What happened today, Friday 13 November
The day is winding down so we are going to wrap up the blog. Here are the main events:
- National cabinet endorsed a plan for immunising Australians against Covid-19 when a vaccine is approved. The health minister, Greg Hunt, said the goal is for all Australians to be vaccinated by the end of 2021.
- National cabinet reached an agreement that will allow Australians to travel to other states by Christmas. The one exception is Western Australia, where travellers from NSW and Victoria will continue to be required to quarantine on arrival.
- The government released its response to the bushfire royal commission. It said it accepts all of the recommendations that apply directly to the federal government and will, among other things, pass legislation that will allow the federal government to declare a national state of emergency.
- NSW and Victoria recorded another day of no new locally acquired Covid-19 cases. Victoria recorded its first Covid-19-free fortnight.
- South Australia announced it will open its border to Victorians on 1 December.
- The WA border reopens tonight for every state and territory that has been free of community transmission of Covid-19 for 28 days.
Thanks for following along with us this week. Enjoy your weekend.
The rise of rightwing extremism has coincided with the emergence of social media “echo chambers” and easily formed online communities of interest, the head of home affairs has said.
Michael Pezzullo, the secretary of the department, appeared before a parliamentary hearing into social cohesion and nationhood this afternoon.
He was asked about recent testimony from the head of Asio that rightwing extremism now made up 30% to 40% of its priority counter-terrorism investigations. Labor committee chair Kim Carr wanted to know whether Pezzullo thought the trend coincided with the rise or rightwing populist groups in the US and Europe.
Pezzullo observed that virtual communities of interest were replacing the previous concept of communities being anchored in a physical “place”.
“You can have an international community of scientists or an international community of neo-Nazis,” he said.
Pezzullo said there had also been “a rise of – I’ll describe it very neutrally as a certain type of politics; I’m not going to describe it as right or left or populist or otherwise”.
He also pointed to socioeconomic factors that may be at play with “typically younger men who are disaffected, disassociated and disconnected socioeconomically, haven’t gone into the sort of employment streams that perhaps earlier generations would have”.
More broadly, and without specifying rightwing extremism, Pezzullo said:
Domestically it would seem to me that the groups that are of most concern are those that would either promote or seek others to adhere to a philosophy or an ideology of extra-constitutional action, and worse of course extremist action, and worst of all violent action rather than moderating legitimately held differences of political, ideological, economic views through our democratic process.
Earlier civil libertarians told the same committee that everyone was guilty of retreating into bubbles online of people with the same views.
Civil Liberties Australia representatives said populists had already tried to whip up “us-and-them” narratives about themes such as welfare cheats, African gangs, an “elite” ABC and “a bloated public sector”.
Updated
And in Queensland:
⚠️🌩️ A detailed severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of the #DarlingDowns and the #GraniteBelt, where thunderstorms may bring damaging winds and large hail. Locations include #Allora. See warnings: https://t.co/pgG4wsvJmg pic.twitter.com/B8vBhWPHP7
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 13, 2020
⚡SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING⚡ for DAMAGING WINDS and LARGE HAILSTONES. Locations which may be affected include Armidale, Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tabulam, Uralla, Emmaville, Tingha and Bundarra.
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 13, 2020
⚠️ Warnings: https://t.co/yFyLpeMA16 pic.twitter.com/PscFEnNFjp
The Morrison government is moving to curb public sector pay rises during economic downturns, as part of a new policy that will allow for higher increases when private sector wages are rising strongly.
The government has also announced a review of performance bonus arrangements for senior executives in the commonwealth public sector.
Ben Morton, the assistant minister to the prime minister and cabinet, said the government would abolish the existing 2% cap on public sector pay rises (meaning higher pay rises may be possible down the track).
But the catch is that the new wages policy will include a different type of cap: commonwealth public sector wage rises will no longer be allowed to exceed wage rises in the private sector.
During times of limited wages growth – such as now – that may mean lower increases for public servants, too.
Morton said the change would “ensure that wage increases for commonwealth public sector employees will be in step with their fellow Australians” – and also that public servants had a direct stake in delivering policies for economic growth.
By removing the existing 2% cap, the wages of Australian government employees can grow as private sector wages grow – even when private sector wages growth exceeds 2%, but importantly it won’t be able to exceed it, even when it dips below 2%.
The new rule doesn’t kick in straight away: existing enterprise agreements will run their course and then be renegotiated at the end of their current life.
The new limit for annual wage increases in new commonwealth industrial instruments will be the annual seasonally adjusted Wage Price Index (WPI) – Private sector, for the most recently published June quarter.
The most recent figures show that was running at 1.7% in the year to June 2020.
Updated
Western Australia is reporting no new Covid-19 cases as it prepares to open its border tonight.
WA’s positive Covid-19 case total to date stands at 783. WA Health is monitoring 13 active cases and 761 confirmed cases have recovered from the virus in WA.
WA Health says it has been working with government agencies and airlines to prepare for the expected influx of arrivals into the state from tomorrow – “in particular, to prevent co-mingling between passengers ... and to ensure airport infection control processes are in place”.
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COMMENT: It is vitally important children are systematically included in #disaster planning and have a voice at the table as federal and state governments implement the royal commission recommendations #auspol @_LisaMCox @GuardianAus https://t.co/5hF465XNMM
— Save the Children Australia News (@SaveAusNews) November 13, 2020
via AAP:
Five recently returned overseas travellers have tested positive for Covid-19 while quarantining in the Northern Territory
All returned to Australia on Commonwealth repatriation flights, NT Health said on Friday.
The travellers are isolating at Darwin’s Howard Springs facility under the care of medical staff.
It comes a day after a 32-year-old woman at the disused mining camp tested positive for the virus after returning from London.
NT Health has previously said returned overseas travellers were a high-risk group, and five to 10% were likely to test positive for the virus.
Over 800 people have undertaken quarantine at Howard Springs since the repatriation flights to the NT started on October 23.
There have been 13 positive cases reported amongst them, with the total number of virus infections diagnosed in the NT at 47.
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And another statement from the prime minister, this time announcing a strategic partnership with Thailand:
Today, with my Thai counterpart, prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, I have elevated our relationship to that of a Strategic Partnership.
In view of the evolving strategic shifts in the region, through this Strategic Partnership we will enhance cooperation in key areas, including defence and security, cyber affairs, anti-money laundering and combating transnational crime.
This historic announcement delivers on a joint commitment that prime minister Prayut and I made at the East Asia Summit last year in Bangkok.
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In case you missed it earlier, here is our story on the government’s response to the bushfire royal commission:
Scott Morrison has released a statement ahead of Saturday’s virtual Asean-Australia summit and the virtual East Asia Summit. He says:
Asean remains at the heart of Australia’s vision for a peaceful, stable, inclusive, sovereign, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific. Asean has a central role to play in the region’s recovery and the post Covid-19 regional order.
Morrison says at the Asean-Australia summit he will discuss Australia’s role in the regional response to Covid-19.
At the East Asia summit he says he will “highlight the importance of our collective Covid-19 recovery being guided by the principles set out in the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific – by transparency, inclusivity, good governance and respect for international law”.
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There has been some wild weather in NSW this afternoon due to a series of thunderstorms. The Bureau of Meteorology says to monitor updates as the situation will continue to change over the next few hours.
UPDATE: Check for new warnings as multiple are in place for #NSW as a series of thunderstorms continue to roll through. Giant #hail possible nr #Newcastle. More to come & situation will keep changing & evolving over nxt few hrs https://t.co/Ss766eSCrL@NSWSES @nswpolice pic.twitter.com/JXvLDCmLO0
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 13, 2020
Updated
The brief government of James Marape could be over in PNG. Opposition has seized control of parliament and appear poised to oust him. Story moving still.... the next few days and weeks are going to be rocky @Becky79961582 @guardian https://t.co/buocqkl1g3
— Ben Doherty (@BenDohertyCorro) November 13, 2020
Weather Update: it will be hot and windy over the coming days for southeast Aus, reaching into the 40s for parts of #SA, #Vic and #NSW. Severe to Extreme Fire Dangers with the heat, & gusty #thunderstorms could generate dry lightning.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) November 13, 2020
Latest forecasts: https://t.co/k1WC7xQmVa pic.twitter.com/UXj3VoPS5g
Doctors are urging all state and federal governments to set emissions targets to zero as quickly as possible to address dangerous climate change.
Medical group Doctors for the Environment Australia is responding to the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO’s State of the Climate report, released on Friday. The report states that Australia is already experiencing climate change and can expect more extreme weather events.
Spokesperson Dr John Van Der Kallen says:
To protect public health, Australian governments have made a swift and unprecedented response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We now need them to respond to the climate crisis with the same urgency and determination.
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The chief executive of Australia’s tourism and transport forum, Margy Osmond, has been speaking on ABC about today’s agreement that most borders will be open by Christmas.
I think it’s some progress. Essentially what we’ll see is South Australia has just announced they’re also going to open to Victoria from 1 December. The West Australians have now said that they will be open to South Australia also, so you’ll have some open traffic between WA and South Australia quite soon.
We still don’t know what’s happening with Queensland. We’ve got no idea. So, essentially, from a certainty point of view that’s a real problem for Queensland tourism operators in the sense that people aren’t going to take the risk on booking in Queensland for the upcoming holidays. They will have spent their money now elsewhere.
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Scott Morrison has issued a formal statement on the government’s response to the bushfire royal commission.
He says the government is announcing “major reforms” and intends to support every recommendation “for which we are responsible”.
In the face of the unprecedented 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires, the Royal Commission made clear that there is a need for a genuinely national approach and a greater role for the Commonwealth to support states and territories to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.
While the serious work to implement each and every recommendation in a timely manner will now be a priority for all governments, we are pleased to be announcing a package of Commonwealth measures which will enhance and strengthen our emergency response and recovery capacity as soon as possible.
The package includes a number of interlinked reforms and provides strong leadership on all hazards emergency management and natural disaster risk reduction.
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I am now going to pass over to my colleague Lisa Cox who will take you through the rest of the day.
During his 2GB interview, Scott Morrison was also asked about state borders and the push to open up by Christmas. Morrison said he hoped the states would move as quickly as possible.
Borders are not a sign that you’ve got it under control. Borders are a sign that you don’t think you can control it.
(He was talking about the state borders here, not Australia’s international border, which remains subject to strict caps on arrivals and Australians have to seek permission to leave the country.)
Morrison said he had always been pushing the states to get their issues like contract tracing, hotel quarantine and Covid-safe arrangements to a high standard.
Jim Wilson, the 2GB host, asked Morrison whether he was frustrated that he couldn’t “force the borders open earlier”.
Morrison said:
That’s the constitution. States have the powers regarding public health management in their states.
He elaborated “for listeners who haven’t spent time around the constitution” about what was assigned to whom at federation.
Asked whether young adults should be vaccinated first, as some epidemiologists have suggested, he said he would rely on advice from his expert team including Prof Brendan Murphy.
Morrison explained his pre-political background:
I’m a geographer with a science degree so I’m going to rely on the medical doctors and experts.
And given the political situation in Papua New Guinea, was he still planning to travel there on the way home from Japan next week?
Morrison said it remained his plan but “with all of these sorts of things you monitor events as they unfold”. But he said “it wasn’t planned as a very big visit to PNG.”
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Brian McDonough, New South Wales RFSA president is on ABC responding to the bush fire royal commission report.
On the national aerial firefighting fleet, he says they’ve managed without so far.
Look, we’ve managed so far. I suspect there may be some funding issues with maintaining an aerial firefighting and I note Twiggy Forrest was talking about buying aircraft for aerial firefighters so I’m not sure how that’s going to fit in and certainly the $25m that has been talked about I assume is only to get the allocation of those aircraft or leasing of those aircraft during fire season. It certainly wouldn’t pay for the running costs.
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Scott Morrison has popped up on 2GB and has been asked about the national aerial firefighting fleet.
The prime minister said the states held the firefighting aircraft assets and each year the fire chiefs made recommendations.
What all the premiers and chief ministers and myself agree is the firefighters and the fire chiefs are the best people to tell us what we need ... We’re basically going to continue to be guided by the fire chiefs on these things and they’re not calling for that.
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McGowan said he is expecting about 2,000 people on domestic and international flights to come into WA over the weekend.
Then ABC cuts away.
Updated
End of WA border tonight
After 222 days, the WA border will reopen for every state and territory that has been free of community transmission of Covid-19 for 28 days (so everywhere bar NSW and Victoria) from midnight tonight.
WA premier Mark McGowan is holding a press conference on the slight easing of the border.
He first notes that Victoria has had two weeks of no community transmission, and says “they have succeeded not just for themselves, but for the entire country. They are an example to the world.”
He says people from interstate will need to complete a G2G pass declaring if they have Covid-19 symptoms, and will need to declare they haven’t travelled to NSW or Victoria or come into contact with anyone who has in the past 14 days.
People from NSW and Victoria will need to self-quarantine at a suitable location for 14 days and have a Covid-19 test.
Worth noting, under the current measurement, if the trend continues, Victoria could get access to WA before NSW (which had local cases one week ago).
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Another doughnut day for South Australia.
In that case of the nurse who travelled from Victoria and tested positive when they returned to South Australia, authorities say they still haven’t been able to determine whether it was viral shedding from an old infection or a reinfection.
South Australian COVID-19 update 13/11/20. For more information go to https://t.co/e4B14lR2Vd or contact the South Australian COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/dBIkcqCVSe
— SA Health (@SAHealth) November 13, 2020
Women’s Safety NSW has welcomed the passing of an amendment to the stronger communities legislation amendment (domestic violence) bill in the NSW Legislative Council that will ban domestic violence defendants from directly cross-examining their victims in court.
It was a last-minute addition to the legislation added after negotiations with NSW attorney general Mark Speakman and the Greens.
The organisation surveyed 50 victim-survivors as part of its position paper and reported more than half said fear of being cross-examined by their abuser may make them reconsider attending court.
“Being questioned in a public forum about deeply personal issues and experiences of domestic abuse is, in itself, an extremely disturbing experience for many victim- survivors”, Women’s Safety NSW CEO Hayley Foster said.
“But to be interrogated by the very person who committed the abuse is beyond disturbing; it is horrific.
“This amendment, secured last night by Greens NSW MP Abigail Boyd, will have a profound impact in improving the safety of victim-survivors giving evidence in domestic violence matters – but there is more work to do.”
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Good afternoon.
Let’s just summarise the key dates if you are Victorian, like me, and are keen to travel into another state in the next few weeks.
Here’s when the borders are opening:
- NSW and the ACT: 23 November
- Tasmania: 27 November
- South Australia: 1 December
- NT: open to regional Victorians, but no dates for Melbourne
- Queensland: TBD, but potentially 1 December
- WA: TBD
All states and territories bar WA agreed today to open their borders for interstate travel by Christmas.
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And that is where I will leave you this week. Josh Taylor is ready to guide you through the afternoon.
Thank you again so much for joining us today, and this week. It has been another huge one (timeless statement).
We have seven weeks left of this year – and just eight more days of parliament sittings. Life is returning to some sort of normal. It’s been a long year, but I hope everyone can see some sort of light around the corner.
Be kind to yourself, and take care of you (and those around you).
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Paul Karp has some more information on the vaccine strategy:
Few points of interest in vaccine strategy:
— Paul Karp (@Paul_Karp) November 13, 2020
* Some visa holders eg tourists are excluded;
* Although it's voluntary, govt reserve right to set it as an entry requirement.#auspol pic.twitter.com/WDBJvTWnq2
I’m seeing a bit of this online. Just to be clear, it is NOT the report the prime minister was referring to yesterday when he announced the special investigator.
Reports, allegations and inquiries into serious misconduct by Australian troops in Afghanistan 2005-2013 https://t.co/S2WUHAJlgf pic.twitter.com/lj2MDA7vJ5
— Australian Parliamentary Library (@ParlLibrary) November 9, 2020
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And just because it is Friday:
Ben Morton: "The government will remove the existing 2% wages cap and cap future wage adjustments for Commonwealth public servants to wage adjustments in the private sector." Designed to see public service pay increase "in step" with other Australians.
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) November 13, 2020
So does the Morrison government believe it doesn’t need to set a 2050 target until closer to 2030?
David Littleproud:
We have said – the government has said this clearly – part of the Paris agreement is that you must commit to zero emissions at some point in the second half of the century.
So obviously the prime minister’s saying if we can get there quicker, then we will.
But we have got to do that through technology, not through taxes. Because ultimately someone will pay for it. I have four coal-fired power stations in my electorate. We are putting in place in one of those carbon capture storage. That will reduce emissions from that coal-fired power station by 90%. So the end game is about reducing emissions.
Why would you not try and do that while keeping your electricity prices down? And while not imposing effectively a tax on the economy? Because ultimately you got to pay for it. That’s what happens.
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Q: That’s with respect to the private sector. We’ve already seen some state premiers and chief ministers put their support behind a net zero emissions by 2050.
David Littleproud:
I bet they have. What are they doing? They don’t have to do anything.*
Q: You are asking them to do heavy lifting ...
Littleproud:
No, I’m saying it’s a partnership. We have never said that we are asking the states or anyone to do the heavy lifting ... A nationally coordinated approach. That’s how we want to do it, how we will do it. And we will continue to work with the states. We expect them to do their bit. We have all got to do our bit.
*Again, this is not true. We have seen numerous policies from the states and territories to meet this target, including sweeping changes to energy policies.
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On the Australian Super decision to divest itself of Whitehaven coal, David Littleproud says:
That is an investment decision they get to make. Different to banks.
Banks can turn off the capital tap. That – the decision by ANZ to say, “We aren’t going to lend to somebody because we believe we are the social arbiters of our society” – is wrong*.
Their job is to lend money, make sure they have mitigated risk, whether it can be repaid back; not to impose their social will on anybody.
With respect to a particular investment, that’s up to individual companies to make. But banks play a very significant part and have a very privileged part of our economy that they need to respect and understand. They simply do their job, which is lend money. And make sure that people can pay it back.
They don’t have to go past that. With respect to individual investment, I respect anyone’s right to make an individual investment. That’s up to them.
Those that want to invest in those superannuation funds can make the determination whether they want to stick with them or go somewhere else.
*ANZ did not say this. ANZ has said it wants a carbon emissions reduction plan as part of its lending requirements, which is something those in the industries Littleproud represents, including agriculture, have already been doing.
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On the role emissions reductions plays, David Littleproud says:
That is why we are saying we have led the world in making a commitment to 2030.
The other mob can’t get to 2030. They don’t know how they are going to get to 2030. They don’t know who’s going to pay for it – they say they are going to get to 2050 and it is zero, by 2030 that’s around a 40, 41% reduction in emissions that you’re going to pay for.
The responsibility of political parties and governments is to be honest with its people. You have got to be able to have the facts and be able to say who is going to pay for it, how it is going to be achieved. If you don’t do that, you are not worth your salt.
That’s why we have got the Labor party tearing itself apart. Joel Fitzgibbon had this epiphany on 19 May last year when he had a near-death political experience, that he finally decided he might stand up for somebody, because he’s worried about the jobs that will be lost in his electorate.
Well, Joel lost his job this week. The people of Hunter should remember if Labor get in*, they will still lose their job whether Joel is there or not.
This is about getting the facts right and about making clear you know how to pay for it. We have made our commitment that we will meet our 2030. The question for Labor is how they meet 2030.
Then after the 2050 target, we have said we have to be honest with the Australian people about how we get there.
We can’t take a linear approach or you will pay at 2030. We will continue to work through that. We will make sure it’s actual technology, not taxes, because ultimately you’re all going do pay.
*It’s the market, not policy, which is closing coalmines in Australia. Investors are moving away from and divesting their coal interests in favour of longer-term investments such as renewables, which will pay into the future. This is not an ideology thing, it’s an economic thing.
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It is less clear about what will be happening in terms of Australia’s aerial firefighting fleet. One of the issues is the southern and northern hemisphere fire seasons are seeing overlap, which makes it harder to borrow and exchange resources.
David Littleproud is a little defensive on this one:
The arrangements are, the people who determine the suite of transport, is the experts.
The federal government plays a coordinating role with respect to that.
We have lifted our funding to just under $26m a year - that’s just for the standing costs. That’s not for the operational costs.
We have kicked the tin again. We allow the peak body, Afaq, to determine what type of body is required and then the commercial arm acquires that.
We will allow the state fire commissioners to work through the suite of aircraft that is required and we will ask them to endorse what the royal commission has placed in this report around a specific aircraft they have outlined.
We will build on that. We will build on that with respect to what those fire commissioners provide and then we will work through, as we have always.
The federal government does not and has never determined the type of aircraft that comes into the country. We do not have the expertise and we will try to impose our will.
We will allow the fire commissioner, the professionals to do that. That is their job and what has kept us safe in the past.
Updated
The legislation will include “trigger points”, Littleproud says, as to when the federal government can step in.
Updated
And Australia’s scientific bodies, and hopefully, First Australians, will be brought together to better manage the environment.
David Littleproud:
We are also asking and creating Resilience Australia. That will bring together 10 scientific agencies to make sure the critical information needed for our emergency service personnel to prepare, but also fight fires and natural disasters is provided at one central point.
It will bring all these agencies together so the science is there, it is collaborated and disseminated through one single point. That just makes sense.
We will now also be working with the states, particularly, around hazard reduction and making sure we create a framework, a national framework, that there is transparency and we will ask them to commit to accountability.
We understand there’s reasons why hazard reduction can’t take place at time, but we have to have a commitment and understanding that while it’s not the only contributing factor to the severity of natural disasters, it is one that can be mitigated, and we would like do see the inclusion particularly of First Australians brought into that, that their thousands of years of knowledge and wisdom can be intertwined with today’s science.
That would be what a modern Australia could achieve in keeping its people safe. We will continue now to work with the states in making sure that the implementation of this, of these 80 recommendations takes place.
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Also on the list is a national disaster recovery agency, expanding Emergency Management Australia, and better data sharing.
David Littleproud:
We’ll also be enhancing Emergency Management Australia in lifts its capability, particularly under the national coordination mechanism, which has been in place already. We have seen through COVID-19, an integral part in keeping shelves stocked, but also in terms of monitoring stockpiles - critical stockpiles - of necessary items for disasters for all Australians.
We will also be making sure that there’s a data fusion of all the states coming together to make sure that our crisis centre here in Canberra can make sure that the information, the critical information, is disseminated quickly to those people on the front-line, so that realtime decisions can be made.
We’re also announcing that we will be creating a national disaster recovery agency - a single agency that will look after or natural disasters.
That will bring together the current flood and drought agencies and bushfire agencies into one. That will be up standing by 1 July.
But can I say that if there is disasters of any scale - any magnitude in this country before then - then the existing agencies will continue on in those recovery.
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Government responds to bushfire royal commission
David Littleproud is giving the official response to the bushfire royal commission recommendations. There will be legislation introduced into the parliament in the last sitting to enable the federal government to declare a state of emergency (currently a state-held power).
I can announce today that before Christmas, the federal government will be bringing in to parliament legislation to declare a state of emergency.
This was a recommendation key to the report in its findings about when the federal government should come into a natural disaster and the role it should play.
We will not be taking over the operational management of disasters. That is the remit of the states.
They are the professionals, the ones that do it better than anyone else in the world, I believe, right here in Australia. We will allow them to continue to do that.
But where there is needed to be a surge of resources then the Australian government will come in with its agency, whether that be the defence force or any other federal agency, to achieve that.
We will do with respect of the states in working to make sure the main and sole goal is to keep Australians safe.
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South Australia to open border to Victoria from 1 December
And in more good news, South Australia has announced it will allow Victorians in from 1 December.
Steven Marshall:
I am very pleased to announce that, as of December 1, we’ll be lifting the border with Victoria. This has been a border which has been in place for an extended period of time. It’s been a very important border to keep our state safe, but this border will be removed as of midnight on 1 December. And this will be a huge relief to people as we head into December.
We’ve always said that we don’t want to keep the restrictions in place for one day longer than we need to, but we have had to have this border arrangement in place, and it has been our first line of defence and kept South Australia safe and strong. We’re also very pleased that, as of midnight tonight, the Western Australian border will be relaxed with South Australia.
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And on borders, Annastacia Palaszczuk says:
There is a national aspiration, of course, to have the borders open before Christmas. In relation to Victoria, we’re very encouraged with what’s happening down there. And we will be looking very closely at the end of the month at Victoria, and also NSW. There may be some hotspots. Dr Young will assess this at the end of the month. But we are very encouraged with what we are seeing in Victoria at this stage.
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Some of the other restrictions being eased in Queensland from 4pm next Tuesday as detailed by Annastacia Palaszczuk:
Inside visits:
This is about people coming to your own homes or in public spaces: that will increase from 40 to 50.
In relation to indoor premises, this will increase from one person per four square metres to one person per two square metres.
Now this is great news for our restaurants, our cafes, our pubs, our clubs, our indoor play areas, our museums, art galleries, places of worship, convention centres, and even Parliament House.
So that’s going to mean good news for jobs, especially in those areas such as our restaurants, our cafes, our museums and our art galleries.
Weddings and funerals:
Here’s some more good news: up to 200 people can attend a wedding. All guests can dance. So there will be a lot of happy people out there.
In news for people who are attending funerals. We know, of course, that people attending funerals have had to go through a lot recently. So up to 200 people can attend a funeral.
Indoor events:
So this is seated, ticketed venues – to increase from 50% to 100%, but patrons will have to wear masks on entry and exit.
We’re asking people to do that. So that means theatre, live music, cinemas, indoor sports, and performers can reduce distance from audiences from 4m to 2m, except choirs, which will remain at 4m from the audience.
Outdoor events:
Increase in outdoor events from 1,000 to 1,500 with a Covidsafe checklist. Larger events, of course, need a Covidsafe plan.
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Queensland eases restrictions, State of Origin to have capacity crowd
Annastacia Palaszczuk is in a very happy mood for her post national cabinet press conference. The Queensland leader has announced a further easing of restrictions which includes a return to capacity crowds for things like the State of Origin.
Suncorp Stadium sits 52,000 people so that will be one big crowd.
Palaszczuk:
Open-air stadiums. The increase in seated capacity will go from 75% to 100%. Now this means the Cauldron can be filled to 100% capacity for State of Origin next Wednesday night. So, if you don’t have a ticket yet, hopefully some more tickets can be released, and let’s fill that Cauldron, let’s fill Suncorp and cheer our mighty Maroons on. And on that note too, can I also wish the women’s team for Queensland all the very best tonight against New South Wales.
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David Littleproud due at 2.15 on the response to the bushfire royal commission
David Littleproud is up at 2.15 with the government response to the bushfire royal commission.
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The press conference ends.
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And then Alan Finkel takes one last question on Victoria’s contact tracing system: has it improved?
Finkel:
So the contact tracing review is not the result of an inquiry, it’s not a scorecard. It’s truly looking at the characteristics shared across the states. I can tell you that the Victorian system is really working quite well now. It obviously was under incredible stress and not working well three, four months ago. But it’s actually dramatically improved.
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There has been no decision to invite residents of other low-risk countries to travel to Australia, as like what is happening with New Zealand.
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Ankle monitoring bracelets out – no safe alternative to hotel quarantine
The presser moves back to stranded Australians and alternatives to hotel quarantine . Spoiler: it doesn’t look like there are alternatives.
Q: Prime minister, what progress has been made in standing up alternatives to hotel quarantine, like on-campus or at-home quarantine? And how far off are those alternatives?
Morrison:
These matters have been looked at by the AHPPC. They were discussed again today. And they are not considered options that we can safely take on.
Paul Kelly:
So there are some pilots in relation to on-farm quarantine, for example, for the seasonal workers that have come from very low-risk countries, in Queensland. For example, that’s one that’s ongoing at the moment. So there are some bespoke arrangements currently operating in the states. They’ve made those decisions to try those pilots.
But in terms ... I think your question really goes to, ‘Is there large-scale alternatives to hotel quarantine?’ And the answer is no. I think the reason has been outlined already about how dangerous the rest of the world is, and how important our border arrangements are.
We’ve taken a good look at it, and those options aren’t presenting. We’ll keep looking. But I’m not going to raise an expectation that you could expect to see them.
Q:You’re ruling them out, they’re not safe enough?
Morrison:
Calm down. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re gonna keep looking at what the options are, as we always have. And if we can find viable options, then we’ll implement them. But we haven’t been able to find any viable options that are safe at this time.
(That would be a yes – the other options aren’t considered safe enough.)
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But would Prof Alan Finkel, from a scientific point of view, like to see the federal government adopt a net zero 2050 target?
Finkel:
I would like to see us proceed towards net zero as fast as we can do so with economic efficiency. And I think the measures that I just mentioned to you are the kinds of things that you would be putting in place if you were trying to move as quickly as possible towards net zero.
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He continues:
The government adopted the national hydrogen strategy last year, and that is actually recognised around the world as a thoughtful and significant approach to realising the potential of hydrogen to contribute to emissions reduction.
And the low-emissions technology statement that the prime minister just mentioned, which was released in September this year, is actually outlining how one can use technology to overcome the problems that are fundamentally wrought by the technology that we’ve been using increasingly for the last 200 years.
And those technologies, the purpose of the low-emissions technology strategy, is to see how government intervention and encouragement and signalling can lead to the most rapid decrease in price of those low- and zero-emissions technologies so that ultimately they will replace the higher-emissions incumbent.
They cover hydrogen again, but also batteries and pumped hydro, to help to firm up more and more solar and wind. They look at zero-emissions steel as a future export potential for Australia.
They look at low-emissions aluminium. As a major export potential for Australia.
And then the low-emissions technology statement recognises that it doesn’t matter what you do, there will be sources of emissions that you can’t zero out, and you have to offset that by some kind of geosequestration or biosequestration, and that’s also covered in the low emissions technology statement.
So I think there are several things in place at the moment that are moving us in the right direction.
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The chief scientist then adds to that answer.
Prof Alan Finkel:
Earlier this year at the National Press Club, prime minister, you did talk about the impact of climate and the need to have resilient responses, as well as the long-term mitigation.
And you asked the CSIRO to do a report specifically on climate and disaster resilience, working with an expert advisory panel chaired by myself.
And we did that and submitted it midyear, and it became one of the significant inputs to the royal commission, which has been presented to the national cabinet today.
And there are many, many things that we can do to improve our resilience. But the first is to acknowledge that there’s a serious problem there that has to be dealt with.
The first four words, the first sentence, in the terms of reference from the prime minister to the expert advisory panel and the CSIRO was: “Australia’s climate is changing.”
You have to acknowledge that. And then work hard to deal with adapting to the problems that are there. But at the same time, we absolutely have to be doing our bit to mitigate, to avoid emissions, to reduce emissions into the future. And there are many things that are actually under way.
You know, if you go back a longer time, there’s the renewable energy target, which drove a pretty good amount of solar and wind at large scale into the market.
There’s the integrated system plan that AEMO is operating with at the moment, which actually came out of the review that I chaired back in 2017.
And that imposes sensible connection requirements on large-scale solar and wind, so that they don’t destabilise the grid. And through the integrated system plan, allowing long-distance interconnectors to bring electrons to where they’re generated to where they’re needed.
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Scott Morrison continues:
See, if you can’t get there by technology, you get there by taxes.
And we are not gonna get there by taxes. If other countries choose to get there by taxes, that’s a matter for them.
But Australia will set our response and we’ll meet our commitments based on our national interests and the policies we set here in Australia.
And that’s why our technology road map is so important. Because if we’re talking about reducing global emissions – not just Australia’s emissions or, indeed, other developing countries’ emissions – then we must have technology in developing countries implemented, affordable, scalable, commercial, that will transform their economies as they grow.
Because all the increase in emissions is going to occur in developing countries. That is what is going to continue to see emissions rise into the future.
Developed countries, we’re reducing our emissions, we are signatories to Paris, and we will meet those commitments, as we have been to Kyoto. And we’ve had great success there, and we believe we’ll have great success in the future.
And so I have been really clear with Australians. And unless I can tell you what it’s gonna cost you, unless I can set out that plan for how it’s going to be achieved, then I think we are leaving Australia in a position that is vulnerable to a situation that would see higher costs imposed on Australian families, when I believe that the path to it is in better technology.
And that has been a view that we’ve developed, closely informed by the work of the chief scientist.
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Asked about a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, which is where the states and territories are headed to, particularly in light of the recent bushfire season and the royal commission into what caused it, Scott Morrison says:
One of the key findings, conclusions, of the royal commission was that the locked-in impacts of climate change already that are there largely set an elevated risk for the next 20 years.
And the report actually says that, regardless of what might happen in terms of emissions reduction, that is a known quantity. And as a result, a key part of dealing with climate change in this country is dealing with the resilience to what is already there.
And that is a big part of what the royal commission recommends.
And I have been advocating – and some of you may recall from my first speech at the National Press Club at the start of this year – I said this agenda has to be about resilience as well.
Of course, it’s about emissions reduction. Of course it is. No argument about that from the government.
But it also must be to protect Australians and keep them safe. It is about resilience measures. And that’s what our response will certainly address. And in subsequent announcements that we will make. That is what, in some respects, the national bushfire recovery fund, in part, is addressing.
Our commitment is we would like to achieve the outcome you’ve indicated as soon as we can. But we will get there with a technology road map which achieves that result, not through taxation.
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Ben Doherty reported on some of the internal political issues within Papua New Guinea at the moment a little earlier. Will Scott Morrison still travel to PNG if the prime minister changes?
Morrison:
Well, I’m not going to speculate on those events. But it’s my intention to be with prime minister Marape next Wednesday as planned. I will be heading to Japan obviously before that for the important meeting with prime minister Suga.
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On stranded Australians, Scott Morrison says:
I would note, though, that over the course of this pandemic, more than 400,000 Australians have come back from overseas. 400,000.
That’s a lot. And I’d add that we have already, since 13 March, helped over 30,800 Australian citizens and permanent residents return home directly.
And that includes over 10,000 on 358 flights, of which 67 were directly facilitated by the government.
And we have many additional flights now that we’re doing now. So this has been an ongoing process for many, many, many months, and we’ve been getting through it as best as we can.
I can tell you – the figure I have here is that there’s some 35,600 still registered abroad who have indicated an interest in returning to Australia.
That’s around about 10,000 more than we were talking about, and that includes people already having got back out of that case load.
And so it is a cup that keeps filling up every time we get someone home. And so that will continue to be a challenge.
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But from everything Scott Morrison was saying, doesn’t it follow that Australia won’t be accepting international students until there is a vaccine?
Morrison:
I don’t know if night follows day in that way.
I mean, the key constraint at the moment, in people coming in, is the capacity of quarantine. And if there are ways we can boost that, then that’s great. And that’s what we’re working on at the moment.
But the rush of those additional people seeking to come back has obviously exhausted that resource, and that’s why we keep adding to it.
The fact we no longer have New Zealanders coming through that process, that’s freed up some additional capacity. Equally, as domestic borders go down then we won’t have Australians from each other’s states sitting in hotel quarantine, and that will enable more Australians to come home.
And that will be helpful, without accessing one additional room and having – or one additional police officer or health worker to be able to support that capacity. So as Australia opens, we will get more.
All we said today was is, right now, as we’re looking towards Christmas, I can’t give a commitment to the states that we’d be in a position to allow any, you know, broader entry of international students at this time.
But we’ll look at it again in several weeks.
And I hope if we’re able to establish some additional capacity, how things may change in terms of those seeking to come back, it’s understandable many are looking to get back before the end of the year, before Christmas and so on.
We’ll keep a close eye on it and work with the sector.
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Does Australia have the infrastructure to keep the Pfizer vaccine – the one we haven’t seen before, and is due early next year (the first of what will be a multi-dose vaccination) given it has to be kept at below freezing temperatures?
Prof Paul Kelly:
The Pfizer vaccine, you’re correct, it’s a type of vaccine known at messenger RNA vaccine. It’s a brand new technology. At the moment, for stability it needs to be kept at -80, which is dry ice essentially. So that is a challenge. It’s one of the many challenges in relation to this vaccine rollout.
But it’s only one of the four types of vaccines that we’ve signed up to. If it’s the first, Pfizer, as part of their agreement with us, is that they guarantee that they will deal with the distribution issues from the place of manufacture to the place of immunisation. So that’s part of the contract.
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NSW, Victoria and the ACT will be part of the pilot program for the national contact tracing program.
What exactly is the “light touch” data sharing mechanism Prof Alan Finkel recommended the states and territories use as part of a national contact tracing system?
Finkel:
The mechanism we recommended, which we’ve just called the ‘data exchange’, is a very light touch, but highly efficient approach.
So all it does is open up a communication pathway between the digital system in one state or territory and the digital system in another. And also, where appropriate, commonwealth government databases, just for contact tracing information.
So the recommendation is that a request goes out for some contact tracing information, it gets responded to, but the data never gets stored in the data exchange.
So there’s no need to reconcile two disparate databases. There’s no large target for cyberattack. So it intrinsically – and certainly if done properly – should be very, very secure.
No it’s unlikely to require legislative changes. But until the final design is done, it’s not clear. But we’ve certainly recommended that it be built consistent with the legislative requirements at the state, territory and commonwealth levels for privacy.
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Scott Morrison is asked about whether he is hopeful the Covid situation will improve in the states under a Biden presidency. He is obviously still very mindful of Donald Trump or members of his administration taking offence at his comments, because he is very careful in his answer, and pivots a good chunk to Europe (and the Blitz bombings).
Morrison:
I wouldn’t comment on that, other than to say that we are sharing our learnings both with the administration and the incoming administration.
The reason for that is I was invited to do so by president elect Joe Biden yesterday in our conversation.
He was very interested in Australia’s success. And it’s obviously the top of his priority list, as he’s been saying himself. And I wish him all the best.
I wish president Trump all the best in dealing with what is just an awful, an awful situation there.
But, you know, the situation in Europe is the same. The situation in Europe is just terrible.
I mean, the number of deaths – 50,000, didn’t you say, Paul, in the United Kingdom? – I mean, the death toll from the Blitz was less.
That puts in perspective on what’s occurring. Now, of course, the Blitz had many, many, you know, many, many thousands, tens of thousands who were injured and maimed, and that was obviously a calamity during wartime of extraordinary proportions.
But when you think about that, and the population at the time was much lower than it is today, but, you know, the situation that is happening overseas, we can’t ignore.
And the comparison to what’s happening here in Australia, by the great work that’s been done right around the country, is a tremendous credit to this country, and it’s been noticed around the world.
How we do things here – the question just on immunisation – Paul is absolutely right. No one does this better than us. No one does it better than us. We’re really good at this stuff. And Australians can take some confidence about that, I think.
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Prof Paul Kelly adds to that answer:
Firstly, we are an excellent immunisation nation. Most people agree with immunisation being an important component of our preventive strategy for ensuring the health of the nation.
So this is not the first time we’ve had an immunisation program. We roll out new immunisation programs often.
But I would say this has particular challenges as to the newness of it and so forth. And so we’re very aware that there will be people who are not wanting to have this vaccination or to spread information which is not true.
So, we have, as part of the strategy, a very strong component of communication.
That’s already starting, putting out information about the types of vaccines, their advantages and so forth. As the PM said, absolutely, there are no shortcuts to this. It’s going fast, that’s true, but all of the processes for regulation will be there.
All of the systems to make sure that we’re certain about safety, and if anything happened that we would know about it and be able to deal with it quickly.
And people will be very much encouraged – and I’m sure there will be a lot of people who will be queuing up for this vaccine through next year.
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Scott Morrison is asked about anti-vaxxers and vaccine sceptics, and the amount of misinformation being pumped out about the vaccines, including that it will be mandatory:
That is not the government’s policy and has never been the government’s policy. And there is a lot of misinformation that’s out there.
You don’t go to Dr Google, you go to the doctor when it comes to these things, and seek medical advice from your GP. Or your other medically trained professionals who are there and available to assist you.
That doesn’t change. Of course, we would encourage people to take up the opportunity. But they will make their own choices, and we’ll be seeking to provide the necessary assurances about the safety of the vaccine.
That’s why it has to pass the TGA standards. There are no shortcuts here. There are no lower benchmarks that apply to this vaccine.
It’s a very important vaccine for the country and for everybody’s health, but we will be applying the legal requirements that are there for people’s protection.
There are perhaps a couple of members on the government backbench who need to take heed of that statement.
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Qld strikes agreement to open NSW border by Christmas
It was already headed this way so this is not a surprise – and Queensland had been part of the agreement to open borders by Christmas already – but it has just made it official, official. Kinda like when you update your relationship status on social media, or post your first couple photo. People knew it was happening, but then it’s serious enough that you’re OK with acquaintances knowing too.
Scott Morrison:
Well, I have an agreement with both of them that we’ll be open by Christmas. That’s what the national cabinet has brought them to.
Now the timing of that has always been up to the individual premiers within their jurisdictions.
The federation is still the federation. That hasn’t changed. The constitution is still the constitution.
They both joined the meeting today very productively and very positively.
So, you know, sometimes these disagreements, I suppose, and what are written up as conflicts may be a little more dramatised than the reality is*.
*Given Scott Morrison’s previous role in this issue, I did laugh at this statement.
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Scott Morrison is asked about international students. It looks like it will be some time away before they are allowed entry into Australia:
This is a question of priorities.
And our priorities must be to look after Australian citizens and residents first.
Now because of the deteriorating situation in other parts of the world, we are seeing more Australians than even a couple of months ago seeking to come back.
And more Australians who may be finishing off work contracts or studies or other arrangements they’ve had over the course of the year and are now registering and looking to come back. And so they are difficult choices.
Of course, we would like to see so many parts of our economy return to normal. But we must ensure that we put Australians first in that task.
It is constrained by the amount of quarantine that exists at a state and territory level. And that’s a fact that we have to contend with. And where we can expand that, we are.
But the suggestion – if there’s a suggestion – I’m not saying you are making that suggestion – that somehow the quarantine can be waived in order to get through this, well, that is not an option that either the commonwealth or, indeed, the premiers and chief ministers are prepared to contemplate, because the inherent risks were there.
I wish it were not so, but it is so. And that means it’s very difficult to say when we’ll be in a position for more of those students to come in the future.
Now many of them are already here – we know that. But for those who would be seeking to come back, well, there is a queue, and Australians are in the front of the queue.
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Professor Alan Finkel says the states and territories also have to keep learning from each other, which is another recommendation: keep talking.
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Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, speaks on the contact tracing review he and his team has submitted, which looks at a national contact tracing system, for once the borders are re-open:
We cannot afford to rest on our laurels. And the states and the territories and the commonwealth do recognise that.
How do you know, in the absence of cases in the field, how do you know that the systems in place are capable of performing if and when there is a problem in terms of outbreaks?
Well, you have to do desktop simulations, you have to do functional simulations.
The states and territories and the commonwealth understand that.
And we’ve recommended ways that they can do that even more, and more efficiently.
We also recommended some simpler, and I would say tighter, metrics that will enable the public and the other states and territories to evaluate the performance of each state and territory.
And they’re listed in the review, of course.
Going forward, a couple of things to keep in mind: One is that we’ve recommended that there be a means of digitally exchanging information between the states and territories. Because you must keep in mind that, under the Constitution, each state and territory is responsible for public health in their borders.
And they do it, and do it very, very well. But as we go to a more mobile society, and a fully active economy, they need to be confident that they can share information about people who are travelling from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Now, at the moment the problem is not manifest. We don’t have a serious issue, but we need to be preparing.
So, we’ve recommended a very light-touch digital exchange mechanism that will respect all of the legislative and privacy requirements to enable states and territories to talk, to swap contact tracing information with each other, and access contact tracing information from government agency databases.
Prof Paul Kelly, the acting chief medical officer, has given an update on the vaccines and how they will be first distributed.
Australia has signed agreements for access to four vaccines, including the University of Queensland one Greg Hunt was speaking about earlier today.
Kelly:
Will they protect against transmission or severe disease or both? That will be the fundamental driver of the prioritisation of the vaccine to various parts of the population.
That is outlined in general terms in the policy but it will be absolutely the medical advice from the TAGI group, the advisory group on administration, which advises the minister on prioritisation.
Those that are caring for vulnerable people, vulnerable people themselves, and those at highest risk of transmission will be at the highest priority doubled.
In the health department we are forming a vaccine division which will be driving this from the commonwealth point of view, but the states and territories of course will be involved and engaged very much on the distribution and logistics of the vaccination program, as they always are.
So we’re not duplicating there.
The final point made very clearly by the PM, as he’s done previously, is that this vaccine will be free for all. And all Australians, for anyone who wants to take that vaccine.
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Government to release response to bushfire royal commission this afternoon
The commonwealth is ready to respond to the bushfire royal commission recommendations. There were about 80 or so of them, so it can’t be a whoosh-whoosh response. And of course the states and territories are involved, so whatever happens it’s going to take a lot of time.
Scott Morrison:
What was important and the discussion we had today, though, was there are very good practical operating arrangements between the states and territories ... when it comes to dealing on the ground with these national disasters, whether it is combating the fires or dealing with the cyclones or the floods.
There are very good operating arrangements. And the [main] points to how they can be improved and particularly around some of the governance issues. The last things we want to do as premiers, first ministers and prime ministers, is interrupt operational arrangements that are working well in how people move between jurisdictions, and how equipment is shared.
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Victoria may also come back on board the hotel quarantine program soon, says Scott Morrison. And universities should not expect to be receiving international students back any time soon:
In terms of getting Australians home, there is greater flexibility that will be provided to the limits, the limits have been done on a daily basis, and that would be on some occasions a cap might be fully utilised on a given day.
By doing them over a week we can get greater utilisation of the caps which will increase our ability to get more Australians home, and wherever possible we are looking for additional capacity.
I will be meeting with the Victorian premier when I go to Melbourne next week, and there will be the opportunity for us to talk about that.
I know they are progressing on those issues and he gave us a bit of an update on that this morning but they are not in a position to give us an update yet because they are preparing to do it.
We welcome that from Victoria. When Victoria opens up to receive those flights again that will help us get many more Australians back. And the figures I talked to before, around the mid 20,000, around 25,000, that wasn’t assuming Victorian participation, so we believe that will add to our capability to get more Australians home.
The challenges we have in getting Australians home means the ability to move and take international students back at this time through quarantine arrangements does not present itself. It’s Australians coming home first.
That is the commonwealth policy, that is our policy, and that is the policy that is also being followed by the national cabinet.
We need to use every available space that we have in quarantine, and it is not simply a matter of other rooms and hotels to do it – there is also the police, the support that is needed to properly run quarantine ...
So it is a function of all of these, and the quarantine system has been working effectively and we want it to keep working effectively.
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And there has been a slight increase in the number of Australians Queensland is willing to accept for hotel quarantine.
Scott Morrison:
Other matters dealt with today of course is getting Australians home. This remains a very significant challenge.
And while we will see some 25,000 or so Australians return to Australia ... the number of Australians coming has been growing every day, every week, including the number of vulnerable Australians.
We are getting vulnerable Australians home; we are getting thousands of Australians home.
We have increased – 150 new places will be coming out of Queensland. We thank them for that.
And Tasmania. And we have signed up for additional capacity in the ACT and NT, but the challenges are still great ... to receive people in quarantine.
Australia will maintain its quarantine arrangements for people coming on overseas.
National cabinet is very committed. This has been one of Australia’s great successes.
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There has also been more moves on a national contact tracing plan.
Scott Morrison:
The plan I outlined at our last meeting and we spoke about has now been agreed with the one exception of Western Australia, which I have already flagged.
That is a plan to have Australian back open [where it is safe] with the exception of Western Australia.
The plan importantly embeds public health metrics in ensuring that when Australia opens safely that it remains open safely, and that is incredibly important.
There are things that need to happen, and importantly, the work of Dr Finkel’s national contact tracing review, which identifies additional metrics that are needed to ensure we are always aware that we are staying on track, and have the protections in place to keep Australia open.
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National vaccination policy endorsed by national cabinet
Scott Morrison is giving the usual rundown post the national cabinet meeting.
He says the states and territories have agreed to a vaccine policy:
The national vaccination policy of the commonwealth was endorsed by the national cabinet today – not just noted, they were keen to endorse it as well.
It’s another sign together as a country we are working to prepare ourselves to be able to disseminate and administer these vaccines all around the country when they are ready, when they have passed the necessary TGA approvals to ensure they are safe.
Once we have cleared those important benchmarks then we must be in a position to be able to disseminate and administer those all around the country, and of course that requires the usual supports of states and territories on how that is done.
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Papua New Guinea’s opposition leader says Scott Morrison’s planned visit to Port Moresby next week is “highly suspicious” and should be delayed.
Belden Namah said the visit by the Australian prime minister would be seen as boosting the authority of PNG prime minister James Marape, and that Morrison would be likely to announce additional loans and aid to PNG, Australia’s closest neighbour and former territory.
Belden argued Morrison’s could be seen as interfering in PNG’s domestic politics.
“This visit should be deferred until the vote of no-confidence has been tabled and the process of electing a new prime minister is completed,” he said.
“There is no doubt that Morrison will be announcing additional loans and cash aid for the Marape government and this should not be tolerated by the people of either country.
“There are other matters that Morrison should consider before he comes to Port Moresby with cash and candy to support Marape’s political survival.”
A motion of no-confidence has been threatened against Marape for months, but it has not yet emerged, and there appears slim chance of it succeeding.
Marape hit back at Namah, telling him he supported corruption because he was absent for a critical vote to establish an independent commission against corruption. The Icac bill passed PNG’s parliament unanimously: 96 votes to zero.
Morrison said he was looking forward to seeing “my friend” Marape next week.
“We will continue our discussions about advancing our many shared regional and global objectives, ahead of a formal bilateral visit I hope to make next year,” he said.
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National cabinet press conference at 12.40
It’s 12.40 for the national cabinet press conference.
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Labor’s internal rumblings about climate policy continue – although one of the key players seems pretty sanguine about the whole thing.
As AAP reports:
Labor’s climate change and energy spokesman has offered to drop the portfolio if it will help heal deep divisions within the party.
Mark Butler said he would switch portfolios or move to the backbench “in a heartbeat” if opposition leader Anthony Albanese decided to make a change.
“If he decides that he thinks I’ll be best placed somewhere else I would be entirely relaxed about that,” Butler told ABC radio.
“I have enormous confidence in Anthony’s abilities to make those right calls and at the end of the day it’s his prerogative.”
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The second set of witnesses at the vaping inquiry included Prof Emily Banks from the ANU research school of population health which was asked by Greg Hunt to evaluate the evidence on e-cigarettes.
Banks told the inquiry the evidence shows those who use e-cigarettes are “substantially more likely” to take up smoking of traditional combustible cigarettes, so the best public health response is to avoid widespread availability.
Liberal senator Hollie Hughes shared her experience quitting smoking, revealing she has not smoked a cigarette in 60 days. She credits vaping with nicotine fluid with her success.
Hughes then shirt-fronted Banks:
“You don’t sound like you’re a big fan of e-cigarettes, which is a bit of a problem because your report is not finalised [until mid 2021] and you seem to have a predetermined view.”
Unfailingly polite in reply, Banks congratulated Hughes on her success quitting smoking. But she said there was not sufficient evidence to conclude e-cigarettes are effective as a quit aid, prompting this exchange:
Hughes: I can assure you they are.
Banks: For individuals ...
Hughes: That’s who quits – individuals.
Banks: ... but there may be others for who it prolongs smoking.
Banks said e-cigarettes are cheaper, allow smokers to get nicotine in circumstances they can’t smoke; and are seen as healthier and more socially acceptable. But due to the prevalence of “dual use” (people who both smoke and use e-cigarettes) vaping “allows them to prolong their habit”, she said.
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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it stands ready to work with the Australian defence force to strengthen respect for international humanitarian law.
It was speaking as the government prepared to release the report of a four-year investigation into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
While the inspector general of the ADF’s inquiry report will be released next week, Scott Morrison has already announced that a special investigator will be appointed to consider criminal cases. An independent oversight panel will also be set up to give people confidence the ADF was tackling the serious cultural issues uncovered by inquiry.
The ICRC, which has been present in Afghanistan since 1979, said steadfast adherence to international humanitarian law was not only a legal obligation but was also “fundamental to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of conflict”.
David Tuck, the ICRC’s head of mission in Australia, said:
“As an independent, neutral and impartial humanitarian organisation, mandated to protect and assist people affected by armed conflicts and other situations of violence, the ICRC does not participate directly in or comment publicly on investigations.
“We will continue to work with the Australian defence force, in line with our mandate to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict, including in implementing recommendations of the IGADF report, if required, with a view to strengthening respect for IHL.”
Human Rights Watch has called on the government to release the report “in full, with minimal redactions” and to ensure “justice is properly served” and compensation is provided to victims of abuses or their survivors.
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Goal to have all Australians (who want it) vaccinated against Covid by the end of 2021
Greg Hunt is speaking at the University of Queensland on its vaccine trials, which he said are on track to have a vaccine available by the third quarter of next year:
The initial data is very clear, that the vaccine is proving to be safe through phase one clinical trials and that it is proving to produce a positive antibody response.
That means it is doing its job. That is particularly so in the elderly, and that is an especially important outcome, given the global vulnerability to elderly around the world from Covid-19.
Secondly, I can announce that CSL has completed the manufacturing of this vaccine for the phase three clinical trials and is already in a position to commence.
That may come as a positive surprise to many people here in Australia and around the world but what it shows is that we are ahead of schedule.
And thirdly, as a consequence of that, CSL will now move for regulatory approval to commence phase three clinical trials before the end of this year.
And that is an extraordinary development. It means that this vaccine will potentially be available, subject to the results of those trails, for delivery to Australians early in the third quarter of 2021.
Our national goal is to ensure that all Australians who seek to be vaccinated are vaccinated by the end of 2021.
And we have had very good news in recent weeks and indeed in recent days: agreements with CSL and the University of Queensland for 51m units of the molecular [vaccine]; agreements with AstraZeneca and Oxford for 33.8 m units, with Novak for 40m units, and with Pfizer for 10m units of their respective vaccines.
All of these developments are now being reinforced by data coming through, showing strong safety and strong outcomes in terms of T-cell and antibody responses.
In other words, the vaccines are on track to do what they are intended to do and that is to save lives and protect lives.
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These terrible records keep getting broken in the US.
BREAKING: The United States has so far reported over 150,000 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily figure anywhere in the world since the pandemic began.
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) November 12, 2020
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Also:
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I don’t know if you have ever had anything to do with putting together a grant application but the amount of work they require is mind-boggling.
Then there is this.
EXCLUSIVE: Foxtel given rushed $10 million federal grant without plan for spending it, internal emails reveal. And Sports Minister (also Aged Care) Richard Colbeck personally intervenes to prevent FOI documents being released. #auspol https://t.co/Q9MCMHbCsd
— Dan Ziffer (@danziffer) November 12, 2020
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Parliamentary inquiry into Victoria's contact tracing on next week
Victoria may have just passed its first (known) Covid-free fortnight, but the examinations of what led to the second wave and how it was handled, continue.
AAP reports on the latest inquiry:
A parliamentary inquiry into Victoria’s coronavirus contact tracing system will hold public hearings next week, with the nation’s chief scientist among those set to appear.
The Legislative Council legal and social issues committee will hold hearings online on Monday and Wednesday.
Chief scientist Alan Finkel will give evidence on Wednesday, as will Cedar Meats owner Tony Kairouz.
The abattoir was the site of the largest outbreak of Victoria’s first wave and put the spotlight on the state’s contact tracing system.
Leading epidemiologists Catherine Bennett and Mary-Louise McLaws are also due to appear. They have been critical of the state’s contact tracing system, describing it as centralised and out of step with other states.
Contact tracing staff were reportedly forced to use pens, paper and fax machines as the state’s second wave took hold.
The government has since overhauled its system by establishing suburban response teams and recruiting tech giant Salesforce to provide a digitised system.
Former health minister Jenny Mikakos and the state’s chief health officer Prof Brett Sutton do not appear on the witness list.
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The Fat Yak print was a big topic of conversation in the segment with the Nine network this morning. Peter Dutton forgot to take into account the time difference after a week in Canberra, and threw together his broadcast space “in a few minutes”.
The print apparently costs $380, but is on sale for $364.
Happy Friday. 🐂 pic.twitter.com/M5k2J1YhnC
— Jamie Travers (@JamieTravers) November 12, 2020
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Queensland has recorded one new case of Covid – but the person who was diagnosed is a returned traveller, who is part of the hotel quarantine program.
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Greg Hunt is off to the greatest nation on earth today (Queensland, obviously) to talk about the progress with the University of Queensland vaccine.
He spoke on Brisbane radio 4BC this morning about the four vaccines Australia has deals with:
There’s the University of Queensland and CSL – that’s 51m units; good progress on that.
The Pfizer vaccine, which is what’s known as an mRNA vaccine – there’s 10m units of that.
You then have 40m for Novavax, which is a protein vaccine like the University of Queensland’s.
And 33.8m units for AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is a viral vector vaccine.
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In Canberra the health department and Therapeutic Goods Administration are appearing at a Senate inquiry into vaping.
The federal government is weighing a plan to go to a prescription-only model for e-cigarettes, with a decision expected by December for the new regime to apply from mid 2021.
Coalition senators Hollie Hughes and Matt Canavan have been pushing back about what the evidence for this model is – putting them at odds with the health minister, Greg Hunt, and setting the scene for a major stoush within the government.
Canavan accused the department of putting together a submission full of “weasel words” because it claimed there was no surge in e-cigarette use. He notes a correlation between smoking declining and e-cigarette uptake – although officials warned correlation is not causation.
Canavan accused the public servants of failing to consult smokers: “You’ve got a lot of book smarts, studies, science – but there’s not a lot of street smarts.”
Officials rejected this, citing extensive consultation.
Bernie Towler, a medical adviser in the department, warned that international studies show the gateway effect is “a real thing”. Studies show those who use e-cigs are three times more likely to take up combustibles – cigarettes, pipes, bowls etc – than non-smokers, she said.
Sharon Appleyard, the first assistant secretary of health protection, said: ”Basically there is no evidence that e-cigarettes at population level will lead to smoking cessation. At a population level it’s different to the individual level. It may be useful to some smokers individually, but not at a population level.”
John Skerritt, the deputy secretary of the health products regulation group, said there was clear evidence that intervention of a health professional was best at determining what route a patient should take to stop smoking.
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National cabinet is under way
National cabinet is under way and also on the agenda – the response to the bushfire royal commission.
There were recommendations which involved the commonwealth being able to declare disaster areas in the states, which will take some agreement, so there will be many chats about that before a decision is made.
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The Actuaries Institute has released a report looking at Australia’s mortality rates – and the lockdowns and physical distancing means more lives were saved as the normal “winter hump” didn’t eventuate.
Key findings from the report (based on ABS data):
- Australia continued to have very low death rates from all respiratory causes. We hypothesise that respiratory diseases are not circulating through the community as they have done in previous winters because of the continuation of social distancing measures throughout Australia and perhaps also because of the closed international borders;
- Deaths jumped in the final week of July. While this was due in part to Covid, most of the extra deaths were identified as due to other causes, including dementia, diabetes and “other”. This coincided with a high number of diagnosed Covid cases as the second wave approached its peak in Victoria;
- From the state-based data, we can see that Victoria accounts for more than half of this spike, with a material increase also in Queensland;
- From the age-based data, we can see that males over 75 and females over 85 accounted for almost 90% of the spike.
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I can’t even pretend to have fake surprise face with this one:
JUST IN: The ship's captain announces 5 people have tested positive for #COVID19 on SeaDream 1, the first cruise ship to embark on a voyage in the Caribbean since the #coronavirus shut down the cruise industry.
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) November 12, 2020
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Peter Dutton spoke to the ABC this morning about the special investigator which will be established to look into allegations Australian special forces were involved in war crimes.
The special investigator office will be housed within home affairs.
Dutton:
There is a report that’s been handed to the defence minister, and the prime minister announced yesterday that given the gravity of the allegations it is appropriate that we set up a process which will be in part supported by the Australian federal police and a special investigator and look at each of the cases that come before us and that will take I think a longer period of time than people probably expect, but it needs to be gone through thoroughly and we owe that to the soldiers, but we need to take the allegations seriously.
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If you have the time, I recommend listening to this. Naaman has done some very good work on these heartbreaking stories, and the wider message – that workers in the gig economy need protection – needs to be heard.
Today's Full Story: @lauramoates talks to @naamanzhou about gig economy workers. Very moving episode -
— Gabrielle Jackson (@gabriellecj) November 12, 2020
Dying to work: the dangers facing Australia's food delivery drivers https://t.co/fmsb6WePit
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Australia’s uptake of electric vehicles has been slow when compared with other parts of the world.
AAP reports the Electric Vehicle Council is hoping it won’t slow down even further in New South Wales, after the NSW government announced a plan to add a usage charge to electric vehicles:
Putting a usage charge on electric cars to make up losses in fuel tax would be “madness” and stunt the take up of the vehicles, it said.
On Friday the NSW treasurer announced a plan to make electric vehicle users pay “a fair and equitable share” for their use of the road.
“You don’t want to stifle new technology, but on the other hand it’s hardly fair for tradies in utes to pay a tax that someone who can’t afford a $100,000 hi-tech car does not,” Dominic Perrottet told the Australian.
He said the fuel excise tax was used to pay for road transport infrastructure, and the income stream would need to be replaced as electric vehicle use grew.
But with electric vehicles making up only 0.6% of car sales in Australia, EVC chief executive Behyad Jafari said now was not the time to introduce a tax.
“NSW is already languishing up the back of the pack in the global race toward electric vehicles. Mr Perrottet now wants to blow out our tyres,” he said.
“At this point in our history, when we should be doing everything possible to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles, this tax would be pure poison.”
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And we have a new space agency head:
The Morrison government is continuing to put industry at the heart of the Australian space sector, to create jobs and grow the economy, with Virgin Galactic’s chief operating officer Enrico Palermo to become the new head of the Australian Space Agency.
Palermo will return home to Australia to replace inaugural head Dr Megan Clark, who will finish in the role at the end of December, before commencing as the chair of the Australian Space Agency advisory board in the new year.
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Victoria records first Covid-free fortnight
Congratulations Victoria! You have made it through an entire cycle with no new infections.
Amazing work.
Yesterday there were 0 new cases and 0 lives lost. There are 3 active cases, 1 with unknown source. Thanks to all who were tested, there were 12,001 results received. #EveryTestHelps #StaySafeStayOpen https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/6m16AgK2VR
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 12, 2020
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The federal and family courts have new judges.
From Christian Porter’s office:
Thomas Altobelli has been appointed as a judge of the family court of Australia and will commence in the Sydney registry on 23 November 2020.
The appointment elevates Altobelli from his position as a judge of the federal circuit court.
Altobelli was admitted to the NSW supreme court in 1981. He has practised primarily as a family lawyer and civil litigator and has published widely on family law and alternative dispute resolution. He joined the bench in 2006, where he hears matters predominantly in the family law jurisdiction of the federal circuit court.
Kylie Beckhouse has been appointed a judge of the federal circuit court and will commence in the Sydney registry on 30 November 2020.
Beckhouse was admitted to practice in the NSW supreme court in 1994 and was accredited by the Law Society of NSW as a specialist in family law in 2001. She is currently director of the family law division of Legal Aid NSW and has published and presented widely on the involvement of children in family law matters and family law court processes.
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Watching these birds get ready to take flight has been a joy of the past couple of weeks.
And now they have!
All 3 falcons have successfully fledged! What a joy they've been this year - not a great time to be a CBD pigeon now. pic.twitter.com/Y3Fecvo27H
— Michael L (@wtb_Michael) November 12, 2020
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Well isn’t this cheery news (obviously I am being sarcastic).
From Graham Readfearn:
Australia’s climate has entered a new era of sustained extreme weather events, such as dangerous bushfires and heatwaves, courtesy of rising average temperatures, a report by two government climate science agencies has found.
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mostly from fossil fuel burning, has driven more dangerous bushfires, rising sea levels and a rapid rise in the days where temperatures reach extreme levels, the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO said in the latest state of the climate report.
“What we are seeing now is beyond the realm of what was possible previously,” said Dr Jaci Brown, the director of CSIRO’s climate science centre.
Climate change now: clear evidence rising CO2 driving increase in extreme weather events in Australia, @CSIRO /@BOM_au state of the climate report finds.https://t.co/y0t2ptckCK - @readfearn
— Adam Morton (@adamlmorton) November 12, 2020
Change in number of extreme heat days: pic.twitter.com/9FopzhqoMK
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Anthony Albanese is in the south coast today. He’ll be holding his presser at another childcare centre.
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AAP has more on the border between South Australia and Victoria:
South Australia’s transition committee will come together for a special meeting to review the state’s Covid-19 border restrictions with Victoria.
Friday’s meeting may set a date for the removal of the hard border closure between the two states.
That would allow people to travel to SA so long as they home quarantine for 14 days, and would offer the strong chance of all border measures being scrapped in time for Christmas.
The key issue has been the fall in case numbers in Victoria in recent days, with no new infections for 13 days, but one case detected in SA this week could throw a spanner in the works.
On Wednesday, health officials said an aged care worker who recently returned to Adelaide from Melbourne had tested positive for the virus.
The woman in her 20s flew into Adelaide on Monday on a Jetstar flight and is in hotel quarantine.
Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said the woman tested positive for coronavirus in Victoria in August but had since been given the all clear.
Further tests are under way to determine if her case is an old infection and she is still shedding dead virus, or if it is a rare case of reinfection.
Out of an abundance of caution the case was being considered infectious, Prof Spurrier said.
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Just in case anyone thought herd immunity with this virus was still a thing.
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Good morning
We made it through the third last sitting week of the year.
We all get a short break from parliament before it returns for the final sitting fortnight at the end of the month.
In that time, Scott Morrison will go to Japan and Papua New Guinea, quarantining on his return, which means for the first of those sitting weeks he will be appearing via video link. Should make for a very interesting question time.
But he’s been holding meetings and discussions almost all year over video link so he should at least be practised at it and know to unmute the microphone.
He’s holding another of those meetings today – national cabinet meets at 10am where, as always, borders and stranded Australians are on the agenda.
The domestic borders are taking care of themselves. From Saturday, WA’s hard border comes down to everyone but Victoria and NSW – and those jurisdictions will soon follow if all keeps tracking as it is.
Queensland will make its decision on borders closer to the end of the month, as is normal, with greater Sydney on track to be allowed in. Victoria may take a little longer – one more cycle of no transmissions would be what Dr Jeannette Young was looking at but so far the country looks set to be open by Christmas.
At this stage Morrison is pushing the states to get there, but if they had already agreed to try (except WA at that stage) and they are getting there themselves, I am not sure how much credit he can really take.
Stranded Australians is a whole other case. Ankle bracelets are being considered, but there are still logistical issues – like entire households having to quarantine. That one is looking less likely to happen by Christmas.
We’ll cover that, the wash-up from the week, and of course the Covid situation. It feels good to be able to write Covid as the third in that list. We’ve come a long way, Australia, and you’ve done great.
You have Amy Remeikis with you, for most of the day. Ready?
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