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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews details plans to reopen schools – latest news Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews details plans to reopen schools – latest news
(32 minutes later)
Victorian schools to start returning from 26 May; NSW records no new cases of Covid-19 and Josh Frydenberg to deliver an economic statement in lieu of the federal budget which has been postponed to October due to Covid-19. Follow the latest news liveVictorian schools to start returning from 26 May; NSW records no new cases of Covid-19 and Josh Frydenberg to deliver an economic statement in lieu of the federal budget which has been postponed to October due to Covid-19. Follow the latest news live
It is party room meeting time in Canberra, which, in the age of social distancing, means the Coalition has to go into the Great Hall,so everyone can stand 1.5m away from each other. In the Nationals’ case, it is known as the “ego buffer” and accounts for about a third of the space Barnaby Joyce needs. All the MPs are here for this sitting, but there will be a rotating roster for who gets to sit in the house, to ensure social distance requirements are met. So keep an eye on Twitter, because you are bound to be getting a lot of ‘watching it from the office’ tweets with various books and items moved in front of the TV in an approximation of a personality.
The budget tree is ready, but today’s second Tuesday in May will pass without a budget (it has been delayed until October).
Instead you’ll hear a lot about how there is no “money tree” in Australia, as Josh Frydenberg hands down the budget update at about midday.
Spoiler – it is not great.
The Queensland chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, says she has sent an email to the NRL regarding some of the players who refuse to get the flu vaccination:
Victoria has recorded 17 new Covid-19 cases, including eight from the Cedar Meats facility.
Queensland has added another six cases to its total – all people who were diagnosed interstate, and have recovered, but are Queensland residents, so it is added to the Queensland total.
But in terms of new cases, there have been no new cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in Queensland for the second day in a row.
Dan Tehan has welcomed the news Victorian schools will be returning – via a written statement, which I think is the only way he is allowed to comment on Dan Andrews issues now, after his “personal frustrations” spilled forth in his guise as a minister of the crown.
Tehan:
It is party room meeting time in Canberra, which, in the age of social distancing, means the Coalition has to go into the Great Hall so everyone can stand 1.5m away from each other. In the Nationals’ case, it is known as the “ego buffer” and accounts for about a third of the space Barnaby Joyce needs.
Meanwhile ...Meanwhile ...
“You’ve always spoken your mind, to everybody, including me one or two times, but you have always done the right thing by your country,” Scott Morrison, who represents the electorate of Cook, which takes in Cronulla, says to Alan Jones.“You’ve always spoken your mind, to everybody, including me one or two times, but you have always done the right thing by your country,” Scott Morrison, who represents the electorate of Cook, which takes in Cronulla, says to Alan Jones.
That sound you hear is my never-ending eternal scream.That sound you hear is my never-ending eternal scream.
Anyways, we are going to have a day of people with brains talking about what a great man Alan Jones is, presumably with a straight face, while ignoring the massive damage he has inflicted on minorities, anyone he disagrees with, and Australian politics at large, so awesome.Anyways, we are going to have a day of people with brains talking about what a great man Alan Jones is, presumably with a straight face, while ignoring the massive damage he has inflicted on minorities, anyone he disagrees with, and Australian politics at large, so awesome.
But at least 2020 has some redeeming qualities.But at least 2020 has some redeeming qualities.
Gladys Berejiklian has also managed to pay respect to the man who once told her her head was “in a noose” over a mining licence:Gladys Berejiklian has also managed to pay respect to the man who once told her her head was “in a noose” over a mining licence:
I mean, you could say the same thing about Charles Manson.I mean, you could say the same thing about Charles Manson.
The Labor leader is then asked about the economy: Josh Frydenberg has been trotting out the line that Australians know there is “no money tree” in preparing for just how bad the budget bottom line has become (there is a money tree – it’s called quantitative easing and we have been doing it since the pandemic began) as well as laying the groundwork to change the jobkeeper wage subsidy scheme.The Labor leader is then asked about the economy: Josh Frydenberg has been trotting out the line that Australians know there is “no money tree” in preparing for just how bad the budget bottom line has become (there is a money tree – it’s called quantitative easing and we have been doing it since the pandemic began) as well as laying the groundwork to change the jobkeeper wage subsidy scheme.
Anthony Albanese says there have been issues with the wage subsidy from the (delayed) beginning:Anthony Albanese says there have been issues with the wage subsidy from the (delayed) beginning:
Anthony Albanese is asked about the Alan Jones news in his interview with ABC Breakfast:Anthony Albanese is asked about the Alan Jones news in his interview with ABC Breakfast:
Not mentioned – his comments about Julia Gillard, Jacinda Ardern or any other woman who dared to exist in a way which didn’t meet with Jones’s exacting standards, the Cronulla riots, or any of the many, many scars the man has left in his wake.Not mentioned – his comments about Julia Gillard, Jacinda Ardern or any other woman who dared to exist in a way which didn’t meet with Jones’s exacting standards, the Cronulla riots, or any of the many, many scars the man has left in his wake.
It is also International Nurses Day.It is also International Nurses Day.
Expect to hear A LOT about that today (and rightly so – our health system would be broken without them)Expect to hear A LOT about that today (and rightly so – our health system would be broken without them)
Gladys Berejiklian says there have been NO cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in the last 24 hours.Gladys Berejiklian says there have been NO cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in the last 24 hours.
That is the first time since the pandemic was declared that no new cases have been reported in Australia’s largest state.That is the first time since the pandemic was declared that no new cases have been reported in Australia’s largest state.
NSW did 6,000 tests in that 24 hours, so it is a great result.NSW did 6,000 tests in that 24 hours, so it is a great result.
So in the last 10 minutes, Victoria has announced a return to on-site learning and Alan Jones has announced his retirement from radio.
What a time to be alive.
The Sydney 2GB says he has to “listen to the experts” and wind back his work commitments.
He is retiring from radio.
There will be staggered drop-off and pick up as Victorian schools return.
Here are some more details on the return to school from Andrews:
Victorian education minister, James Merlino, asks Victorian parents to be patient with them while they go through the transition back to on-site learning.
He also says millions of dollars will be spent on keeping schools clean.
Andrews has laid out a roadmap for Victorian student’s return to the classroom.
Andrews said students in Years 3-10 will still be allowed to attend classrooms early if they are unable to learn from home.
He also noted Year 10 students doing VCE subjects would be allowed in the classroom for those classes from 26 May.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews is speaking now.
He says there have been 17 new Covid-19 cases overnight.
This brings the state total to 1509 after two cases were reclassified and removed from the list.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is outlining plans for the return to school.
It’s also parliament today, where Josh Frydenberg will lay out another economic statement as the federal government pushes to open up the economy.
We’re going to kick off this morning with a recap of last night’s Q+A on ABC, which featured the three state premiers widely believed to have strong-armed the national cabinet into the country’s lockdown. Yes, they are Victoria’s Daniel Andrews, Queensland’s Annastacia Palaszczuk and New South Wales’s Gladys Berejiklian. So what did we learn?
Not much.
My colleague Calla Wahlquist, who live-blogged the show, wrapped it up like this:
Daniel Andrews would not say when students were likely to return to schools in Victoria except that it would be by the end of term two, which he has said previously.
Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian said they will consider economic reforms like cutting payroll tax and stamp duty in order to support businesses through the recession caused by the coronavirus, but did not make any solid commitments. They said there was an opportunity for structural economic reform and what form that reform might take was under active consideration.
Berejiklian said that “13 out of 14 [cruise ship] disembarkments were successful in New South Wales”, it’s just that the 14th was the Ruby Princess. She said that a “mistake-free pandemic is impossible, it would be miraculous”.
Annastacia Palaszczuk would not give an indication of when Queensland might lift its hard state border, but said Queenslanders may be able to travel within Queensland in June or July.
She would not say when regional areas in Queensland might enjoy more freedom, because there are still people in those areas in quarantine.
All three premiers said Australia’s situation could have been much worse and while we were now facing difficult economic times, they were grateful to be grappling with how to reopen the economy rather than coping with tens of thousands of deaths per state.
We did not, however, learn to what extend these larger states were able to strong-arm national cabinet and the federal government into following their lead on introducing the shutdown in the first place, and closing schools. That inside story, when told, will be well worth reading.