This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/aug/07/coronavirus-australia-live-update-jobkeeper-victoria-downturn-nsw-qld-daniel-andrews-scott-morrison-economy-latest-news
The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Coronavirus Australia live update: jobkeeper overhaul announced as Victoria's Covid-19 downturn hits – latest news | Coronavirus Australia live update: jobkeeper overhaul announced as Victoria's Covid-19 downturn hits – latest news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Coalition U-turns on tougher eligibility rules as economic impact of Victoria’s stage-four restrictions takes effect. Follow live | Coalition U-turns on tougher eligibility rules as economic impact of Victoria’s stage-four restrictions takes effect. Follow live |
| The unofficial Victorian case numbers ahead of the offical case numbers are out - 451 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours. | |
| From Saturday, Queensland will bar NSW and ACT residents from the state. | |
| Dr Jeanette Young says she hopes to be able to lift that restriction soon. It is to be reviewed at the end of the month. | |
| So far, at the refugee protests I have seen, while in Brisbane, people were obeying social distance restrictions. | |
| There has been a running protest at Kangaroo Point, where refugees and asylum seekers are being held in a motel, and every time I drove past it, people were spaced apart and wearing masks. | |
| Given federal Labor MPs attended Black Lives Matter protests (also respecting social distancing restrictions) I am not sure these warnings are going to land as the Queensland Labor government wants. | |
| Queensland’s chief medical officer, Dr Jeanette Young repeats that warning: | |
| Queensland’s deputy premier, Steven Miles, says people planning to protest refugee conditions in Brisbane this weekend should not “think for a moment that they are part of one of the world’s great protest movements” | |
| Miles: | |
| The woman in Queensland who tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, with no known infection source, has been confirmed as a false positive. | |
| Queensland has 11 active cases. | |
| More than 16,000 Queenslanders were tested yesterday- there were no positive cases. | |
| I am sorry to announce Australia – your weekends are officially over. | |
| Electric cars are getting electric chargers. | |
| From Angus Taylor: | |
| Labor Victorian senator Raff Ciccone has been appointed to the ALP National Executive – replacing Adem Somyurek. | |
| Doesn’t that all seem a lifetime ago. | Doesn’t that all seem a lifetime ago. |
| The Victorian parliament has published a research paper on emergency powers – how they are deployed, and who is responsible for them. | The Victorian parliament has published a research paper on emergency powers – how they are deployed, and who is responsible for them. |
| You can find that here. | You can find that here. |
| Hello, Amy Remeikis is back with you - thank you to Christopher Knaus for keeping an eye on the blog while I annoyed Mike Bowers with something. | Hello, Amy Remeikis is back with you - thank you to Christopher Knaus for keeping an eye on the blog while I annoyed Mike Bowers with something. |
| In the meantime, News Corp has reported its fourth-quarter figures, saying: | In the meantime, News Corp has reported its fourth-quarter figures, saying: |
| Beginning with the fourth quarter, the company is presenting Dow Jones as a separate reportable segment, which better highlights its growth and value; Dow Jones Segment EBITDA grew 13% in the fourth quarter | Beginning with the fourth quarter, the company is presenting Dow Jones as a separate reportable segment, which better highlights its growth and value; Dow Jones Segment EBITDA grew 13% in the fourth quarter |
| Revenues were $1.92 billion, a 22% decline compared to $2.47 billion in the prior year, primarily driven by the negative impacts related to COVID-19 and the sale of News America Marketing | Revenues were $1.92 billion, a 22% decline compared to $2.47 billion in the prior year, primarily driven by the negative impacts related to COVID-19 and the sale of News America Marketing |
| Net loss of $(401) million, which includes non-cash impairment charges of $292 million and higher restructuring costs due to Covid-19, compared to $(42) million in the prior year | Net loss of $(401) million, which includes non-cash impairment charges of $292 million and higher restructuring costs due to Covid-19, compared to $(42) million in the prior year |
| Just a reminder, right now we’re meant to be in the middle of a sitting fortnight. The sittings were called off due to concerns over travel. | Just a reminder, right now we’re meant to be in the middle of a sitting fortnight. The sittings were called off due to concerns over travel. |
| Parliament is now not scheduled to sit until 24 August, though politicians will face pretty strict quarantine requirements. Some politicians, including Josh Frydenberg, are attempting to arrive in Canberra as early as this weekend to being their quarantine period ahead of the sitting. | Parliament is now not scheduled to sit until 24 August, though politicians will face pretty strict quarantine requirements. Some politicians, including Josh Frydenberg, are attempting to arrive in Canberra as early as this weekend to being their quarantine period ahead of the sitting. |
| Similar difficulties have emerged in other developed nations. In the United Kingdom, parliament trialled using video conferencing to sustain some form of ongoing parliamentary sittings. | Similar difficulties have emerged in other developed nations. In the United Kingdom, parliament trialled using video conferencing to sustain some form of ongoing parliamentary sittings. |
| It’s Christopher Knaus here, taking over briefly to continue our live coverage of Covid-19 developments. Amy Remeikis will be back with us shortly. | It’s Christopher Knaus here, taking over briefly to continue our live coverage of Covid-19 developments. Amy Remeikis will be back with us shortly. |
| The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive, James Pearson, has welcomed changes to jobkeeper, saying there is “no doubt” they will save jobs. | The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive, James Pearson, has welcomed changes to jobkeeper, saying there is “no doubt” they will save jobs. |
| Pearson takes credit for his members identifying the changes that needed to be made but warns they will continue to push for more support. | Pearson takes credit for his members identifying the changes that needed to be made but warns they will continue to push for more support. |
| He said: | He said: |
| Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has rounded out his run of morning interviews with a press conference, explaining changes to eligibility for the jobkeeper wage subsidy but playing down any prospect the government could abandon plans to lower the rate from $1,500 a fortnight to $1,200 after the end of September. | Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has rounded out his run of morning interviews with a press conference, explaining changes to eligibility for the jobkeeper wage subsidy but playing down any prospect the government could abandon plans to lower the rate from $1,500 a fortnight to $1,200 after the end of September. |
| He said: | He said: |
| “We always envisaged this program will remain national, which it does, and it will step down and transition over time. After September the payment is reduced to $1,200, but it remains at 80% of the minimum wage, so it’s still a very significant payment and economic lifeline. We’ll have 4 million Australian workers through the September quarter, of which there will be 1.5 million Victorians, or almost half the private-sector workforce.” | “We always envisaged this program will remain national, which it does, and it will step down and transition over time. After September the payment is reduced to $1,200, but it remains at 80% of the minimum wage, so it’s still a very significant payment and economic lifeline. We’ll have 4 million Australian workers through the September quarter, of which there will be 1.5 million Victorians, or almost half the private-sector workforce.” |
| Frydenberg said the jobkeeper program is demand driven – so even without changing the rules further there will be “much greater demand out of Victoria”, with Victorians set to make up more than 50% of all recipients in the December and March quarter. | Frydenberg said the jobkeeper program is demand driven – so even without changing the rules further there will be “much greater demand out of Victoria”, with Victorians set to make up more than 50% of all recipients in the December and March quarter. |
| He said other programs also provide specific support for Victoria – such as pandemic leave disaster payments and childcare measures. | He said other programs also provide specific support for Victoria – such as pandemic leave disaster payments and childcare measures. |