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| Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Dan Andrews to hold press conference on Covid-19 cases | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Victoria’s health system in crisis as NSW records six new cases linked to Thai Rock restaurant and Queensland says it’s prepared to ‘slam the border shut’. Follow latest updates | |
| Morrison has announced a new set of members for a revamped National Covid-19 Coordination Commission, which will still be helmed by the former Fortescue Metals executive Nev Power. | |
| The commission was established on 25 May to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on business and manage procurement and supply issues during the first round of shutdowns. | |
| Today, Morrison said, he has re-established the commission as “an advisory board to myself as prime minister to work across the full spectrum of our Jobmaker plan”. | |
| Greg Combet and Catherine Tanna, the managing director of Energy Australia, have stood down as part of the new commission. | |
| Former Bendigo Bank boss Mike Hearst, former Transurban CFO Samantha Hogg, agriculture and rural Australia expert Su McCluskey, Rolld restaurant chain founder Bao Hoang, former AWU national secretary Paul Howes, and Indigenous business expert Laura Berry are joining the commission. | |
| Morrison said people in aged care who test positive to Covid-19 are being moved into hospital. It sounds, from what he just said, that everyone is being moved, but the federal aged care minister Richard Colbeck said earlier this morning that those moves were only happening on a case-by-case basis. | |
| On PPE, Morrison said the federal government has put 1.5m masks into aged care facilities, but says that the responsibility for putting PPE in aged care is shared between the federal and state governments. | |
| Morrison said the outbreak in aged care in Melbourne, which by Sunday had grown to 560 cases across 71 residential and non-residential aged care facilities, was a reminder that when community transmission increases, people living in aged care are at risk. | |
| The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is speaking in Sydney about the joint coordination centre for the aged care response, which is being stood up today. | |
| The federal opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, told 2SM radio this morning that Labor has some questions about the impact of the changes to the jobkeeper program, announced last week. | |
| He said he was concerned that the brief window between outbreaks in Melbourne, and the window with lower restrictions in Sydney, would mean that some businesses would fail the income test because they had one month of stronger revenue. | |
| The organisers of tomorrow’s Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney say they are still trying to “negotiate an alternative plan of gathering in the Domain” to allow the protest to go ahead. | |
| The supreme court yesterday ruled in favour of a police application to prohibit the protest from going ahead. | |
| In a Facebook post, organisers of the rally told supporters: | |
| Victorian premier Daniel Andrews will give a press conference at 11am. | Victorian premier Daniel Andrews will give a press conference at 11am. |
| The defence minister, Linda Reynolds, and foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, are travelling to the United States to attend the 2020 Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (Ausmin), which are scheduled to take place in Washington on Tuesday. | The defence minister, Linda Reynolds, and foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, are travelling to the United States to attend the 2020 Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (Ausmin), which are scheduled to take place in Washington on Tuesday. |
| It is, as a few people have commented, an indication of the seriousness of the issues under discussion that the ministers are travelling to the US at this time to hold the meetings in person, rather than conducting them remotely. | It is, as a few people have commented, an indication of the seriousness of the issues under discussion that the ministers are travelling to the US at this time to hold the meetings in person, rather than conducting them remotely. |
| In a joint statement, Reynolds and Payne said: | In a joint statement, Reynolds and Payne said: |
| They said the visit would be conducted with strict adherence to coronavirus safety protocols, and they and their teams will quarantine for 14 days upon return to Australia. | They said the visit would be conducted with strict adherence to coronavirus safety protocols, and they and their teams will quarantine for 14 days upon return to Australia. |
| The Australian Council of Attorneys-General will meet today and discuss the campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility. | The Australian Council of Attorneys-General will meet today and discuss the campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility. |
| Children as young as 10 can be charged with a crime and jailed in Australia, while the global median age is 14. A campaign to raise the age, led by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (Natsils) has been gathering steam for several weeks. | Children as young as 10 can be charged with a crime and jailed in Australia, while the global median age is 14. A campaign to raise the age, led by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (Natsils) has been gathering steam for several weeks. |
| A survey conducted by the Australia Institute earlier this month as part of joint research with the Change the Record coalition found that 73% of the 1,012 people polled think the age of criminal responsibility is already higher than 10 years old, with 51% believing it is 14 or older. Only 7% of respondents knew that children in Australia could be charged with a crime from the age of 10. | A survey conducted by the Australia Institute earlier this month as part of joint research with the Change the Record coalition found that 73% of the 1,012 people polled think the age of criminal responsibility is already higher than 10 years old, with 51% believing it is 14 or older. Only 7% of respondents knew that children in Australia could be charged with a crime from the age of 10. |
| Fifty-one percent of respondents said they supported raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years old. Only 26% of respondents opposed such a change. | Fifty-one percent of respondents said they supported raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years old. Only 26% of respondents opposed such a change. |
| Prime minister Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 10.30am. | Prime minister Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 10.30am. |
| Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has told reporters this morning that she is prepared to “slam the border shut” to protect Queensland from the growing community transmission of Covid-19 in NSW and Victoria. | Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has told reporters this morning that she is prepared to “slam the border shut” to protect Queensland from the growing community transmission of Covid-19 in NSW and Victoria. |
| There are already restrictions in place for travellers from Victoria and three Sydney local government areas. | There are already restrictions in place for travellers from Victoria and three Sydney local government areas. |
| More from AAP: | More from AAP: |
| The deputy national chief medical officer, Dr Nick Coatsworth, told Channel Nine’s Today show this morning that the virus was “deeply embedded within the community in Victoria” and would take some time to control. | The deputy national chief medical officer, Dr Nick Coatsworth, told Channel Nine’s Today show this morning that the virus was “deeply embedded within the community in Victoria” and would take some time to control. |
| These quotes are via AAP. Coatsworth said: | These quotes are via AAP. Coatsworth said: |
| A reminder from the Victorian health minister: | A reminder from the Victorian health minister: |
| I’ll let you know, as soon as I know, when we can expect the Victorian press conference today. Hopefully the numbers will continue to stabilise. | I’ll let you know, as soon as I know, when we can expect the Victorian press conference today. Hopefully the numbers will continue to stabilise. |
| A bit of international context, to remind us here in Melbourne that it could be worse: Florida recorded 12,199 new cases yesterday, and that’s only that state’s sixth-biggest one-day jump. | A bit of international context, to remind us here in Melbourne that it could be worse: Florida recorded 12,199 new cases yesterday, and that’s only that state’s sixth-biggest one-day jump. |
| You can follow our rolling global coverage here. | You can follow our rolling global coverage here. |
| Still on the aged care outbreaks, there is a push from within the sector to move residents who test positive to Covid-19 to hospital as a matter of course, rather than on a case-by-case basis. | Still on the aged care outbreaks, there is a push from within the sector to move residents who test positive to Covid-19 to hospital as a matter of course, rather than on a case-by-case basis. |
| Patricia Sparrow, the chief executive of Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), an industry body representing aged care facilities, has been calling for this for a few weeks now. ACSA represents about 50 aged care facilities in Victoria that have been linked to at least one positive case, but Sparrow said they have had no fatalities among residents at those facilities at this stage. | Patricia Sparrow, the chief executive of Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), an industry body representing aged care facilities, has been calling for this for a few weeks now. ACSA represents about 50 aged care facilities in Victoria that have been linked to at least one positive case, but Sparrow said they have had no fatalities among residents at those facilities at this stage. |
| She said they are “absolutely looking for state governments to change that policy”. | She said they are “absolutely looking for state governments to change that policy”. |
| She said a sub-acute hospital facility, as suggested by the Australian Medical Association, could be one solution to ensure people who test positive are moved out of residential aged care facilities immediately. | She said a sub-acute hospital facility, as suggested by the Australian Medical Association, could be one solution to ensure people who test positive are moved out of residential aged care facilities immediately. |
| Sparrow repeated claims that some aged care providers have tried to take residents with Covid-19 to hospital and been turned back. | Sparrow repeated claims that some aged care providers have tried to take residents with Covid-19 to hospital and been turned back. |
| Sparrow said aged care facilities are facing staffing difficulties because at least 250 staff have tested positive to Covid-19, and many more are in self-isolation as a close contact. | Sparrow said aged care facilities are facing staffing difficulties because at least 250 staff have tested positive to Covid-19, and many more are in self-isolation as a close contact. |
| Up to 30% of aged care staff also work across multiple facilities, but have now been told, as part of efforts to control the spread, that they must be restricted to just one facility. | Up to 30% of aged care staff also work across multiple facilities, but have now been told, as part of efforts to control the spread, that they must be restricted to just one facility. |
| Labor aged care spokeswoman Julie Collins said the establishment of an aged care response centre in Melbourne is welcome but “sadly too late for some residents, staff and families already impacted”. | Labor aged care spokeswoman Julie Collins said the establishment of an aged care response centre in Melbourne is welcome but “sadly too late for some residents, staff and families already impacted”. |
| In a statement, Collins said: | In a statement, Collins said: |
| She accused the federal government of failing to audit stocks of PPE in nursing homes, prior to the second wave outbreak in Melbourne. | She accused the federal government of failing to audit stocks of PPE in nursing homes, prior to the second wave outbreak in Melbourne. |
| The federal aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, told the ABC earlier this morning that there was “no shortage of PPE” in the aged care sector. We have heard differently from some aged care workers this morning, who emailed us on the back of that comment. | The federal aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, told the ABC earlier this morning that there was “no shortage of PPE” in the aged care sector. We have heard differently from some aged care workers this morning, who emailed us on the back of that comment. |
| If you work in aged care in Victoria and also have a view on the availability of PPE, you can reach me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com | If you work in aged care in Victoria and also have a view on the availability of PPE, you can reach me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com |