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| Coronavirus update live: RBA says Australia faces biggest contraction since Great Depression – latest news | Coronavirus update live: RBA says Australia faces biggest contraction since Great Depression – latest news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| As Australia’s infection rate falls, state and federal leaders will discuss lifting ban on elective surgery at meeting on Tuesday. Follow all the latest news, live | As Australia’s infection rate falls, state and federal leaders will discuss lifting ban on elective surgery at meeting on Tuesday. Follow all the latest news, live |
| Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner has announced that anyone caught coughing or spitting at any Territorian doing their job “in order to cause fear about the spread of the coronavirus” will get an on-the-spot fine of $5,495 and could face jail time. | |
| Gunner said there had been “one incident, the other day, where an idiot threw his spit at some cops and said he had coronavirus”. | |
| He said the one incident was in contrast to Sydney, where, Gunner said, “there seems to be coughers and spitters on every corner”. | |
| Gunner said on Tuesday the NT had seen its 15th day without a new case of Covid-19 being recorded. | |
| The government is facing calls to extend its temporary suspension of welfare mutual obligations beyond next week, as Labor and the Greens warn of the risks of compulsory job-centre meetings during the coronavirus pandemic. | |
| But the employment minister, Michaelia Cash, has declined to say whether the government still intended to resume the requirements for jobseekers on 27 April. | But the employment minister, Michaelia Cash, has declined to say whether the government still intended to resume the requirements for jobseekers on 27 April. |
| The opposition on Tuesday joined calls from the Greens senator Rachel Siewert that welfare recipients should be spared obligations such as in-person appointments with employment service providers while most states remained in lockdown. | |
| Labor frontbenchers Brendan O’Connor, Linda Burney and Louise Pratt said in a statement: | |
| Siewert wrote to Cash on Monday asking her to suspend Centrelink obligations for six months. She said: | |
| The employment services system is likely to face near unprecedented strain in coming months after Scott Morrison revealed that more than 500,000 jobseeker payment claims had been processed during the Covid-19 pandemic. | |
| Those new dole recipients likely add to an existing group of about 700,000 people who were receiving the equivalent payment, formerly known as Newstart, in December. | |
| The suspension of mutual obligations means welfare recipients do not have their payments cut off for failing to attend meetings with employment service providers or complete a certain number of job applications. | The suspension of mutual obligations means welfare recipients do not have their payments cut off for failing to attend meetings with employment service providers or complete a certain number of job applications. |
| Before temporarily suspending obligations in the middle of a Centrelink tech meltdown, Cash announced the requirements would be significantly relaxed. | Before temporarily suspending obligations in the middle of a Centrelink tech meltdown, Cash announced the requirements would be significantly relaxed. |
| A spokesman for Cash said on Tuesday: | |
| Queensland senator Matt Canavan has also been commenting on the crisis facing Virgin Australia. The former resources minister reckons the government should “get its hands dirty”. | Queensland senator Matt Canavan has also been commenting on the crisis facing Virgin Australia. The former resources minister reckons the government should “get its hands dirty”. |
| Cricket Australia is looking at its calendar for the coming year, including hosting the T20 World Cup scheduled for October and a visit in November of India for a test series. | Cricket Australia is looking at its calendar for the coming year, including hosting the T20 World Cup scheduled for October and a visit in November of India for a test series. |
| If India don’t come due to continued Covid-19 impacts, then the cricket authority thinks it could be looking at “hundreds of millions” in losses. | If India don’t come due to continued Covid-19 impacts, then the cricket authority thinks it could be looking at “hundreds of millions” in losses. |
| Kevin Rudd says the WHO’s “powers” are restricted to “assembling technical information, pointing to the existence of a pandemic, providing international notifications of the same and helping to build capacity to deal with those as we saw with ebola in poor countries”. | Kevin Rudd says the WHO’s “powers” are restricted to “assembling technical information, pointing to the existence of a pandemic, providing international notifications of the same and helping to build capacity to deal with those as we saw with ebola in poor countries”. |
| But none of it is enforceable, and the former PM and China expert suggests it may be time to attach sanctions to regimes that ignore future WHO directions. | But none of it is enforceable, and the former PM and China expert suggests it may be time to attach sanctions to regimes that ignore future WHO directions. |
| The former prime minister Kevin Rudd has just been talking, via a temperamental Skype connection, to the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas. | The former prime minister Kevin Rudd has just been talking, via a temperamental Skype connection, to the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas. |
| He was asked about whether or not there should be an independent inquiry into the World Health Organisation. | He was asked about whether or not there should be an independent inquiry into the World Health Organisation. |
| He says he chaired the Independent Commission on Multilateralism in 2016 and 2017 that produced a report on reforming the WHO “to deal with the next global pandemic”. | He says he chaired the Independent Commission on Multilateralism in 2016 and 2017 that produced a report on reforming the WHO “to deal with the next global pandemic”. |
| Rudd says there is likely to be an inquiry – even multiple inquiries – and it will be a “frightening task” for whoever has to run it. | Rudd says there is likely to be an inquiry – even multiple inquiries – and it will be a “frightening task” for whoever has to run it. |
| Good afternoon all. It’s Graham Readfearn taking over the blog. | Good afternoon all. It’s Graham Readfearn taking over the blog. |
| We keep reminding people to be careful and to stay safe, but it looks like we have to extend that beyond physical distancing and hygiene to driving – at least in Queensland. | We keep reminding people to be careful and to stay safe, but it looks like we have to extend that beyond physical distancing and hygiene to driving – at least in Queensland. |
| The state government has just released figures showing while traffic on main roads is down by about 30%, some 61 people have died on the roads compared to 57 at the same time last year. | The state government has just released figures showing while traffic on main roads is down by about 30%, some 61 people have died on the roads compared to 57 at the same time last year. |
| The transport minister, Mark Bailey, says the police are telling him people are taking more risks as the roads look clearer. | The transport minister, Mark Bailey, says the police are telling him people are taking more risks as the roads look clearer. |
| Slow down and buckle up, folks. | Slow down and buckle up, folks. |
| Thanks for your company for part of this afternoon, I’m handing the blog over to Graham Readfearn now and for the next little while. Don’t worry, it’s still coming to you direct from the independent republic of Queensland, across the Sunshine State’s closed borders. | Thanks for your company for part of this afternoon, I’m handing the blog over to Graham Readfearn now and for the next little while. Don’t worry, it’s still coming to you direct from the independent republic of Queensland, across the Sunshine State’s closed borders. |
| Go well. | Go well. |
| The South Australian chief public health officer, Dr Nicola Spurrier, says there have been two new coronavirus cases in the state today. | The South Australian chief public health officer, Dr Nicola Spurrier, says there have been two new coronavirus cases in the state today. |
| The South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, is the latest to offer up an update. | The South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, is the latest to offer up an update. |
| He is speaking about the resumption of elective surgery. | He is speaking about the resumption of elective surgery. |
| Asked why the RBA isn’t referring to the economic contraction as a recession, Lowe says it is “very different to a [normal] business cycle downturn”. | Asked why the RBA isn’t referring to the economic contraction as a recession, Lowe says it is “very different to a [normal] business cycle downturn”. |
| Lowe again predicted that interest rates will stay low for a very long period of time. The RBA predicts that inflation will not reach the 2% to 3% target range for at least three years. | Lowe again predicted that interest rates will stay low for a very long period of time. The RBA predicts that inflation will not reach the 2% to 3% target range for at least three years. |
| Wage growth – which was already not enough to push inflation to the target band before the Covid-19 crisis – is predicted to slow further. | Wage growth – which was already not enough to push inflation to the target band before the Covid-19 crisis – is predicted to slow further. |
| Asked what sort of reform the RBA has in mind to reinvigorate the economy, Lowe replies: | Asked what sort of reform the RBA has in mind to reinvigorate the economy, Lowe replies: |