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Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria reports 149 new Covid cases and 24 deaths – latest news Australia coronavirus live update: Victoria reports 149 new Covid cases and 24 deaths – latest news
(32 minutes later)
Health minister says most of the deaths were linked to aged care. Follow all the latest news and updates, liveHealth minister says most of the deaths were linked to aged care. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
This is quite the way to write $903,000 Also announced this morning - Tasmanians are now eligible for paid pandemic leave:
It seems from another lifetime ago - but the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security report into press freedom in Australia is due to be tabled in the House today.
Labor’s Canberra MP Alicia Payne will be on maternity leave from next week – we wish her all the best.
It will probably also be the last parliament sitting this year for Labor’s Lilley MP Anika Wells – Wells is pregnant with twins, and anyone familiar with multiple births knows there tends to be an accelerated timeline, so it is doubtful airlines will allow her to fly from Queensland for the October sitting.
All of the sleep and happiness to both MPs and their families.
Anthony Albanese followed up his 7.30 interview yesterday with an appointment with breakfast television on the Seven network this morning.
As you would expect he spoke about aged care:
Q: It is a bit confusing for average Australians though because you’ve got Health Department involved in aged care as well and making decisions. Also state governments too. Isn’t it a shared blame?
Albanese:
Q: The prime minister is also saying 97% of aged care facilities have had no infections at all. Is that a fair point?
Albanese:
Another vaccine announcement - this time, committing to help Australia’s neighbours for when there is a vaccine:
Anthony Albanese was on Sydney radio 2SM this morning once again calling for Richard Colbeck to be sacked.
He also mentioned this, which goes to some of the wider issues in aged care, even before the pandemic, which are still to be addressed. Even though we know about them. And have, for some time.
Albanese: Last Thursday, Susan Templeman, who’s our fantastic local member servicing the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury, invited me Richmond to sit down with families of aged care residents. And the stories I heard were quite shocking. One spoke about how she asked what her mum was being fed, the menu. Now, Monday was sausage rolls for dinner. Tuesday was party pies. Wednesday was a croissant.
Q: A croissant for dinner?
Albanese:
This is quite the way to write $903,000.
Victoria Health has now released those official figuresVictoria Health has now released those official figures
AAP has some vaccine update news - this time on the UQ research: AAP has some vaccine update news – this time on the Univeristy of Queensland research:
Early testing of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being worked on by the University of Queensland has resulted in “positive indications” about its possible effectiveness in humans. Early testing of a potential Covid-19 vaccine being worked on by the University of Queensland has resulted in “positive indications” about its possible effectiveness in humans.
The findings from the pre-clinical trials conducted on hamsters have been reported to the International Society for Vaccines by project co-leader and UQ Associate Professor Keith Chappell.The findings from the pre-clinical trials conducted on hamsters have been reported to the International Society for Vaccines by project co-leader and UQ Associate Professor Keith Chappell.
“The neutralising immune response created by our molecular clamp vaccine in animal models was better than the average level of antibodies found in patients who have recovered from COVID-19,” Prof Chappell said in a statement on Wednesday. “The neutralising immune response created by our molecular clamp vaccine in animal models was better than the average level of antibodies found in patients who have recovered from Covid-19,” Chappell said in a statement on Wednesday.
In the hamsters trial, the potential vaccine - when combined with MF59 technology developed by Seqirus, a unit of Australian biotechnology group CSL - provided protection against virus replication and reduced lung inflammation following exposure to the virus. In the hamsters trial, the potential vaccine – when combined with MF59 technology developed by Seqirus, a unit of Australian biotechnology group CSL – provided protection against virus replication and reduced lung inflammation following exposure to the virus.
“It also induces a strong T-cell response and showed strong results when it came to data relating to manufacturability,” Prof Chappell said. “It also induces a strong T-cell response and showed strong results when it came to data relating to manufacturability,” Chappell said.
Researchers say one of the biggest challenges in developing a vaccine for COVID-19 is the ability to produce enough for widespread use. Researchers say one of the biggest challenges in developing a vaccine for Covid-19 is the ability to produce enough for widespread use.
“We are working with CSL to ensure the production yield is as efficient as possible, and have every confidence they will be able to manufacture the millions of doses required to protect the Australian public,” Prof Chappell said. “We are working with CSL to ensure the production yield is as efficient as possible, and have every confidence they will be able to manufacture the millions of doses required to protect the Australian public,” Chappell said.
Queensland Innovation Minister Kate Jones said the results were a huge milestone in the development of a vaccine in the state. Queensland innovation minister Kate Jones said the results were a huge milestone in the development of a vaccine in the state.
Meanwhile, the federal government is supporting an initiative to help Pacific and Southeast Asian countries access a coronavirus vaccine. Meanwhile, the federal government is supporting an initiative to help Pacific and south-east Asian countries access a coronavirus vaccine.
The government has put $80 million towards the Gavi COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment, alongside other donors including the UK, Canada, Italy and Norway. The government has put $80m towards the Gavi Covax Facility Advance Market Commitment, alongside other donors including the UK, Canada, Italy and Norway.
“International investment in vaccine manufacturing and procurement is stronger when nations work together,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne said. “International investment in vaccine manufacturing and procurement is stronger when nations work together,” foreign affairs minister Marise Payne said.
Kristina Keneally has stopped by doors this morning - she has addressed Russell Broadbent’s comments to Murph: Kristina Keneally has stopped by doors this morning – she has addressed Russell Broadbent’s comments to Murph:
And given that the Liberals, the National’s senior partners in the Coalition tend to have a whole “free market” belief going on, how will this work if it means telling supermarkets what they can and can’t do (although we have seen a lot of eroding of that whole free market philosophy when it comes to things like energy companies lately, so you know, the precedents are there.)And given that the Liberals, the National’s senior partners in the Coalition tend to have a whole “free market” belief going on, how will this work if it means telling supermarkets what they can and can’t do (although we have seen a lot of eroding of that whole free market philosophy when it comes to things like energy companies lately, so you know, the precedents are there.)
David Littleproud:David Littleproud:
Speaking to the ABC this morning, David Littleproud said this inquiry would be different to the other inquiries:Speaking to the ABC this morning, David Littleproud said this inquiry would be different to the other inquiries:
The federal government wants the ACCC to investigate agricultural chains, from farm to the store, to see how farmers are being treated.The federal government wants the ACCC to investigate agricultural chains, from farm to the store, to see how farmers are being treated.
From David Littleproud and Josh Frydenberg:From David Littleproud and Josh Frydenberg:
Goodness. It’s almost like the Queensland election is upon us. And like National electorates in NSW and Victoria have been screaming for someone to look at this for years and there is suddenly a reason to look at it!Goodness. It’s almost like the Queensland election is upon us. And like National electorates in NSW and Victoria have been screaming for someone to look at this for years and there is suddenly a reason to look at it!
Scott Morrison responded to reports Tony Abbott (maybe) has a new job on the UK’s board of trade and (if so, maybe not, as reported by the Sun, as joint president).
We haven’t got the official announcement from Victoria Health yet, but Jenny Mikakos is speaking on ABC radio.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will hold her press conference at 9.30 today.
Scott Morrison made plenty of time to set a test for Anthony Albanese’s leadership in June, when the Victorian Labor branch stacking allegations were revealed – there were interviews and question time attacks and comments about being focussed on jobs while the Labor party was in rack and ruin.
But now that he is facing questions over the Liberals’ behaviour in Victoria, which implicates one of his own frontbenchers – Michael Sukkar, Morrison is very busy being focussed solely on the pandemic.
He has made his first public comments on the matter (he has not held a press conference until today):
This is quite the declaration of war within the Queensland Labor party – the CFMEU has announced it is immediately quitting the left faction.
That will have some serious implications for the power balance in the party:
The federal government’s aged care response during the pandemic will once again dominate parliament.
Which makes this from Murph very interesting
The Victorian Liberal Russell Broadbent has fired a broadside about aged care, describing recent events in his home state as a “disaster waiting to happen” and calling on Scott Morrison to boost investment in not-for-profit care.
Broadbent resigned from two parliamentary positions in protest against the government’s treatment of aged care in his electorate in 2017, and on Tuesday told Guardian Australia he had been attempting to sound a warning about the sector’s vulnerability for years “but I was ignored completely”.
There has been some shifts in the border rules, but there are still major issues.
Well that was a whirlwind
Scott Morrison had a very early appointment this morning as part of this announcement.
As Katharine Murphy reported:
We are at the halfway mark for the first parliamentary sitting since June and it already feels like a year has passed. Today, the government will introduce the jobkeeper extension legislation, which will pass, with Labor’s support. But any tapering of the rate doesn’t need to be done through legislation - that is easily achieved through regulation.
Josh Frydenberg said 400,000 Victorians were unemployed during yesterday’s question time – across Australia, that figure is more than a million – but the government is still to commit to extending the jobseeker Covid unemployment supplement beyond its slated December end date.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Tony Abbott has a new job
Daniel Andrews has a fight on his hands after announcing he wanted to extend Victoria’s state of emergency declaration, which is due to expire in mid-September. That is the last extension of the declaration, which allows police more powers, as well as give public health officials extraordinary powers, including restrictions on movements. The other states can extend their declarations (or in the case of NSW, just change health regulations to grant the powers it wants) but Victoria has a maximum of six months written into its legislation. It wants to extend that maximum time period a state of emergency can be declared to a year. That doesn’t mean lockdown will be extended though.
The extension legislation has become the flashpoint in tensions between the federal government and Victoria to explode. In yesterday’s question time, federal ministers, including the prime minister, lined up to criticise Victoria’s handling of the pandemic.
That is a marked break from the bipartisan ‘we are all in this together’ narrative Scott Morrison had publicly been pushing (although it’s not the first time the federal MPs had criticised Andrews, or the first time stories critical of the Victorian response had been briefed out) But keep an eye on that.
In NSW, small amounts of community transmission continue to keep authorities on their toes.
Late yesterday, NSW Health sent out this alert:
NSW Health is investigating two cases of Covid-19 who attended City Tattersalls Fitness Centre on Pitt Street. Anyone who attended this venue on August 19, 21 or 23 should be alert for symptoms, and if any develop get tested and self-isolate immediately. NSW Health is working closely with City Tattersalls Fitness Centre to directly contact close contacts.
NSW Health is also alerting people who may have been to 300 George Street Sydney on August 19, 20, 21 or 24 to be alert for symptoms, and if any develop to get tested and self-isolate immediately, after one of the cases worked here while infectious.
Queensland is also keeping an eye on community transmission as contact tracers rush to get a lid on a cluster which popped up late last week, after an employee at a youth detention centre tested positive for Covid. Genomic testing is still underway, but the strain of the newest infection is the same as one of the women who went to Melbourne and skipped out on quarantine after allegedly lying on her border declaration pass. That, as the Queensland CMO, Dr Jeannette Young, said yesterday doesn’t mean a link – that strain is the most common one in Melbourne at the moment – so more testing is under way. But Queensland thinks it might have missed a case of community transmission, which is why everyone with symptoms is being asked to get a test.
We’ll bring you all the day’s politics and Covid news as it happens. You have Amy Remeikis with you for the day. I’m about to get my third coffee for the morning, and then we’ll get into it.
Ready?