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| Coronavirus live update Australia: Victoria reports 12 deaths and 216 new Covid cases as NSW records seven cases | Coronavirus live update Australia: Victoria reports 12 deaths and 216 new Covid cases as NSW records seven cases |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Scott Morrison says vaccine will be ‘as mandatory as you can possibly make’. Follow today’s news live | Scott Morrison says vaccine will be ‘as mandatory as you can possibly make’. Follow today’s news live |
| Just in case you missed it, the statement from AstraZeneca to Pharma in Focus about today’s announcement from Scott Morrison on the vaccine makes clear that it is purely a letter of intent: | |
| The statement Chris Bowen is highlighting here comes from the industry publication Pharma in Focus: | |
| Continued from last post: | |
| But compliance has significantly improved since Andrews said more than a quarter of people with Covid-19 weren’t at home when checked. Out of nearly 30,000 checks, only 42 fines have been issued.* | |
| Nugent said most who were found not to be at home were either in the shower or out in the back shed, or had provided an incorrect address, or were out for one of the allowable reasons – medical emergency or need to escape the home. | |
| Out in the community, Nugent said police were issuing around 200 fines a day for failing to comply with the rules. | |
| The checkpoints set up on Melbourne’s main arterial roads are having another consequence, Nugent said – finding stolen cars, drugs and weapons. | |
| He said people, perhaps unaware of the checkpoints, were trying to pass through them when stopped by police. | |
| “It’s just ... what were they thinking? But as I said it was nice of them to deliver themselves to the police with all of the contraband so that we can process them.” | |
| *Remember when that figure of 800 was put out there by the premier? Well, that was the number of referrals to police. But we have landed on 42. | |
| Victoria police wanted to use drones from the Australian Defence Force to monitor places where people might be going out over the Easter long weekend, it has been revealed. | |
| Yesterday the ADF told the Senate committee on Covid-19 that the one request it had rejected from Victoria for assistance during Covid-19 was for use of drones. | |
| The premier, Daniel Andrews, said today he wasn’t aware of the request, but the Victoria police deputy commissioner, Rick Nugent, said the request came from the police over Easter. | |
| He said the request was to build the capacity Victoria police had to monitor camping grounds, beaches and other places. | |
| “We’ve got some of our own, we’re just looking for some support,” he said, adding it was “quite valuable in providing real-time information on people’s behaviour.” | |
| Nugent also revealed that when the ADF refer to Victoria police a check-up on people who should be at home due to testing positive for coronavirus or being a close contact of someone who has tested positive, Victoria police use people’s geolocation data on their mobile phones after calling them to double check they are where they say they are supposed to be. | |
| The Council on the Ageing has responded to the news the pension will not receive an indexation increase (for the first time since 1997). | |
| It wants another $750 payment. | |
| The COTA chief executive, Ian Yates, wrote to the minister for families and community services, Anne Ruston, asking for the additional support: | |
| Remember yesterday when the Australian Defence Force told the Senate committee it had rejected a request from Victoria for aerial support? | |
| This was the request: the police wanted ADF drones to spy on people from the air. | |
| So this is interesting: | So this is interesting: |
| Business and economic groups are starting to make noises about this issue – so pay attention to what happens here: | |
| There are 1,700 police in Victoria focused on whether or not people are obeying the quarantine and restriction rules. | |
| Yesterday, 154 fines were issued, mostly for people not wearing masks, or breaching curfew. | Yesterday, 154 fines were issued, mostly for people not wearing masks, or breaching curfew. |
| Food has been one of the big curfew excuses, with people heading out after 8pm to get takeaway. | |
| Chris Bowen: | Chris Bowen: |
| Chris Bowen continues: | Chris Bowen continues: |
| Chris Bowen is speaking in Sydney, with some points on what the prime minister has been saying about the vaccine ‘agreement’. | Chris Bowen is speaking in Sydney, with some points on what the prime minister has been saying about the vaccine ‘agreement’. |
| The royal commission into disability abuse is looking at the pandemic response today. | The royal commission into disability abuse is looking at the pandemic response today. |
| AAP has an update: | AAP has an update: |
| A woman with disability in Melbourne has been left without support at home for almost a month amid the city’s tough coronavirus lockdown. | A woman with disability in Melbourne has been left without support at home for almost a month amid the city’s tough coronavirus lockdown. |
| Her sister, Sheree Driver, called for greater flexibility around caring arrangements at Wednesday’s disability royal commission hearing in Sydney. | Her sister, Sheree Driver, called for greater flexibility around caring arrangements at Wednesday’s disability royal commission hearing in Sydney. |
| Driver’s sister has a psychosocial disability and complex needs and requires help with basic daily tasks. | Driver’s sister has a psychosocial disability and complex needs and requires help with basic daily tasks. |
| The carer of Driver’s sister caught Covid-19 and was placed in an induced coma, which has left her without support since 24 July. | The carer of Driver’s sister caught Covid-19 and was placed in an induced coma, which has left her without support since 24 July. |
| Driver, herself a disability worker, applied to the National Disability Insurance Agency for special permission to act as carer but it was denied. | Driver, herself a disability worker, applied to the National Disability Insurance Agency for special permission to act as carer but it was denied. |
| She was told the NDIA would not fund a family member as carer until all other options to find suitable support had been exhausted. | She was told the NDIA would not fund a family member as carer until all other options to find suitable support had been exhausted. |
| Driver said she understood why NDIA protocols prevented family members from being carers but in times of crisis everything should be considered. | Driver said she understood why NDIA protocols prevented family members from being carers but in times of crisis everything should be considered. |
| “I would focus on what the participant needs, not what is written in text,” she said. | “I would focus on what the participant needs, not what is written in text,” she said. |
| “We should look at individual circumstances, with safety and quality checks in place to avoid exploitation of the system | “We should look at individual circumstances, with safety and quality checks in place to avoid exploitation of the system |
| “There is no one closer than family. They will take the utmost measures to keep their family safe.” | “There is no one closer than family. They will take the utmost measures to keep their family safe.” |
| Driver and her sister, who lives alone, both caught coronavirus in late July but no longer have symptoms. | Driver and her sister, who lives alone, both caught coronavirus in late July but no longer have symptoms. |
| Driver said her sister was hyper-vigilant and fearful of catching the virus and dying if another worker came to help. | Driver said her sister was hyper-vigilant and fearful of catching the virus and dying if another worker came to help. |
| Her brother has been able to do grocery shopping and other tasks, while Driver is keeping in touch via video calls. | Her brother has been able to do grocery shopping and other tasks, while Driver is keeping in touch via video calls. |
| The disability royal commission is holding a four-day hearing examining the impact of coronavirus on people with a disability. | The disability royal commission is holding a four-day hearing examining the impact of coronavirus on people with a disability. |
| It has heard the federal government’s initial pandemic plan in February didn’t explicitly mention people with a disability, with a specific plan not approved until mid-April. | It has heard the federal government’s initial pandemic plan in February didn’t explicitly mention people with a disability, with a specific plan not approved until mid-April. |
| The whole survey can be found here | The whole survey can be found here |
| A new report has come out, detailing NDIS participants’ experiences so far during the pandemic. | |
| From the Every Australian Counts release: | From the Every Australian Counts release: |
| The report Left Out and Locked Down by Every Australian Counts asked more than 700 NDIS participants and their families about the impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown on their lives during the first wave of the pandemic, how they coped, and their views on changes made to the NDIS during this time. | |
| Every Australian Counts campaign director Kirsten Deane, who gave evidence at the disability royal commission today, said that people with disability and their families felt forgotten during the early weeks and months of the pandemic. | |
| There was also a high level of frustration at the slow response of the government and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) in addressing the particular needs of people with disability and their families. | There was also a high level of frustration at the slow response of the government and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) in addressing the particular needs of people with disability and their families. |
| “Life for most people with disability and their families is constant juggle at the best of times. Add a global pandemic and lockdown and many of these already precariously balanced lives were thrown into complete turmoil. | “Life for most people with disability and their families is constant juggle at the best of times. Add a global pandemic and lockdown and many of these already precariously balanced lives were thrown into complete turmoil. |
| “People understand that the pandemic is unprecedented. No one expects government and agencies to get everything right all the time. | “People understand that the pandemic is unprecedented. No one expects government and agencies to get everything right all the time. |
| “But what they really needed at such a difficult time was simple and clear communication about what was happening, more support to manage the challenges they were facing and greater flexibility in using their NDIS funding so they could get what they needed to stay safe and well. | “But what they really needed at such a difficult time was simple and clear communication about what was happening, more support to manage the challenges they were facing and greater flexibility in using their NDIS funding so they could get what they needed to stay safe and well. |
| “And what the survey results show is unfortunately this is not what many people received.” | “And what the survey results show is unfortunately this is not what many people received.” |
| Katharine Murphy has written some thoughts on Scott Morrison’s responses today in regards to aged care. | Katharine Murphy has written some thoughts on Scott Morrison’s responses today in regards to aged care. |
| My brain was broken fairly early on from that ABC interview, but Murph, as always, manages to put together the issues perfectly: | My brain was broken fairly early on from that ABC interview, but Murph, as always, manages to put together the issues perfectly: |
| You can read the rest of that, here: | You can read the rest of that, here: |
| AAP has an update on what is happening in New Zealand: | AAP has an update on what is happening in New Zealand: |
| Jacinda Ardern has doubled the defence force personnel serving at New Zealand’s border regime after days of sustained criticism of running a lax testing regime. | Jacinda Ardern has doubled the defence force personnel serving at New Zealand’s border regime after days of sustained criticism of running a lax testing regime. |
| The military involvement is being doubled to around 1,200 personnel; the country’s largest deployment since providing support for East Timor’s transition to independence two decades ago. | The military involvement is being doubled to around 1,200 personnel; the country’s largest deployment since providing support for East Timor’s transition to independence two decades ago. |
| In a much tamer mission, defence force personnel will provide support and security at hotels where international arrivals are undergoing their mandatory fortnight of isolation. | In a much tamer mission, defence force personnel will provide support and security at hotels where international arrivals are undergoing their mandatory fortnight of isolation. |
| They will replace private security. | They will replace private security. |
| Another 80 military personnel will assist customs at international ports, 70 more will assist police with traffic management, and a further 100 will help provide “electoral support” around the country’s 17 October election. | Another 80 military personnel will assist customs at international ports, 70 more will assist police with traffic management, and a further 100 will help provide “electoral support” around the country’s 17 October election. |
| The Labour leader has faced steady criticism in recent days after investigative reporting revealed regular testing at isolation facilities was not occurring. | The Labour leader has faced steady criticism in recent days after investigative reporting revealed regular testing at isolation facilities was not occurring. |
| Ardern agreed testing was “not being executed at the scale and speed necessary”. | Ardern agreed testing was “not being executed at the scale and speed necessary”. |
| “This extra support should give them extra confidence that we’re supporting the Ministry of Health to undertake what is a significant job,” she said. | “This extra support should give them extra confidence that we’re supporting the Ministry of Health to undertake what is a significant job,” she said. |
| On Wednesday, health officials announced five new community cases of Covid-19, with a sixth case identified within managed isolation. | On Wednesday, health officials announced five new community cases of Covid-19, with a sixth case identified within managed isolation. |
| Ardern called that “encouraging”. | Ardern called that “encouraging”. |
| “At this stage we are not seeing a surge in community cases. We have not seen any new cases outside of that identified Auckland cluster ... and the perimeter of the virus is not exponentially,” she said. | “At this stage we are not seeing a surge in community cases. We have not seen any new cases outside of that identified Auckland cluster ... and the perimeter of the virus is not exponentially,” she said. |
| The cluster size has now reached 75, with a majority of those to have caught Covid-19 under 40 years of age. | The cluster size has now reached 75, with a majority of those to have caught Covid-19 under 40 years of age. |
| Maori and Pasifika are also hugely overrepresented in the cluster, with 64 of the 75 cases. | Maori and Pasifika are also hugely overrepresented in the cluster, with 64 of the 75 cases. |
| Health officials have identified 18 households, two workplaces and one church as vectors for the spread of the virus. | Health officials have identified 18 households, two workplaces and one church as vectors for the spread of the virus. |
| The country’s top doctor, Ashley Bloomfield, said 1,983 close contacts had been identified, with 1,861 of them contacted for testing. | The country’s top doctor, Ashley Bloomfield, said 1,983 close contacts had been identified, with 1,861 of them contacted for testing. |