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| Coronavirus Australia update latest: Victoria to test 100,000 people in two weeks as 1 million download tracing app – live news | Coronavirus Australia update latest: Victoria to test 100,000 people in two weeks as 1 million download tracing app – live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Western Australians wake up to loosened restrictions as Queensland also prepares to relax rules. Follow live | Western Australians wake up to loosened restrictions as Queensland also prepares to relax rules. Follow live |
| A woman in her 90s who had been diagnosed with Covid-19, has become the 19th person to die in New Zealand. | |
| AAP has the latest from Aristocrat leisure – the gaming giant is seeing whether or not it is eligible for the Australian wage subsidy, as well as what it is eligible for in the US: | |
| Gaming giant Aristocrat Leisure will cut staff and impose pay cuts on employees and management and won’t declare a dividend as it copes with the fallout from COVID-19 lockdowns. | |
| The poker machine manufacturer is standing down 1,000 staff from May 1 until June, eliminating another 200 roles and transitioning another 200 jobs to part-time until September. | |
| An Aristocrat Leisure spokeswoman says most of the stood-down roles are in the United States, where the company has the bulk of its workforce, but it has also stood down “a few hundred” workers in Australia. | |
| It is also cutting the pay of 1,500 of its 4,000 staff until the end of September. | |
| Most of the pay cuts are from 10 to per 20 per cent, while chief executive Trevor Croker takes a 30 per cent reduction in his base salary. | |
| Mr Croker made $1.6 million in 2019, plus another $4 million in bonuses and share-based payments, according to the company’s annual report. | |
| This is all going very well | |
| NSW Health, which is urging more people to get tested as it works to identify community spread (if any) has released an update on areas it is concentrating on: | |
| Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is 11 hours away from lifting its lockdown to level three – what Australia has now. | Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is 11 hours away from lifting its lockdown to level three – what Australia has now. |
| She says New Zealand’s sentinel testing (testing across the community, including those without symptoms) shows the virus has not spread across the community unchecked and authorities have a handle on it. | She says New Zealand’s sentinel testing (testing across the community, including those without symptoms) shows the virus has not spread across the community unchecked and authorities have a handle on it. |
| NZ has had one new case in the past 24 hours. | NZ has had one new case in the past 24 hours. |
| Ardern sends her love to the families of 18 New Zealanders the country was “unable to save” with its lockdowns. | Ardern sends her love to the families of 18 New Zealanders the country was “unable to save” with its lockdowns. |
| Meanwhile, while I am not advocating physical distance restrictions be broken, this seems a little over the top, given that NRL players are about to be allowed to train together again – and last time I checked, that included some pretty close contact: | Meanwhile, while I am not advocating physical distance restrictions be broken, this seems a little over the top, given that NRL players are about to be allowed to train together again – and last time I checked, that included some pretty close contact: |
| Queensland may be open to the NRL returning on 28 May, if the restrictions are all followed: | Queensland may be open to the NRL returning on 28 May, if the restrictions are all followed: |
| The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, has announced an independent review into what happened with the north-west outbreak: | The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, has announced an independent review into what happened with the north-west outbreak: |
| For more information on the Victorian mass Covid-19 testing plan, you can head here. | For more information on the Victorian mass Covid-19 testing plan, you can head here. |
| Better housing options should always be a priority in any developed economy. | Better housing options should always be a priority in any developed economy. |
| Australia has an opportunity to rethink how it treats social housing in the near future – as well as help the economy, this piece argues. | Australia has an opportunity to rethink how it treats social housing in the near future – as well as help the economy, this piece argues. |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |
| Daniel Andrews says Victoria won’t move to relax the restrictions without looking at the data first. | Daniel Andrews says Victoria won’t move to relax the restrictions without looking at the data first. |
| And as part of that, he says the state plans on testing 100,000 people over the next two weeks as part of the biggest testing program in the state’s history, to ensure it has a handle on the Covid-19 outbreak. | And as part of that, he says the state plans on testing 100,000 people over the next two weeks as part of the biggest testing program in the state’s history, to ensure it has a handle on the Covid-19 outbreak. |
| Victoria has recorded one new case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. | Victoria has recorded one new case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. |
| It has moved one case from its tally to NSW though, so its state total stays at 1,349. There are 23 people in hospital, with 11 patients in intensive care. | It has moved one case from its tally to NSW though, so its state total stays at 1,349. There are 23 people in hospital, with 11 patients in intensive care. |
| Crossbench senator Pauline Hanson, who made a big deal of laying down on her own property to see if police would arrest her during the height of the lockdowns (despite lying down in the land surrounding your fancy Queenslander property never having been against the rules) is now making it clear she will not be downloading the app, because she doesn’t want the government to have her information. | Crossbench senator Pauline Hanson, who made a big deal of laying down on her own property to see if police would arrest her during the height of the lockdowns (despite lying down in the land surrounding your fancy Queenslander property never having been against the rules) is now making it clear she will not be downloading the app, because she doesn’t want the government to have her information. |
| (Not that they need an app for that – there are the books, plus the never-ending Facebook posts, plus the blog posts, plus the media appearances whenever someone has a camera in the vicinity, plus the billboards, plus she ‘has the guts to say what you’re thinking’, plus the Senate speeches, plus the opinion pieces, plus the skywriting (I assume).) | (Not that they need an app for that – there are the books, plus the never-ending Facebook posts, plus the blog posts, plus the media appearances whenever someone has a camera in the vicinity, plus the billboards, plus she ‘has the guts to say what you’re thinking’, plus the Senate speeches, plus the opinion pieces, plus the skywriting (I assume).) |
| Anyways, Hanson is still on breakfast TV, for “reasons”. | Anyways, Hanson is still on breakfast TV, for “reasons”. |
| The Home Affairs Department has spent a total of $90,000 on a series of four contracts for “decontamination services” and “specialist cleaning of areas exposed to Covid-19”. | The Home Affairs Department has spent a total of $90,000 on a series of four contracts for “decontamination services” and “specialist cleaning of areas exposed to Covid-19”. |
| The contracts went to Kamberra Indigenous Cleaning Pty (Fyshwick, ACT), Asset Restoration Pty Ltd (Minto, NSW), OS Group Australia Pty Ltd (Bankstown, NSW) and GJ & K Cleaning Services Pty Ltd (Collingwood, Victoria). | The contracts went to Kamberra Indigenous Cleaning Pty (Fyshwick, ACT), Asset Restoration Pty Ltd (Minto, NSW), OS Group Australia Pty Ltd (Bankstown, NSW) and GJ & K Cleaning Services Pty Ltd (Collingwood, Victoria). |
| It was revealed on 13 March that the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, had contracted coronavirus after a trip to the US, and reported that commonwealth offices in Sydney were cleaned by workers in full protective gear as a result. | It was revealed on 13 March that the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, had contracted coronavirus after a trip to the US, and reported that commonwealth offices in Sydney were cleaned by workers in full protective gear as a result. |
| But the four contracts, all awarded by limited tender, are for periods which start on 27 March, 6 April or 7 April – so it’s unclear if they relate to Dutton’s illness or some other exposure. I’ve asked the department to clarify. | But the four contracts, all awarded by limited tender, are for periods which start on 27 March, 6 April or 7 April – so it’s unclear if they relate to Dutton’s illness or some other exposure. I’ve asked the department to clarify. |
| Some good news. | Some good news. |
| National Australia Bank plans to raise $3.5bn in new capital as it grapples with the impact of Covid-19 crisis on its customers. | National Australia Bank plans to raise $3.5bn in new capital as it grapples with the impact of Covid-19 crisis on its customers. |
| The bank brought forward the announcement of its half-year results, revealing profit is down 51% to $1.31bn in the six months to 31 March 2020. That’s a $1bn hit to NAB’s bottom line. | The bank brought forward the announcement of its half-year results, revealing profit is down 51% to $1.31bn in the six months to 31 March 2020. That’s a $1bn hit to NAB’s bottom line. |
| NAB has the largest exposure to small business of the big four banks and is the first to announce a major capital raising to bolster its balance sheet. | NAB has the largest exposure to small business of the big four banks and is the first to announce a major capital raising to bolster its balance sheet. |
| But it has also had to balance the needs of its retail investors, many of whom are self-funded retirees and has said it will continue to pay dividend. | But it has also had to balance the needs of its retail investors, many of whom are self-funded retirees and has said it will continue to pay dividend. |
| The move could trigger a round of capital raisings by banks and highlights how the shutdown of the economic activity is rippling through sectors. | The move could trigger a round of capital raisings by banks and highlights how the shutdown of the economic activity is rippling through sectors. |
| The bank will raise $3bn from institutional investors and a further $500m through a retail placement with its shareholders. | The bank will raise $3bn from institutional investors and a further $500m through a retail placement with its shareholders. |
| CEO Ross McEwan said the bank’s base-case scenario was based on an 8.4% fall in GDP and unemployment rising to 11%. | CEO Ross McEwan said the bank’s base-case scenario was based on an 8.4% fall in GDP and unemployment rising to 11%. |
| He said the bank had modelled for both a V-shaped and a U-shaped recovery, and while he was hoping for a quick V-shaped bounceback, he said “at this stage we don’t know and would be very surprised if anyone did”. | He said the bank had modelled for both a V-shaped and a U-shaped recovery, and while he was hoping for a quick V-shaped bounceback, he said “at this stage we don’t know and would be very surprised if anyone did”. |
| Against the advice of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, it has decided to continue to pay a dividend of 30 cents a share. McEwan said the bank needed to balance returning capital to shareholders while having a strong balance sheet. | Against the advice of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, it has decided to continue to pay a dividend of 30 cents a share. McEwan said the bank needed to balance returning capital to shareholders while having a strong balance sheet. |
| Greg Hunt was speaking to the Nine Network a little earlier this morning and said there were 10 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, across Australia. | Greg Hunt was speaking to the Nine Network a little earlier this morning and said there were 10 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, across Australia. |
| New Zealand is also seeing its case numbers continue to drop, which is why it is moving ahead with relaxing its restrictions to level 3, which is essentially, what Australia is under now. | New Zealand is also seeing its case numbers continue to drop, which is why it is moving ahead with relaxing its restrictions to level 3, which is essentially, what Australia is under now. |
| In Queensland, just three people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. | In Queensland, just three people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. |