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.
Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews to announce new Covid cases in press conference – latest news
Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews reports 450 new Covid cases and 11 deaths in press conference – latest news
(30 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
Victorian chief medical officer, Professor Brett Sutton is back from leave, and presumably, at peace with Nickelback.
James Merlino continues, with some of the mental health help available to students:
Education minister James Merlino has an update for Victorian certificate of education students:
The Australian Defence Force will be doorknocking people who should be isolating at home after being told they are a close contact of a confirmed case.
Daniel Andrews says all confirmed cases of Covid-19 are being doorknocked, and it will move to the close contacts. Of the 1,150 people doorknocked so far, 1,000 were home. The other 150 people have been referred to Victorian police. You can no longer leave your home to exercise if you are meant to be self-isolating.
Andrews says:
Daniel Andrews:
Daniel Andrews:
Daniel Andrews is at the podium, giving the official announcement for Victoria.
As previously reported, there have been 451 people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. That is 20 less than yesterday.
Eleven people have died in the past day – a woman in her 50s, two men in their 70s, six people in their 80s and two women in their 90s.
Seven of those 11 deaths are connected to aged care.
Police have issued 196 fines in the past 24 hours for breaching Covid restrictions – 51 of those were for not wearing a mask and 43 people were for breaching the curfew (which will never not be strange to write).
The ACT has reported no new cases in the last 24 hours.
We haven’t heard when we will hear from Daniel Andrews today (as in when he will step up to the microphone – the press conference is being set up). But that doesn’t necessarily mean bad news – the national cabinet meeting is on, which has delayed things.
We haven’t heard when we will hear from Daniel Andrews today (as in when he will step up to the microphone – the press conference is being set up). But that doesn’t necessarily mean bad news – the national cabinet meeting is on, which has delayed things.
The RBA is still very against negative interest rates. So 0.25% (what the RBA has determined is Australia’s floor) will remain with us for some time.
The RBA is still very against negative interest rates. So 0.25% (what the RBA has determined is Australia’s floor) will remain with us for some time.
The latest Reserve Bank of Australia analysis is out. As expected, we all need to brace for the long haul.
The latest Reserve Bank of Australia analysis is out. As expected, we all need to brace for the long haul.
The commonwealth and Western Australia are having a hell of a time “unscrambling the egg” of the fact Christian Porter intervened in Clive Palmer’s case against the WA border ban but now wants its submissions and evidence ignored.
Joshua Thomson, the WA solicitor general, complained that it was “most unusual” of Porter and the commonwealth to have gone “into battle, then seek to withdraw from the field of battle” because they have left behind a “mixed-up train of evidence”.
Although the commonwealth has now told the court it “no longer presses” its submissions and evidence, Thomson said that didn’t remove the evidence, or the prejudice to WA, so a new trial was needed.
Justice Rangiah agreed there was no “real doubt” that WA had been “disadvantaged by the conduct of the commonwealth” because WA had faced “at least” two expert witnesses that it otherwise “wouldn’t have had to deal with”. But he questioned what purpose a fresh trial would serve, if Palmer simply called the same experts.
The solicitor general, Stephen Donaghue, submitted that the commonwealth had already withdrawn from the case (at WA’s request) so it couldn’t make further submissions on what happens now.
Rangiah noted the commonwealth’s withdrawal was announced in the media on 2 August – which he said was “extremely discourteous” because it should have asked for the matter to be listed and told the court first. Donaghue apologised, but explained it had tried to write to the judge but another party objected.
We’re now hearing from Palmer’s counsel, Peter Dunning, who is arguing that although the commonwealth may no longer “press” its evidence and submissions, that does not mean they should be ignored in “any way, shape or form”.
Australia’s controversial encryption laws have allowed the Australian federal police to investigate and shut down malware software that was allegedly used by Australians subject to domestic violence orders, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.
The parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security is reviewing the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018.
This legislation increases penalties for criminal suspects who refuse to unlock devices such as phones and creates a new framework for law enforcement agencies to request or compel technical assistance from tech companies, even to create new capabilities such as backdoors to get around the encryption in some of their products.
The AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, said the Australian Federal Police had so far issued eight technical assistance requests to communications providers and had obtained 23 computer access warrants. He said these included drug trafficking, cyber crime, terrorism and corruption investigations.
Kershaw told the committee that the TOLA powers had been “critical” in enabling its investigations into malware allegedly developed by an Australian national. He said this malware allowed cyber criminals to remotely and secretly gain control over a victim’s computer or other device and view files, log keystrokes and activate their webcam.
Kershaw said there were a number of technical challenges in investigating this, including the encryption of data between the malware user and the victim, and the use of cryptocurrency to conceal payments. Without the TOLA powers, the AFP would not have been able to capture relevant data and evidence, he said.
NSW Health is reporting 11 new Covid-19 cases have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours.
ACTU boss Sally McManus has responded to the government’s announcement it is expanding jobkeeper. She says it doesn’t go far enough:
That is 20 less than yesterday. Not fantastic, but I think we’ll take anything that isn’t a massive increase at this point.
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”