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Coronavirus Australia live news: Scott Morrison provides restrictions update after national cabinet meeting – latest
Coronavirus live news Australia: Scott Morrison announces three-step plan to ease restrictions after national cabinet meeting – latest update
(32 minutes later)
Scott Morrison expected to offer a plan to gradually open up the economy. Follow all the news, live
Prime minister says national cabinet has agreed that it hopes to have moved through these steps by July, but pace will be up to states and territories. Follow all the news, live
Morrison says today is about moving ahead “with reopening our economy and our society”.
Brendan Murphy is giving some clarification around the loosening on restrictions National Cabinet has agreed to in “step one”, but stresses not all of the states agree on all of the measures.
He begins by saying that “always being thankful” is a lesson our mother’s teach us.
He says step one means five people visiting a household, or 10 people in an outdoor gathering.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is speaking now.
On borders, Morrison says interstate closures have never been a recommendation out of national cabinet and that premiers have taken those decisions “unilaterally” so it will be up to states to remove them.
Albanese says the RBA’s May statement “puts to bed” the prime minister Scott Morrison’s talk of a “snapback” in the economy and that “we’ll wakeup one morning and the economy and everything will be back to the way it was.
On international borders, Morrison says the government is speaking to New Zealand and is open to considering opening borders for international students in the future.
Before that though, the opposition leader Anthony Albanese is speaking in Canberra. He’s blasting the government over the alleged fraud of early access to superannuation, which may have deprived up to 150 Australians of $120,000 of retirement savings.
Morrison:
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is due to address the media following National Cabinet at 12.30pm.
On the Victorian meatworks outbreak, Morrison says “they [outbreaks] are going to occur” but that that Covid-safe app “would have sped things up” in terms of contact tracing.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has released its May statement on monetary policy, with some interesting forecasts that the economy is set to shrink by 8% this quarter but roar back in 2021.Under what looks like a V-shaped recovery, the RBA’s baseline scenario is for the economy to shrink by 8% in the June quarter, 6% in the December quarter, but to recover to 7% growth in June 2021 and 6% in December 2021 - thanks to a massive recovery in household consumption.
He says the code behind the app will be released later today.
The baseline scenario is based on “the relaxation of domestic activity restrictions over coming months, with most of these restrictions lifted by the end of the September quarter” except for large public gatherings and international travel.
At the top of the press conference Morrison said treasury modelling says these steps will see 850,000 jobs restored in the months ahead.
“Much of the decline is expected to be concentrated in services, such as travel and entertainment, most affected by activity restrictions,” it said.
He says that number includes those who may be on jobseeker or jobkeeper now.
The RBA predicts that unemployment would “begin to gradually decline from later this year” but “remain elevated for some time”. After hitting 10% in June 2020, unemployment wouldn’t creep down to 6.5% until June 2022.
Morrison is taking questions now. On the timing of step one, he says the premiers and chief ministers will announce their own timetables.
The RBA noted unemployment “would have been much larger were it not for the jobkeeper wage subsidy program” and estimates that “total hours worked are likely to contract by around 20% over the first half of 2020” because labour-intensive industries such as hospitality have been hardest hit.
He says step three will be “a much more broader opening” but that there is more discussion about what that will look like.
While the baseline scenario is described as “plausible” the RBA warns it could be much better or much worse than that:
“But step one, well defined, step two, a bit more work to be done, and step three, still a lot of discussion to be had before we can well define it properly.”
AAP reports that Australia has partnered with international allies to provide rapid coronavirus testing kits to vulnerable Pacific island nations.
Murphy says step two “we’re looking at larger gatherings of around 20, potentially in some states, they may look at some venues to go more than that.
The kits, which deliver results in under an hour, have been delivered to four Pacific countries and will reach another nine in the coming fortnight. Australia joined forces with New Zealand, the United States and the World Health Organisation to procure the vital equipment.
It includes opening things such as gyms, indoor fitness, beauty therapy, cinemas, and galleries. He says some interstate travel “may recur in that stage”.
There are serious concerns a coronavirus outbreak could devastate Pacific nations, many of whom are still reeling from the widespread destruction caused by a recent tropical cyclone.
The chief health officer, Brendan Murphy, is now outlining the steps in more detail. He has slides. Murphy says step one is “cautious” and “gentle”.
Many Pacific nations do not have the capacity to test for coronavirus, instead sending specimens to countries like Australia for results.
Morrison says national cabinet has agreed that it hopes to have moved through these three steps by July, but the pace will be up to the states and territories. He says people shouldn’t expect step one to start “on day one”.
Australia has also sent personal protective equipment, medical and hygienic supplies, and other essentials to Pacific countries and Timor-Leste. The federal government is coordinating flights to deliver essential services and humanitarian assistance, as well as quarantining Pacific nationals in Australia for two weeks before taking them home.
Movement from step to step, he says, will depend on “medical evidence [that] suggests that further easing will not present an undue risk, [that] widespread testing is identifying community transmission, and thirdly, public health actions are able to trace cases and trap local outbreaks”.
On Twitter, the minister for international development and the Pacific, Alex Hawke, had this to say. I’ll leave it to you to work out what or who he might be referring to.
Step three, Morrison says, will see gatherings of up to 100 people. But its timing, he says, will depend on the success of the previous steps.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has released an update on the state of the federal budget in March, showing that increased welfare expenses due to Covid-19 stimulus packages are blowing out the deficit.
“But most workers, by then, will be back in the workplace. Interstate travel will likely resume. Pubs and clubs with some restrictions will be open. And also possibly gaming venues. As I said, step three, step three, but also step two, will get greater definition as we move through the success of step one.”
The key stats are:
Step two, Morrison says, “will allow larger size gatherings up to 20 people, including for venues such as cinemas and galleries, more retail openings on sector based Covid-safe plans, organised community sport, and beauty parlours, and you’ll be pleased to know, barre classes open once again”.
In March 2020, expenses were $8.7 billion higher than March last year, driven by social security and welfare expenses being $6.5 billion higher
The fiscal balance for the financial year up to the end of March was -$22.0 billion, compared with the -$13.8 billion expected in December’s mid-year economic update
The year-to-date underlying cash balance was -$22.4 billion compared with an expected -$12.5 billion.
Australia’s net debt at the end of March 2020 was around $430 billion, about $37 billion higher than the most recent forecast for the end of this financial year.
Revenue for March 2020 was similar to March 2019, although since Covid-19 restrictions were introduced in mid-March and many businesses waited several weeks before laying off or standing down workers, the April results will likely show the decline in revenue as household income fell.
Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks has described the club’s potential breach of South Australian laws banning public gatherings “an honest mistake”.
SA Police are investigating whether a group of players and an assistant coach from the club broke Public Health Orders by training together while in isolation in the Barossa Valley. It is also a breach of the AFL’s training rules.
On Friday, Nicks told radio station Triple M the club had “let ourselves down”.
The club said it had been given approval by the AFL and SA Police to train at the resort providing it adhered to strict social distancing and training protocols. Nicks said the breach was “an honest mistake” and that the clubs would “cop” whatever punishment was handed out.
One of the four new confirmed Covid-19 cases in New South Wales is a staff member at Anglicare’s Newmarch House, bringing the total number of cases linked to the aged care home to 69. That includes 32 staff and 37 residents.
Another is a close contact of a confirmed case and the remaining two are still under investigation.
We expect that after the National Cabinet today the prime minister will outline a staged plan to begin easing some restrictions on things like sport, retail and social gatherings.
But the states won’t necessarily act on those immediately, or at the same time. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has said there will be no changes before at least Monday, while Western Australian premier Mark McGowan said any changes there will be announced on Sunday.
We do expect to see some changes in Tasmania today though. Premier Peter Gutwein is due to outline a timeline for how restrictions will gradually ease, following national cabinet.
Broad limitations will remain until at least 15 May, but Gutwein is hopeful of making a move on national parks and reserves before then. He has also signalled increasing the number of people allowed at funerals, with the cap currently at 10.
Tasmania confirmed one new Covid-19 case on Thursday, a man in his 60s from the south, taking the overall tally to 225.
The NRL has been doing the heavy lifting entertaining us throughout the Covid-19 hiatus, but AFL club the Adelaide Crows has decided to pitch in.
South Australian Police are investigating whether the Crows broke state rules banning gatherings of more than 10 people by training together while self-isolating in the state’s Barossa Valley.
A survey by the Transport Workers Union of over 850 Qantas workers has drawn heated denials from Qantas management, highlighting the gulf between staff and management over the airline’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
The survey showed 81% said Qantas did not put appropriate safety measures in place to deal with the risk of infection and 93% were concerned about their own and others safety at work.
The union says Qantas has had one of the worst workplace clusters during the pandemic with at least 60 people infected nationally across the Qantas Group, including 34 in South Australia centring on the Qantas baggage room at Adelaide airport. 750 Qantas staff went into quarantine as a result of the outbreak.
The survey also revealed that 47% of workers said they don’t feel they can raise safety issues at work, with the vast majority saying this was because they didn’t believe it would make a difference.
National secretary Michael Kaine said it raised questions about how Qantas could be contemplating returning to the skies.
“It is unthinkable that an airline like Qantas has been operating a business-as-usual approach in the midst of a global pandemic which is being transmitted across international borders primarily by individuals via air travel,” he said.
But Qantas has responded angrily, saying the union has wilfully misrepresented the situation at Adelaide airport, and dismissed the findings.
“We completely reject the findings of the union’ survey and question its validity. Qantas has a strong safety culture and acting on reports from employees is a key part of our safety management system,” a spokesman said.
The TWU and the Flight Attendants Association have been particularly concerned about the potential exposure of staff who are operating international repatriation flights, and exposure on flights which carried passengers from the Ruby Princess.
A NSW harbourmaster has told an inquiry he “did not understand” an email that told him to treat the Ruby Princess “as if it has a positive Covid-19 result” when it came into Sydney harbour.
Cameron Butchart, who was the duty harbourmaster on 18 March, said NSW Health’s assessment that it was “low risk” introduced “an unfortunate element” into his decision making.
The inquiry heard that Butchart received an email that it was NSW Port Authority policy that if there were Covid-19 tests on board a cruise ship, with results to come, it should be “treated as if it has a positive result”.
However, the email also said that NSW Health had assessed it as “low risk”, meaning health teams would not board and assess it.
The commissioner, Bret Walker SC, asked Butchart whether “the label low-risk has introduced an unfortunate element in your decision making?”, and Butchart said it had.
He said: “I just picked up [from the email that] the ship is low risk, and NSW health will not be attending. ‘Great’.”
Counsel assisting, Richard Beasley SC, adds that it should be mentioned that Butchart did have enough concern over the health of the ship that he did “cancel the booking” of the Ruby Princess to dock. That decision was later reversed.
In contrast to the Victoria Police, here’s an example of how New South Wales brief the media on Public Health Order breaches. In the past 24 hours they’ve charged two people and fined three others.
For each charge and fine, the NSW police provide a breakdown that looks like this:
At about 10pm, officers from Mt Druitt Police Area Command were called to home on De Witt Place, Willmot in relation to a noise complaint. On arrival, police observed a group of at least 15 people inside the home celebrating a birthday. All non-residents were given warnings in relation to breaching Ministerial Directions and told to leave the home. Police were called back to the property about 11.35pm as the noise was continuing and a 27-year-old woman, who was not a resident and previously given a warning, was still at the property. She was subsequently issued a $1,000 PIN.
The point is not that NSW have been perfect in their enforcement, but that unlike Victoria the public are able to provide some scrutiny over the way these emergency powers are being enforced.
