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| Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records 278 Covid cases and eight deaths as anxiety grows over NSW mystery cases | Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records 278 Covid cases and eight deaths as anxiety grows over NSW mystery cases |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| NSW authorities are concerned about a number of Covid-19 cases in the past six weeks where the source was unknown. Follow live | NSW authorities are concerned about a number of Covid-19 cases in the past six weeks where the source was unknown. Follow live |
| The Nationals MP and minister for regional education, Andrew Gee, is just one of the people against the changes to university loan funding Dan Tehan has put forward. | |
| Here was Tehan talking about why the changes were necessary, on ABC radio: | |
| Tehan: Well, research has shown that nearly six per cent of university students fail every subject in their first year. What this is designed to do is to make sure that universities and students understand that they need to work together to make sure that the student is suitable for the course that they’re undertaking, and, then, to make sure that throughout their course, that they get the guidance, support and help that they need to complete their studies. | |
| Q: I’m just thinking, Minister, about the cuts universities have had to make during this pandemic, and staff numbers, of course, being well down. How will they ensure that this new legislation, put forward by the Federal Government, will actually be enacted the way you want it to be? | |
| Tehan: Well, we’re obviously working with the sector. We’re putting in place reforms which puts the focus back on making sure that we’re looking after our domestic students, and we’re preparing our domestic students for the challenges that they’re going to face as we come out of this COVID-19 pandemic. And, I think, that the way our universities go about educating young Australians, they’re up to the challenge to making sure that we’re getting students enrolled in the right courses, and that they can complete those courses. | |
| Q: So, how will they do that, Minister? What exactly will universities need to do to make sure students are academically suitable, and, also, engaged with the course they propose to do? | |
| Tehan: So ,when a student, for instance, say, is struggling, and might fail a couple of units, they can talk to that student, talk to them about whether the choice they’ve made about the degree that they want to undertake is the right one for them. They could suggest to them that, maybe, there is another more suitable degree that they might want to look at, if they’re struggling with the one they’re undertaking. This is just a common-sense approach that we want both universities and students to take to make sure that we’ve got students in the right degrees, and that universities are working with students to help them complete those degrees. | |
| Chris Bowen has backed in calls by doctor groups to extend the subsidised tele-health program: | |
| It’s been found correct, because it is | |
| Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to Dan Tehan’s announcement that failing students may face having their university loan access cut (this is after announcing that those loans for arts degrees will increase, and all during a pandemic): | |
| Today’s inquiry into the Victorian government’s response to the pandemic has started off with a little spice, in fact, 90 seconds in and the word “pathetic” has already been thrown around. | |
| Liberal MP Richard Riordan has suggested committee chair Labor’s Lizzie Blandthorn failed to disclose a conflict of interest during yesterday’s hearing. Her husband is the chief of staff for jobs, precincts and regions minister Martin Pakula. | |
| Riordan: | |
| This was a situation that should have been made known to all members of the committee before we started, particularly considering what turned out to be a most interventionist approach to our questioning of the minister yesterday, as noticed by members of the opposition. | |
| Labor MP Tim Richardson interjected saying this was “pathetic”: “This isn’t the 1950s mate. Women can think for themselves.” | |
| Blandthorn said she did not agree there was a conflict of interest. | |
| Blandthorn: | |
| “His chief of staff is my husband … I don’t actually believe that there is any conflict of interest, in and of itself, in who a female or male may actually be married to and this suggestion is actually quite offensive.” | |
| Anthony Albanese finishes on this point: | Anthony Albanese finishes on this point: |
| The Labor leader is focusing on aged care after another day of awful revelations in the royal commission yesterday. He wants Scott Morrison to take responsibility: | |
| Queensland has a trial under way where pharmacies are established as Covid testing sites. | |
| It is aimed at increasing the state’s testing capability, but the Royal Australian College of GPs has some reservations: | |
| RACGP Queensland’s chair Dr Bruce Willett said: | |
| Telstra says it will put on hold until February plans to cut jobs because “many are doing it tough at the moment” due to the coronavirus crisis. | Telstra says it will put on hold until February plans to cut jobs because “many are doing it tough at the moment” due to the coronavirus crisis. |
| The telco planned to slash 8,000 jobs under a plan announced in 2018 but in March, as Covid-19 gripped the community, it paused the axe at the 6,900 mark. | The telco planned to slash 8,000 jobs under a plan announced in 2018 but in March, as Covid-19 gripped the community, it paused the axe at the 6,900 mark. |
| Today Telstra said some people would still lose their jobs as their contracts came to an end or work on the NBN rollout finished. | Today Telstra said some people would still lose their jobs as their contracts came to an end or work on the NBN rollout finished. |
| “However, for the majority of our teams this will continue to give them some certainty at least until the new year,” the company told the ASX. | “However, for the majority of our teams this will continue to give them some certainty at least until the new year,” the company told the ASX. |
| The company reported a full-year profit of $1.8bn, down 14.4%. | The company reported a full-year profit of $1.8bn, down 14.4%. |
| Dressing this up as “putting students first” is some huge Orwellian energy. | Dressing this up as “putting students first” is some huge Orwellian energy. |
| Dan Tehan: | Dan Tehan: |
| Putting students’ interests first | Putting students’ interests first |
| The Morrison Government is taking action to protect students and taxpayers from the accumulation of large HELP debts that do not provide benefits to the student and are unlikely to be repaid. | The Morrison Government is taking action to protect students and taxpayers from the accumulation of large HELP debts that do not provide benefits to the student and are unlikely to be repaid. |
| The Job-ready Graduates legislation contains measures to strengthen and extend student protection and provider integrity by: | The Job-ready Graduates legislation contains measures to strengthen and extend student protection and provider integrity by: |
| Requiring that universities ensure that all students are academically suitable for their course of enrolment, and that students are engaged with the course and maintaining a reasonable completion rate. | Requiring that universities ensure that all students are academically suitable for their course of enrolment, and that students are engaged with the course and maintaining a reasonable completion rate. |
| Ensuring that a student’s HECS-HELP debts can be forgiven if their progress has been affected by special circumstances. | Ensuring that a student’s HECS-HELP debts can be forgiven if their progress has been affected by special circumstances. |
| Students with low completion or progression rates will no longer be able to access a Commonwealth supported place, HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. A low completion rate would be a student who has failed more than 50 per cent of eight or more units in a Bachelor course. | Students with low completion or progression rates will no longer be able to access a Commonwealth supported place, HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. A low completion rate would be a student who has failed more than 50 per cent of eight or more units in a Bachelor course. |
| If a student can demonstrate circumstances have adversely affected their academic performance – for example, illness or bereavement – their education provider can allow for consideration of these impacts. If a student transfers to another course the low completion rate will not be carried with them. | If a student can demonstrate circumstances have adversely affected their academic performance – for example, illness or bereavement – their education provider can allow for consideration of these impacts. If a student transfers to another course the low completion rate will not be carried with them. |
| That these changes are being floated (along with legislating freedom of speech at universities) during a pandemic, when education of senior students and those embarking on study for the first time has already been disrupted tells its own story. | That these changes are being floated (along with legislating freedom of speech at universities) during a pandemic, when education of senior students and those embarking on study for the first time has already been disrupted tells its own story. |
| The official announcement is here. | The official announcement is here. |
| The number of cases has come down from the 410 we saw yesterday (and the high 300s we had seen before) which is excellent news. | The number of cases has come down from the 410 we saw yesterday (and the high 300s we had seen before) which is excellent news. |
| There were eight deaths. Which is still a tragedy. | There were eight deaths. Which is still a tragedy. |
| New Zealand has recorded another Covid case, shutting down a school. | New Zealand has recorded another Covid case, shutting down a school. |
| A Mount Albert grammar school student has tested positive. They were a close contact of the family who have tested positive with no known source. That came after more than 100 days with no cases. | A Mount Albert grammar school student has tested positive. They were a close contact of the family who have tested positive with no known source. That came after more than 100 days with no cases. |
| Genome-sequencing of the family’s virus is being done to see if it links back to any of the known cases in quarantine. | Genome-sequencing of the family’s virus is being done to see if it links back to any of the known cases in quarantine. |
| It’s not all doom and gloom, thankfully. | It’s not all doom and gloom, thankfully. |
| It was rolled out really quickly but it’s been a massive help for a lot of people. Now the AMA wants Medicare-subsidised telehealth sessions to continue. As AAP reports: | It was rolled out really quickly but it’s been a massive help for a lot of people. Now the AMA wants Medicare-subsidised telehealth sessions to continue. As AAP reports: |
| Australia’s peak medical group has urged the federal government to extend Medicare-subsidised telehealth services until March as the coronavirus pandemic continues. | Australia’s peak medical group has urged the federal government to extend Medicare-subsidised telehealth services until March as the coronavirus pandemic continues. |
| The service is due to end September 30, but the government has said it will consider an extension upon the advice of a panel of chief medical officers. | The service is due to end September 30, but the government has said it will consider an extension upon the advice of a panel of chief medical officers. |
| Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says that’s the way to go because the September deadline was decided when there was optimism the nation would be over the worst of coronavirus by then. | Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says that’s the way to go because the September deadline was decided when there was optimism the nation would be over the worst of coronavirus by then. |
| “We now know that the virus will be with us well past the end of September,” Dr Khorshid said. | “We now know that the virus will be with us well past the end of September,” Dr Khorshid said. |
| “Victoria is in the midst of a second wave of infections and NSW is increasingly struggling in its daily battle to reduce its daily infection numbers. Most other states have also seen new infections, albeit at very low levels. | “Victoria is in the midst of a second wave of infections and NSW is increasingly struggling in its daily battle to reduce its daily infection numbers. Most other states have also seen new infections, albeit at very low levels. |
| “Telehealth remains fundamental to our national efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, and ending the temporary Medicare arrangements in September would be premature.” | “Telehealth remains fundamental to our national efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, and ending the temporary Medicare arrangements in September would be premature.” |
| Dr Khorshid says the scheme is vital to ensure Australians who are self-isolating can still access medical care. | Dr Khorshid says the scheme is vital to ensure Australians who are self-isolating can still access medical care. |
| The AMA said a March 2012 end date would align with the cessation of the government’s wage subsidy program. | The AMA said a March 2012 end date would align with the cessation of the government’s wage subsidy program. |
| Behind each of those daily death reports is a whole life. | Behind each of those daily death reports is a whole life. |