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Coronavirus Australia update: Victoria announces 17 new cases and 'significant community transmission' as two schools close – live news Coronavirus Australia update: Victoria announces 17 new Covid-19 cases and 'significant community transmission' as two Melbourne schools close – live news
(32 minutes later)
Brunswick East and Keilor Views schools closed for cleaning after students tested positive. Follow live Daniel Andrews threatens to reintroduce statewide lockdown if outbreaks are not contained. Follow live
We’ve been talking about this all morning - but the Victorian premier just confirmed that lockdowns, potentially across the entire state - are on the cards if the virus is not contained. As for advice on what to do with the school holidays coming up, for those in one of the Victorian hotspots, Daniel Andrews says:
The CSPU is calling for support for the National Gallery, which, due to funding cuts and Covid, is struggling to make ends meet:
The National Gallery of Australia has today announced they will cut over 12% of staff in 2020 due to a $3.6 million funding shortfall.
The union representing National Gallery of Australia workers, the CPSU, is calling on the government to exempt Australia’s cultural institutions from the efficacy dividend and restore funding of the National Gallery.
Over the next 5 years the NGA will be forced to find $6.8 million in savings to be sustainable. The Gallery is struggling with rising utility costs, building maintenance, falling interest rates and the ongoing efficiency dividend implemented by the federal government.
The Gallery’s pre-existing budget woes have been exacerbated by Covid-19. Travel restrictions and a downturn in tourism have hit the NGA, with 80% of the NGAs audience coming from outside Canberra. Whilst the Gallery remains open, serious measures to ensure public and staff safety mean that access is restricted and the future exhibitions uncertain.
A voluntary redundancy process will be open this week and will run for three weeks, following this process further staff cuts may need to be considered.
This latest round of cuts is on the back of a 10% cut in staff only 4 years ago
Some good news for Bomber fans (although it’s against Carlton, so they’ll be fine)
Is there a timeline on the threat of further restictions?
Daniel Andrews:Daniel Andrews:
After receiving some criticism that the decision to not push ahead with easing restrictions was made too late for some businesses to react, the Victorian leader says the decisions were based on facts, not feelings and they had to wait for the data:
On that point, Daniel Andrews says:
At this stage though, Daniel Andrews says Victoria does not need to take up the federal offer of ADF staff to help with quarantining procedures.
On the virus transmissions which have been traced back to hotel staff, such as those working in the quarantine hotels at the Stanford and Rydges, Daniel Andrews says:
Daniel Andrews repeats that the community transmissions are being traced back to large family groups who are not obeying the social distancing restrictions:
Daniel Andrews says he is not going to speculate on why people are ignoring the recommendations in Victoria:
Daniel Andrews also details the doorknocking campaign public health authorities are embarking on:
We’ve been talking about this all morning, but the Victorian premier just confirmed that lockdowns – potentially across the entire state – are on the cards if the virus is not contained.
Daniel Andrews:
He says the contact tracing authorities are beginning work on finding the close contacts of the two primary school students at Brunswick East and Keilor Views schools who tested positive for Covid:He says the contact tracing authorities are beginning work on finding the close contacts of the two primary school students at Brunswick East and Keilor Views schools who tested positive for Covid:
On rough estimates, Daniel Andrews says Victoria has tested between 16,000 and 18,000 people in the last two days
The Victorian premier is speaking to the media:
Gladys Berejiklian says there was just one positive result from a Covid test in NSW in the last 24 hours (and that person is in hotel quarantine)
James Packer’s Crown Resorts is re-opening its Perth casino on Saturday after the WA government eased coronavirus restrictions.
It will operate under restrictions including a maximum of one person per two square meters (including staff), reduced numbers at gaming tables and “enhanced hygiene protocols”, which appears to be corporatese for more cleaning.
It’s not all doom and gloom on the retail front.
AAP has this update on Woolworths’ results:
Woolworths says trading so far in the June quarter has continued to be strong with food sales in Australia up 8.6 per cent, and in New Zealand up 15.1 per cent.
Sales at Big W jumped 27.8 per cent in the 10 weeks to June 14, while its Endeavour drinks business saw a 21.4 per cent growth for the same period.
The retail giant said it expects full year earnings before interest and tax to be in the range of $3.2 billion to $3.25 billion, compared to $3.29 billion for a 53-week period last year.
The group also outlined extra costs worth $460 million for the second half of the financial year on account of transformation costs for its supply chain, Endeavour Drinks, and remediation of staff underpayments.
Daniel Andrews, who did not do a press conference yesterday (it was health minister Jenny Mikakos and CMO Brett Sutton who stood up) will hold a media conference at 10am.
Meanwhile, the Victorian health department is working with the education department to investigate whether any staff or students at Brunswick East and Keilor Views primary schools need to self isolate after a student at each school tested positive for Covid.
The schools are closed for cleaning.
Helen Sullivan has the international coronavirus blog up and running.
We’ll be getting more detail on the Victorian situation very soon.
Katharine Murphy has the latest Essential poll findings, showing most of us think there will be a “second wave” of Covid in Australia:
In terms of the AFL, Roger Cook says WA is still in talks with the sporting body over turning the west into a sports hub.
The two WA teams, the Dockers and the (ugh) Eagles are currently based on the Gold Coast, as part of the season. Cook says the state is trying to find a balance between keeping the hard border closure, and bringing (the best) sport back to the west: