This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/may/11/australia-coronavirus-live-news-albanese-labor-recovery-deficit-morrison-schools-nsw-victoria-latest-updates

The article has changed 32 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 9 Version 10
Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria to allow five guests in home as part of plan to ease Covid-19 restrictions – latest news Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria to allow five guests in home as part of plan to ease Covid-19 restrictions – latest news
(32 minutes later)
Premier Daniel Andrews announces roadmap to slowly lift lockdown rules from Wednesday, while Scott Morrison says he doesn’t see China decision on barley tariffs as retribution. Follow all the latest news and updates, livePremier Daniel Andrews announces roadmap to slowly lift lockdown rules from Wednesday, while Scott Morrison says he doesn’t see China decision on barley tariffs as retribution. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
The aged care provider has released this statement:
That is the 17th person to die in the facility, having been diagnosed with Covid-19, and the second to have passed after recovering from the virus to the point they tested negative, in the days before their death.
Labor’s industrial relations spokesman, Tony Burke, has left the door open to reforming the $130bn jobkeeper wage subsidy – if the proceeds were redirected to workers who missed out.
At issue is the fact that some employees who normally earn less than $1,500 a fortnight actually earn more than their usual wages through the subsidy, while others such as shorter-term casuals with less than 12 months service miss out.
Burke told Guardian Australia:
I don’t imagine Labor would support cutting short the six-month term, but there does appear to be some flexibility on ensuring it is better targeted.
It was a busy few hours there, so what have we learned?
Dan Andrews has laid out the first stage of easing Victoria’s restrictions: outside gatherings of up to 10 will be allowed, and Victorians can have up to five visitors to their homes. Travel to beaches and walking paths are allowed, but no overnight camping, or Airbnb-ing/hotels. Training for professional sports will be allowed, as will golf.
The jobkeeper wage subsidy could be changed, but its too early to say how, or even when, at this stage
Scott Morrison really doesn’t want to talk about sports rorts.
Labor has laid out the bones of its post-Covid restriction priority list – more manufacturing, science industries and better social security are the headlines there.
It’s a “free country” for dickheads who want to protest dickhead things (but climate protesters deserve cracking down on for “denying the liberties of Australians”).
Listening back to Scott Morrison’s press conference, I realised I missed a question asking Morrison what he thought of the anti-lockdown (and 5G and Bill Gates and, I don’t know, email chain letters) protests over the weekend.And his response to people who have walked around with 3G and 4G but are now convinced 5G is the G that will kill us all, as well as actually breaking physical distance restrictions while protesting enough nonsense to get “dickhead” and “moron” trending on social media (a big ask in this country) was a lot different to his response to climate protesters:
Well smash me down and call me avocado. I am SHOCKED dickheads protesting vaccinations and a telecommunication upgrade get more introspection and respect than people worried about the obviously bullshit issues like climate change and the future of the planet. SHOCKED.
The shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has responded to reports the government could cut short the six-month jobkeeper paymentThe shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has responded to reports the government could cut short the six-month jobkeeper payment
He told Guardian Australia:He told Guardian Australia:
No word from Labor yet about whether they could support reform the payment so that people who ordinarily earn less than $1,500 a fortnight no longer get the full payment, and money could be redirected to those currently ineligible, such as shorter-term casuals.No word from Labor yet about whether they could support reform the payment so that people who ordinarily earn less than $1,500 a fortnight no longer get the full payment, and money could be redirected to those currently ineligible, such as shorter-term casuals.
Richard Marles, his deputy, tells the caucus room that he believes the speech was wonderful, full of hope and one of the best things he has heard during the crisis.Richard Marles, his deputy, tells the caucus room that he believes the speech was wonderful, full of hope and one of the best things he has heard during the crisis.
As you were.As you were.
Anthony Albanese finishes with:Anthony Albanese finishes with:
[cont from previous post][cont from previous post]
Anthony Albanese:Anthony Albanese:
Albanese continues:Albanese continues:
Anthony Albanese lays out some of Labor’s proposal for a post-Covid restriction Australia: Anthony Albanese lays out some of Labor’s proposals for a post-Covid restriction Australia:
OK, now to Anthony Albanese’s speech.OK, now to Anthony Albanese’s speech.
The Labor leader says the pandemic response has shown the best of politics, but the economic response risks a split:The Labor leader says the pandemic response has shown the best of politics, but the economic response risks a split:
Carnival Australia’s port operations manager has told an inquiry that it did not implement 1.5m physical distancing between 2,700 disembarking passengers from the Ruby Princess because he “does not remember it being a requirement at the time”.
Paul Mifsud from Carnival Australia, which is the operator of the Ruby Princess, also said he did not know who was in charge of workplace health and safety for Australian-based cruises. Under questioning from Kylie Nomchong SC, counsel for the International Transport Workers’ Federation, Mifsud said that passengers were not kept 1.5m apart on 19 March.
“I do not remember it being a requirement at the time,” he told the inquiry.
Nomchong said this was put in place in Australia on 15 March.
Mifsud said he did not recall any information being sent to Carnival Australia about this.Earlier, Mifsud was also asked who was in charge of workplace health and safety on Australian cruises, and said he did not know because it “would be somebody in the US office” from the department of fleet operations.
What can you take from that?
Well, the signs are all there that the jobkeeper program could be tweaked with, if the economy opens up faster than anticipated. Nothing is concrete, because no one knows what the next six weeks holds, let alone the next few months.
But the hints are there that if certain sectors bounce back, the wage subsidy could be redirected from them to others which will be slower to reopen, like tourism.
Watch that space.
And the other thing? Scott Morrison really, really, really doesn’t want to talk about sports rorts. At least some things have remained constant in this weird world.
And then the press conference ends with this – if the unemployment rates drops sooner than anticipated, the Covid supplements could be wound back.
Scott Morrison:
We then get this question from Paul Karp:
That is in relation to this story, from information very handily lodged late on a Friday afternoon:
But Scott Morrison again says he has no questions to answer:
Question: Prime minister, would you consider scaling back jobkeeper or ending it before the end of September?
Scott Morrison:
Scott Morrison continued:
Question: Prime minister, two months ago you insisted to us, if you shut down, it had to be for six months. That was the only way you could squash the virus. How did you get that wrong and can you confirm the tertiary review into jobkeeper will assess whether to truncate or alter the program before September, given restrictions are being lifted?
Scott Morrison:
Question: The draft decision by the Chinese to impose the tariffs on barley, do you see that as retribution for us pushing for the review into the outbreak of the virus?
Scott Morrison:
Scott Morrison is also holding his media conference – of course the issue of China’s tariffs came up:
The Victorian chief medical officer, Prof Brett Sutton, says handshakes and hugs are still not recommended: