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Coronavirus Australia update: borders, airlines and outdoor gatherings on the agenda as national cabinet meets – politics live Coronavirus Australia update: borders, airlines and outdoor gatherings on the agenda as national cabinet meets – politics live
(32 minutes later)
Queensland continues to cop brunt of federal pressure to reopen borders, but closures remain in place for WA, SA, Tasmania and the NT. Follow liveQueensland continues to cop brunt of federal pressure to reopen borders, but closures remain in place for WA, SA, Tasmania and the NT. Follow live
Rose Bay Public School in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been closed after a probable Covid case. Labor will move to disallow the Australia Post changes in both the House and the Senate today.
Students will be asked to learn from home while the school is cleaned The Senate is where the move has the most chance of success. These things are usually left out of the House, because the government of the day (obviously) has the numbers there, making it sort of against the point.
Mathias Cormann told Sky News it was worth having “the conversation” about whether or not protesters should lose their unemployment benefits, just in case you were wondering how far down the Howard era we were going. So in moving it himself in the House, Anthony Albanese will be making a bit of history – it is the first time since at least the 1960s that an Opposition leader has moved a disallowance motion
The ‘conversation’ is only being raised in conservative circles. In Brisbane, this is still happening.
The protests were mostly held on weekends. The national cabinet is national cabineting as of now.
You can have a job and protest. You’re allowed to be unemployed and protest You’ll hear a bit more about borders at the end of that meeting.
But hey - he’s managed to put Pauline Hanson in ‘context’, so what a hero. Rose Bay public school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been closed after a probable Covid case.
The Greens Senator Rachel Siewert also has a few things to say about Scott Morrison’s ‘apology’ for robodebt: Students will be asked to learn from home while the school is cleaned.
The PM’s so-called apology in Parliament yesterday failed to show empathy and recognise the pain and trauma that the robodebt program caused to hundreds of thousands of Australians.“This Government relentlessly pursed people for years in the full knowledge that they were targeting vulnerable people for savings. “I would apologise for any hurt or harm in the way that the government has dealt with that issue,” does not cut it, the PM clearly doesn’t get how much hurt and grief robodebt has caused.“If you are sorry you say “I AM SORRY” not “I would apologise”.“How about showing exactly how sorry your Government is and put in place a Royal Commission to get to the bottom of this whole mess”. Mathias Cormann told Sky News it was worth having “the conversation” about whether or not protesters should lose their unemployment benefits – just in case you were wondering how far down the Howard era we were going.
Meanwhile, the Victorian Labor government will be asked to strengthen anti-racism laws in that state, after advocacy groups say was an increase in racist attacks during the height of the Covid lockdowns. The “conversation” is only being raised in conservative circles.
The protests were mostly held on weekends. You can have a job and protest. You’re allowed to be unemployed and protest.
But hey – he’s managed to put Pauline Hanson in “context”, so what a hero.
The Greens Senator Rachel Siewert also has a few things to say about Scott Morrison’s “apology” for robodebt:
The PM’s so-called apology in Parliament yesterday failed to show empathy and recognise the pain and trauma that the robodebt program caused to hundreds of thousands of Australians.“This Government relentlessly pursed people for years in the full knowledge that they were targeting vulnerable people for savings. “I would apologise for any hurt or harm in the way that the government has dealt with that issue,” does not cut it, the PM clearly doesn’t get how much hurt and grief robodebt has caused.“If you are sorry you say “I AM SORRY” not “I would apologise”.“How about showing exactly how sorry your Government is and put in place a Royal Commission to get to the bottom of this whole mess.”
Meanwhile, the Victorian Labor government will be asked to strengthen anti-racism laws in that state after advocacy groups say there was an increase in racist attacks during the height of the Covid lockdowns.
From their statement:From their statement:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people from Asian backgrounds have reported almost 400 racist attacks to a reporting tool organised by the Asian Australian Alliance. This has included verbal and physical assaults, death threats, people being abused in front of their children, people being refused service in stores and property damage.During the COVID-19 pandemic, people from Asian backgrounds have reported almost 400 racist attacks to a reporting tool organised by the Asian Australian Alliance. This has included verbal and physical assaults, death threats, people being abused in front of their children, people being refused service in stores and property damage.
Incidents include people being spat on, two female international students being assaulted in Melbourne, a man with Asian heritage being deliberately coughed on and being told to ‘go home’, a Chinese woman suffering a concussion after a person threw a bottle at her head from a moving car and multiple examples of people being subjected to racial abuse. Incidents include people being spat on, two female international students being assaulted in Melbourne, a man with Asian heritage being deliberately coughed on and being told to “go home”, a Chinese woman suffering a concussion after a person threw a bottle at her head from a moving car and multiple examples of people being subjected to racial abuse.
A coalition of union, civil society and faith-based groups have made a supplementary submission to the Parliamentary committee inquiring into Victoria’s anti-vilification laws highlighting these recent incidents of hate conduct. The coalition is calling for a range of law reform measures, including stronger civil and criminal laws so that people are held accountable for conduct fuelled by hate.A coalition of union, civil society and faith-based groups have made a supplementary submission to the Parliamentary committee inquiring into Victoria’s anti-vilification laws highlighting these recent incidents of hate conduct. The coalition is calling for a range of law reform measures, including stronger civil and criminal laws so that people are held accountable for conduct fuelled by hate.
The group is also calling for the Andrews Government to ban the public display of vilifying and offensive materials, like the Nazi Swastika, which is increasingly being displayed and used as a calling card for white supremacist groups across Victoria.The group is also calling for the Andrews Government to ban the public display of vilifying and offensive materials, like the Nazi Swastika, which is increasingly being displayed and used as a calling card for white supremacist groups across Victoria.
Mark Dreyfus was also asked about the demands of Black Lives Matter protesters in Australia:Mark Dreyfus was also asked about the demands of Black Lives Matter protesters in Australia:
“We should start to see implementation of recommendations that have been on the table for, in some cases, decades. This morning the ABC is running this story:
You only had to listen to my colleague, my wonderful colleague, Pat Dodson in the Senate a couple of days ago to understand the frustration that First Nations people are experiencing, to understand his frustration. He was one of the Royal Commissioners in the Black Deaths in Custody Royal Commission, and you can only imagine how he must feel 30 years on to see that the recommendations that he made with his fellow commissioners are still unimplemented.” It is also worth pointing out that Stuart Robert also said the debt collection would resume yesterday (something that seemed a little lost in all the “apology” talk):
This morning, the ABC is running this story: Mark Dreyfus was on ABC radio this morning. He was asked about the prime minister’s apology for the “hurt or harm” caused to anyone by how the government carried out robodebt. Dreyfus said the apology wasn’t enough:
It is also worth pointing out that Stuart Robert also said the debt collection would resume yesterday (something which seemed a little lost in all the ‘apology’ talk) Well, this is heartening.
“Right now, just so that colleagues are aware in the House, 939,000 Australians have debts—over $5 billion worth—that the government lawfully has to collect across a whole range of programs. Governments of all persuasions have done this across the divide. The government, of course, have paused all debt collection across all programs as we work our way through the COVID crisis, but government will have to restart that debt collection. We will do it sensibly, we will do it engaging all people and we will do it in a very transparent manner. It is incumbent on us all, if we have constituents who are hurting or suffering, to bring them through to me. All colleagues know where I am. Give me a buzz and we will seek quickly to help you out. From Chris Knaus:
Mark Dreyfus was on ABC radio this morning. He was asked about the prime minister’s apology for the ‘hurt or harm’ caused to anyone by how the government carried out robodebt.
Dreyfus says that the apology wasn’t enough:
“This was a qualified and partial apology for what was a shocking abuse of government power. Scott Morrison has never taken responsibility for it and yet, he started this when he was Social Services Minister, went on with it and expanded it when he was Treasurer and owned it as Prime Minister. I find it extraordinary that the best he can do is express, in this partial way, regret for a particular case.
What we need to know is what happened. We need to know when the Government knew that this scheme was illegal. We need to know why the Government persisted with this preying on the most vulnerable people in our community for years after it’s apparent they knew that it was illegal.”
Well this is heartening.
From Chris Knaus
More protests are planned for this weekend.More protests are planned for this weekend.
In NSW, police have declared the planned Black Lives Matter event ‘unauthorised’ and said they would be upholding the health control orders. In NSW, police have declared the planned Black Lives Matter event “unauthorised” and said they would be upholding the health control orders.
Scott Morrison, while saying there was “no slavery in Australia” (there was) has also said any further protesters should be fined. It’s going to get very, very messy.Scott Morrison, while saying there was “no slavery in Australia” (there was) has also said any further protesters should be fined. It’s going to get very, very messy.
It’s a sitting day and national cabinet, so aren’t we lucky ducks.It’s a sitting day and national cabinet, so aren’t we lucky ducks.
Yesterday, both the prime minister and the treasurer turned up the heat on states to re-open the borders (while also condemning Black Lives Matter protesters for setting back the easing of restrictions and ignoring any contradiction in what they were saying) Yesterday both the prime minister and the treasurer turned up the heat on states to reopen borders (while also condemning Black Lives Matter protesters for setting back the easing of restrictions and ignoring any contradiction in what they were saying).
The closed states have mostly pointed to July as when they’ll be comfortable reopening. That’s what Scott Morrison says was part of the national cabinet plan. But because politics is back, so is the border open push.The closed states have mostly pointed to July as when they’ll be comfortable reopening. That’s what Scott Morrison says was part of the national cabinet plan. But because politics is back, so is the border open push.
Queensland, where a state election is to be held in October, is bearing the brunt of it. Even though the NT, WA and South Australia are also closed. So good times. Queensland, where a state election is to be held in October, is bearing the brunt of it. Even though the NT, WA and South Australia are also closed. So, good times.
We’ll cover that and everything else which happens today. You’ve got Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day. There may not be enough coffee in the world for this Friday. We’ll cover that and everything else that happens today. You’ve got Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day. There may not be enough coffee in the world for this Friday.
Ready?Ready?