What we learned today, Thursday 3 September
That is where we will leave the live blog for this evening. If you want to follow the latest global coronavirus news, you can follow our global live blog here.
Here’s what we learned today:
- Victoria recorded 113 new Covid-19 cases and 15 deaths, as premier Daniel Andrews warned he couldn’t rule stage four restrictions would continue past 13 September.
- New South Wales reported 12 new coronavirus cases, three of which were in hotel quarantine, as two further cases were linked to a gym in Sydney.
- Queensland recorded two new cases of Covid-19, including an aged care worker.
- The Senate voted to censure the aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, a move which prompted the prime minister, Scott Morrison, to defend the senator, as the government continued to be criticised over its handling of Covid-19 in the aged care sector.
- The inquiry into Victoria’s hotel quarantine has heard the state government spent $1m on consultants for the botched program, with costs for managing returned travellers going tens of millions of dollars over budget.
Updated
Earlier, in the Senate, the opposition home affairs spokeswoman, Kristina Keneally, accused the government of not doing enough to repatriate 23,000 Australians stranded overseas by international arrival caps.
She pointed out the government had spent $350m during the pandemic to charter 1,800 flights of Australian seafood to export overseas.
Keneally is leading Labor’s calls for the government to increase federal quarantine resources, potentially in the form of facilities similar to what was set up in the Northern Territory, where Australians from Wuhan were evacuated to at the beginning of the pandemic.
National cabinet will review the caps tomorrow, however states will have to indicate they can increase their intakes if the federal government does introduce its own quarantine.
How much has the Morrison Govt spent to fly lobsters, prawns & abalone overseas?
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) September 3, 2020
$350 million.
How many flights chartered for seafood?
1,800.
23,000 #strandedAussies overseas & what has @ScottMorrisonMP done?
Nothing.#strandedAussies @removethecapshttps://t.co/o9gmOM1QmN
Updated
Coalition's conservation law changes pass lower house
Proposed changes to Australia’s environment laws have passed the lower house after the government gagged debate on the bill and amendments to it proposed by Labor and the crossbench.
The bill, which helps clear the way for the government to hand federal environmental approval powers to state and territory governments, passed on numbers on Thursday evening and will likely be debated in the Senate during the October budget sittings.
No member of the government spoke on the bill on Thursday. The opposition had several more speakers listed when the bill was brought to a vote.
Labor accused the government of preventing scrutiny of a bill that would weaken environment laws at a time of an extinction crisis.
“Scrutiny is extinct under this government,” Labor’s environment spokeswoman, Terri Butler, said.
The independent MP Zali Steggal had proposed an amendment that would have added a reference in the bill to promised national standards recommended by the interim report of the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Steggal said:
This is appalling conduct by government minister [Sussan] Ley, the prime minister and every coalition MP that is supporting this.
The Greens MP Adam Bandt called it “industrial scale bastardry”.
The government is trashing the environment and trashing democracy.
No government MP wanted to front up and defend the indefensible, but the rest of the country is entitled to have its say on such a crucial bill. This government will bulldoze nature just like they’re bulldozing parliament.
Updated
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) amendment will now go to the Senate, but it won’t happen today as its adjourning.
As my colleague Lisa Cox wrote in this blog earlier, the bill being debated would amend Australia’s laws so that the transfer of decision-making powers to state and territory governments under the EPBC Act would be less open to legal challenge.
The bill has been criticised by the opposition, Greens and conservationists as a rehash of the Abbott government’s 2014 one-stop-shop bill and for failing to reference promised national standards recommended by a review of the act chaired by the former competition watchdog head Graeme Samuel.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Streamlining Environmental Approvals) Bill 2020 has been read a third time. It will now be transmitted to @AuSenate for consideration. pic.twitter.com/jkvNgYJZGj
— Australian House of Representatives (@AboutTheHouse) September 3, 2020
Updated
Anyone who attended Fitness First in Randwick over a 10-day period told to get tested after two more cases linked to gym
NSW Health has added further dates of concern when a Covid-19 case has attended the Fitness First gym in Randwick after an additional two cases who attended the gym were diagnosed with Covid.
A NSW Health statement said:
Anyone who attended Fitness First Randwick between Sunday 23 August and Tuesday 1 September should monitor for symptoms, however mild, and get tested immediately if they develop. After testing remain in isolation until a negative test result is received.
Regents Park Christian School was also closed today for cleaning after a case of Covid-19 was confirmed late last night.
NSW Health is contacting people who attended after-school hours care on Monday 31 August and Tuesday 1 September, from 3pm to 6pm.
Updated
BREAKING: the Liberals are now gagging this debate. https://t.co/WF0cIBjGSZ
— Terri Butler MP (@terrimbutler) September 3, 2020
Hello, Elias Visontay here taking over from an internet-challenged Amy Remeikis.
I’ll be blogging for the rest of the day here.
In other news:
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed an interim parliamentary committee report that recommends that Medicare-subsidised telehealth be made permanent.
Earlier this year, the federal government heeded the college’s calls to expand subsidised telehealth – video and telephone consultations – to all patients to help curb the spread of Covid-19 and ensure access to care. They are due to expire on 30 September.
The chair of RACGP Queensland, Dr Bruce Willett, said the college had long been calling for telehealth to be made permanent.
We are pleased that the interim report of the select committee on financial technology and regulatory technology has backed the RACGP’s calls for telehealth to be made permanent in its recommendations.
Willett called on the government to provide urgent clarity on the future of telehealth.
With the September deadline looming, patients and GPs urgently need clarity on the future of telehealth and e-prescribing services. Patients with long-term conditions are already being booked in for appointments after 30 September, and general practices need to know whether telehealth is an option.
The last thing we need is a lack of clarity or significant disruption for patients and GPs across the country. Telehealth must be extended while we work on a suitable long-term solution.
Updated
The House is about to adjourn, but the government has moved a motion to try and get the sitting to continue (which will fail).
And oh God, I have just been told we might end up sitting for four weeks straight after budget, because the quarantine for the MPs is a little too difficult to wrangle.
At the moment, there is a week sitting, a week break, then two weeks, then a break, and then another week.
Under the proposal being whispered about the hallways, we would just do those four weeks in one hit.
That sound you heard was the last part of my soul shattering.
I may not make it.
Updated
A small update now on the foreign relations bill introduced to the lower house this morning. This would give the foreign affairs minister the power to cancel or prevent certain international agreements involving Australian universities, state and local governments or councils.
The bill has been referred to the Senate’s foreign affairs, defence and trade legislation committee for a parliamentary inquiry into the finer details. The committee has been set a reporting deadline of 5 November 2020, meaning it is not about to be rushed to a vote.
The committee has been quick out of the blocks, declaring it is ready to begin receiving public submissions.
Labor is likely to use the inquiry to hear from stakeholders who were caught unawares by the legislation. Guardian Australia reported earlier this week that Australian universities had been “blindsided” by the government’s announcement of new powers to cancel their global agreements, despite what the sector saw as a year of productive talks to resolve any security concerns through the foreign interference taskforce.
Stakeholders are currently working their way through the 77-page bill to work out how it affects them. For a rundown of the details, see my explainer from earlier today:
Updated
The Victorian hotel quarantine inquiry heard guards at the Rydges hotel were told they needed to wear gloves only if coming within 1.5m of guests.
The Rydges on Swanston is the source of 90% of all Covid-19 infections in Victoria since the end of May. The inquiry has previously heard from an anonymous security guard who contracted Covid-19 working in the hotel and said personal protective equipment was scarce and he was given only one mask and one pair of gloves per shift.
Unified Security, which was responsible for hiring guards in the hotel, denied PPE was scarce but said directions from the Victorian government said security guards needed to wear PPE only when within 1.5m of guests, and that they were told they could keep PPE in a zip-lock bag in their pockets.
Unified Security’s Nigel Coppick told the inquiry:
Once we went into the Rydges, we were advised by the YNA nursing team ... they created packs with zip-lock bags and put gloves and masks in that, and said: no PPE is required unless you come within 1.5 metres of a guest.
The inquiry continues.
Updated
Question time as seen by Mike Bowers:
Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Updated
The Victorian hotel quarantine inquiry heard of an incident involving a returned traveller at the Crown Metropol allegedly assaulting a nurse and having to be removed from the hotel by Victoria police.
Unified Security’s Victoria manager, Mo Nagi, told the inquiry on Thursday that he witnessed Victoria police having to force their way into a guest’s room after she had been “causing an uproar” and that a guest in the room next door had thrown fruit and a chair at guards.
Nagi said:
As the police went down to the hall on the opposite side ... the guest came out and started to attack the nurse and then went to the opposite direction, away from where police were.
I heard screams, I heard yelling ... I saw the guest chasing the nurse down the hallway.
Nagi said the nurse was chased into a room before police eventually restrained the guest and took her to the Alfred hospital. He said the guest was later returned to the hotel but eventually removed after another incident.
Updated
While delivering the national Covid update, the chief nursing and midwifery officer, Alison McMillan, says Fathers’ Day is going to look a little different this year:
It’s important probably for me to remind everyone also in case you didn’t know that it is Father’s Day this Sunday and again, this year like every other is going to mean that for all of these important milestones, we going to have to do this a little differently.
It’s important that you follow the current restrictions that exist within the state and territory you live but remember also that these are the times when we need to protect the most vulnerable.
So if your father lives with you in your household than a hug is OK but other than that, you’re going to need to find new and different ways to greet each other and those you love, particularly all the fathers out there who we are so grateful for the great love and care they provide to all of us.
So a reminder, follow those rules and restrictions that exist in your state and territory and think of new ways to show your love for your dad in this continuously challenging year of 2020.
Updated
Simon Birmingham is on Sky saying “some states and territories are taking advantage of the jobkeeper program”.
He means Queensland.
Updated
There are a few in Labor who feel the opposition needs to go harder against Scott Morrison.
The bipartisanship which marked the first part of the pandemic is done, so there has been a ramping up of hostilities.
You have seen that from both sides in the last two weeks.
Now you can see it on social media. It is going to be a very loooooong end of year.
National crises are about stepping up and taking responsibility.
— Clare O'Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) September 3, 2020
But for Scott Morrison, everything that goes wrong is someone else’s fault.
Big problem.👇#auspol pic.twitter.com/3r3En4dddA
Australia’s trade minister, Simon Birmingham, says he won’t be drawn into “tit for tat name-calling” after China’s foreign ministry accused certain forces within Australia of being “infected with paranoia”.
Birmingham also said Morrison government ministers remained open to dialogue with their Chinese government counterparts but it was “up to others as to whether they choose to reciprocate”.
Amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said this week that “certain Australian people and forces seem to be infected with paranoia, dominated by China-phobia and conjectures”.
She was commenting on the Australian government’s decision to launch a parliamentary inquiry into foreign interference in Australian universities amid concerns about China’s Thousand Talents Plan.
The government backed calls from backbenchers for an inquiry by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security.
Birmingham told radio 2GB this afternoon that Australia wanted to have a relationship with China “that is open, that is honest, and where we engage and cooperate where we can”.
“Of course, we stand also in protection of our values, of our security, of our strategic interests. And we don’t apologise or step away from that, but we believe that there is a way, as we have done in the past, for us to work together. And we certainly won’t be engaging in that type of tit for tat name calling.”
Birmingham said he “sadly” had still not been able to have a conversation with his Chinese government counterpart even though “mature discussions and dialogue” were the best way to resolve difficult issues.
Meanwhile, he said he had not received any update on the case of Cheng Lei, the Australian journalist detained in China last month.
Updated
The last question time until October has come to an end.
Updated
Thank you to the many, many Gen-X men who have sent me the poster for the Steve Martin movie, The Man with Two Brains, in response to “doubled-minded”.
But this is probably closer to the mark:
@AmyRemeikis I think Scott Morrison's "double-minded man" phrase is drawn from the Bible in James 1:8.
— Andrew Reid (@andrewincairo) September 3, 2020
James 1:6-8 NKJV—But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of… https://t.co/jE3rPPC7Bu via @biblegateway
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Updated
Because the WHY DOES THE AFL GET TO GO TO QUEENSLAND AND I DON’T debate continues (I am also locked out) here you go:
Deputy PM Michael McCormack asks why the AFL hierarchy can travel to Queensland without quarantine but ordinary Australians are blocked from travelling to family with serious medical conditions pic.twitter.com/5tDb4XIewE
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) September 3, 2020
Border restrictions: Anyone entering Queensland from an area with significant community transmission is required to quarantine for 14 days. That includes anyone involved in the AFL Grand Final. @StevenJMiles @qldhealthnews #covid19au pic.twitter.com/pOOiPklRQs
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 3, 2020
Josh Frydenberg is again pointing to all the times Labor said jobkeeper should be tapered.
Scott Morrison said at the end of an answer, Labor “see the Covid pandemic as some sort of opportunity to lock in endless income support, and that is not a responsible thing ... ”
So according to the government, the opposition is both dictating government policy and also wanting the opposite of government policy.
Right. Double-minded indeed.
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
The prime minister’s failure on aged care is costing lives. His failure on the economy is costing jobs. When will the prime minister take responsibility for the consequences of his actions?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, once again, I take every responsibility for my tasks and what I swore an oath to uphold every single day I walk into this building, into my office or walk into any part of this great country, from Speaker.
That’s what I do every single day. I know there are respondents we have which is why we have acted whether on jobkeeper, on jobseeker, on the work we’ve done on skills, on the support we’ve put into the health system to protect Australians from this virus, to work with other states and territories.
I will continue to do that. But I won’t say to the Australian people that our country is immune to the global pandemic.
And I won’t say we’re immune from the global pandemic recession. This is having a terrible impact on this country.
Each and every day we will work to ensure we mitigate that impact as much as we possibly can.
Whether it’s on the health side or whether it’s on the economic side, it would be unfair of the leader of the opposition not to acknowledge that Australia fares better than almost every other developed country in the world on these measures and the impact of this virus in Australia.
Now, it may not be convenient for the leader of the opposition to point to that fact.
He must – Mr Speaker, he might be unaware of the global pandemic, Mr Speaker, that has hit this country and has hit every other country, and there’s a reason for that, Mr Speaker.
If I go back to February of this year and on 27 February this year, Mr Speaker, I stood up in the Prime Minister’s Court yard and I made this announcement. I said, “Based on the expert medical advice we’ve received, this is every indication that the world will soon enter into a pandemic phase of the coronavirus”, this is on 27 February.
As a result, Mr Speaker I said, “We have agreed today, 27 February, and initiated the implementation of the coronavirus emergency response plan. While the World Health Organisation is yet to declare the nature of the coronavirus and its move towards a pandemic phase, we believe that the risk of a global pandemic is very much upon us.” Mr Speaker, in this chamber, at almost that exact time, the leader of the opposition accused me of standing up to make such a statement to try and distract from the issues of the day.
That’s what the leader of the opposition – he didn’t understand the pandemic then. He doesn’t understand it now, Mr Speaker.
He got up at the press conference the other day, gave us a plan for February, in August, Mr Speaker. This leader of the opposition, Mr Speaker, he got up at the Press Club the other day, talked about what his government was going to do in February and he announced it in August.
I’m not going to into a time tunnel to tell me what we’re to do today.
He’ll probably tell me in March.
That’s why he can’t be trusted.
Updated
Victoria's latest coronavirus statistics
Victoria Health has released its official data for the day:
The overall total has increased by 112 due to one case being reclassified.
Within Victoria, 43 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 70 are under investigation.
There have been 15 new deaths from Covid-19 reported since yesterday. Four men in their 80s, three women in their 80s, two men in their 90s and six women in their 90s. Nine of the 15 deaths occurred prior to yesterday.
14 of today’s 15 deaths are linked to known outbreaks in aged care facilities. To date, 591 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
In Victoria at the current time:
- 4,361 cases may indicate community transmission – an increase of 10 since yesterday
- 2,295 cases are currently active in Victoria
- 361 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including 20 in intensive care
- 16,370 people have recovered from the virus
- A total of 2,331,261 test results have been received by the department since 1 January. This represents an increase of 82,309 since yesterday and includes a data correction of 47,962 tests conducted before 1 August; 17,249 delayed tests from one laboratory; and 17,098 received in the past 24 hours. The data corrections had no impact on the timely notification of individuals at the time.
Of the 2,295 current active cases in Victoria:
- 2,125 are in metropolitan Melbourne under stage 4 restrictions
- 126 are in regional local government areas under stage 3 restrictions
- 38 are either unknown or subject to further investigation
- 6 are interstate residents
- Greater Geelong has 38 active cases, greater Bendigo has nine active cases and Ballarat has four active cases.
Of the total cases:
- 17,981 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 1,166 are from regional Victoria
- Total cases include 9,228 men and 10,044 women
- Total number of healthcare workers: 3,241, active cases: 337
- There are 1,121 active cases relating to aged care facilities
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest cumulative case numbers are as follows:
- 214 cases have been linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping
- 213 cases have been linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee
- 205 cases have been linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner
- 162 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer
- 139 cases have been linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth
- 127 cases have been linked to Twin Parks Aged Care in Reservoir
- 123 cases have been linked to Cumberland Manor Aged Care Facility in Sunshine North
- 118 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg
- 117 cases have been linked to Japara Goonawarra Aged Care Facility in Sunbury
- 115 cases have been linked to Outlook Gardens Aged Care Facility in Dandenong North
In Victoria there are currently 34 active cases in residential disability accommodation:
- Total resident cases: 12; Total Staff cases: 22
- Active cases in NDIS homes: 32 (12 residents)
- Active cases in ‘transfer’ homes (State regulated/funded): 2 (0 residents)
- Active cases in state government delivered and funded homes: 0
Key outbreaks with new cases include:
- 48 cases have been linked to Vawdrey Australia Truck Manufacturer
- 19 cases have been linked to St Vincent’s private hospital
Updated
Bill Shorten has asked his question, remotely, standing up at what looks like a lectern, with an Australian flag next to him, and I swear to God if he had opened with “my fellow Australians” no one would be surprised.
Shorten:
How many Australians with a disability have been infected with Covid-19?
Stuart Robert:
Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I put out a press release last week, the government’s committed to providing updates on numbers every day in terms of Australians with disability who have been impacted by Covid-19.
I can report to the House that, cumulative since March 2020, 102 participants have tested positive to Covid-19 and, currently, there are 23 active cases. Numbers will continue to be put out every day to ensure all Australians are up-to-date.
Shorten:
I asked how many Australians with a disability have been infected? The NDIS participants are a cohort or a smaller group but the people with a disability, including in aged care, is a larger number. Logically.
Robert:
If I can inform the House there’s a survey in disability and aged care that comes out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It reports that 4.4 million Australians have some disability of some sort. As I’ve explained to the House, those with permanent and serious disability with within the NDIS and the numbers which are reported daily to give accountability. In terms of numbers of people with a disability as a whole, it would require the states and territories to know who every single Australian is who have replied to that survey to say they have a disability. It would require those Australians to self-report in some way...
...to the states and territories, and then for those states and territories to report ... and if the member is suggesting that that onus of responsibility should be put upon the states and territories, then I would suggest that member speak to the states and territories and ask them to do that. The commonwealth responsibility is to the NDIS, responsibility we take seriously, which is why I can report with great accuracy, the daily numbers, while I can report ... to care for all Australians with a disability who are not in the NDIS.
There is a lot of hands being thrown in the air from Shorten through the video link, and some trolling, but his connection is dropping out, and the microphone can’t pick it all up.
Updated
Is double minded the new galaxy brain?
The last couple of questions from Labor have been about people who are receiving jobkeeper. The answers have been variations of this, from Scott Morrison:
The reason we have extended jobkeeper and the reason we have extended jobseeker is because of as the coronavirus pandemic particularly in Victoria is extending, whereas many other states and territories, businesses are reopening again and we want to see more of that, that they’re able to get back on their feet, those businesses, and being able to restore the hours that have been lost in so many other states and territories.
But I do remember being in this place earlier this year and those opposite were actually attacking us, the Labor party was saying we were paying part-time workers too much under jobkeeper.
They were saying that by paying them $1,500, that that was wrong and that we should be paying them less! This is what I’m becoming confused of by the Labor party. The leader was before was interjecting on me and he said I had contradicted. He’s right, Mr Speaker...
He’s just said it again! He said I’ve contradicted myself. No, I was just outlining the completely competing positions the Labor party has had when it comes to jobkeeper and jobseeker.
He says it needs to transition. Then he says it needs to go on. The each-way bet that the Leader of the Opposition has on this issue means he is a double-minded man. He is not someone you can rely on.....because he can’t hold a consistent position from one end of the day to the other.
This is not someone, Mr Speaker, that Australians can rely on. This is not someone, Mr Speaker, that people can trust. You know, Mr Speaker, Australians have worked this out about the leader of the opposition. They know he’ll say ... whatever he has to keep himself where he is.
Updated
At the beginning of question time, when Scott Morrison sought to brush off the Senate censure motion against the aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, the prime minister rattled off a list of politicians who have faced such censure in the past, including Paul Keating.
It turns out the censure motion against Keating was triggered, in part, by one of the then prime minister’s most well-known insults about the red chamber.
On 4 November 1992, Keating told the House of Representatives about the request for his treasurer to attend a Senate inquiry to answer questions about a Loan Council controversy:
“Whether the treasurer wished to go there or not, I would forbid him going to the Senate to account to this unrepresentative swill over there.”
The next day, the Senate opposition leader Robert Hill successfully moved a motion to censure Keating “for degrading the office of prime minister and the institution of parliament in his contemptuous abuse of the Senate”.
An undeterred Keating popped up on the 7.30 Report that evening to say the Senate was “out of control”.
Updated
Labor’s Anthony Chisholm has asked about explosive evidence in the sports grants inquiry from the auditor general that he has never seen as much interaction between a minister and prime minister across the duration of a grants program.
Sports minister Richard Colbeck backed Scott Morrison that his “involvement is as he has described” – ie limited to passing on representations from MPs.
In a supplementary, Chisholm noted the talking points Bridget McKenzie’s senior advisor prepared noting how many additional projects in marginal and target seats could be funded, asking whether the program was expanded to $100m “to allow more pork barrelling announcements”.
Colbeck replied:
“It’s quite unsurprising that a minister who’s looking to promote funding into their portfolio would meet with the prime minister proposing to do exactly that.”
Chisholm then noted the colour coded spreadsheets and suggested the government should pay as much attention to aged care as it did to sports grants.
Colbeck:
“I reject the premise of the question. Decisions with respect to sport funding made in the previous parliament ... to increase the funding were appropriately made through ERC process.”
Updated
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
Australians are going through the toughest period of their working lives. A million are unemployed, another 400,000 will join them before Christmas. And thousands of businesses are on the verge of collapse. Why is the prime minister cutting jobkeeper, cutting jobseeker and cutting wages at the very time that Australia is plunged into the worst recession in almost a century?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, the government has committed* – already, Mr Speaker – provided unprecedented record support to ensure that we keep as many Australians in jobs as possible.
We keep as many businesses open as possible, that we ensure that as we go through this terrible crisis, we are training more Australians, particularly in the skills areas with the jobtrainer program, a billion-dollar partnership with the states and territories, pulled together in a matter of weeks, that will see 340,000 additional training places available, not just to young Australians but Australians who have found themselves working in some sectors which they know, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be under great strain for some period.
That’s why those who are working in the aviation industry as flight attendants are now training to be aged care workers as we speak.
As we speak, Mr Speaker, people are changing sectors, changing industries, getting trained, adjusting for the Covid-19 pandemic so they, Mr Speaker, can get the best support of all – that is the support that comes directly from their own efforts and their own initiative, and their own enterprise.
That is what our plan is based on, Mr Speaker.
Our plan for the economy, which we’re putting in place, whether it’s in ensuring our workplaces are cooperative and flexible, or if it’s ensure that the infrastructure program, Mr Speaker, enables $10bn to be brought forward, that the affordable, reliable energy that our manufacturing industries need, Mr Speaker, can get that access as we’ve seen wholesale prices on gas and other things fall, Mr Speaker, all of these plans are based on the enterprise and the efforts, and the initiatives of Australians.
And those Australians are looking forward to an economy where it doesn’t require jobkeeper and other income supports to sustain our economy, Mr Speaker.
That’s why jobkeeper, Mr Speaker, will be necessary now but, in the future, it is not our plan for it to be required.
That is why the leader of the opposition and the shadow treasurer and others, made the point it is important our economy transitions away from jobkeeper and the higher levels of welfare support that have been necessary, but we must be sure that the supports we put in place to get Australians through don’t become a barrier to them, Mr Speaker, and don’t become a barrier to those businesses to be able to attract employees, whether it’s in regional areas or other parts of the country, or metropolitan areas, we will continue to provide those support, and are, extending for a further six months jobkeeper, ensure that the jobseeker payment with the Covid supplement is at record levels, Mr Speaker, as it continues to be out through the end of this month and then it will go through the next phase.
And then there’ll be further phases. Those opposite, Mr Speaker, see the Covid pandemic as some sort of opportunity to lock in endless income support, and that is not a responsible thing...
*$300bn has been committed. In parliament earlier this sitting, Josh Frydenberg said $85bn had been spent
Updated
Here is something new for the Hansard.
Tony Smith:
I just say to those members who are remotely in today for question time, and I see none of the government side, I see them on the opposition side, obviously interjections remotely are equally disorderly, and, of course, it is hard to identify who they are although one member looks particularly guilty. I just will say the standing orders apply and, not only that, I mean, if it persists, not only will I enforce the standing orders but you might find yourself disconnected.
Updated
More worrying is the rate of jobseeker going down.
People who have been made to get by on $40 a day on the old rate are feeling some financial security for the first time in forever. They can live, not well, but they can make ends meet like you would not believe, on $1,100 a fortnight.
But people who have been living middle-class lives who suddenly find themselves on jobseeker? There is another problem. Lowering the rate from $1,100 a fortnight is going to create even more stress there, and there doesn’t seem to be a solution to any of it as yet.
Updated
The question was on why is jobkeeper being cut in the worst recession Australia has seen since records began, and the answer appears to be, because Labor called it.
Which may surprise people who were not aware that Labor was not running the government.
Josh Frydenberg:
We have 3.5 million Australians who are receiving jobkeeper. The program has been costed at $101bn and the program is tapering over time, Mr Speaker.
Now even the member for Rankin, himself, has said we should be looking at a kind of tapering.
The member for Grayndler interjects. This is what the member for Grayndler said on the Today show about the jobkeeper, “There will need to be some form of tapering off.”
Karl Stefanovic asked the question, “What will that look like”, of the member for Grayndler, “Well, it will look like going down over a period of time.”
That is the reality of what is occurring with the expansion and extension of jobkeeper.
Originally legislated for six months. It’s now going for an additional six months. At $1500 currently, it goes to $1,200 in the December quarter and it goes down to $1,000 in the March quarter.
Now, Mr Speaker, the reality is this program is supporting millions of Australian workers right around the country. It’s a remarkable program. It continues to do remarkable job, and it helps to keep Australians in work.
Updated
Jim Chalmers just got a personal “shut up” from the Speaker, who is in NO MOOD today for shenanigans.
Josh Frydenberg, answering a question that Jim Chalmers asked (albeit of the prime minister) says Chalmers is yet to ask him a question.
I can not with today.
Updated
Whenever I have a bad day, I remember I am not Michael McCormack, and things seem a little better.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
Australia is in the worst recession in almost a century. Does the prime minister take any responsibility for making the recession deeper and longer than it needs to be by cutting jobkeeper, cutting jobseeker and cutting wages at the worst possible time?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, these are the most challenging times we’ve seen since the second world war.
The Covid-19 recession we are now in the midst of, Mr Speaker, is a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
This seems to be the fact that escapes the attention of the leader of the Labor party, Mr Speaker.
The leader of the Labor party seems to think that what is occurring in our country now is the result of some sort of political action on behalf of the government, and that defies credibility.
It defies the credibility of the Labor party to seem to be the only people in this country today who do not understand that there is a global pandemic with Covid-19.
It also defies credibility, Mr Speaker, that the action of the government which has seen a commitment not just for today but into the future of more than $300bn in economic supports, over 15% of our economy, Mr Speaker, means that not only did we see, yesterday – not only did we see, yesterday - that despite the terrible news of the impact on our economy of a 7% fall in the March quarter and just over 6% through the year, that in other places, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, the list goes on, across the OECD, all of them far more damagingly hit in their economy.*
But the other fact is that in this country not only have we sought successfully to cushion with what is a terrible blow, more so than other countries, but equally through our coordinated, management and fight of this virus, our death rate as a result of this terrible virus is lower than all of those countries.
Whether it is on controlling the virus and suppressing it in this country as best as we can, or cushioning the blow for Australians going through this crisis, Australians know that this government has showed up for them.
And we will continue to show up for them. We will continue to guarantee the essential services..they rely on, Mr Speaker. They will continue to ensure that we protect their safety, which is the first duty of a federal government, Mr Speaker. We will continue to do all of these things as we make our way through this crisis, which the leader of the Labor party seems to be oblivious to.
Scott Morrison June 18 -
While Australia is doing better than almost any other developed economy in the world, if you have lost your job, that is no comfort. So, we cannot set our expectations on what is happening elsewhere in the world.
Updated
In his dixer answer, Scott Morrison shapes up the recession lines :
The global pandemic, the Covid-19 global recession, for which Australia is not immune, as a we learned yesterday with the release of the national accounts, it’s placing a significant strain on all Australians all across our country. It is placing a strain on our nation’s governments.
It’s putting a strain on all of these things, Mr Speaker. It has been putting a great strain of course on the resources of governments including the federal government. Our response, though, is not to surrender to this.
It’s not to surrender one of the most important things to Australians, and it is not to surrender the important responsibilities of our government in respect of those particular responsibilities.
The response of our government has been to act, to take action to secure Australia’s future in the midst of the biggest crisis this country has seen since the second world war.
That response, Mr Speaker, has been immediately to seek to cushion that blow and to ensure that we stay on top of the virus, Mr Speaker, to enable Australians to be able to move through this terrible crisis.
But the economy was not in great shape before the pandemic. There are no more monetary levers to pull, because of the response to the economy not being in great shape ahead of the recent results.
Updated
Question time begins
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
Today, the Senate censured the minister for aged care with the support of every crossbencher. Prime minister, we’ve heard horror stories of neglect in aged care, including a resident with ants crawling in her open wounds, shocking accounts of sexual assaults, untreated maggots in wounds. Why is the prime minister arrogantly pursuing with an aged care minister who clearly should be sacked from his job?
Morrison:
The many serious issues that require addressing in aged care, and particularly the unacceptable circumstances that occurred in a number of facilities, was the very reason why the Aged Care Royal Commission was called in the first place.
It is the very reason why the government, in particular, at the strong urging and recommendation of the minister for aged care, has continued to increase funding for aged care by over a billion dollars every year, Mr Speaker.
It is the reason why the minister for aged care came to the cabinet and said we needed to do more in aged care in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and did so in response to the plan that was first launched back in March, and flagged in the Covid pandemic plan.
And that has now led to $1.5bn being brought and resources to bear in response to the Covid pandemic. It is why, Mr Speaker, as a result of that effort, including the establishment of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, it is a result of those coordinated efforts both by the federal government and the state and territory governments, that while there have been terrible impacts in aged care as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, all around the world but particularly in Victoria most recently, Mr Speaker, this is something that Australians understand.
Australians understand, Mr Speaker that, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Australia and that no part of our community, and that no part of the facilities that Australians move in and out of on a daily basis are unaffected. Of course it’s had an impact on aged care
But what I can say, Mr Speaker, is that as a result of the government’s efforts, despite the fact that there have been some terrible outcomes, Mr Speaker, in a number of centres, and for that, Mr Speaker, our condolences are expressed to those, Mr Speaker, who are involved with family members and residents, the truth is that some 8% of facilities in total in Australia, 8% in total, have been affected by Covid infections both by staff and by residents themselves, and that compares to 56% in the United Kingdom.
The actions that have been put in place by the government has ensured that we have been able to mitigate what has been a terrible blow as a result of Covid-19 across this country, including in the aged care sector.
Despite the fact that there have been a number of cases in facilities, Mr Speaker, the rest of the aged care sector has been benefited from the measures that have been put in place. In relation to censures in the Senate, that is not a new thing. That is not a new thing Mr Speaker.
John Howard has censured by the Senate. Paul Keating was censured by the Senate, Mr Speaker. Gareth Evans was censured by the Senate. Graham Richardson has been censured by the Senate, my good friend, Graham Richardson...
He runs out of time before he can complete the rogues’ gallery.
Updated
We are a few minutes outside question time.
I have finished choking on a peanut (yes, I know, as a typing monkey I am well aware of the irony) so I can now resume my usual choking-on-despair routine.
Updated
The headline of this online article is not accurate.
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) September 3, 2020
The video is difficult to watch.
This is clearly a distressing situation.
We don't need armchair commentary.
It is good @VictoriaPolice answered questions today.
Here's the full quote of what I said on @SkyNewsAust 👇 https://t.co/cgZUSIchKa pic.twitter.com/Akn27URpXa
For those playing along at home
Commonwealth extends the human biosecurity emergency period for a further 3 months, until 17 December 2020 https://t.co/tuGOHQrSId
— Australian Constitutional Law (@ConstitLawAus) September 3, 2020
And again on the debate about Australia’s national environment laws: The Australian Conservation Foundation has delivered the largest petition in its 55-year history to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, and the environment minister, Sussan Ley.
It’s signed by 409,908 Australians calling for stronger environmental laws to protect Australia’s wildlife and bring species back from the brink of extinction.
“Today I sent to the prime minister and Minister Ley a petition from 409,908 Australians who disagree with the Morrison government’s move to weaken our national environment law,” said the ACF’s chief executive, Kelly O’Shanassy.
“As many people as the entire population of Canberra have signed this petition.
“In my covering letter to the PM and Minister Ley I pointed out that as recently as March this year a significant majority of Australians – including a majority of Coalition voters – emphasised their concern for nature in a national YouGov survey.”
O’Shanassy said the government’s rush to devolve environmental approval powers to the states would weaken environmental protections and put more wildlife at risk.
“It is not too late for the government to change its strategy to instead strengthen Australia’s environment laws and establish an independent regulator to enforce them, as Professor Graeme Samuel recently recommended,” she said.
“We appeal to prime minister Scott Morrison to listen to the experts – and listen to the people – by strengthening our failing environment protection laws.”
Updated
And that presentation of sports rorts documents was defeated:
25-20
In case you missed Paul Keating on RN this morning, here’s your cheat sheet:
The division has been called and the bells are ringing.
Janet Rice put in the motion – we are not sure if they have the numbers, but Labor is supporting it.
Updated
The Greens are now moving a motion to have the sports minister (another of Richard Colbeck’s roles) present documents to the Senate by 7 September, including
- A copy of the talking points prepared by the office of the former minister for sport - Bridget McKenzie concerning the expansion of funding for the community sports infrastructure grants program, ahead of her meeting with the prime minister on 28 November 2018
- Any records of the 28 November 2018 meeting
- The subsequent exchange of letters referring to the metting as a basis for expanding the funding of the program
- Any evidence the government can provide of McKenzie’s legal authority to be the decision maker.
That’s from this sports rorts story from Paul Karp:
Sorry for the delay, but here is the transcription of what Penny Wong said in the Senate ahead of Richard Colbeck’s censure:
The neglect of older Australians has to stop.
I do not move this censure lightly.
But if the Morrison government will not act to protect older Australians, the Senate must act.
Senator Colbeck has been warned repeatedly.
Every three months since he became minister, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has told him that standards were not met in as many as 45% of site audits and 100% of review audits.
Today’s Daily Telegraph tells us “more than 100 elderly Australians are being raped, assaulted and killed in aged care facilities every week”.
This is appalling, it is distressing, it is shocking – but most of all it is unacceptable.
This nation must do better, this minister must do better, the Morrison government must do better.
And the Senate should express that we must do better by censuring this minister.
The country has lost confidence in this minister.
He has lost the confidence of the parliament. He has lost the confidence of his colleagues and he should be censured.
Updated
The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, has invoked the environmental legacy of Bob Hawke in a speech to the house about the government’s proposal to change Australia’s environmental laws.
Albanese said Australia has an extinction crisis and the proposed changes will not strengthen environmental protections.
“When you think of Australia’s most iconic natural places, overwhelmingly they’re protected by national laws,” Albanese said.
He said the saving of the Franklin River and the protection of the Daintree wet tropics were “a powerful reminder that governments can make good and lasting change”.
“I know the great Bob Hawke in my later discussions I had with him would always go through his environmental record that he was so proud of,” Albanese said.
The bill being debated would amend Australia’s laws so that the transfer of decision-making powers to state and territory governments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) would be less open to legal challenge.
The bill has been criticised by the opposition, Greens and conservationists as a rehash of the Abbott government’s 2014 one-stop-shop bill and for failing to reference promised national standards recommended by a review of the act chaired by the former competition watchdog head Graeme Samuel.
Albanese said the government’s bill was “disrespectful” to Samuel’s interim report, which he said had been “trashed and not really looked at”. He said the amendments would do nothing to fix some of the problems with the EPBC Act and would be a bad outcome for the environment and for business. He called on the government to “go back to the drawing board”.
“What we’re seeing is an extinction crisis in this nation. That’s something that should be of great concern to us,” he said.
“We have an extraordinary natural environment that we need to value and we need to protect.
“This legislation is bad legislation and we will be opposing it and right to do so.”
Updated
Senate censures aged care minister Richard Colbeck
The crossbench and the Greens came together with Labor to officially censure aged care minister Richard Colbeck.
It is essentially a symbolic gesture - it will have no bearing on his job. But it is a fairly rare move - and for good reason, it is not to be used lightly.
It’s the Senate (where the government doesn’t have the numbers) publicly saying a minister is failing at their job
Ayes: 25
Noes: 21
The crossbench sided with Labor and the censure motion passed.
Updated
Here is the motion Penny Wong just moved:
That the Senate—
- notes that:
- the Australian government funds and regulates residential aged care,
- the Morrison government failed to protect aged care residents from Covid-19 by ignoring:
- the interim report of the Aged Care Royal Commission,
- the warnings from experts and unions, and
- the warnings of Dorothy Henderson Lodge and Newmarch House,
- the Australian Government has not produced a COVID-19 plan for aged care,
- more than 450 aged care residents have died from COVID-19, and
- the Aged Care Royal Commission has said that if the Australian Government had acted upon previous reviews of aged care the suffering of many people could have been avoided; and
- censures the minister for aged care and senior Australians for:
- failing to recall the most basic and tragic facts about aged care residents,
- describing his management of aged care as a ‘high water mark’,
- dismissing deaths as a ‘function’ of aged care, and
- failing to take responsibility for the devastating crisis in the aged care sector, which has caused death, grief and untold trauma for vulnerable Australians and their families.
Updated
Penny Wong is now moving Labor’s censure motion against Richard Colbeck in the Senate.
Updated
Well someone is happy with the decision to have an inquiry into Dan Tehan’s university changes bill – here is the national tertiary education union’s statement:
The NTEU has welcomed the Senate’s decision for an inquiry into Dan Tehan’s chaotic scheme for hike fees and funding cuts in higher education.
This is policy on the run and the Senate is right to demand answers,” said Dr Alison Barnes, NTEU national president.
“Australia is in the worst recession we have faced in decades and our universities stand to lose 30,000 jobs. The Tehan scheme of cuts and chaos won’t save a single job.”
“It’s now unrealistic to expect this scheme can be implemented by 2021.
“Our universities will be crucial to get Australia out of recession by training the next generation of workers and fuelling our research and development engine room. We need fair funding and secure jobs – not cuts and chaos.
“This bill can’t be tweaked, it should be blocked.
As reported by the Guardian, the government’s own education department officials have conceded that they have done zero modelling on the impact of this scheme. Former Liberal leader Julie Bishop has said the scheme will have the opposite impact to the government’s stated policy objectives.
Updated
The Senate has just voted to refer the jobs ready graduate package (university funding changes) to an inquiry to report by 25 September.
The government proposed the Education and Employment Legislation Committee report by 25 September – a short and sharp inquiry that would allow the bill to be considered as early as budget week starting 6 October.
Labor proposed a longer inquiry to report by 30 November, with Greens support.
Both motions were decided on the voices – and the government won the tug of war.
Only Labor and Greens votes were recorded.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said the government had been dragged “kicking and screaming” to an inquiry and accused Pauline Hanson’s One Nation of acting like an extension of the government during the pandemic. Faruqi accused the government of “fee hikes” driven by a “juvenile hatred” of humanities.
Updated
Federal politics has returned to normal at least
"There'd be a lot of people scratching their heads... asking why high-flying execs from the AFL are allowed to jet into the Gold Coast & have an exemption" - @PeterDutton_MP
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) September 3, 2020
Just like people were scratching their heads when you granted visas to au pairs for AFL execs Peter? pic.twitter.com/UEUhvlJh6e
Parents to get access to equal leave entitlements after stillbirth
This is also pretty important news from the parliament:
After years of campaigning, Stillbirth Foundation Australia welcomes the introduction today of legislative changes to equalise unpaid parental leave entitlements for families of stillborn babies.
Stillbirth Foundation Australia CEO, Leigh Brezler said the Fair Work Amendment (Improving Unpaid Parental Leave for Parents of Stillborn Babies and Other Measures) Bill is a positive step forward.
“These changes are much-needed, hard-fought and long-awaited,” Brezler said.
“This amendment means families who have experienced a stillbirth now have the same unpaid leave provisions as parents fortunate enough to have live, healthy babies.
“Parents of stillborn babies are parents too, and six weeks is not enough time to grieve the loss of their babies, let alone recover from all of the physical side effects of pregnancy and birth.
“Today’s changes will go a long way to addressing the equity issues experienced by parents of stillborn children and help to remove some of the stigma around stillbirth.
“This is the result of the incredible advocacy efforts of parents of stillborn children across the country.
“We offer our heartfelt thanks to attorney general Christian Porter and everyone in the Australian parliament who are working together to achieve something that is needed and good.”
Brezler said while these changes were a great first step, more needs to be done to address equity issues faced by families who have experienced stillbirth.
“We have been calling for these changes for some time and greatly appreciates the bipartisan approach and support the government and opposition have taken on this,” Brezler said.
“We look forward to working with all sides of politics to continue to address remaining equity issues faced by parents of stillborn children, including paid leave entitlements and access to the bereavement payment.
“Changes to the Fair Work Act were the first recommendation made by the Select Committee following the 2018 Stillbirth Senate Inquiry and will make a world of difference to the six Australian families who experience stillbirth every day.”
To find out more about Stillbirth Foundation Australia visit: www.stillbirthfoundation.org.au
Updated
The Senate is now voting on what day to have the inquiry on the university changes.
This day has been a decade and it’s only just first lunchtime
Given the numbers at the Black Lives Matter protest, can Luke Cornelius say they obeyed the social restrictions?
Here’s the thing - the organisers of the Black Lives Matter protest were on record saying we’re telling people who are coming to protest to comply with the directions.
We’re saying to people, observe social distance, we’re saying to people, wear masks, we’re saying to people, gathering in groups of no more than 10 and keep 100m apart.
Now that’s what they were saying.
OK? In this case, stage four, where protest is unlawful, leaving home to protest is unlawful, you have got no basis upon which you can say to people, leave home to protest.
Back to Luke Cornelius and the planned Victorian protests.
He is asked what the difference is between the Black Lives Matter protest and whatever this is.
There’s a huge difference. So, during the Black Lives Matter protest, we were operating under a very different set of rules. Under the Black Lives Matter protest, when that was on, leaving home to protest was a permitted activity.
There were restrictions on it, so the restriction was you can leave home to protest with a group up to 10 people, and in multiple groups, so long as there’s a 100m distance between each of those groups.
Now, in stage four, and also in stage three, which applies to regional Victoria, when those restrictions came in, public protest was removed as a permitted reason.
So, at the moment, across the state, in any context, in any location, you cannot leave home to protest.
Now, that’s the rule that applies now. That’s the rule that applied to the individual that we arrested yesterday. That’s the rule that applied when I stood here last week and warned everyone about what the rules were. Those rules did not apply during the Black Lives Matter protest.
The Nationals Senate team held a press conference earlier, at which Matt Canavan called for some regional representation on national cabinet.
Asked if deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack should be on national cabinet, Canavan replied:
“I certainly think there should be something looked at to make sure that regional voice is heard. We know the former Coag meetings the Australian Local Government’s Association were there, and I think they have some kind of participation in national cabinet but certainly not a seat around the table. I’m not proposing a particular model - but it’s certainly a gap - the lack of regional representation on the national cabinet is an issue. 30% of Australians live outside national cities.”
Updated
'You'd have to be on Mars' not to know about anti-protest directive
Then we get this from Luke Cornelius:
I’d also make this observation, we take offenders and suspects as we find them. You know, we do to a certain extent have access to information about people, but in the end, we have to take people as we find them.
And that doesn’t detract of course from our obligation to hold people to account. I mean, if we started to say, we can’t possibly hold this person to account because of a particular attribute, where do we draw the line? The key piece here is we’re focusing on behaviour.
In this case, we are alleging this individual engaged in serious criminal behaviour, inciting a public protest at a time when public protest is unlawful.
And we have been very clear about that. I mean, I don’t think I could have been clearer last week.
We said we would be coming out and we would be holding people to account and that’s exactly what we’ve done.
You have to have been on Mars not to know that.
I have to say if someone looked me in the eye and I was out dealing with an individual and they said, “I didn’t know I couldn’t protest.” I have to say, “Come on, don’t take me for a fool. You have to be on Mars not to know that.”
Updated
Luke Cornelius gives some further details on the arrest:
Now this wasn’t some casual encounter.
This was our members attending a premises to execute a search warrant because we believed on reasonable grounds that the individual and the premises which was the subject of that search would provide to us evidence of involvement in that serious offence of inciting protest and in this occasion it was a protest in Ballarat.
Now, when you execute a search warrant and this is the case for any members, of course there’s a heightened risk around that.
And in the initial stages, when you enter a premises to execute a search warrant, you want to make sure that everyone at that place is accounted for.
You want to make sure that people who have there and your members are safe.
And so within that context, again, that is a number of risk factors which are taken into account as to whether or not someone may be handcuffed.
Then of course, once the premises is cleared, and members are satisfied that risks may have been addressed and alleviated and can be managed, handcuffs are removed. And in this case, handcuffs were removed from that individual as soon as the premises was secure.
And in fact, once the handcuffs were removed and the situation was safe, she was allowed to get changed and then she was taken back to the station for questioning. I’d also make this observation, I’ve seen the footage, and you know, in my assessment, the members have conducted themselves entirely reasonably.
They have been polite, they have been professional, when the individual indicated she may be late for an appointment at the hospital, our members actually contacted the hospital and made arrangements for an alternative appointment.
Our members did everything they could to both secure their safety and the safety of the people involved but also to assist this individual with her concerns about, we understand it was a check-up.
The point really I want to make is that, while, while this deadly virus doesn’t discriminate, we won’t discriminate. And we can’t discriminate in holding people to account.
On to the arrest which has captured headlines today.
Luke Cornelius:
I would be the first to acknowledge the optics, for want of a better description, arresting a pregnant female, it’s never going to look good.
The optics of arresting someone who is pregnant is terrible. We were very keen to understand the circumstances and consider whether or not in all the circumstances that action was appropriate.
And I can say to you, based on the briefings that have been provided to me and my colleagues...we’re satisfied in those circumstances the members behaved appropriately and in accordance with our policy.
Now, I will make some observations about handcuffing policy. We don’t have a rule that in every case when you arrest someone, we handcuff them.
The decision to handcuff someone is based on a risk assessment. And that risk assessment takes into account a number of factors, both how an individual presents to the police when they attend to affect an arrest, but also it relates to our knowledge of how we may have engaged with that person or how that person may have engaged with us on prior occasions.
And speaking generally, because I don’t want to cast aspersions on individuals, these risk assessments are made day in day out by our people.
And the risk assessment is based as I say on the circumstances in the given moment and also on the basis of any prior dealings that we’ve had with that individual.
And it’s entirely appropriate for our members to take all of those factors into account.
And it’s clear to me that our members did so on this occasion.
The other point is that once we handcuff someone, they’re not handcuffed for all time.
And in this particular context, bear in mind the members were attending the premises of this individual, with a search warrant.
And they were there to conduct a search warrant in the pursuit of evidence which may lead towards us determining whether in fact the offence of incitement had been made out.
These are very strange times we are living in.
If you are getting on public transport heading into the city this Sunday, you will be questioned by police. That is quite a jarring thing to hear, no matter what you think of the protest.
Luke Cornelius:
If however you do take the selfish option and leave home to protest, we’ll be ready for you.
So while I won’t go into the details of our tactics and our plans on the day, be be assured we’ll be ready for you, not only in the city, but we’ll be ready for you when you leave home and hop on public transport, or use other means to come into the city. We will be ready to meet you.
Where you go mobile, and our aim is to prevent you from coming into the city. So we’re not standing by and waiting for people to come into the city. We’ll be out there interest in the suburbs.
We’ll be on the roads and the public transport system to make sure everyone is complying with the restrictions.
So if you find yourself on public transport on Saturday, coming into the city, you can expect that police will want to speak to you.
Police will want you to explain which of the permitted reasons you have for leaving home.
And of course, if you leave home or you left home in order to protest, if you’re outside your 5km bubble, you’ll be held in breach and you’ll be fined. And if you persist in your behaviour, and you don’t comply, you’ll be arrested in the interests of keeping everyone safe.
We have hundreds of police ready to respond, including our general duties and specialist police, such as the public order response unit, mounted branch and the highway patrol.
They’ve all been rostered and will be deployed to support this operation. This takes invaluable resources away from local communities to support this.
And of course none of this would be necessary if people actually behaved in accordance with the directions and stayed at home, rather than choosing to go out selfishly and engage in public protest.
So we’ll be out there with the community, supporting the community, and helping people get through these difficult times. But if you’re out in the community for a reason that is not allowable and you’re out in the community in order to engage in public protest, you can expect to be held to account.
On the people who have been arrested, Luke Cornelius says:
So as I’ve said, three individuals have so far been charged with incitement after an investigation in relation to the coordination of this protest on Saturday.
One of those has been re-arrested for continuing offences.
And the other piece I say, we haven’t just been focusing on these four individuals.
Officers from right across the state are proactively visiting some of our persons of interest to issue official warnings in relation to the consequences for being involved in protest activity, that is leaving home to protest.
We have so far spoken with upwards of 80 people this week, while they’re not responsible for organising the protest, we have considered them as being at risk of attending and these people have like wise been put on notice about their plans to attend and have been warned not to attend and we have given them the courtesy, just in case they can’t hear us, a formal letter, advising them they should not attend to protest.
And I’d say if these people still choose to come out on Saturday, they’ll be arrested. As anyone else will, who leaves home to protest.
We can’t be any clearer.
While we share the frustration of the restrictions that are imposed on everyone and police like everyone, you know, it might surprise some of you, but we’re human beings, we’ve got families, loved ones, our family members, like ourselves, are impacted by these restrictions.
Some of our partners have lost their jobs. Some of our partners are actually front-line workers themselves and face increased exposure. We have all got kids. We share the frustration that is shared by the whole community.
But the key piece here is that leaving home to protest under the current conditions, it’s absolutely not on.
Don’t come into the city and undermine all the hard work and sacrifice that’s been made by the vast majority of law abiding citizens. Adhering to the chief health officer’s directions remains the most effective way of us finding a pathway back to normality. We should all be doing our level best not to put this at risk.
Luke Cornelius says the planned protest location was ‘incredibly disrespectful’.
The proposed location of this event is also incredibly disrespectful. Some of you will have noted that the Shrine and the RSL have gone public yesterday afternoon, asking people, please do not engage in protest activity at the Shrine.
It is sacred ground, sacred ground for all Victorians, sacred ground for the families of all those who have fallen in the defence of our country.
It’s completely inappropriate to engage in political protest and protest activity on sacred ground such as the Shrine.
We are in complete agreement with the RSL, and I have to say to you, you will have seen our members out and about with members of the Australian Defence Force, conducting patrols in our community. Looking to help the community stay safe.
And our members are regularly saying to us just how concerned their ADF colleagues are about the prospects of that sacred ground being violated in the name of the pursuit of political interests.
I can tell you, our members understand very clearly from our colleagues in the ADF that they take great offence at the Shrine being appropriated for the purposes of political protest.
Updated
'Be the keyboard warrior'
Victoria police’s Luke Cornelius says people can bitch and protest online, ‘as normal’.
By all means, protest online. Be the keyboard warrior.
Say all sorts of unpleasant and uncharitable things about people urging you to behave sensibly, but do it online.
Don’t leave home to do it. Don’t compromise the safety, health and wellbeing of other Victorians.
The safety, the health and wellbeing of front-line workers, the safety, the health and wellbeing of your police.
Because every time people leave home to protest, you’re exposing front-line workers, including police, who have to hold these people to account, to the serious risk of that virus spreading.
In fact, I hear far too often of our members out on the frontline, having to go hands on with people who are Covid positive and themselves being exposed to this deadly virus.
And can you imagine how your police are feeling about the prospects of that on Saturday? Let alone all the front-line workers out there, who stand to find a surge - a surge in contagion, that of course places their lives and their families at risk. Don’t be selfish.
Stay at home. Protest online. But please don’t leave home to protest.
The point I make is despite what people may believe, those who are selfish enough to leave home to protest in the current time, they, like everybody, have to comply with the chief health officer’s directions, both now and in the future. If the spread escalates as a result of this activity, it will affect all Victorians. Including those planning to attend on Saturday.
Updated
Victorian police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius looks pretty fed up.
He speaks on the planned protest for 5 September:
Now, as I said last week, in relation to this protest, we are urging all Victorians not to leave home to protest. We remain very concerned.
And in fact, outraged is probably a fair word, to say there are still people in our community who think it’s a good idea at the time of this deadly pandemic that we’re all fighting, think it’s a good time to leave home and protest on our streets.
As I said last week, we would be out and about in the community, identifying people who were urging and inciting these protests. We would be identifying them and taking action. That’s what we’ve been doing over the past week. We have made a number of arrests over the course of this past week. Including arresting one individual twice for continued breaches. And we’ve placed him before the courts.
In relation to this continued encouragement of and intention to leave home to protest at places in the city, including the Shrine of Remembrance and other places.
As I said last week this activity completely undermines what people are advocating for the protest are arguing for, which is an easing of restrictions. We all look forward to the day when restrictions can be eased. If people continue to behave in ways which will spread the virus, that day will be pushed out.
And any road map or pathway to a return to a degree of normalcy is going to be deferred by those behaviours. Which is why we’re urging everyone not to leave home in order to protest.
Updated
As foreshadowed on Wednesday – Labor has combined with the Coalition to pass a political donation bill that clarifies that federal law applies to donations for federal purposes.
While presented as a piece of housekeeping by government leader in the Senate, Mathias Cormann, the bill angered the crossbench due to fears by overriding state donation law it will apply the less strict $14,300 donation disclosure cap to donations to state branches for federal campaigns.
The only amendments were a delayed start date to 1 December, after the Queensland election, and a stipulation that parties have to keep separate federal and state campaign accounts.
Greens amendments to lower the federal donation disclosure threshold to $1,000 were defeated.
Updated
There’s been a bit of fallout today from last night’s revelation in the sports rorts inquiry – that Bridget McKenzie met Scott Morrison on 28 November, 2018 after her senior adviser drew up talking points for the meeting boasting that expanding the sports grants program to $100m could fund 109 more projects in target and marginal seats.
Labor’s Tim Ayres has gone on the attack, arguing it shows the prime minister is “at the heart” of the program which was “designed” to boost the Coalition’s re-election chances:
"The Prime Minister is at the heart of this $100 million rort of taxpayers money, absolutely designed to impact on the coalition's re-election chances" @ayrestim #auspol #sportsrorts @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/stuf4Ftj6o
— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) September 2, 2020
I asked McKenzie this morning whether she had used the talking points in her meeting with the prime minister and querying why she argued to expand the community sport infrastructure grant program based on a priority for marginal and target seat programs.
McKenzie replied:
I’ve made a comprehensive submission to the Senate inquiry – I stand by that ... It was a highly popular program, we had applications in for $340m projects for a $30m program. So I’ve said many times my job was to actually fight to ensure the program got more money so we could build more community sporting infrastructure.
McKenzie cited sections of her written submission unequivocally rejecting the view the program was skewed to target and marginal seats.
It said:
This former Adviser’s memo was not used as a basis for my decisions at any stage in the process. The memo was never provided to me or seen by me ...
Applications in electorates labelled ‘marginal’ and ‘targeted’ in the former Adviser’s memo were never given any precedence or special treatment. As the Prime Minister has said, applications in seats deemed as ‘marginal’ and ‘targeted’ in the memo succeeded at a statistically similar rate to applications in any other part of the country.
Updated
Victorian police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius, he of the “I mean it’s just crazy, it’s batsh*t crazy nonsense” fame, will be holding Victoria police’s protest press conference.
I will bring you that in just a moment.
Updated
And on the other event on Sunday:
Father’s Day is a very important day. It’s gonna look different this year, I know that. But unless it does, then other significant days, like Christmas Day, will not be anything like normal. That’s what we’re working towards. Father’s Day is a very emotional day for a lot of us, all of us, really, in one way or the other.
And I’d ask kids across the state to spoil their dad, albeit it might be in a different way than you normally would. But let’s all reach out and look out for each other and send our love and support to dads. Dads are great.
On the abuse crossbenchers are receiving online for supporting the extension of the state of emergency declaration, Daniel Andrews says:
There’s no place for that. Ultimately, they’re doing their job. They’re having to make difficult decisions. We all are.
And I just say to those who are behaving in that way, there’s no place for that. And, more broadly, for those who aren’t behaving quite like that, but may not agree with the decision that those crossbenchers have made, I would just say, “These are a set of rules to allow us to open up. They’re not a set of rules to keep the place shut down.”
And without the certainty, for instance, of making sure that someone who’s got this virus stays at home, away from other people, how can you fight this thing? You simply can’t.
We can’t do this on an informal, voluntary basis. There does need to be a structure. And that’s all these – that’s all the extension of the six-month state of emergency does, in four week blocks, based on the best of medical advice.
And the day that the Chief Health Officer says to me that we don’t need to extend the state of emergency will be a day that I’ll be very, very pleased to report that.
Updated
How much does Daniel Andrews expect the document we have seen today, to change on Sunday?
I can’t comment on those matters, because it’s not a document that has any status, and it’s not a document that’s been provided to me or been the subject of any consideration by cabinet.
They are ... I think I’ve been clear. There are many, many different documents, there are many different options. And the really tough part about this is we have to choose the right one.
And then all of us, as a community, have to lock in behind those choices, because they’re the ones that the science tells us.
Not a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of scientific and public health fact. Where we’ll land is the place that gives us the greatest chance of making sure every sacrifice that’s been made counts for something, and that we can lock in a Covid normal for the long term.
Updated
What about a national definition for borders (which the national cabinet will be discussing tomorrow).
Daniel Andrews:
Oh, well, look, I think the prime minister has been very keen to achieve that. I understand why he wants to achieve that.
But, again, I think ... I’d hope he’d give me some credit. I’ve made the point many times. I’m not here to criticise other premiers.
If I were in their situation, I probably would have made exactly the same judgements they made. I’m not criticising them. At some point, when we have successfully seen off this second wave and locked in that long-term Covid normal, then that will be the time for them to maybe revise some of the decisions they’ve made.
Updated
Does Daniel Andrews think there will be a hotspot definition?
Andrews:
My message is the strategy is working and we have to stay the course. We have to make all that we’ve given, all that we’ve done, all the sacrifices that every Victorian has made has to count for something.
We can’t just let that be washed away by opening up too quickly. We’ve gotta do this in a safe and steady way. That’s what the science, doctors, data tells us. And as difficult as that is to here, there is no alternative.
We’ve all got to look out for each other. And we can be positive about the fact that this strategy is working.
But it is a wicked enemy.
It’s not easily defeated. It spreads rapidly, it spreads silently. And a bit like a bushfire, it needs to be put out, or to such a low level that we can safely suppress it.
We don’t want the thing flaring up again and potentially running wild. That will benefit nobody. That will benefit nobody. That’s why it was so important on Monday I indicated we would be finalising all of our work throughout the week and we would have more to say on Sunday. That plan hasn’t changed.
We will make those announcements on Sunday.
For those feeling flat about today’s case numbers, Daniel Andrews says:
My message is the strategy is working and we have to stay the course. We have to make all that we’ve given, all that we’ve done, all the sacrifices that every Victorian has made has to count for something.
We can’t just let that be washed away by opening up too quickly. We’ve gotta do this in a safe and steady way.
That’s what the science, doctors, data tells us. And as difficult as that is to here, there is no alternative.
We’ve all got to look out for each other. And we can be positive about the fact that this strategy is working. But it is a wicked enemy. It’s not easily defeated. It spreads rapidly, it spreads silently.
And a bit like a bushfire, it needs to be put out, or to such a low level that we can safely suppress it. We don’t want the thing flaring up again and potentially running wild. That will benefit nobody. That will benefit nobody. That’s why it was so important on Monday I indicated we would be finalising all of our work throughout the week and we would have more to say on Sunday. That plan hasn’t changed. We will make those announcements on Sunday.
Asked about the doctors who have called on the government not to extend stage four restrictions, Daniel Andrews says:
We take into account all the impacts of fundamentally changing the way Victorians live their lives.
Whether that be in employment, in accessing services, and we’ve stood here many times, I think, talking about many of those issues. The issue of cancer screening has been raised at national cabinet.
Every effort is being made to drive those rates back up to closer to normal levels. I don’t want to be seen to be commenting on those doctors. They’re free to have a view.
They put their view yesterday. They essentially tried to make the case that the death numbers are quite low, therefore we should open up. I just have to respectfully find fault with that logic.
The notion that a death rate, whilst you’re locked down, can be assumed to continue with some stability once you open up, I just don’t think that makes a lot of sense. But I honour the work that they do. I completely support their right to have a different view to me and a different view to other doctors who are working with us. I would also make the point that, as committed and as passionate – and I have more than some personal experience with those who provide cancer care - and I’ve got nothing but the highest regard for them. And I, indeed, know many of the doctors that have signed that letter.
There will be no room for any of their patients if our hospital system is completely overrun. And that’s what will happen if this thing gets away for us again, and the third wave is potentially worse in terms of numbers than what the second wave has been.
Updated
The Victorian premier says he has not seen the document and it has not gone to cabinet.
Asked what part of the draft document the Herald Sun reported on is out of date, Daniel Andrews says:
That document has no status, because the decisions have not been made. So, I’m not going to pick apart different elements of it.
In terms of what different phases will look like as it relates to retail, for instance, or hospitality, or those workers that have been furloughed and are not working at the moment under Stage 4, we will outline each of those steps, industries, movement, notions of people coming to your home, and the circumstances under which they can, curfew, all of those things will be the subject of the announcements we make on Sunday.
But, again, what I’m trying to do is to be as absolutely direct as I can. You know, we’re not going from these settings to just completely opened up on the 14th. We simply can’t.
We’ve got to bank all that we have achieved. We’ve gotta make sure that counts for something, and that it can be translated into a long-term set of rules, a long-term, stable and defendable number of cases, until a vaccine comes. That’s – I know that is not exactly what everyone wants to hear. I get that. That is the frustration of this thing. It is stubborn. It will not be easily defeated, but it has to be defeated properly in the second wave, or it will just be back. And it will be back with a vengeance. Be in no doubt about that.
Updated
So is this plan being put together on Saturday night?
Daniel Andrews:
There’s a whole lot of modelling that hasn’t been finished yet. And this is something that I didn’t necessarily think would become kind of a semi-expert on.
But these sims, to run it through the machine, as it were, it’s not done in an hour.
It takes 24, 36 hours. That’s how many different inputs there are. And we don’t just run it once.
We run them multiple times at multiple places. Using the very best of, you know, that whole field of science.
That will come together in the next few days, and then there will have to be many long meetings over the course of the weekend.
And then I’ll make announcements on Sunday. And, again, I’m trying to be as clear as I can be.
It’s not like I’m gonna be able to give people a calendar with every single day and every single step. There will be things we can announce with certainty, and put a date on it.
There will then be other things that are where we hope to be and what we are working towards.
And those latter things – and, sadly, “latter” can be a month, or six weeks – that’s an eternity when it comes to this thing.
They will all be based on the case numbers as they present, subject to, of course, those initial opening up steps. That’s all for Sunday. And I think you can appreciate that. You’ve gotta do these things when you’ve got the most information, as much certainty as you can bring to a completely uncertain task, and you have to be guided by the data and the science and the best of medical advice.
Updated
Daniel Andrews expands on what he just said about these being the most difficult decisions he has been asked to made:
I wasn’t asking for Victorians to feel sorry for us. Like, this is our job. This is what we have to do.
I’m just being as clear as I can. It’s challenging. It’s very challenging. And there will always be a series of options.
And ultimately no strategy that gets put to me, either – well, it already has been, or that will be in the coming days – will have zero risk.
There will always be a residual risk that this gets away for us.
You’ve gotta choose the option that is the fairest and best balance between jobs and opening up, and people finding that normal, but also the lowest risk possible of the whole thing spiralling out of control.
The strategy has not changed. It is still an active, aggressive suppression strategy, whatever term you want to put on it.
There’s different ways to define that. I just take you back to comments the prime minister made a couple of months ago about the fact that, you know, low to no community transmission is something that has to guide us. But all of those fine judgements, they haven’t been made yet, and they will be. But then, of course, we’ll have to monitor.
We’ll have to monitor each and every day, each and every seven day average, so on and so on, as we move through those phases of opening up. Because, of course, whilst we would love to have a set of rules and then think there would be a static response, it just won’t be.
Updated
NSW records 12 new Covid cases
12 new cases of #COVID19 were diagnosed to 8pm last night. Of the 12 new cases:
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 3, 2020
•3 are locally acquired
•1 is linked to a previously reported case whose source is under investigation
•3 are returned travellers in hotel quarantine
•5 are linked to a known case or cluster pic.twitter.com/rIW2mqXf65
Updated
Will stage 4 restrictions be lifted on 13 September?
What I’m saying to you is it is too early for us to be giving people a definitive sense on what the weeks and months after 13 September look like.
We will do that on Sunday.
But in direct answer to your question, I will make the point, as I have a few times, if this is not done in a safe and steady way, and it’s not done over time in a gradual way, then it just won’t work.
And we will finish up with numbers exploding, and arguably in a worse position than we were, you know, four, five, six, seven weeks ago. I don’t want to get to a situation where people are looking at the board every night at 10.00, when I get the phone call to tell me what the number will be tomorrow.
Or when I stand up here every morning, thinking, “Jeez, those days of 700 were good, weren’t they?” That’s what will finish up happening. I can’t be clearer than that. So, these are difficult judgements.
But I also know there’s great difficulty out there in the Victorian community. And we will seek to strike that balance between protecting lives, protecting livelihoods, opening up, but opening up so that it means something over a long period of time.
We just can’t have a situation, in my judgement, we can’t have a situation where, you know, you get a couple of weeks of sunshine, and then you’re just into this spiral again. And numbers are going up and up and up, and it’s not Christmas the way I want it to be, which is as close to a normal Christmas as possible. It will be something very different.
Updated
Will any opening up be more conservative than the last time?
Daniel Andrews:
Look, I don’t think you can compare it. It’s a fair question. Genuinely, I have thought about that for many hours.
I don’t think you can compare it, because the differences between the first and second wave are so stark in terms of where the virus is, how it’s transmitting, how much community transmission there is, the interplay between large households and high-risk workplaces.
All of those things have to be factored in, and I think it makes it unique in some ways. That’s why we’re gonna try and give people on Sunday a traffic light system, so a series of phases.
We’ll provide some dates where we can. There will be other things that are so far off – and, again, I hope that ... I think we all do appreciate that a week is a long time in this thing.
A day is a long time in this thing. So, even a month or two is a very long period of time when it comes to fighting this battle. So, we’ll provide as much detail, as much certainty of things that we’re going to do, as well as a picture of things we hope to do based on the case numbers, as they present over time. So, that’s what Sunday will be about.
Updated
Is part of the hesitation the knowledge that people will not stand for a third hard lockdown?
Daniel Andrews:
I’m happy to be completely frank with you. These are some of the most difficult decisions that I’ve ever made in 20 years in public life.
And I’ve been blessed to have lots of different jobs, lots of different roles to play. These are really challenging decisions to make, because the tolerance for getting it wrong is incredibly low.
And what that means is that, you know, I will not do this faster than the science tells me to.
Because there’s too much at stake. And that’s not to say that being in lockdown doesn’t have its own cost, doesn’t have its own sense of pain and challenge.
I get that. I understand that.
None of these decisions are made lightly. But my sense of where Victorians are at - frustrated, yes.
Not particularly pleased to find ourselves confronting the reality that we confront. But people want all that they have given to count for something. And it will count for precisely nothing if we open up too much, too soon.
That’s just a fact.
Now, whether people agree with that or not, the responsibility I have is to do this in a safe and steady way. And that is exactly what I will do.
And whether it be popular or not, that’s not the issue today, or for the foreseeable future. It’s about doing this right. And people can have different views. That’s a healthy thing.
That’s perfectly fine. But I don’t get the luxury of doing what might be popular. The task that our team has is to do this properly and to make sure that, after a gradual, steady and safe easing of these rules, we can find a normal that we can lock in for months and months, and not be bouncing in and out of restrictions. That does no one any good. On the issue of contact tracing, I would just say this: You’ve gotta make sure that it’s a fair fight.
Like, no contact tracing team anywhere will be able to defend against 600, 700, 800 cases while the place remains open. You just couldn’t do that. It’s beyond anyone. You can’t do it.
That’s why so many countries around the world stopped contact tracing at 50 cases. 50 cases a day. So, it’s gotta be a fair fight as well. And I’m confident that we’ve got the systems and processes in place to actively suppress, but you’ve gotta get the numbers to a low level first. Otherwise you’re really asking people to do something that you know, as you ask, cannot be done.
Updated
Is there any cause for hope restrictions will be lifted?
Daniel Andrews:
I’ll leave people’s excitement levels to others, they can determine it themselves. To be really clear, I understand why you asked the question.
It’s a perfectly reasonable question.
But I can’t, standing right here today, give you details of a series of decisions that haven’t been made yet, outline for advice that has not been finalised yet, or a series of rules.
Because that will be for Sunday.
And on Sunday we won’t necessarily be able to answer every single question. I won’t necessarily be able to tell every Victorian what December is gonna look like, in fine-grain detail.
That’s not the enemy we’re against. We’re up against something that moves really quickly, is highly infectious, can be unstable. In general terms, the trend, this strategy is working.
Numbers are coming down.
We will see days jump around a bit. But if we all stay the course on this, then everything we’ve given, everything we’ve done, every sacrifice that’s been made will count, and it will count in really big terms, because it will mean we can lock in a normal, rather than bouncing in and out of restrictions, and ultimately saying that everything Victorians have done is worth nothing.
I don’t want that. I do not want that. And that means it is frustrating, I know. There’s much frustration, in many different ways. That’s the nature of this thing. Sunday is the day when those announcements will be made.
Daniel Andrews can't rule out stage four restrictions will continue past 13 September
Then we get to the nub of it.
Q: Is Stage 4 restrictions going to continue past 13 September?
Daniel Andrews:
I can’t rule out that we have to continue rules. I simply can’t. Everything is on the table. It will be driven by the data and the science, how many cases there are, the types of cases there are, and some modelling that is – it is a very big exercise.
You’ve got computers with amazing amounts of capacity running hundreds and thousands of different options, coming back to us with a series of risks.
So, if you do this package of changes, there’s, say, a 50% risk that cases get away for us again. If you do this package of changes, there’s a 35% risk, all the way through. It is a big job.
And when Allen says there are meetings, there are literally hundreds of meetings going on.
We had one last night that wasn’t really – in effect, wasn’t finished until after 11.30, or something along those lines. And then a heap of phone calls and follow-up after that.
So, there’s a power of work going on. And we’re gonna try and bring as much certainty to this as we can. But you’ve gotta err on the side of caution.
You have to assume there’s more virus out there than what we’re getting the test results for. Logic and science tells you that. And the other thing too is we’ve got to find a way to see this through.
Because if we give in to this thing – and it’s stubborn, it’s not going away quickly – if we give in to it, then all the work that we’ve all done will be worth nothing. Absolutely nothing.
And we’ll be back to 600, 700, 800 cases a day. And we just can’t have that. Because we know that, with 500 or 600 people in our hospitals, that puts a lot of pressure on. A lot of pressure.
Perhaps more than anyone thought. It wasn’t a matter of being prepared. Absolutely prepared. But when you start getting hospital-based infections, which is a commentary on how infectious this is, you get staff that are sick, you get staff that have to be furloughed, it’s challenging. Very, very challenging.
Updated
Q: [Shouldn’t] the rules be applied evenly, regardless of what people are protesting about, why did we have a situation where 10,000 people were allowed to attend a protest without being penalised? And a woman’s been charged with incitement over allegedly posting something on Facebook?
Daniel Andrews:
As I said before, I’ll let Victoria police speak to the circumstances of the incident. I’m not diminishing the importance and the significant interest in that matter, but it is a matter for Victoria police.
In terms of historic matters, so things that have happened many months ago, Victoria police made a judgement, and that is entirely the very difficult job that they have to do.
We can’t change that. But we can certainly try and change the behaviour that anybody might exhibit over the weeks and months to come, that might put everything that we are – all of us, as Victorians – working to achieve. And that is the lowest possible case numbers, a safe and steady easing of restrictions, and then a Covid normal that we can lock in for months and months and months – hopefully all the way through ‘21, until we get the vaccine. Everyone will get a go, as you always all got a go. And why don’t we go that way?
Updated
This may have broken my brain.
Q: Premier, the British Medical Journal says the risk of Covie transmission is low if everyone is masked, outdoors, and then keeps 1.5 metres apart. If that’s the case, why can’t they protest?
Daniel Andrews: Well, the British Medical Journal article you refer to, which I’ve not had the time to read, is a matter for the person who authored it. The rules in Victoria are that it is not the time to protest. And that’s been my consistent view, regardless of what you’re protesting about.
And I’m not making a comment about the worth or otherwise or whatever someone is protesting about.
That isn’t the issue here. When you’re trying to drive these numbers down to the lowest possible level, then if you just took that example one step further, or the point you make one step further – well, what if 1.5 metres isn’t maintained?
What if one person isn’t wearing a mask? What if someone is not wearing their mask properly? All of these things, they’re unacceptable risks. You don’t need to protest, but you do need to get these numbers down.
Q: Essentially, we can’t trust people who are protesting?
Andrews:
If Sky News is advocating that I should change my position and protests should be allowed, well, it’s an interesting day, then, isn’t it? Because my position will not be changing. With the greatest of respect.
I don’t quite understand the point of the question. There are rules. We’re not gonna change those rules.
Protests are not smart, they’re not safe, and they’re not lawful. And that’s where it’s at. Others in London may have a different view. But that’s entirely a matter for them. And I just make the point again – it’s not about what you’re protesting for or against. It’s not about whether you, you know, might, in a theoretical model, as you’ve put to me, devised something that was safe.
You don’t need to be doing that. And if you do, there’s an unacceptable risk that you’ll compromise the strategy, which is to drive these numbers down as low as we can get them. And it will, as Alan indicated, it will get to the point where, you know, ones and twos and threes, really small numbers will be critically important. If they’re not contained. Because as we know, even one person can infect many, many hundreds.
Updated
Q: Obviously the Black Lives Matter issue was something for which there’s a lot of community support. People going out and protesting against Covid restrictions is something for which there’s not very much community support, I think it’s fair to say. But should, you know, I guess we live in a free society. Should what the issue is about play any role in what penalty people receive for organising a protest?
Daniel Andrews:
No. No. The worthiness of the cause, or otherwise, which would ultimately be something that each individual would have to make their own judgements on anyway. It’s something that you and I, might take to the streets to protest about, it might not necessarily be something that someone else would think was worthy of taking to the streets. The key point here is, now is not the time to protest about anything. Because to do so is not safe.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is asked about the viral vision of a woman being arrested for allegedly sharing a social media post encouraging people to protest the lockdowns (she was allegedly listed as an organiser on the social media group).
Andrews:
Well, what I’ll say to you is I’ve not seen the vision. I don’t know what – I’m not sure any of us know what she was attempting to incite, allegedly. What I can say, though, is Victoria police will be out I think around noon, if not a bit earlier, and they’ll be able to speak to all of those matters.
Q: Is there a policy on approaching potential protesters in this way?
Andrews:
Not that the government is involved in. That’s very much an operational matter that Victoria police, they may have made some decisions on the ground, as it were. But that’s not something I could speak to. But they are gonna be out, and you’ll be able to put those questions to them.
Q: The Black Lives Matter protest has been charged with incitement, given that they were also planning a protest at a time when we were under restrictions, and 10,000 people attended?
Andrews: I would need to refer you to Victoria police in relation to what occurred with those people. I’m not sure whether state of disaster versus state of emergency may have been a relevant factor there. I don’t know the answer.
Q: You supported their decision at the time not to do anything more than charge the three organise – to issue three organisers with fines for breaching Covid restrictions, and not to penalise anyone else who attended, though.
Andrews: Well, I’m very clearly on the record as saying that those are matters that Victoria police should have absolute control over. I don’t...
Q: Do you support that decision on that occasion?
Andrews:
Let me answer the question, then I’ll answer the next one. It is not my practice to be directing police on how to enforce the law. That really is a matter that, I think, they need to have that absolute sense of control with the full benefit of any context that may or may not be there, with any given case.
In terms of your second question, I think that Victoria police will be out very soon, and they’ll be able to speak to these matters. And, again, that’s probably the best way to go rather than me offering opinions. I’m not fully briefed on the circumstances involved, and the people who are, and the people who can potentially answer those questions – I’m not for a moment diminishing that it is of very significant interest. I’m not questioning that. But the details, they are known to Victoria police.
Updated
This is also very interesting, given what we have seen play out this pandemic:
Our Parliamentary Library has published its latest research note that provides a brief overview of the size, operation and recent history of residential aged care in Victoria. It’s available at https://t.co/DonHd6SQ4g #springst
— Victorian Parliament (@VicParliament) September 2, 2020
The auditor-general has responded to Stephen Jones’s request to have the early superannuation access scheme audited.
He has said no, as there are other priorities at the moment:
Dear Mr Jones
I am writing in response to your letter of 5 August 2020 requesting that I review the integrity and performance of the Government’s early release scheme for superannuation, as established through the Coronavirus Economic Response Omnibus Package Act 2020.
I have considered your request in relation to the audit topics currently listed in the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) 2020-21 Annual Audit Work Program (AAWP), and prioritisation of audit topics identified under the ANAO’s COVID-19 multi-year audit strategy, and determined that the matter you referred is not a higher priority than other topics included in the AAWP. It is on this basis that I have decided not to commence an audit of the Government’s early release superannuation scheme at this time.
The ANAO is continuing to monitor emerging risks and challenges that impact on the public sector due to COVID-19. Your request for an audit of the Government’s early release superannuation scheme will be considered in the context of planning the priority topics for the ANAO’s 2021-22 AAWP and further consideration of COVID-19 audit topics.
Yours sincerely
Grant Hehir
Updated
Q: The draft plan indicates that there should be five daily cases, with only three mystery cases for 14 days until we can go into Stage 2. Is that on the advice of health authorities, and is that still current?
Allen Cheng: So, that document is really a working draft from some time ago. You know, as you would expect, we do a lot of planning in advance. And we’re continually refining targets and things like that. That document doesn’t, as I understand it, doesn’t represent any decisions that have been made, and came from, you know, as an internal working document.
Q: Has that threshold changed?
Cheng: We’re always considering thresholds, and part of it is about modelling and modelling risk. So, how many cases does it take to be an unacceptable risk? And obviously that’s a continuous thing.
Q: So, are you aware of a change to that particular threshold at this point in time?
Cheng: I can’t speak to that one exactly. But there are continuously changes. We have been meeting late in the night and, you know, debating whether it’s 10, five, lower, higher...
Q: Have you seen a plan since the document that’s printed?
Cheng: I’ve probably seen dozens of plans since, and I can’t speak to them. They’ll be announced on...
Q: Do they all look fairly similar?
Cheng: You know, I think the themes are the same. But, you know, we’re not going to make any final decisions, and we’ll announce them on Sunday.
Q: That document is old, how old do you think that document is?
Cheng: I don’t know. I did look into it, to try and work out, but there are literally dozens of documents and I couldn’t work out which one it was.
Q: Do you think it’s likely that Victorians can expect to be leaving lockdown in any form from the 14th?
Cheng: Look, I think the Premier will announce this on Sunday.
This is an important point.
While the government has said the document in the Herald Sun today was out of date (and in the story, it was said it was a draft) the modelling remains relevant.
And you should know what models authorities are using to make these decisions.
Here’s a key document obtained by @theheraldsun, explaining the context to the proposed plan we reported. As Daniel Andrews has just confirmed, final decisions will be made based on the modelling outlined in this document. #springst pic.twitter.com/05yMzo7Uj0
— Tom Minear (@tminear) September 3, 2020
Deputy chief health officer professor Allen Cheng has the update today, on the virus side of things.
He has some more up to date figures of the results:
97 active cases in aged care outbreaks and a total of 447 deaths in aged care.
So we are keeping a very close eye on a lot of Victoria, as the premier has just mentioned.
Nine cases in regional Victoria, within metropolitan Melbourne, we have, within metropolitan Melbourne Brimbank had nine cases yesterday, Casey, 10 cases, Hume, 10 cases, Wyndham and more than three cases.
These numbers go up and down a little but we keeping an eye on the long there.
Where are today’s infections coming from?
I think all of the high risk industries in workplaces of the ones we worry about. Healthcare and aged care are the major ones. But we also worry about abattoirs and meatworks and other places with shield areas.
But they are really quite diverse, the workplaces involved and all workplaces need to have Covid-safe plans and prepare for circumstances if they were to have a case.
Thirty-five of today’s diagnoses are health care workers – so about a third of the 113 cases. Health care covers all health and aged care workers.
Updated
Daniel Andrews then addresses the Herald Sun report:
Sunday is the day the government will announce our road map, both for metropolitan Melbourne and different settings for regional Victoria.
The documents that have been the subject of a letter of interest over these last few hours are out of date and have no status.
We will on Sunday give people a clear road map with as much detail and as much certainty as we can possibly provide.
It won’t be guided simply by dates on the calendar, though, it will be guided by the science and the data.
It will be guided by how many cases there are in Victoria and the types of cases.
There is an enormous amount of modelling going on at the moment, that does take quite some time, literally thousands of scenarios are run through various computers and processes, and that does take some time.
Sunday is the day when we will have much more to say and be really clear with the Victorian community about what the next steps will be.
I have said many times and I will make the point again that this has got to be done in a safe and steady way. I know everyone wants to open up tomorrow, I understand that.
But if we were to do that, these numbers would explode and we would have a couple of weeks of sunshine and we would we be back most likely in an even worse position than we were four or five weeks ago.
And I know it is frustrating, I know it’s difficult. There is an acknowledgement, we absolutely understand that, there is no question about the difficulty these settings, that these rules, are causing.
But at the same time, my sense of it is Victorians who have given so much, they want what they have given to count for something. They want it to mean something.
And it will mean precisely nothing if we open to fast, if we open too much too soon, we will just see numbers explode and no sense of control whatsoever when it comes to this virus and we will arguably confront a worse a set of numbers then today.
We’ll do everything we can to ensure that does not happen, because we have got to defeat this second wave properly so we don’t begin the process of a third wave.
The aim here, and one that I am confident we can achieve, all of us together across the state, is to ease out of this stage four in a steady and safe way find a Covid normal, which will take some time. It is not something that occurs from 14 September, it is not an instant thing that we can simply move to, essentially, a normal.
We have defined a Covid normal and locked out in the aim of those settings remaining in place for 2021 or indeed in some we receive a vaccine.
That is the status. There are no announcements to make today in terms of the easing of rules, as I foreshadowed on Monday. That will be laid out in as clear and as certain terms as the science and data allows us to on Sunday.
Updated
Daniel Andrews press conference
The Victorian premier, starts, as always, with a data breakdown:
I’m sad to report there have been 591 Victorians who have passed away that have passed was the result of this global pandemic.
Nine of those deaths occurred before yesterday, and as we have foreshadowed a number of times this week, because of mandatory reporting changes they will be reconciliation of data between different agencies from time to time, deaths will come in from previous days, and we will report those to you faithfully.
Our thoughts are with those families and we send condolences.
Two males and six females in their 90s. 14 of those 15 deaths are linked to aged care outbreaks.
There are 361 Victorians that are currently in hospital, 20 of those are receiving intensive care.
And 15 of those 20 are on a ventilator.
Now, the total now over 2,000,330 test results have been received, that represents an increase of 16,098 since yesterday, let me take you through how we account for that very substantial jump.
As you know some weeks ago, many weeks ago, in fact, we moved to an exclusive focus on positive test results.
They are, after all, the people we want to get there as fast as we can, have them isolate, have the appropriate public health response.
This jumping test is largely forgettable to a large batch of negative tests – attributable, but yesterday’s tests are the normal number I would report to you, 16,098, that is the number of results that have been received in the last 24 hours.
Can I thank each and every one of those almost 17,000 Victorians who got their results – those numbers are up and I think it gives us a greater degree of comfort.
We are very grateful to each of those people, and again I will send a clear message and a clear request to every single Victorian.
If you have got any symptoms, even the mildest of symptoms, please come forward and get tested at one of the more than 190 test sites across the state. It is important, central, in fact, to opening up, because it is at the heart of understanding and having the clearest picture about how much virus is out there, chains of transmission, how the virus is behaving.
Updated
The Senate crossbench has secured an agreement with the government to refer the jobs ready graduate package to a Senate inquiry.
That follows an impasse after Jacqui Lambie, Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff voted to refer it to inquiry indicating the government doesn’t have the numbers to pass the university funding package without one.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek is now moving to suspend standing orders, to talk about changes to the higher education bill.
This is the second suspension of standing orders in less than an hour.
That means that Labor is *pissed* the government has been gagging its debates – the last time this happened was before the pandemic, when the government was gagging debate on things like sports rorts – and Labor responded by moving multiple motions to suspend standing orders, as well as calling quorums, making all government MPs drop what they are doing and head to the chamber.
Last time, the government backbench got jack of it pretty quickly. There is only today left in this sitting, but Labor’s memory is looooooong.
Updated
The Victorian government has come out early this morning to say the Herald Sun’s reports on the draft roadmap document were out of date.
So it was a real document, but the government says it is an older version.
Daniel Andrew’s press conference (I think it is his 63rd in a row today) is early – in part to address the report.
But some doctors in Victoria are making their concerns known:
The Australian Doctors' Federation supports calls by eminent Victorian doctors who are expressing concerns about the Stage 4 lockdown extending past its due date of 14th September #springst #COVID19Victoria pic.twitter.com/Yk1BjMuraz
— Political Alert (@political_alert) September 3, 2020
Updated
Labor is also moving on this today:
Today in the Senate we'll move a motion calling on the Government to take urgent action to help the growing number of Australians stranded overseas through no fault of their own. #strandedaussies pic.twitter.com/uhyu3lbJNm
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) September 3, 2020
Julie Collins has responded to reports this morning that more than 50,000 cases of assault and abuse have gone un-reported in aged care each year.
The figures confirm just how broken our country’s aged care system is under the Morrison government.
The Morrison government is still yet to introduce a serious incident response scheme that would respond to cases of assault and abuse in Australia’s aged care system.
It has now been three years since this scheme was first recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission following its landmark investigation of elder abuse in Australia.
Even after the shocking figures estimating how many older Australians were being assaulted and abused were released the failed minister for aged care Richard Colbeck could only commit ‘initial’ funding for a scheme.
A separate review commissioned by the government following the Oakden nursing home tragedy also recommended introducing the scheme in 2017.
How can anyone trust this government to properly respond the royal commission into aged care when it takes more than three years to respond to such an important recommendation?
Updated
The Victorian aged care operations centre has released its most recent data.
This was current as of last night – there are NO aged care facilities listed as high risk for the first time since the updates began.
Daily Update
- For the first time since the Response Centre began operating there are no facilities categorised as high risk. This is a significant milestone in the stabilisation of aged care facilities in Victoria.
- There were 13 facilities in the Response Centre’s ‘high risk’ category in early August when the Centre first began operating.
- There are now less than 100 facilities with outbreaks, for the first time in a month.
- There are 97 facilities with current outbreaks – this has dropped by 24 in the past week.
- The total number of aged care outbreaks since 1 January 2020 is 163.
- There are currently 1,156 active cases in aged care in Victoria.
- There have been a cumulative total of 4,070 cases in aged care in Victoria.
- 1,807 residents.
- 1,765 staff.
- 498 close contacts which are neither staff nor residents of the facility.
- Total number of deaths associated with aged care outbreaks in Victoria is 431.
- There were an additional 6 deaths reported today.
- Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have visited a total of 277 aged care facilities to date.
- The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has conducted 4 ‘spot checks’ on facilities today, bringing the total number of checks conducted to 126.
- Western Health have also provided assistance in prevention measures at 37 aged care facilities.
- 37 personnel from Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) have completed 169 visits to 75 facilities.
- 10 National Aged Care Emergency Response (NACER) teams, totalling 58 personnel are filling a number of roles across the sector, including nursing, personal care, and cleaning.
- There have been more than 450 transfers to private hospitals during the pandemic and approximately 40 transfers to public hospitals.
Weekly Update
- The Response Centre has supported 8 aged care facilities in direct communications with families and primary contacts of residents. This has included 948 outbound calls, and 734 inbound calls since 23 July 2020.
- To stabilise and strengthen the Victorian aged care workforce during the pandemic, the Commonwealth have funded a surge workforce to assist aged care facility managers with more than 20,000 shifts being filled.
- 17,073 shifts filled by Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association (RCSA) staff.
- 2,304 shifts filled by Healthcare Australia staff.
- 833 shifts filled by 74 Mable contractors.
- 413 roles filled by Aspen Medical staff including clinical first responder deployments.
Updated
Labor has tried to suspend standing orders in the House again this morning.
I am not sure what it was on, but it has been defeated.*
*ahhh, it was on Craig Kelly
It just wouldn't be a Parliamentary sitting day without the Government shutting down debate and defending Craig Kelly spreading misinformation during a pandemic. pic.twitter.com/mQAhWdTAVY
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) September 3, 2020
Updated
The attorney general, Christian Porter, will this morning introduce legislation creating a supervision system for terrorist offenders who are released after serving their sentence.
In an advanced copy of a speech to parliament, Porter says:
The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020 ... will establish an extended supervision order scheme to ensure that high risk terrorist offenders who are released into the community at the end of their custodial sentences are subject to close supervision in proportion to the level of risk they pose to community safety.
Under an extended supervision order, a supreme court may impose any conditions (which includes prohibitions, restrictions or obligations) that it is satisfied are reasonably necessary, and reasonably appropriate and adapted, for the purpose of protecting the community from the unacceptable risk of the offender committing a serious terrorism offence.
The establishment of a commonwealth scheme for extended supervision orders responds to recommendations of the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Criminal Code amendments
The Bill amends the Criminal Code to make extended supervision orders available for eligible terrorist offenders.
Where the minister for home affairs seeks a continuing detention order, and the court is not satisfied of the thresholds for this order, the Bill will require the court to consider an extended supervision order as an alternative. The minister may also apply to a state or territory supreme court for an extended supervision order if the minister considers this appropriate.
The extended supervision order scheme has been designed to allow the court to tailor orders to address the particular risk posed by each terrorist offender. The offender must comply with the conditions set by the court, and offences will apply to breaches of those conditions. The maximum duration of an extended supervision order is three years, but subsequent orders may be made if the offender continues to pose an unacceptable risk to the community.
Updated
There have been some people asking why the Victorian numbers are still so high, given we are coming to the end of the fourth week of stage four lockdown.
Well, one reason is the number of community transmission wasn’t known until the lockdown -there was more virus in the community than contact tracers were across, so it was starting from a higher base.
And another, as professor Brett Sutton said yesterday, is there is still workplace transmissions.
It is still aged care, healthcare, high-risk workplaces, other workplaces, and then close contacts of known cases.
About 15% of Victoria’s cases are considered ‘mystery’ transmission
And testing numbers are down - so there are still more people with the virus than authorities know about.
Given we are going to hear a lot about border closures in the next little bit, ahead of the national cabinet meeting, it is probably worth taking a look at the economic hits the states and territories took.
NSW took the biggest hit. It has the biggest economy in Australia, but it has also remained the most open during the pandemic. Victoria was next – as the second biggest economy, and the one which has had to close down (as in numbers were still quite high even before the stage four lockdown) that makes sense. But NSW’s hit was slightly higher:
NSW – 8.6%
Victoria – 8.5%
Tasmania – 7.4%
Western Australia – 6%
Queensland – 5.9%
South Australia – 5.8%
Northern Territory – 4.9%
Australian Capital Territory – 2.2%
Updated
The international live blog is alive:
Updated
Daniel Andrews will hold his press conference at 10.15am today.
It has been two weeks since the first case of the new Queensland cluster was identified in south-east Queensland (the youth detention centre cluster) and health minister Steven Miles says health authorities are confident they have it under control.
In other Queensland news, Miles says Queensland Health has been working with the University of Queensland to check the sewerage systems of tourist areas, to make sure they are not missing any cases - and there has been traces of Covid found in the pipes in Airlie Beach.
So there will be a new fever clinic set up there.
My job involves wading through some shit, but that really puts it into perspective.
Miles:
We’ve also been working with the University of Queensland on a surveillance program, a sewage surveillance program, and some results from that program have recently suggested that there may have been some case of COVID-19 in the Airlie Beach area, and with the utmost of caution.
The Mackay Health and Hospital Service is standing up a fever clinic in Airlie Beach today.
We’d like to emphasize that this is not considered a high risk, we are taking this action out of the utmost of caution.
And as part of our regular program of popping up favorite clinics in tourist locations, we simply want to see an increase in the level of testing in that area, so that we can assure ourselves that there isn’t cases of community transmission there that we don’t know about, so that we can keep our tourism industry there, safe, and opening.
Queensland reports two new Covid cases
Queensland has reported two new cases, including an aged care worker.
Both cases are linked to known cases and both people are in self isolation.
Updated
Gerard Rennick then tried to move a motion to force The New Daily, which is funded by superannuation funds, disclose how much it pays journalists.
He did not get a lot of support from this, including from his own side of the chamber – and the question was most definitely negatived.
The motion:
I move:
That the Senate –
(a) acknowledges:
(i) that superannuation is money which ultimately belongs to the fund members who make contributions,
(ii) the importance of the strict application of the sole purpose test for superannuation, and
(iii) that the New Daily is an online news service funded by industry superannuation funds;
and
(b) calls on the New Daily to disclose: (i) disclose their financial records, and (ii) disclose payments to related and third parties, including journalists who are public figures.
Updated
Queensland senator Gerard Rennick has continued his one-man crusade against superannuation.
Here is part of his contribution to the Senate yesterday on the topic:
The two biggest tax rorts in this country are thanks to none other than Paul Keating, whose reckless neoliberal policies have destroyed Australia’s economic sovereignty.
I could talk all day about just how bad Paul Keating was, first as treasurer and then as prime minister.
Who could forget the 20% interest rates...
Acting deputy Senate president: Senator Rennick, could I ask you to refer to Mr Keating with his title as former prime minister?
Rennick:
Former prime minister Paul Keating – should I say ‘former prime minister Paul Keating’ or just ‘former prime minister’, because there are lots of former prime ministers?
Acting president: ‘Former prime minister’.
Rennick:
Okay: ‘former prime minister Paul Keating’. Who could forget the 20% interest rates or the 11% unemployment? I’d love to discuss them with the man himself but he’s been too gutless to reply to my request that we debate his destructive policies.
The speech went on with this gem:
I’m all for creating wealth, but it needs to be taxed evenly at the margins to create wealth rather than accumulate wealth.
By that I mean every dollar should be taxed at around the same rate with an exemption for low-income tax earners, who should get a tax-free threshold for the cost of living. At the other end, for those PAYG earners – the guys who get paid millions to run companies – by the time companies are paying their executives millions of dollars, the executives are usually running the companies into the ground rather than growing them.
I fail to see how someone can make millions of dollars in capital gains from housing, which is often the case in the wealthier suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, and pay no tax, while hardworking Australians pay 20 cents on their hard-earned income above $18,200.
When Keating exempted housing from capital gains tax, he gave a tax break to wealthy Australians and an incentive to pump way too much money into housing at the expense of manufacturing.
As a result, today house prices are out of reach for younger Australians and a burden for working Australians whose mortgage repayments are a lead weight in the saddlebag of their weekly income – not to mention manufacturing, which was gutted under Keating’s reckless now Liberal policies.
The Coalition, of which he is a member, has been in power for 22 of the last 30 years.
Updated
Parliament will sit at 9.30 today.
The foreign investment veto legislation is scheduled to be introduced. No one has seen that bill as yet, so that will make for interesting reading – the details have been scant.
Here is what the government is calling it:
Australia’s Foreign Relations (Effect of State and Territory Arrangements).
Australia’s Foreign Relations (Effect of State and Territory Arrangements) (Consequential Amendments).
Updated
The Queensland election campaign is ticking along in the background of all of this.
AAP has an update on where the donations are flowing:
Shooting groups have given almost $250,000 to Katter’s Australian Party while political donations to the Liberal National Party have almost doubled those to Labor in the past month in Queensland.
Queensland Electoral Commission data shows that the KAP received $130,000 from the state branch of Sporting Shooters Association of Australia and $100,000 from the Shooters Union Qld on 28 August.
Shooting groups and companies have now donated close to $500,000 to the party since November 2017.
The KAP has long campaigned for relaxing gun controls in the state with the party criticising the Palaszczuk government’s move to tight controls over controversial Adler lever-action shotgun in 2017.
The amount of donations to Queensland Labor in the month to September 2 totalled $415,031, which was well below the Liberal National Party with $771,296.
More than half of those donations were made to the LNP in the last two weeks with the biggest contributions coming from private companies and businessmen.
Roy Gripske & Sons made the largest donation of $27,500.00 on 27 August while Plymouth Pty Ltd gave $20,000 three days earlier.
Business man Jarrod Sierocki gave $18,000.00 on 27 August, while Ron Wanless donated $10,000 on 19 August.
Meanwhile, donations to Labor from unions and companies have been more subdued following the Construction, Forestry, Mining, Maritime and Energy Union’s public split with the Left faction of the party last month.
The CFMEU announced on 26 August that they wouldn’t campaign for the government at the upcoming state election and would withhold donations to Labor, which are reportedly worth up to $500,000.
The following day another union affiliated with Labor’s Left faction, United Voice, stepped in with $36,498.00 on 27 August.
The Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU) also gave the party $30,000.00 on 17 August.
Updated
Again, behind those numbers, are people.
It’s just awful.
Victoria reports 113 cases and 15 deaths
Victoria has released its latest data:
#COVID19VicData for 3 September, 2020:
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 2, 2020
Yesterday in Victoria there were 113 cases reported. We are sad to report 15 deaths and we send sincere condolences to those affected. More information will be available later today via our media release. pic.twitter.com/G0sVP5rS3c
Updated
The border wars continue.
Gladys Berejiklian said she couldn’t get Annastacia Palaszczuk on the phone. Palaszczuk said Berejiklian had not called. The pair spoke late yesterday, but the border between New South Wales and Queensland remains shut.
Meanwhile, the federal government wants a national definition of what a Covid hotspot is, to give uniformity to state and territory closures.
For example, Queensland has declared the ACT a hotspot, despite there being no active cases of Covid in the territory, because of its proximity to NSW.
But good luck getting the states to give up some of their powers. The dudes who wrote the constitution discovered that back in 1901. Not much has changed.
Josh Frydenberg though, is trying his best to force something to happen, particularly with Queensland, which is headed to an election on 31 October (here he is speaking to the Nine Network this morning):
The [tourism] industry has been hit hard both through the lack of international tourists through the international tourists through the international borders being closed but also because of these strike borders restrictions in place out of Queensland, Western Australia and elsewhere.
It is important that we have more flexibility around our border arrangements not just for the economic outcomes but also for the health outcomes.
That it is not just on that a young woman can lose an unborn child because of confusion at the borders.
It is just not on, as we have heard overnight, that a grandmother of seven who is recovering from brain surgery is unable to quarantine and isolate in her Queensland home but isolate in her Queensland home but is forced to do so in a hotel and at the same time footy officials can go down to their hotel bar as they so-called quarantine in Queensland. It seems double standards on our borders.
Updated
Leaked Victorian roadmap is out of date, state government says
Melburnians have been waking up to some fairly concerning news from the Herald Sun showing leaked government documents outlining Victoria’s roadmap out of the current lockdowns, which is set to be officially announced on Sunday.
This included a two-week extension to the dreaded stage four lockdowns.
But a state government spokeswoman has been quick to clarify this morning that, while these documents are real, they are out of date.
“This is an out of date draft document,” she told Guardian Australia.
“We know every Victorian wants certainty about the future – for them, for their family, and for their work. By the end of the week, we will lay out a plan to reopen our state.”
The actual roadmap may not have even been decided on, with the premier Daniel Andrews previously stating that it would be informed by this week’s data. On Monday, he suggested a number of models are currently under consideration.
This out of date document suggested that stage four would be extended for a fortnight, with those living alone now allowed to visit one other household and two hours of exercise allowed instead of one.
After 28 September, stage three would begin, with groups of five allowed to meet outside, and preschool and school gradually reopening.
Stage two would notionally begin after two weeks of five or fewer cases and stage one would begin after a fortnight of no new cases.
There was significantly less detail in the leaked document about the reopening of the business sector.
Updated
Peter Dutton wants you to be aware your fridge could be spying on you.
It makes sense – my fridge witnesses me eating lactose-free cheese out of a bag at 2am and I can tell you, no one needs to see that.
(I don’t know why anyone would have a smart fridge.)
But the Internet of Thing (IoT) which is a catch all term for smart appliances, baby monitors and all other every day items now able to be connected to the internet will have a voluntary code of conduct in Australia.
Basically, be smart and check whether your baby monitor/fridge is spying on you/easily hacked.
From Dutton’s office:
When purchasing and setting up an IoT device, some of the questions families and businesses should ask are:
1. Is the device made by a well-known reputable company and sold by a well-known reputable company?
2. Is it possible to change the password?
3. Does the manufacturer provide updates?
4. What data will the device collect and who will the data be shared with?
The ACSC has also produced guidance for manufacturers on how to implement the loT Code of Practice.
A copy of the Code of Practice is available at: www.homeaffairs.gov.au/codeofpractice
The ACSC’s Tips to secure your Internet of Things device is available at: www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/advice/internet-things-devices
The ACSC’s guidance for manufacturers is available at: www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/publications/how-implement-iot-code-practice-guidance-manufacturers
Updated
The Transport Workers Union says it will today launch legal action against Qantas over the airline’s plan to ditch almost 2,500 jobs by outsourcing ground services including baggage handling and plane cleaning.
National secretary Michael Kaine and Qantas workers will stand up with Labor’s Tanya Plibersek, Matt Thistelthwaite and Tony Sheldon (a senator from NSW who used to hold Kaine’s job) outside parliament house in Canberra at 9am.
The union accuses Qantas of failing to consult with workers and not giving them enough time to put together an alternative bid for the ground crew work, as they’re allowed to do under the airline’s enterprise agreement.
It’s very concerned that the work will go to Swissport, a contractor with which the TWU has had a series of barneys over pay and has accused of safety and security breaches.
From the union’s statement:
The legal action will be filed in the Fair Work Commission this morning and centres on Qantas’ failure to consult with workers on its plan to kill their jobs and over the tendering process which has been designed to make it impossible for workers to bid for their jobs.
Qantas has given workers just six weeks to make a final bid and to find $80 million to fund equipment upgrades, despite the airline choosing not to do these upgrades when it made almost a billion dollar in profit last year.
Updated
Heroes aren’t born.
They’re made.
Happy NotFriday:
Don’t want to get too political here ... but he has a point. #SaucyNugs #KeepLNKWeird pic.twitter.com/uFgpyTRAAV
— Ethan Rowley (@e10rowley) September 2, 2020
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers was asked about the government’s ‘well, Labor/Anthony Albanese said to do it’ defence of tapering Jobkeeper while on ABC News Breakfast this morning:
That’s a thoroughly uncontroversial position to take that the jobkeeper payment won’t be in the economy forever.
That’s, I think, universally accepted. The point that we have been making for some months is that jobkeeper needs to be tailored to the conditions in the economy. The economy, and particularly the labour market, has deteriorated since they announced those changes.
We’ve said that they should reconsider them, because pulling support out of the economy at the time when unemployment is rising, we expect another 400,000 Australians to join the jobless queue between now and Christmas, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. The rate of jobkeeper is up to the Treasurer. We want him to reconsider those reductions, because they will do damage to the economy when it’s at its weakest.
Updated
So what is the government plan for getting the economy ticking over again?
Josh Frydenberg:
We have always been sticking to our JobMaker plan, and that’s to see more people get back to work, and that will be the focus of the October 6 Budget.
It’s important to recognise that of the 1.3 million Australians who either lost their job or saw their hours reduced to zero since the start of the crisis, already around 700,000 – or more than half – are back at work.
And we really have a national economy that’s operating at two speeds. There’s Victoria and then there’s the rest. Outside of Victoria, the jobs are coming back. So, obviously our first focus is to get the virus under control. But once that occurs, you start to see restrictions eased.
We’ll continue to bring forward infrastructure investment, we’ll continue to provide tax incentives for more business investment.
Updated
The Senate will vote on the motion to censure aged care minister Richard Colbeck around midday.
Updated
We’ll find out soon enough.
The government says the Herald Sun leaked document is an out of date draft.
— Bridget Rollason (@bridgerollo) September 2, 2020
“We know every Victorian wants certainty about the future – for them, for their family and for their work. By the end of the week, we will lay out a plan to re-open our state.” @abcmelbourne #springst
Updated
Speaking of questions for the government, this was also mentioned yesterday in question time - very briefly - but the government is looking to make changes to its legislated tax package. It is looking to bring forward some of the personal tax cuts.
There will be more on that in the budget.
Treasurer @JoshFrydenberg says he is considering bringing forward personal tax cuts.
— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) September 2, 2020
He said he also wants to give people confidence to spend, "and the best way to do that is to ease the restrictions". pic.twitter.com/TLufVfCd8j
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Josh Frydenberg has been doing the morning interview rounds.
The Treasurer is saying much the same things he did yesterday – the road will be hard and bumpy, but the government will be there with you.
But the government is getting very defensive over its plan to taper jobkeeper and jobseeker. Labor had previously called for the jobkeeper wage subsidy to be “tested, targeted and tapered”. The government is using that to say Labor had asked for the payment to be tapered.
But with the payments to be cutback from the end of this month, the government is having to answer time and time again – is now the time to be doing it.
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Good morning
Welcome to the last sitting day until 5 October. The MPs will leave here and return home – some to quarantine but all to constituent work as the pandemic continues to impact daily lives. More and more MPs are being approached for help – getting loved ones home (there are now 23,000 Australians stranded overseas), dealing with the growing despair of people on temporary visas – who have all but been left to fend for themselves, as well as now the recession.
So it’s not a break – it’s just a break from parliament.
All eyes will be on Victoria again today, as the official wait for numbers ticks by.
The hotel quarantine inquiry continues with security bosses being questioned.
But the big news is when will people be allowed some more freedoms?
According to the document Herald Sun national political editor Tom Minear obtained, the first changes from 13 September to the stage 4 lockdown would be small:
- Two people or a household can meet outdoors for social interaction.
- Single person or single parent households can have one nominated person visit their home (with dependants under 18 also allowed). The nominated person does not need to be from a single-person household.
- Exercise and social interaction allowed for up to two hours per day. This can be split into up to two sessions.
- Libraries open for contactless collection and delivery.
With more changes coming from 27 September
- 8pm-5am curfew lifted.
- Up to five people, including children, from a maximum of two households can meet outdoors for social interaction.
- Phased return of primary and secondary students to school.
- Permit no longer required for childcare and in-home child minding also allowed.
- Outdoor personal training allowed with up to two people per trainer.
- Outdoor pools open for exercise – up to 20 per pool, up to two people per group although subject to density quotients.
Minear reports the government wants to see less than five cases a day for two weeks, with no more than three mystery cases for stage two to kick in – but all of that is subject to change. Just like everything else in this pandemic.
Daniel Andrews will address that today at his press conference, which I think is his 63rd in a row.
Meanwhile, Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison are trying to navigate a 7% contraction in the economy. In terms of what that actually means, Australia had about four years of growth just completely wiped away. It’s like Thanos came along and snapped his fingers and took the economy back to 2016.
But the way out is going to be long and arduous and you are going to be asked many, many, many times who you trust the economy with.
Oh – and there is still the border wars as well.
We’ll bring you all the days events as they happen. You have Amy Remeikis with you for the day.
Ready?
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