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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/may/21/australia-coronavirus-news-queensland-open-borders-nsw-schools-latest-updates
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| Australia coronavirus live update: Qld premier hits back at NSW pressure to open borders, as Labor MP says Coalition demonises China – as it happened | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Annastacia Palaszczuk says she won’t be lectured to by NSW, ‘a state that has the highest number of cases in Australia’, while Joel Fitzgibbon opens new front in China row. This blog is now closed | |
| That’s where we will leave the live blog for this evening. | That’s where we will leave the live blog for this evening. |
| In case you missed it, this is the big news of the day: | In case you missed it, this is the big news of the day: |
| The Northern Territory has been declared free of Covid-19 after the last confirmed patient recovered. | |
| Queensland declares it won’t be lectured by NSW on opening the hard border. | |
| South Australia is to move to stage 2 restrictions from June 5. | |
| Apple and Google released software to better integrate contact tracing with public-sector health apps, but no sign yet of whether it will be integrated into Covidsafe. | |
| Myer is to reopen its stores from Wednesday next week. | |
| The federal government is “urgently” consulting on potential changes to the Fair Work Act after a landmark court decision on casuals yesterday. | |
| The federal government has kept open a Centrelink outlet in Melbourne’s inner north after announcing it would be shut yesterday. | The federal government has kept open a Centrelink outlet in Melbourne’s inner north after announcing it would be shut yesterday. |
| For the latest in coronavirus news overnight, please check our global live blog. Until tomorrow, stay safe. | For the latest in coronavirus news overnight, please check our global live blog. Until tomorrow, stay safe. |
| South Australia police are bringing back static, random breath-testing after it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. | South Australia police are bringing back static, random breath-testing after it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Static RBT will begin tomorrow for the first time since March, but officers will now be provided personal protective equipment, and the cleaning regimes will be maintained. | Static RBT will begin tomorrow for the first time since March, but officers will now be provided personal protective equipment, and the cleaning regimes will be maintained. |
| There’s going to be an operation from tomorrow aimed at testing road users for drugs and alcohol in their system. | There’s going to be an operation from tomorrow aimed at testing road users for drugs and alcohol in their system. |
| Mobile drug and alcohol testing continued during the pandemic. | Mobile drug and alcohol testing continued during the pandemic. |
| The Australian Financial Review is reporting Myer will open the remainder of its 35 temporarily closed stores from Wednesday next week. | The Australian Financial Review is reporting Myer will open the remainder of its 35 temporarily closed stores from Wednesday next week. |
| The stores include: Belconnen, Penrith, Castle Hill, Chatswood, Parramatta, Sydney City, Bondi, Shellharbour, Warringah, Macquarie, Roselands, Cairns, Brisbane City, Robina, Indooroopilly, Mt Gravatt, Pacific Fair, Ballarat, Bendigo, Doncaster, Eastland, Fountain Gate, Frankston, Geelong, Highpoint, Southland, Werribee, Chadstone, Northland, Melbourne, Knox City, Perth City, Adelaide City and stores in Hobart and Launceston. | The stores include: Belconnen, Penrith, Castle Hill, Chatswood, Parramatta, Sydney City, Bondi, Shellharbour, Warringah, Macquarie, Roselands, Cairns, Brisbane City, Robina, Indooroopilly, Mt Gravatt, Pacific Fair, Ballarat, Bendigo, Doncaster, Eastland, Fountain Gate, Frankston, Geelong, Highpoint, Southland, Werribee, Chadstone, Northland, Melbourne, Knox City, Perth City, Adelaide City and stores in Hobart and Launceston. |
| If you have an iPhone, you may have noticed an update today that includes exposure notifications. | If you have an iPhone, you may have noticed an update today that includes exposure notifications. |
| This is the long-awaited Google-Apple API that we expect could be integrated into the Covidsafe app and fix a lot of the issues with the iPhone version of the app. | This is the long-awaited Google-Apple API that we expect could be integrated into the Covidsafe app and fix a lot of the issues with the iPhone version of the app. |
| You won’t be able to switch it on unless the government agrees to integrate the API into Covidsafe and agrees to all the privacy terms and conditions that come with that. | You won’t be able to switch it on unless the government agrees to integrate the API into Covidsafe and agrees to all the privacy terms and conditions that come with that. |
| The app update issued last week did fix some of the problems that prevented people had closing the app and not recording Bluetooth handshakes, but this has had a side effect of causing more Bluetooth issues for other devices like fitness bands and wireless headphones. | The app update issued last week did fix some of the problems that prevented people had closing the app and not recording Bluetooth handshakes, but this has had a side effect of causing more Bluetooth issues for other devices like fitness bands and wireless headphones. |
| That won’t happen if the API is integrated because on the operating system level the phone is better at coordinating Bluetooth beacons around the other Bluetooth communications going on. | That won’t happen if the API is integrated because on the operating system level the phone is better at coordinating Bluetooth beacons around the other Bluetooth communications going on. |
| I asked Apple and Google this morning whether there were plans to integrate the API into the Covidsafe app and they couldn’t say. | I asked Apple and Google this morning whether there were plans to integrate the API into the Covidsafe app and they couldn’t say. |
| The ABC has reported the government is currently evaluating it. | The ABC has reported the government is currently evaluating it. |
| It would fix a lot of the issues, and a change made by Apple, where you can now provide more info like phone numbers and upload keys to health providers for contact tracing, means it’s much closer to Covidsafe now than it used to be. | It would fix a lot of the issues, and a change made by Apple, where you can now provide more info like phone numbers and upload keys to health providers for contact tracing, means it’s much closer to Covidsafe now than it used to be. |
| One major difference still between the two is that the Apple API works out who is a potential person who was exposed to coronavirus on the phone while Covidsafe currently uploads every key to the server and works it out that way. | One major difference still between the two is that the Apple API works out who is a potential person who was exposed to coronavirus on the phone while Covidsafe currently uploads every key to the server and works it out that way. |
| Here’s Luke’s full report on the government’s backdown on the Abbotsford Centrelink closure: | Here’s Luke’s full report on the government’s backdown on the Abbotsford Centrelink closure: |
| After Luke Henriques-Gomes earlier reported that the landlord of the Abbotsford Centrelink property in Melbourne was blindsided by the government’s plans to shut down the office today, we can now report that the office will remain open for the next three months. | After Luke Henriques-Gomes earlier reported that the landlord of the Abbotsford Centrelink property in Melbourne was blindsided by the government’s plans to shut down the office today, we can now report that the office will remain open for the next three months. |
| More on the crash here: | More on the crash here: |
| A car has ploughed into a shop at Greenacre in Sydney. There are reports 12 people have been injured: | A car has ploughed into a shop at Greenacre in Sydney. There are reports 12 people have been injured: |
| I’m just going to return to the ACCC report on NBN speeds during the pandemic that Amy referred to earlier. | I’m just going to return to the ACCC report on NBN speeds during the pandemic that Amy referred to earlier. |
| Many people believed that lots of people working from home would put a massive strain on the NBN, but the ACCC’s report shows all the doom and gloom projections have not come to pass. | Many people believed that lots of people working from home would put a massive strain on the NBN, but the ACCC’s report shows all the doom and gloom projections have not come to pass. |
| The initial dip in March when the restrictions came into effect and everyone was forced home for two months can largely be blamed on retail service providers not buying enough bandwidth – or CVC – to meet the demand. | The initial dip in March when the restrictions came into effect and everyone was forced home for two months can largely be blamed on retail service providers not buying enough bandwidth – or CVC – to meet the demand. |
| NBN Co then began offering much more bandwidth to retailers for free, and the problem fixed. | NBN Co then began offering much more bandwidth to retailers for free, and the problem fixed. |
| It should show NBN Co, at least, that this charge should be reviewed once the pandemic is over and it stops being free. If not just because, I imagine, a lot of people will continue to work from home now and into the future. | It should show NBN Co, at least, that this charge should be reviewed once the pandemic is over and it stops being free. If not just because, I imagine, a lot of people will continue to work from home now and into the future. |
| Another interesting bit of information is that for video streaming, 50Mbps is pretty good for two simultaneous Netflix HD streams with no issue. | Another interesting bit of information is that for video streaming, 50Mbps is pretty good for two simultaneous Netflix HD streams with no issue. |
| Most connections have no issue whatsoever. | Most connections have no issue whatsoever. |
| However, again the report notes that 95% of the underperforming NBN connections tested were on the controversial fibre-to-the-node technology. | However, again the report notes that 95% of the underperforming NBN connections tested were on the controversial fibre-to-the-node technology. |
| It will be interesting to see if that improves as upgrades are rolled out over time. | It will be interesting to see if that improves as upgrades are rolled out over time. |
| The time has come for me to hand over the blog to the inimitable Josh Taylor for the next short while. | The time has come for me to hand over the blog to the inimitable Josh Taylor for the next short while. |
| In news that will disappoint all you Paul Kelly and Nick Coatsworth fans out there, it appears the daily 3:15pm update from the deputy chief medical officer du jour is a thing of the past. | In news that will disappoint all you Paul Kelly and Nick Coatsworth fans out there, it appears the daily 3:15pm update from the deputy chief medical officer du jour is a thing of the past. |
| Coatsworth released a statement a short while ago announcing the government’s communications response “is entering a new phase”. In place of the daily update, it appears a new advertising campaign will start today and run over the next month. | Coatsworth released a statement a short while ago announcing the government’s communications response “is entering a new phase”. In place of the daily update, it appears a new advertising campaign will start today and run over the next month. |
| Australia is handling the Covid-19 impact better than New Zealand, a group of business leaders has told Jacinda Ardern. | Australia is handling the Covid-19 impact better than New Zealand, a group of business leaders has told Jacinda Ardern. |
| According to a report on Kiwi site Newshub, the NZ PM’s Business Advisory Council chair has written to Ardern warning “because of the way Australia is approaching the next two stages (of lockdown easing) it is likely to go well in front” of New Zealand on a wellbeing scale. | According to a report on Kiwi site Newshub, the NZ PM’s Business Advisory Council chair has written to Ardern warning “because of the way Australia is approaching the next two stages (of lockdown easing) it is likely to go well in front” of New Zealand on a wellbeing scale. |
| On that note, I will hand you over to the capable hands of Elias Visontay for the next little bit. Thank you for joining me today. I’ll be back with you tomorrow – so please, take care of you. | On that note, I will hand you over to the capable hands of Elias Visontay for the next little bit. Thank you for joining me today. I’ll be back with you tomorrow – so please, take care of you. |
| This is an interesting take from Christian Porter on the border issue: | This is an interesting take from Christian Porter on the border issue: |