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Australia coronavirus update live: Australian government to buy $100m of fuel for stockpile – latest news Australia coronavirus update live: Australian government to buy $100m of fuel for stockpile – latest news
(32 minutes later)
New South Wales chief medical officer says 231 people are now being treated for Covid-19, with 20 in intensive care. Follow liveNew South Wales chief medical officer says 231 people are now being treated for Covid-19, with 20 in intensive care. Follow live
A new hotline has been set up for older Australians, who might need some extra advice, or just have some questions, about Covid-19 and their care:
Council on the Ageing (Cota) Australia, National Seniors Australia, Older Persons Advocacy Network (Opan) and Dementia Australia have banded together, supported by the commonwealth government, to create the National Covid Older Persons Information Line. Older people and carers are encouraged to call 1800 171 866 to speak to friendly, specially trained staff from a senior’s advocacy organisation.
Opan CEO Craig Gear said the hotline will provide particular support to those accessing aged care services who are disproportionately impacted by health precautions and restrictions.
And then on the flip side, Citibank reports:
Citibank’s economists have taken a look at the ABS’s retail spending figures for March.
They have some thoughts:
WA premier Mark McGowan:
Western Australia has also recorded no new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
The ATO has deferred payments and lodgements, as part of the Covid response.
From Michael Sukkar:
The Morrison government welcomes the decision of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to ease the burden on tax professionals during this difficult time by providing a short-term blanket deferral for a number of lodgement and payment obligations.
These lodgement deferrals will be automatically applied, and tax professionals with clients in bushfire-affected areas will continue to have the benefit of deferrals already in place as announced by the ATO on 20 January 2020.
Bushfire-affected clients will have their payment due date aligned with the same due date as the blanket deferral giving these taxpayers additional time to pay.
The ATO has also indicated that tax professionals will not be adversely affected if their lodgement performance does not meet the 85% performance benchmark during this time. I thank the ATO for providing this assistance to tax practitioners and for taking commonsense steps that will ease the burden on them at this time.
Further information can be found on the ATO’s webpage at: www.ato.gov.au/General/COVID-19/Support-for-tax-professionals/
A crew member on the Ruby Princess had a temperature of 39.2C, but had tested negative for influenza A and B, on the day that 2,700 passengers disembarked in Sydney, the special commission into the cruise ship has heard.
According to the ship’s internal “human health” report and logs, revealed in the special commission, 128 people had also become ill in the 14 days before it docked on March 18, and 24 had temperatures above 38C.
The commissioner, Bret Walker SC, is questioning the ship’s senior doctor, Dr Ilse Von Watzdorf today.
He asks, of that crew member with a 39.2C fever, “does that amount to that crew member showing symptoms of Covid-19?”
“Yes,” says Von Watzdorf. “Those symptoms are potential Covid-19.”
Strangely, Christian Porter has also discovered that talking with the union movement, instead of treating employee representatives as organisations which need to be crushed, can actually lead to better outcomes for everyone.
Who. Knew.
From that same interview, on the subject of industrial reform:
For the record, there were ‘massive pressures’ on wage growth in Australia, BEFORE the pandemic. And by massive pressure, I mean wages had no growth.For the record, there were ‘massive pressures’ on wage growth in Australia, BEFORE the pandemic. And by massive pressure, I mean wages had no growth.
But here is Christian Porter speaking to Perth radio 6PR this morning on the economy on the other side of these most recent restrictions:But here is Christian Porter speaking to Perth radio 6PR this morning on the economy on the other side of these most recent restrictions:
But given the fuel won’t be kept in Australia, and, in the case of a conflict, or a supply chain break (which is the point of having an emergency strategic fuel reserve in the first place) what is the point?But given the fuel won’t be kept in Australia, and, in the case of a conflict, or a supply chain break (which is the point of having an emergency strategic fuel reserve in the first place) what is the point?
If something happened, Australia’s emergency fuel supply would be sitting in the US. Not exactly handy.If something happened, Australia’s emergency fuel supply would be sitting in the US. Not exactly handy.
Angus Taylor says its a step-by-step process:Angus Taylor says its a step-by-step process:
It’s not just commuters who are buying up if you are lucky enough to live somewhere the fuel price drop has been passed along to the bowser – the Australian government is using the price war to finally do something about Australia’s own fuel reserve. It just won’t be kept in Australia as yet, because Angus Taylor says we have no where to keep it.It’s not just commuters who are buying up if you are lucky enough to live somewhere the fuel price drop has been passed along to the bowser – the Australian government is using the price war to finally do something about Australia’s own fuel reserve. It just won’t be kept in Australia as yet, because Angus Taylor says we have no where to keep it.
Taylor:Taylor:
China’s northeastern border province of Heilongjiang on Tuesday reported seven new locally transmitted coronavirus cases and one imported case – a Chinese national returning from Russia – prompting authorities to issue more restrictions.In Harbin, the capital of the province and where the seven new cases were reported, authorities said only local residents may enter their residential compounds. More screenings would be implemented at airports, train stations and highways. Those living in residential buildings where there have been confirmed or suspicious cases must also quarantine for 14 days. Anyone arriving from outside the city must be quarantined.While the number of imported infections has levelled off in China, the border region has become a risk to the country’s recovery. The province of Heilongjiang has reported a total of 537 locally transmitted cases and 119 imported cases, mostly Chinese nationals returning from Russia. In the border town of Suifenhe, residents have been ordered to stay at home, with only one person from each household permitted to leave every three days to get supplies. Neighbouring provinces, including Jilin and Liaoning, have started to require quarantines and several rounds of tests for anyone travelling from the cities of Harbin or Mudanjiang in Heilongjjiang.
The select Senate committee, chaired by Labor’s Katy Gallagher with the Liberal senator James Paterson as deputy, which has been established to check the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic (which will hopefully include how those on a disability support pension have been left off the Covid relief payments) will hold its first public hearing on Thursday:
The Committee has resolved to focus on the Australian government’s health and economic response in the initial hearings.
The chief medical officer, Dr Brendan Murphy has agreed to appear before the Committee this week along with key representatives of the Department of Health.
The hearing will be held between 10am and 1pm on and will be broadcast publicly.
Chair, Senator Katy Gallagher will attend the hearing in Parliament House along with Dr Murphy while other committee members will attend via either video conference or teleconference.
The committee has also agreed to hold hearings twice a week during the initial stages of the inquiry, beginning next week.
The ACT joins the jurisdictions with another day of no new cases:
Malcolm Turnbull finishes his virtual address.
Malcolm Turnbull finishes his virtual press club appearance by repeating his call for teachers to be both paid, and respected more.
He writes in his book about the great teachers he had growing up, and how they influenced him. His daughter Daisy is a very passionate teacher, who has written at length about some of the challenges in modern teaching, including the rewards, most recently, how teachers pivoted to online teaching – and all the extra work being done to keep worried and stressed students connected with their school community.
Turnbull, the prime minister, says the pandemic has revealed a lot about who keeps our communities standing – and its not the millionaires or (not that they should exist) billionaires:
How should Australia handle China, following the pandemic?
Malcolm Turnbull:
We know that the election promises and the economic settings the Coalition had in place before the pandemic won’t be around for much longer. But what should they do?
First and foremost, Malcolm Turnbull says, don’t test out any of their ideas in the media (something his government struggled with and obviously a lesson Turnbull believes to have been hard learned).
Why do we hear “listen to the experts” when it comes to the pandemic, but not climate change?
Malcolm Turnbull thinks it is because people getting sick is something very immediate and very visible:
Sabra Lane, who is the president of the national press club, asks about his points on the Ruby Princess:
And on Donald Trump’s response:
What does Malcolm Turnbull think about Scott Morrison’s response to the pandemic?