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| Coronavirus Australia update: Melbourne's hotspot suburbs in lockdown as Victoria struggles to contain outbreak – live news | Coronavirus Australia update: Melbourne's hotspot suburbs in lockdown as Victoria struggles to contain outbreak – live news |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Residents of 10 postcodes in Melbourne’s north and west have been ordered to stay home from midnight tonight. Follow live | Residents of 10 postcodes in Melbourne’s north and west have been ordered to stay home from midnight tonight. Follow live |
| NSW health minister Brad Hazzard will join NSW’s chief health minister, Dr Kerry Chant, for an update at 10.15am – it looks like NSW will be lifting restrictions even further. | |
| The education minister Dan Tehan has announced two panels of vice-chancellors he will consult over key planks of the universities reform package: the $900m “industry linkage fund”; and to develop a plan to reform research funding. | |
| The linkage fund working group will be chaired by University of Technology vice-chancellor Attila Brungs while the research working group is lead by Universities Australia Chair and Curtin University vice chancellor Professor Deborah Terry. | |
| The linkage fund working group will be looking at boosting internships, practical work experience and science technology engineering and maths graduates going into relevant jobs. | |
| The research aspect is still at a very early stage (and quite vague) – Tehan said they will consider “alternative models to university research funding and allocation that would operate in conjunction with the government’s job-ready graduates package”. | |
| He said: | |
| Universities Australia chief executive, Catriona Jackson, welcomed the announcement: | |
| Christopher Knaus and Ben Smee have looked at the 10m Covid-19 testing kids Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation bought from the Chinese firm Beijing Genomics Institute for $200m (it was on behalf of the government, meaning we pay the foundation back for the tests) and found they only have a shelf life of six months. | |
| You might remember when that deal was announced – Forrest invited the Victorian Chinese consul-general to speak, without Greg Hunt’s knowledge, just as Beijing-Canberra relations were souring. | |
| Labor will also be campaigning in Eden-Monaro on penalty rate cuts and the Fair Work Commission’s decision to make workers in the hardest-hit industries wait until 1 February for a pay rise. | |
| Labor’s Tony Burke will cite a new analysis from the Parliamentary Library that pharmacy workers could be up to $4,800 worse off a year and retail workers up to $4,300 worse off a year compared due to cuts that were made by the FWC in February 2017. | |
| The analysis finds the cost of delaying the $13-a-week minimum wage rise until February is at least $400 for these workers. | |
| Before the 2019 election Labor committed to reverse penalty rate cuts. It has not recommitted to that policy (yet) – but it is written into Labor’s platform. | |
| I’m not sure there is any proposal to fix delayed minimum wage rises, which was done because certain industries (accommodation, food services, arts, recreation, aviation, retail and tourism) will be suffering a big reduction in trade due to Covid-19 and associated restrictions. | |
| Burke said: | |
| Meanwhile, in international Covid-19 news, the United States is once again causing waves: | |
| Scott Morrison will launch the 2020 Defence Strategic Update at 10am today. | |
| Anthony Albanese will be in Eden-Monaro with Labor’s candidate Kristy McBain today announcing that Labor plans to reverse $83.7m of cuts to the ABC “to save regional jobs, protect critical emergency broadcasting and support local news and content”. | Anthony Albanese will be in Eden-Monaro with Labor’s candidate Kristy McBain today announcing that Labor plans to reverse $83.7m of cuts to the ABC “to save regional jobs, protect critical emergency broadcasting and support local news and content”. |
| We knew Labor wasn’t a fan of the cuts – but a commitment that an “Albanese Labor government will” reverse them (if elected) adds pressure to the government. | We knew Labor wasn’t a fan of the cuts – but a commitment that an “Albanese Labor government will” reverse them (if elected) adds pressure to the government. |
| The Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks has also pledged to fight to reverse the cuts, so only Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs is left holding the government line. | The Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks has also pledged to fight to reverse the cuts, so only Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs is left holding the government line. |
| In a statement, Albanese and McBain said: | In a statement, Albanese and McBain said: |
| Lockdowns for people in almost 40 suburbs in Melbourne begin from midnight, ushering in a new front in Australia’s response to Covid-19. | Lockdowns for people in almost 40 suburbs in Melbourne begin from midnight, ushering in a new front in Australia’s response to Covid-19. |
| While localised lockdowns were always part of the plan developed by the national cabinet, it’s going to be hard for people living in those postcodes to watch everything stop while one suburb over, things are still relaxed. | While localised lockdowns were always part of the plan developed by the national cabinet, it’s going to be hard for people living in those postcodes to watch everything stop while one suburb over, things are still relaxed. |
| Still, with community transmission and two weeks of double-digit positive tests, it’s hard to see any other response working. | Still, with community transmission and two weeks of double-digit positive tests, it’s hard to see any other response working. |
| Meanwhile, Victorians are locked out of most of the rest of the country, even as domestic travel looks like resuming. South Australia and Queensland have officially said no, keeping border lockdowns in place for Victoria, while lifting them for other jurisdictions. NSW is keeping the border open, but has issued a very clear “stay away” and “stay out” message for Victorians, while Western Australia remains closed to everyone. | Meanwhile, Victorians are locked out of most of the rest of the country, even as domestic travel looks like resuming. South Australia and Queensland have officially said no, keeping border lockdowns in place for Victoria, while lifting them for other jurisdictions. NSW is keeping the border open, but has issued a very clear “stay away” and “stay out” message for Victorians, while Western Australia remains closed to everyone. |
| We’ll keep you updated on the day’s events in relation to the Covid-19 response, as well as Australian politics. | We’ll keep you updated on the day’s events in relation to the Covid-19 response, as well as Australian politics. |
| Speaking of which, Scott Morrison will give a speech today outlining a $270bn spend on defence. Because even when $11bn a month on a wage subsidy which has kept three million people in connection with their employers is described as a “cash burn”, there is always money for defence. | Speaking of which, Scott Morrison will give a speech today outlining a $270bn spend on defence. Because even when $11bn a month on a wage subsidy which has kept three million people in connection with their employers is described as a “cash burn”, there is always money for defence. |
| You have Amy Remeikis with you, as usual, for the bulk of the day, and the entire Guardian brains trust keeping you updated. I hope you’ve had your coffee. | You have Amy Remeikis with you, as usual, for the bulk of the day, and the entire Guardian brains trust keeping you updated. I hope you’ve had your coffee. |
| Ready? | Ready? |