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Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria reports 149 new Covid cases and 24 deaths as NSW records six cases
Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria reports 149 new Covid cases and 24 deaths as NSW records six cases
(32 minutes later)
Premier Daniel Andrews urges more Victorians to come forward for testing and Queensland reports one new case. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
Premier Daniel Andrews urges more Victorians to come forward for testing and Queensland reports one new case. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
Good afternoon from Melbourne on day 24/42 of stage four lockdown.
The Victorian hotel quarantine inquiry has published a list of who will be appearing before the inquiry over the next two days.
Thursday’s hearing will focus on the role of the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions in establishing the program, and will hear from three public servants, including Gonul Serbest, the CEO of Global Victoria.
Serbest appeared in a promotional video in April talking up the department’s success in setting up the program, which is somewhat awkward in hindsight.
On Friday, people representing Travelodge, Crown, Four Points, Rydges and Stamford Plaza will have their say on the role of the hotels.
The hotels have been keen to distance themselves from what has happened, pointing the finger back at the Victorian government managing hotel quarantine within the hotels.
And on that note, and still reeling from Penny Wong’s attack on Richard Colbeck, I am going to hand you over to the very lovely Josh Taylor for the rest of the day.
I’ll be back tomorrow for the last sitting day of the week – there is another sitting next week, and then the MPs are out of Canberra until the budget is handed down in October.
But first, we have to get through day 790 of 2020.
Thank you so much for joining me – and remember – take care of you. Ax
Liberal MP Julian Leeser has just tabled the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security report on media freedom.
Leeser said that since the raids on the ABC and Annika Smethurst the government has improved media freedom, but the committee believes there are “other opportunities for further reform” to better balance national security and public interest journalism.
The committee has rejected media companies’ request to provide exemptions for journalists from offences of disclosing national security information – but it did suggest the government should consider defences to secrecy offences for public interest journalism.
Other recommendations included:
Public interest advocates should have a say in hearings for a warrant relating to an offence of disclosing confidential government information to journalists.
For offences where national security encroaches on press freedom, warrants should be issued by a judge of a superior court of record (rather than, say, a registrar)
Public servants should have access to robust processes to blow the whistle before approaching journalists
There should be mechanisms for journalists to coordinate with agencies that created national security protected information without the threat of prosecution
There should be an audit of whether classification of documents is applied appropriately
The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, was more absolute in declaring that no journalist should face jail or be charged for doing their job, and criticised Scott Morrison for his view before the inquiry that nothing needed to change in the balance between national security and press freedom.
Penny Wong is not asked about Richard Colbeck while speaking to Patricia Karvelas – but asks to make some comments on him as the interview ends.
This is an extraordinary comment from one senator to another, even if they are on opposing sides.
We have heard several Labor MPs (and Greens MPs) call for Colbeck to be sacked as aged care minister – but that went beyond that.
Wong is asked to elaborate and says:
It sounds like the press freedom report is being tabled in the parliament.
Paul Karp is listening to that for you.
It will be available here, when it is tabled.
Penny Wong is now talking to Patricia Karvelas – she is asked about what Wang Xining said about the lack of consultation with the CCP:
Josh has an update on the CovidSafe app:
Josh has an update on the CovidSafe app:
Dave Sharma, a former ambassador, is being asked about the Wang Xining’s comments today, about the call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus and the original response being “hurtful” for the relationship.
Dave Sharma, a former ambassador, is being asked about Wang Xining’s comments today, about the call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus and the original response being “hurtful” for the relationship.
Sharma tells Patricia Karvelas:
Sharma tells Patricia Karvelas:
So many shiny happy faces in QT today.
So many shiny happy faces in QT today.
(To be fair, I look like a troll woken from hibernation too early. Day 789 of 2020 is hitting us all hard.)
(To be fair, I look like a troll woken from hibernation too early. Day 789 of 2020 is hitting us all hard.)
Prof Paul Kelly gives a very diplomatic answer to a question on the Wang Xining’s earlier claim at the press club that the coronavirus may not have originated in Wuhan:
Prof Paul Kelly gives a very diplomatic answer to a question on the Wang Xining’s earlier claim at the press club that the coronavirus may not have originated in Wuhan:
Professor Paul Kelly:
Prof Paul Kelly:
Acting chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, is giving today’s update:
Acting chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, is giving today’s update:
The parliamentary joint intelligence and security committee report into press freedom is also due to be tabled this afternoon (it was slated for after QT).
The parliamentary joint intelligence and security committee report into press freedom is also due to be tabled this afternoon (it was slated for after QT).
Home to Bilo have responded to the news Isabella and her mum Huyen have been released from immigration detention:
At the National Press Club earlier today, Wang Xining, the deputy head of mission of China’s embassy in Australia, argued that diplomatic channels between the two countries remained open, at least at the level of officials.
But he said there were “some shadows” over the relationship “so we need to make our position much more clear in order to remove the shadows”.
He played down talk of Australian ministers like Simon Birmingham and Marise Payne being unable to secure a phone call with their Chinese counterparts, saying he did not think the embassy in Canberra had received any requests for such a call – although he left open the possibility such requests may have been made via the Australian embassy in Beijing.
After the National Press Club event ended, Wang fielded a few more questions from reporters, seeking to clarify the claim that no specific requests for calls had been made:
Pressed on any such request would also be handled in a timely manner, he repeated the original formulation: “It will be done in a diplomatic manner.”
He said China hoped the Australian side would work with us to create a good atmosphere for the relationship to grow.
Victoria Health has also issued its official data:
In Victoria at the current time:
4,116 cases may indicate community transmission.
3,488 cases are currently active in Victoria.
578 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including 39 in intensive care.
14,572 people have recovered from the virus.
A total of 2,132,679 test results have been received which is an increase of 13,480 since yesterday.
Of the 3,488 current active cases in Victoria:
3,135 are in metropolitan Melbourne under stage 4 restrictions.
203 are in regional local government areas under stage 3 restrictions.
139 are either unknown or subject to further investigation.
11 are interstate residents.
Greater Geelong has 66 active cases, Bendigo has 23 active cases and Ballarat has six active cases.
Of the total cases:
17,026 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 1112 are from regional Victoria.
Total cases include 8,906 men and 9,663 women.
Total number of healthcare workers: 2,799, active cases: 434.
There are 1,487 active cases relating to aged care facilities.
Active aged care outbreaks with the highest cumulative case numbers are as follows:
211 cases have been linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping.
195 cases have been linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner.
169 cases have been linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee.
159 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer.
138 cases have been linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth.
120 cases have been linked to Cumberland Manor Aged Care Facility in Sunshine North.
118 cases have been linked to Twin Parks Aged Care in Reservoir.
113 cases have been linked to Outlook Gardens Aged Care Facility in Dandenong North.
111 cases have been linked to Japara Goonawarra Aged Care Facility in Sunbury.
109 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg.
In Victoria there are currently 50 active cases in residential disability accommodation:
Total resident cases: 13; Total Staff cases: 37.
Active cases in NDIS homes: 39 (13 residents).
Active cases in ‘transfer’ homes (state regulated/funded): 11 (0 residents).
Active cases in state government delivered and funded homes: 0.
There is a national Covid update coming up in the next few minutes.
We’ll bring you any news from that when it starts.
Over in the Senate, we’ve just heard a rather interesting development in the case of Bernard Collaery, the former ACT attorney general on trial for talking about Australia’s spying on its tiny, developing neighbour Timor-Leste during oil and gas negotiations.
Collaery is fighting the allegation that he disclosed protected intelligence information and has subpoenaed documents from a bunch of agencies and entities, including Woodside, the operator of the oil and gas fields.
The Senate has just heard that the government, through attorney general Christian Porter, intervened in the case to stop Woodside documents going to Collaery before it could have a look. It was using powers in the National Security Information Act to determine whether any of the documents needed to be kept secret.
“How is it possible that an energy company such as Woodside could be in possession of documents that could contain matters related to national security? Or is this simply the attorney further abusing the NSI Act?” Patrick asked.Responding on behalf of Porter, Marise Payne, the foreign affairs minister, said the intervention was appropriate, reasonable, and not uncommon in such cases.She said the information in the Woodside documents may have included “national security” information, which, under the act, includes material affecting international relations, including economic relations with foreign governments.“It was appropriate for the attorney-general to have an opportunity to consider whether to issue a certificate under the act, or whether any other formal application or claim ought to have been made in relation to any documents produced by Woodside,” Payne said.“The application was allowed by the court. Ultimately Mr President, I would note to the chamber and to senator Patrick, that the commonwealth did not seek any protection orders and the documents were provided to the parties.We’ll have more on this story shortly.
And question time ends.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
My question is addressed to the prime minister: Why won’t the prime minister take full responsibility for the consequences of his $1.7bn cut to aged care which made older Australians worse off before the pandemic and left residents of aged care homes more vulnerable to the deadly Covid virus?
Morrison:
Albanese interjects to ask for the question to be addressed.
Morrison continues:
Yup
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
I refer to comments of the Liberal MP for Monash, Russell Broadbent, who yesterday said he’d sounded warnings bout the aged care sector for years “but I was ignored completely”. If the prime minister won’t listen to Labor and won’t listen to his own royal commissioners, will he at least listen to his own backbench and acknowledge that his cuts of $1.7bn have contributed to the problem?
That is in relation to this story from Murph:
Morrison:
Exceptionally normal behaviour from a government MP, personally saved from a pre-selection dumping by at least two prime ministerial interventions.
