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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria reports 15 new cases and five deaths as NSW strives to boost testing Coronavirus Australia live update: Daniel Andrews holds press conference as Victoria reports 15 new Covid cases and five deaths
(30 minutes later)
Victoria’s jobs minister, Martin Pakula, and emergency services minister, Lisa Neville, likely to face questioning over the use of private security guards in hotel quarantine NSW strives to boost testing as Victoria’s jobs minister and emergency services minister likely to face questioning over the use of private security guards in hotel quarantine. Follow all the day’s news live
While my brain finishes rebooting after listening to that interview, you might also notice that Paul Fletcher also invoked the pandemic:
So apparently, fast, reliable internet coverage was not necessary before then.
Q: Did you know at all the other party involved happened to be Liberal party donors?
Paul Fletcher: Not to my recollection, no.
Q: So, you had no knowledge of who they were and their ties to the party?
Fletcher: I received a brief. The auditor general’s report makes it clear that the brief deficient in key points, and specifically the auditor general makes it clear that it did not set out what the valuation methodology was. This is all clear...
Q: Just to make it very clear, for my purposes – you had no knowledge that the people who taxpayers were buying the land off just happened to be donors to the Liberal party?
Fletcher: That certainly was not known to me.
And then, like someone trying to watch a movie on the NBN during high-traffic times, we get an exchange which appears to show the minister buffering in real time.
Q: Let’s go to something that happened in your previous portfolio, when you were in charge of the infrastructure department. I speak, of course, of this scathing auditor general’s report that showed taxpayers forked out close to $30m for a parcel of land for Sydney’s second airport. The land was only worth a 10th of that, and it turns out the money was paid to people who just happened to be Liberal party donors. That, minister, is far from a good look?
Paul Fletcher: And the auditor general’s report makes it very clear that the valuation of the land and the methodology used was not disclosed even to senior officials of the department, let alone the minister.
Q: Should it have? I’ll ask you, did it ever pass your desk?
Fletcher: Well, the auditor general’s report itself makes it very clear this information was not provided to the minister of the day ...
Q: Did you ever see any documentation regarding this planned purchase when you were minister?
Fletcher: The auditor general’s report makes it clear that there was a brief that came to the minister, which did not disclose the valuation basis. The report is rightly critical of that. It’s made recommendations about things the department should do differently, not the minister, the department. And I welcome the fact that the department has now said that it will accept those recommendations.
Q: So, you saw a brief that had the close to $30m figure on it?
Fletcher: I did not. And the auditor general’s report makes it clear. There was a brief about the purchase of this piece of land. It did not include the valuation basis, and that is what the auditor general’s report, on its face, makes clear, and the report is critical of the department for concealing information, not just from the minister but, indeed, from senior officials of the department itself.
Q: Rightio. We’re talking about a large lick of taxpayers’ money here. Should you, as minister, have been more involved in this?
Fletcher: Well, ministers have to work on the basis of the briefs provided to us by a department. The auditor general, I think, has rightly identified that the department did not do the right thing. And the information that was provided to senior officials of the department was inadequate, by less senior officials, let alone what was provided to the minister.
Now, the department has rightly accepted the recommendations of the auditor general as to how they should change their procedures in the future, and I welcome them.
Thankfully, in 2013, industry publication Computer World compiled Tony Abbott’s comments on the NBN, which includes:
and
and
Still on Paul Fletcher, the ABC host asked him:
Do you regret, though, there wasn’t a bit more foresight? I do have memories of then prime minister Tony Abbott coming into the office, dismissing fast broadband as something only gamers and people watching movies would want?
Fletcher:
Paul Fletcher is having a doozy of a morning explaining why, after arguing against it for years, the government is now switching to fibre to the premises.
It apparently, was all part of the plan for the plan. And all is going to plan.
Fletcher:
Queensland has just five active cases of Covid, after reporting no new cases today.Queensland has just five active cases of Covid, after reporting no new cases today.
It’s coming up to two weeks since the last community transmission of the virus was recorded.It’s coming up to two weeks since the last community transmission of the virus was recorded.
Australia - where it is always some version, of 2012Australia - where it is always some version, of 2012
Daniel Andrews will hold his press conference at 10amDaniel Andrews will hold his press conference at 10am
Greg Hunt also spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning, about Australia’s involvement in what is essentially, an international vaccine co-op (if, and it is still an if, one is successful)Greg Hunt also spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning, about Australia’s involvement in what is essentially, an international vaccine co-op (if, and it is still an if, one is successful)
One of South Australia’s many Stephens, the health minister, Stephen Wade, is pretty excited the SA borders will be opening again to NSW.One of South Australia’s many Stephens, the health minister, Stephen Wade, is pretty excited the SA borders will be opening again to NSW.
Here he is earlier this morning talking to the ABC abut the benefits:Here he is earlier this morning talking to the ABC abut the benefits:
In more heartbreaking news:In more heartbreaking news:
Or, as Jason Clare says:
But at least it is now being done? Ugh. Just the letters NBN give me an eye twitch.
Here is Paul Fletcher announcing the NBN funding. Which will bring NBN connections closer to people’s homes. Which is a big deal and SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Anyone who has followed the NBN creation, knows it has been, as my Oma would have said, a complete fakakta.
After years of telling us the connections were fine and we didn’t all need fibre to home – that fibre to the node (which then went to the home) was fine, well, now it turns out, it’s not.
Awesome.
There is still some time to go but that result puts Melbourne under the 30-50 rolling 14-day average set down in the roadmap as the benchmark for taking the next step on 28 September.
The next announcement about what restrictions will be eased is due on Sunday.
So what does that mean for the rolling 14-day average?
Good things.
For the last 14 days (9-22 September):
Metropolitan Melbourne
Total cases – 412
Average cases a day – 29.4
Regional Victoria
Total cases – 15
Average cases a day – 1.1
Overseas, interstate or no fixed address
Total cases – three
Average a day – 0.2
Total cases – 430
Average a day – 30.7
Rolling 14-day number of cases of unknown source of acquisition: 41
After yesterday’s figure of 28 new cases, the last 24 hours of tests have brought just 15 positive results:
The liquid assets test is back in place tomorrow, for anyone newly seeking the jobseeker payment.
As Linda Burney points out:
The test was suspended at the beginning of the pandemic but, with mutual obligations returning, the liquid asset test is back too.
The government’s own figures predict a further 400,000 people will be out of work by the end of the year.
And Daniel Hurst has the NBN announcement covered:
Paul Fletcher will be at the National Press Club later today.
Michael McGowan has an update on the conspiracy theorist who targeted the federal MP Anne Webster:
AAP has a vaccine update:
Australia is now eligilbe to buy COVID-19 vaccine doses, when they become available, through the global COVAX facility.Australia is now at the front of the queue to access coronavirus vaccines, when they become available, after joining a global pool backed by the World Health Organization.
The COVID-19 facility known as COVAX gives Australia access to a large portfolio of vaccine candidates and manufacturers across the world.
Australia has committed an initial $123.2 million to be part of the facility’s purchasing mechanism, making it eligible to receive offers to buy vaccines when they become available.
This opens up supply options in addition to Australia’s current vaccine supply agreements with Oxford University/AstraZeneca and the University of Queensland/CSL.
“Whoever finds a Covid-19 vaccine must share it,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Australia signing up to the Covax facility is an important part of our commitment to this principle.
“We’re giving Australians the best chance of accessing a safe and effective vaccine, but also our neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, and partners overseas.”
The Covax facility was established by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance as part of an international vaccine partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the WHO and other organisations.
It aims to ensure equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines by facilitating purchases, funding access for developing countries and allowing countries to trade or donate doses.
This is Australia’s second commitment to the Covax facility after it donated $80 million in August to the Covax Advance Market Commitment to provide doses to developing countries.
Eighty countries, including Australia, have joined the Covax Facility and a further 92 countries are eligible to access vaccines through the Advance Market Commitment.
In addition to individual country allocations, 10 per cent of manufactured doses will be retained by the Covax facility to address sporadic outbreaks and for humanitarian use.
Welcome to another hump day in what feels like a hump year.
The Victorian hotel quarantine inquiry continues. We were originally going to hear from Daniel Andrews today but the inquiry has rejigged its timetable, so now we won’t hear from the premier until Friday.
Instead, up today is:
Hon Martin Pakula MP – minister for the coordination of jobs, precincts and regions
Hon Lisa Neville MP – minister for police and emergency services
Ms Kym Peake – Department of Health and Human Services
In NSW, it’s all about getting testing rates back up, after a drop in the number of people coming forward. It’s more important than ever, with fears a taxi driver could have spread the virus across Sydney and parts of the south coast. Queensland is watching to see what happens with that case before opening its borders more widely to NSW (northern NSW will be added to the border zone from 1 October, while ACT residents can fly in from Friday) but South Australia has decided to reopen to NSW from Thursday.
In political news, the government is spending $4.5bn on the NBN, to, among other things, bring the connection slightly closer to the kerb. It’s another pre-budget announcement – these things come out ahead of time because they’ll get no attention once the budget documents are released.
We’ll bring you all the day’s news as it happens. You have Amy Remeikis with you again. Being hump day, I’m already hunting for my third coffee.
Ready?