45
OK. The alert has just come through. Looks like we should be hearing from the Victorian acting premier James Merlino and the chief health officer Prof Brett Sutton in about half an hour – 10.45am.
Updated
I shall also be sharing extra bits of *joy* on the blog today for the sake of my fellow Victorian readers.
👁👄 👁 pic.twitter.com/a4DMiRAZKQ
— Matilda Boseley (@MatildaBoseley) May 28, 2021
Cryptocurrency traders who think they’re living in a faceless high-tech world will soon get a letter from the tax office, reports Marion Rae from AAP.
ATO data has captured a dramatic increase in trading since the beginning of 2020, with more than 600,000 taxpayers dabbling in crypto-assets.
They’ll be slugged with penalties and audits if gains are not declared at tax time.
Assistant commissioner Tim Loh said:
We are alarmed some taxpayers think the anonymity of cryptocurrencies provides a licence to ignore their tax obligations ...
While it appears cryptocurrency operates in an anonymous digital world, we closely track where it interacts with the real world through data from banks, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency online exchanges to follow the money back to the taxpayer.
The ATO then matches data to tax returns to make sure investors are paying the right tax.
The tax office will write to about 100,000 taxpayers with cryptocurrency assets explaining their obligations and urging them to review their previously lodged returns.
The ATO also expects to prompt almost 300,000 taxpayers as they lodge their 2021 tax return to report their cryptocurrency capital gains or losses.
Businesses or sole traders paid cryptocurrency for goods or services will have these payments taxed as income based on the value of the cryptocurrency in Australian dollars.
Updated
Melbourne v Western Bulldogs AFL clash to go ahead
Tonight’s top-of-the-table AFL clash between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will go ahead after all Demons players and staff returned negative Covid test results.
Game on. ✊
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) May 27, 2021
All players + staff have returned negative COVID-19 test results, meaning tonight’s match will go ahead as scheduled.
📝: https://t.co/auF6gw34Ol
An unnamed player attended an exposure site last weekend, putting the fixture at Marvel Stadium into doubt. The player has been isolating and will do so for 14 days, but his teammates have been cleared to take to the field tonight in a match that will be played behind closed doors.
Melbourne said in a statement:
As of Friday morning, all Melbourne players and football staff have received negative coronavirus test results. Players and staff are now clear to attend the club’s round 11 clash with the Bulldogs. The player who attended a tier one exposure site will continue to undertake his 14-day isolation as per government regulation.
- Guardian Australia will liveblog tonight’s big game. Start time in Melbourne is 7.50pm.
Updated
A leading mouse expert has moved to reassure people in Sydney the plague affecting parts of rural New South Wales is not spreading to the city – despite increased sightings recorded on a tracking map.
In recent days residents in Cabramatta, St Clair and Revesby in Sydney have reported “medium” mouse activity – some have posted photos of destroyed documents and mouse faeces.
The residents were users of an online platform called Mouse Alert which allows people to register rodent infestations.
The map displays hundreds of red dots across parts of regional Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Read the full story below:
Updated
I will be sharing a lot of tweets showing the long vaccine lines today, mostly just because, as a Melburnian, it gives me a fleeting sense of control in the chaos of this world.
Get on the punt!
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) May 27, 2021
Wait a minute, the races aren’t on at Cranbourne today, but the crowds are lining up to get their Pfizer & Astra Zeneca jabs! Big turnouts at hubs like this city-wide. 💉 🐎 ☕️
And there’s coffee!
See the full story @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/h6zPSSbGRM
Updated
Just a reminder, if you are unsure about the new Melbourne lockdown rules you can check out the Guardian’s (very good) explainer below:
Updated
The walk-in queue at the Royal Exhibition Building is growing, now snaking right round the corner. Some aged 40-49 have tried their luck walking in but have been turned away. @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/3QPPSTq3zD
— Elisabeth Moss (@Elisabeth_Moss9) May 27, 2021
Hello all, Matilda Boseley here, taking you through the next few hours of news. Strap in!
Updated
With that, I will hand over to my trusted colleague Matilda Boseley, who will take you through the next part of the day.
Panic buying offers the illusion of control amid upheaval and acts as a balm for feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.
So says Flinders University psychology senior lecturer Dan Fassnacht as Victoria enters its fourth lockdown and toilet paper again flies off the shelves, AAP reports.
On Friday Coles and Woolworths imposed a limit of two packs of toilet paper a person in Victoria.
“We have plenty of stock in our supply chain, and this temporary measure will help us to manage demand so that we can return our stores to a fully stocked position as quickly as possible,” Coles said.
Supermarkets have never closed during the pandemic and the coronavirus, a respiratory illness, does not cause intestinal upset.
Fassnacht, an expert in compulsive buying, said this week that panic buying was also excessive and uncontrolled but prompted fewer feelings of shame or regret.
The behaviour stemmed from an attempt to regulate anxiety and was linked to the human tendency towards “herd behaviour”.
“Often those who have high levels of intolerance of uncertainty are prone to panic buying,” he said.
“While excessive or panic buying may lead to short-term feelings of being in control – reducing anxiety or feelings of uncertainty – this usually doesn’t last.”
Updated
Bill Bowtell AO, adjunct professor at UNSW and a strategic health policy consultant, writes:
As they enter the ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown, Victorians are entitled to be dismayed by the multiple failures in Australian government pandemic policies that have required the use of the blunt but necessary measures to contain this outbreak.
By the end of 2020, Australians had done the hard work required to achieve sustained zero local transmission of Covid-19. Victorians had endured a 15-week winter lockdown that eliminated Australia’s most serious and deadly outbreak.
Having done so well in the emergency phase of the pandemic response, Australians were entitled to expect that the federal government would rapidly implement policies on quarantine and vaccination critical to securing these magnificent achievements, and to bolster our defences against the virus.
These expectations were dashed.
The federal government avoided its constitutional responsibilities in relation to quarantine. It compounded matters by grievously mishandling the procurement, supply and distribution of vaccines that are critical to the resumption of fully normal life and travel.
These interlinked failures have culminated in the Victorian lockdown.
Read more:
Updated
Victoria reports four new cases
Reported yesterday: 4 new local cases and 2 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) May 27, 2021
- 17,223 vaccine doses were administered
- 47,462 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco #COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/9TJ9Iphw0e
This from Stephen Duckett, the former secretary of what is now the federal health department.
So a friend saw @GregHuntMP in Canberra today and asked him what should be done for Victoria: 'Sort your vaccination program out' was the response. I agree vaccination is a high priority but I thought it was a Commonwealth responsibility. Live and learn
— Stephen Duckett (@stephenjduckett) May 27, 2021
Updated
We’ve previously reported that public health and advertising experts have been pleading with the government to offer incentives like lottery tickets and cash to rapidly increase the Covid vaccine uptake, after having waited too long to roll out a hard-hitting awareness campaign.
There has not been any movement from the government, but the private sector appears to be considering incentives as they remain desperate for vaccinations to ramp up so the economy and borders can reopen.
Qantas is considering offering 1,000 frequent-flyer points to people who get both Covid doses, reports the Australian Financial Review.
The airline is also reportedly considering offering flight vouchers and status credit incentives for those vaccinated.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has been a vocal opponent of the federal government’s assumption that international borders will widely reopen in the second half of 2022. His airline is still preparing for a resumption of international travel by late December.
Updated
More Victorian exposure sites announced
There are now more exposure sites in Victoria.
The new tier one sites are:
Tuesday 25 May
- Anytime Fitness, 63-69 Market Street, South Melbourne, between 6am and 7am
- Barrymore Medical Centre, 9 Barrymore Rd, Greenvale, between 12.25pm and 1.30pm
- Body Fit Training Hampton, Shop 4-6/498 Hampton St, Hampton, between 5.21pm and 6.29pm
Monday 24 May
- Pentridge Cinema Coburg, 1 Champ St, 7pm screening of the movie Those Who Wish Me Dead, between 6.45pm and 9.30pm
- Focus Health & Fitness, 121-123 Hyde Street, Yarraville, between 6.30am and 7.30am
- Anytime Fitness South Melbourne, 63-69 Market Street, South Melbourne, between 6.15am and 7.15am
- Body Fit Training Hampton, 4-6/498 Hampton Street, Hampton, between 5.35pm and 6.25pm
Sunday 23 May
- Betty’s Burgers and Concrete Co, Westfield Doncaster, Level 2, between 7.40pm and 9.30pm
- Bung Pai Thai Massage, 11/1320 Plenty Road, Bundoora, between 4.15pm and 6.15pm
- Green Man’s Arms, 418 Lygon Sreet, Carlton, between 1.20pm and 2.15pm
- Chelsea Heights Hotel, Springvale Road and Wells Road, Aspendale Gardens, between 12.10pm and 1.30pm
- The Coffee Club – Craigieburn, Craigieburn Central, Shop B00 15/350 Craigieburn Rd, Craigieburn, between 10am and 11.30am
- Network Public Bar, 14/99 Spencer Rd, Docklands, between 3.30pm and 5pm
Saturday 22 May
- Peko Peko Fitzroy, 199 Smith Street, Fitzoy between 6.30pm and 9.30pm
- Caprice Hair & Beauty, 101 Charles Street, Seddon between 1.15pm and 1.40pm
- LeNails Cranbourne, Shop 101 Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre, High Street, Cranbourne, between 1.15pm and 2.15pm
- Moonee Valley Football Club, Ormond Park Function Room/Bar, 2A Pattison Steet, Moonee Valley, between 4m and 6pm
- Moonee Valley Football Club, Ormond Park (change rooms), 2A Pattison Steet, Moonee Valley, between noon and 4pm
Friday 21 May
- Anytime Fitness South Melbourne, 63-69 Market Street, South Melbourne, between 6.15am and 7.15am
- Hunky Dory Fish & Chips, 3/181 Bay St, Port Melbourne, between noon and 2pm
Thursday 20 May
- Anytime Fitness South Melbourne, 63-69 Market Street, South Melbourne, between 6.15am and 7.15am
Here is our full, updated list of all the exposure sites:
Updated
Earlier on ABC AM, the federal health minister Greg Hunt was also asked about whether there would be further federal financial help for Victoria.
This is the first statewide lockdown since the end of jobkeeper wage subsidies in March.
He said:
At this stage Victoria is the responsible body and they have said they will be providing additional support – we take them at their word ... All up we’ve provided extraordinary support so far. This is a difficult time – I’ll leave those matters to the treasurer. But it’s the Victorian government who has indicated they will be taking measures.
That sounds like a big no, or at least not at this stage. Hunt pointed to additional testing, contact tracing, the Victorian aged care response centre, and the support of the Australian military as evidence the feds are not abandoning Victoria.
Updated
Privatised job agencies concluded welfare mutual obligations did not “improve the likelihood of employment” for jobseekers in unreleased evidence to a government-commissioned review of the Disability Employment Services (Des) program.
On Thursday Guardian Australia revealed a report by Boston Consulting Group had found recent reforms to the $1bn a year scheme had delivered a windfall to privatised job agencies but not improved outcomes for the unemployed.
The report shows employment consultants offered a scathing assessment of the mutual obligations system, which sees those on benefits required to meet job search requirements.
It says the government might save money if it took responsibility for policing mutual obligations away from employment service providers and handed it to Services Australia, or another third party.
This would reverse a government decision to force job agencies to handle compliance in 2018 – which drew significant criticism from welfare groups and industry groups at the time.
However, the draft version of the report, also obtained under freedom of information, goes further, revealing employers and job agencies are generally unsatisfied with the regime.
Read more:
Updated
A group of not-for-profit and philanthropy experts have warned a planned crackdown on charities by the Coalition will muzzle the sector, restrict dissent and stifle political advocacy.
The federal government is pursuing regulatory change to allow charities to be deregistered in cases where any volunteer commits a summary offence – the most minor of legal breaches.
The sector fears the changes are a threat to the right of almost 59,000 registered not-for-profits to engage in political advocacy.
The new regulations could, for example, allow a massive charity like the St Vincent de Paul Society or UnitingCare to be stripped of charity status if one of their tens of thousands of volunteers attends a protest and does not move on when directed by police.
Read more:
Updated
A major Australian retail group has been fined $630,000 for multiple breaches of consumer law related to pandemic-related health products, including hand sanitiser with alcohol levels far lower than advertised, the consumer watchdog has announced.
Mosaic Brands Limited, an ASX-listed retail conglomerate that counts Katies, Rivers, Noni B and Rockmans among its stable, has admitted to making false or misleading claims pertaining to hand sanitiser and face mask products between March and June 2020.
The deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Delia Rickard, said the ACCC was particularly concerned about the misleading claims because they had been made during a global pandemic.
Rickard said a study found “one of the sanitisers tested contained an alcohol content of 17% and another had an alcohol content of 58%, below the percentage advertised on Mosaic Brands’ websites in each case. This was also below the minimum 60% alcohol concentration recommended by Australian health authorities.”
Read more:
Updated
Morrison government has prioritised aged care over disability care: Hunt
The health minister, Greg Hunt, has been interviewed on ABC radio about the Victorian outbreak.
He avoided saying whether the federal government is partly responsible for the lockdown, preferring formulations about how it’s responsible for saving lives and filibustering by repeatedly referring to international Covid-19 infection numbers.
Eventually he accepted that health was a joint responsibility.
Asked about aged care centres, Hunt provided updated figures that 98% of aged care centres have had at least their first dose, including 99% in Victoria and 100% in Whittlesea, which is at the centre of the Victorian outbreak.
But the story is much less rosy in disability care where 20,000 people have not had their first dose. Hunt said 6,000 had received 9,000 doses out of a total disability care population of 26,000.
He said the government had prioritised aged care over disability care, a fact revealed at the Covid committee in April, which came as a surprise given residents of both are in category 1a.
The federal government was likely to support a new quarantine facility in Victoria but it would take months to construct.
Asked if ATAGI will review its advice about AstraZeneca not being recommended for under-50s given the Victorian outbreak, he said these decisions were constantly under review and if ATAGI’s advice changes the government would adopt it.
Updated
I mentioned earlier that Sally Capp, the lord mayor of Melbourne, is calling for further financial assistance for businesses affected by the latest lockdown.
Capp told ABC TV:
We have to be worried about how people can keep bouncing back from these lockdowns. It’s so difficult. It takes an enormous amount of effort and in this environment there is no jobkeeper, rental assistance programs have finished and we really need to consider the support financially that business owners are going to need, and we know that this is taking a big emotional and mental toll on people across Melbourne and Victoria.
We absolutely have to find positive ways of using this lockdown to dedicate resources to urgent, immediate responses that will make a difference as we go forward.
We do need confidence and certainty from the state government and federal governments about assistance for those who need it. Financial assistance for business owners that have managed to hang in there this long and who are going to be devastated by this lockdown in Victoria. We know that lockdowns have lags as well.
Updated
Good morning
A warm welcome especially to readers in Victoria who have woken to the first day of a seven-day lockdown to contain the Covid outbreak.
You can read all about the lockdown restrictions here and a list of exposure sites here.
Already this morning, Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp has been on ABC TV calling for financial support for businesses affected by the lockdown – I’ll post a summary of her interview shortly.
Yesterday Victoria’s vaccine hotline crashed for hours, overwhelmed with calls after the state government’s decision to open up vaccinations to those aged over 40 (announced with the lockdown).
Meanwhile, last night federal health minister Greg Hunt revealed there were 74 aged care homes across the country yet to receive their first dose of Covid vaccine, 16 in Victoria.
He also revealed that just 500,000 Australians have been fully vaccinated with both doses.
Yesterday Hunt announced the two-week interval recommended between flu and Covid shots would be scrapped for aged care residents in these homes, given the benefit of vaccinating them in light of the outbreak.
Earlier yesterday families of residents at an unvaccinated Melbourne aged care home were “flabbergasted” by comments from aged care minister Richard Colbeck, who had just claimed that those not yet vaccinated had “chosen not to take the jab”.
Elsewhere, Australia’s job agency providers are generally dissatisfied with the welfare mutual obligations scheme, a draft review says, concluding it did not “improve the likelihood of employment”.
A leading mouse expert is reassuring city slickers (ie, people in Sydney) that the plague affecting parts of rural NSW is not spreading to the city – despite increased sightings recorded on a tracking map.
Internationally, the Biden White House’s decision to look into whether coronavirus could have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan has opened a new divide in already tense US-China relations.
You have Elias Visontay here bringing you developments this morning.
If you see anything you think I should be aware of, you can get in touch with me via Twitter @EliasVisontay or via email at elias.visontay@theguardian.com.
Updated
