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| Coronavirus Australia update: Victoria reports 12 new cases as MP Adem Somyurek sacked – politics live | Coronavirus Australia update: Victoria reports 12 new cases as MP Adem Somyurek sacked – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Victoria’s premier says minister accused of branch stacking was not given an opportunity to resign. Follow the latest updates live | Victoria’s premier says minister accused of branch stacking was not given an opportunity to resign. Follow the latest updates live |
| For those asking, the Victorian chief medical officer, Professor Brett Sutton, said the person who tested positive for Covid, and attended the Black Lives Matter protest last weekend, was unlikely to have picked up the virus at the protest, and had taken social distancing measures, including wearing a mask. | |
| And he also said this: | |
| From Mike Bowers eyeball to your eyeballs | |
| Just another manic Monday | |
| Tell me more, tell me more... | |
| Welcome to the house of fun | |
| It feels like another time. | |
| Via AAP: | |
| A DNA test linked a Queensland woman to a needle found in a strawberry punnet, a court has heard. | |
| Former strawberry farm supervisor My Ut Trinh, 52, was a person of interest early in the investigation into deliberate strawberry contamination in 2018, says Detective Sergeant Gary Perrett. | |
| But officers found there was insufficient evidence to charge Trinh until they received DNA test results linking her to a needle, he told a committal hearing in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday. | |
| Trinh is charged with six counts of contamination of goods to cause economic loss. | |
| She was working at Berrylicious in her hometown of Caboolture, north of Brisbane, between September 2 and 7, 2018, when she allegedly inserted needles into the fruit. | |
| A man found a needle when he bit into a contaminated strawberry on September 9, sparking a national food safety frenzy with strawberries stripped from shelves nationwide. | |
| Det Sgt Perrett said more than 240 copycat incidents were reported after the initial incident. | |
| “It went berserk,” he told the court. | |
| Det Sgt Perrett was asked about leads like a report of a suspicious person seen on a road in a strawberry farm a few days before news about the contamination broke. | |
| He was unable to provide information about any follow-up to that report, but told defence barrister Terry Morgans strawberry farms are open to the public. | |
| “You can walk into these strawberry farms at any time at any place - he may have been stealing strawberries,” Det Sgt Perrett said. | |
| The officer said leads provided to police were followed up and documented by other officers, while he and a colleague focused on the investigation into Trinh. | |
| The hearing was adjourned until July 27 for information about leads provided to police and how they were followed up to be given to the defence team. | |
| Stephen Jones is then asked if he thinks it is deliberate: | |
| Patricia Karvelas asked Julian Leeser what he thought of Amanda Stoker’s comments: | Patricia Karvelas asked Julian Leeser what he thought of Amanda Stoker’s comments: |
| Which doesn’t really answer the question. | Which doesn’t really answer the question. |
| PK pulls him up on that, to which Leeser responds: | |
| Rachel Siewert has led a motion calling on the parliament to acknowledge slavery happened in Australia. | Rachel Siewert has led a motion calling on the parliament to acknowledge slavery happened in Australia. |
| (That follows the “there was no slavery in Australia” comment from the prime minister last week, something he raised, then said was meaning about the principles the NSW settlement was made on, but also neglecting that just because something is illegal, doesn’t mean it’s not happening, but hey – maybe that means the statues are finally safe, because it is illegal to deface them too, so obviously, it is not happening, using that logic.) | |
| Anyways. Back to Siewert: | Anyways. Back to Siewert: |
| I am pleased that the Senate has supported the Greens motion acknowledging the true history of Australia which despite what the prime minister might say includes slavery, indentured labour and stolen wages. | |
| “The prime minister’s comments last week in regards to slavery were outrageous and I don’t believe he has properly apologised or engaged with the heart of the matter. | |
| “Rather than perpetuating false history of this nation, the Australian government needs to make a concerted effort of truth telling for all Australians, including new Australians. | |
| “It is a national shame that the broader community knows so little about First Nations history, culture and how this country was founded. | “It is a national shame that the broader community knows so little about First Nations history, culture and how this country was founded. |
| “It is time we stopped pretending that meaningful change can happen in a system that is grounded in denial. | “It is time we stopped pretending that meaningful change can happen in a system that is grounded in denial. |
| “Change is possible when you tell the truth, when you listen deeply and acknowledge and address the impacts that continue today.” | “Change is possible when you tell the truth, when you listen deeply and acknowledge and address the impacts that continue today.” |
| The motion reads:I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move – That the Senate – a) Notes that: i. On Thursday June 11th the prime minister Scott Morrison said in a radio interview that “there was no slavery in Australia”. b) Acknowledges that: i. First Nations peoples worked on farms and pastoral stations for rations instead of wages. They were traded amongst settlers, with children being taken from their families and moved across the country to work ii. First Nations peoples wages were stolen iii. First Nations peoples had restrictions placed on them such as restrictions on movement and choice for example people had to apply for permission to travel and what they could purchase and where they could live iv. First Nations peoples were subject to forced labour v. At least 60,000 South Sea islanders were taken to Australia from 1857 to 1908, where they worked largely in cotton, sugar and pastoral industries in a process named blackbirding. vi. There are many other examples of such abuse. c) Calls on the prime minister to withdraw these comments, apologise and engage in a genuine process of truth telling about Australia’s history. | |
| Get used to this | Get used to this |
| Malarndirri McCarthy asked Mathias Cormann about Amanda Stoker’s Sky after dark (Sad) comments in Senate question time today. | Malarndirri McCarthy asked Mathias Cormann about Amanda Stoker’s Sky after dark (Sad) comments in Senate question time today. |
| Cormann said he had not seen the comments, but would have a “private conversation” with the senator. | Cormann said he had not seen the comments, but would have a “private conversation” with the senator. |
| He’s taken on notice whether or not the prime minister was aware of them. | He’s taken on notice whether or not the prime minister was aware of them. |
| I see the Amanda Stoker Sky News comments are getting a bit of traction – just your semi-regular reminder that she is locked in a battle with James McGrath for the number one Queensland Senate ticket spot. | I see the Amanda Stoker Sky News comments are getting a bit of traction – just your semi-regular reminder that she is locked in a battle with James McGrath for the number one Queensland Senate ticket spot. |
| Stoker, McGrath and Matt Canavan are all up for re-election this coming election. | Stoker, McGrath and Matt Canavan are all up for re-election this coming election. |
| The Libs will get the first ticket spot and the Nationals will get the second. So Canavan, if he decides to stay in the upper house, is fine. But the third spot, Gerard Rennick aside, is a pretty rare get, election-wise. | The Libs will get the first ticket spot and the Nationals will get the second. So Canavan, if he decides to stay in the upper house, is fine. But the third spot, Gerard Rennick aside, is a pretty rare get, election-wise. |
| So expect to see a lot from Stoker and McGrath in the coming six months as they play for the base’s support. | So expect to see a lot from Stoker and McGrath in the coming six months as they play for the base’s support. |
| Not being racist is also excellent as a beauty and general wellbeing tip, so there is that too. | Not being racist is also excellent as a beauty and general wellbeing tip, so there is that too. |
| Just don’t be racist or a white supremacist. I mean, it seems pretty simple, but apparently some people still struggle with it. | Just don’t be racist or a white supremacist. I mean, it seems pretty simple, but apparently some people still struggle with it. |
| Here is another bit of quiet bipartisanship from Andrew Giles: | Here is another bit of quiet bipartisanship from Andrew Giles: |
| Today the parliament united to reject racism in Australia. I moved the following motion, which was seconded by Fiona Martin MP, that the house: | Today the parliament united to reject racism in Australia. I moved the following motion, which was seconded by Fiona Martin MP, that the house: |
| A. the Covid-19 crisis has seen a number of appalling racist attacks on Chinese-Australians; andB. condemns these shocking racist attacks. | A. the Covid-19 crisis has seen a number of appalling racist attacks on Chinese-Australians; andB. condemns these shocking racist attacks. |
| I wish to thank my parliamentary colleagues, from both sides, for their contributions today: Fiona Martin MP, Chris Hayes MP, Tim Wilson MP, Clare O’Neil MP, Katie Allen MP, Graham Perrett MP and Gladys Liu MP. | I wish to thank my parliamentary colleagues, from both sides, for their contributions today: Fiona Martin MP, Chris Hayes MP, Tim Wilson MP, Clare O’Neil MP, Katie Allen MP, Graham Perrett MP and Gladys Liu MP. |
| We have acknowledged the problem and now we need to commit to action. | We have acknowledged the problem and now we need to commit to action. |
| Labor supports a national anti-racism strategy and is ready to work with the government to see this progressed as a bipartisan, unifying initiative. | Labor supports a national anti-racism strategy and is ready to work with the government to see this progressed as a bipartisan, unifying initiative. |
| Ken O’Dowd is reading a speech like it is the first time he has seen words in this particular order, if you want to know what parliament looks like right now. | Ken O’Dowd is reading a speech like it is the first time he has seen words in this particular order, if you want to know what parliament looks like right now. |
| We are getting to the end of the government shutting down the attempt to suspend standing orders. Ed Husic only manages to get out “it’s a disgrace” before Christian Porter closes it down again. | We are getting to the end of the government shutting down the attempt to suspend standing orders. Ed Husic only manages to get out “it’s a disgrace” before Christian Porter closes it down again. |
| Question time ended (I just got up from rocking under my desk) and Anthony Albanese moved to suspend standing orders (for the Australia Post regulation), which has been opposed by the government. | Question time ended (I just got up from rocking under my desk) and Anthony Albanese moved to suspend standing orders (for the Australia Post regulation), which has been opposed by the government. |
| Oh wait, he manages to whinge about the Queensland government (as we know, the collective noun for a group of Nationals is a whinge or a complaint) because there is a state election coming up in October, and let no chance for a sledge go unsledged is the new rule. | Oh wait, he manages to whinge about the Queensland government (as we know, the collective noun for a group of Nationals is a whinge or a complaint) because there is a state election coming up in October, and let no chance for a sledge go unsledged is the new rule. |
| David Littleproud then gets three minutes to talk about the government’s latest tongue twister – building back better. | David Littleproud then gets three minutes to talk about the government’s latest tongue twister – building back better. |
| Anthony Albanese asks Scott Morrison whether he will reverse the Australia Post regulation decision (fewer postal delivery days, which the union says will mean fewer jobs) | Anthony Albanese asks Scott Morrison whether he will reverse the Australia Post regulation decision (fewer postal delivery days, which the union says will mean fewer jobs) |
| He says he’ll get Paul Fletcher to take his remaining time, but then warms up to his theme and takes it all up (or maybe he is sparing us Fletcher’s 1950s headmaster delivery – who knows). | He says he’ll get Paul Fletcher to take his remaining time, but then warms up to his theme and takes it all up (or maybe he is sparing us Fletcher’s 1950s headmaster delivery – who knows). |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |