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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria reports five deaths and 15 new Covid cases as NSW records six Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria reports five deaths and 15 new Covid cases as NSW records six
(32 minutes later)
Premier Daniel Andrews hints restrictions will be eased in Melbourne on Sunday as NSW strives to boost testing. Follow all the day’s news livePremier Daniel Andrews hints restrictions will be eased in Melbourne on Sunday as NSW strives to boost testing. Follow all the day’s news live
Q: At the National Press Club we are the home of free speech here. Do you worrying about the chilling implications of that?
Paul Fletcher:
Q:
(And again, a reminder that the story in question, written by Annika, was proven right, despite the repeated denials.)
Paul Fletcher:
Q: Dan Oaks (ABC) has this hovering over his head, Annika had this hovering over her head for such a long time. Do you understand the anxiety that they lived through?
Fletcher:
We are on to the questions with Paul Fletcher:
Q: I am going to read to you a quote, you are familiar with the website ZDNet. They’ve written about your announcement today saying “Seven years too late” and the line of their story, “What is a useless and wasteful argument that was”. Your response to that?
Paul Fletcher:
Greens senators Sarah Hanson-Young and Peter Whish-Wilson want to know why the federal environment minister Sussan Ley, has stayed so quiet on the whale strandings in Tasmania:
Sarah Hanson-Young:
Peter Whish-Wilson:
Thinking of my colleague Josh Taylor, who has reported on issues with the NBN for years, and is now watching this all play out from lockdown in Melbourne.
To all the tech reporters, we heard you and we feel your frustrations.
Here is the beginning of Paul Fletcher’s speech – you have heard it before, but just for context for the coming questions:
Paul Fletcher is continuing his ‘forget everything we have said about fibre to the premises previously’ announcement at the national press club.Paul Fletcher is continuing his ‘forget everything we have said about fibre to the premises previously’ announcement at the national press club.
Daniel Hurst is there and can hear me screaming from 10km away.Daniel Hurst is there and can hear me screaming from 10km away.
The Qantas Wallabies decision comes amid intense financial pressure on Qantas due to sweeping state and international travel restrictions that have devastated the entire aviation industry.The Qantas Wallabies decision comes amid intense financial pressure on Qantas due to sweeping state and international travel restrictions that have devastated the entire aviation industry.
Qantas last month announced a $2bn loss, driven mostly by the cost of making workers redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic and sweeping write-downs of the value of its fleet of planes, which remains in large part grounded.Qantas last month announced a $2bn loss, driven mostly by the cost of making workers redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic and sweeping write-downs of the value of its fleet of planes, which remains in large part grounded.
Its total borrowings have soared by more than $1bn after it borrowed more money to help get it through the aviation sector’s lean times.Its total borrowings have soared by more than $1bn after it borrowed more money to help get it through the aviation sector’s lean times.
Rival airline Virgin Australia, which has just ended a spell in administration after being driven to the brink of collapse due to the pandemic, continues to sponsor the AFL.Rival airline Virgin Australia, which has just ended a spell in administration after being driven to the brink of collapse due to the pandemic, continues to sponsor the AFL.
The deal is reportedly worth between $5m and $10m a year to the code, and was thrown into doubt when Virgin Australia’s board put the airline into administration in April after it was refused a government bailout.The deal is reportedly worth between $5m and $10m a year to the code, and was thrown into doubt when Virgin Australia’s board put the airline into administration in April after it was refused a government bailout.
However, earlier this month Virgin Australia was formally taken over by a new owner, US private equity group Bain Capital.However, earlier this month Virgin Australia was formally taken over by a new owner, US private equity group Bain Capital.
Over in the hotel quarantine inquiry:Over in the hotel quarantine inquiry:
Embattled Rugby Australia has been delivered another blow after major sponsor Qantas ended its 30-year partnership with the code. The Australian airline has also pulled back in its deals with cricket and football in a bid to save up to $20m a year.Embattled Rugby Australia has been delivered another blow after major sponsor Qantas ended its 30-year partnership with the code. The Australian airline has also pulled back in its deals with cricket and football in a bid to save up to $20m a year.
Qantas said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was the reason behind the rugby decision, rather than last year’s Israel Folau controversy. Folau’s homophobic social media posts raised questions over the continued involvement of Qantas, whose chief executive Alan Joyce said at the time that sponsorship deals were “supposed to be a positive”.Qantas said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was the reason behind the rugby decision, rather than last year’s Israel Folau controversy. Folau’s homophobic social media posts raised questions over the continued involvement of Qantas, whose chief executive Alan Joyce said at the time that sponsorship deals were “supposed to be a positive”.
But on Wednesday, Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully said the virus had been “the undoing” of the partnership, which will expire at the end of this year.But on Wednesday, Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully said the virus had been “the undoing” of the partnership, which will expire at the end of this year.
“In an environment where thousands of our people have lost jobs and thousands more are stood down while they wait for flying to restart, we can’t maintain these sponsorships in the way we have in the past,” Tully said.“In an environment where thousands of our people have lost jobs and thousands more are stood down while they wait for flying to restart, we can’t maintain these sponsorships in the way we have in the past,” Tully said.
“While we’re dealing with this crisis and its aftermath, the cash cost of our sponsorships has to be zero. Without exception, our partners have been incredibly understanding of the situation, particularly as most are facing their own Covid challenges.“Qantas has had a very long association with Rugby Australia and the Wallabies, and we’ve stuck with each other during difficult times. Unfortunately, this pandemic has been the undoing.”“While we’re dealing with this crisis and its aftermath, the cash cost of our sponsorships has to be zero. Without exception, our partners have been incredibly understanding of the situation, particularly as most are facing their own Covid challenges.“Qantas has had a very long association with Rugby Australia and the Wallabies, and we’ve stuck with each other during difficult times. Unfortunately, this pandemic has been the undoing.”
I don’t know why, because there has been a lot of tragic news this year, and all of those individual tragedies resonate with me – but this story has broken me this week:I don’t know why, because there has been a lot of tragic news this year, and all of those individual tragedies resonate with me – but this story has broken me this week:
Yup.Yup.
It’s also bi-visibility day, so happy day to all our bi-readers.
You are valid and have nothing to explain to anyone.
More people should learn Auslan.
The ABS is looking at retail trade today.
A 4% fall is A LOT (but it is mostly because the nation’s second largest economy had closed shop).
The seasonally adjusted estimate fell 4.2% (-$1,276.3m) from July 2020 to August 2020.
In seasonally adjusted terms, Australian turnover rose 6.9% in August 2020 compared with August 2019. This compares to an annual movement of 12.0% in July 2020.
Included in the note:
Victoria led the falls, down 12.6% compared to July 2020. Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne, and stage 3 restrictions in regional Victoria, restricted trading for non-essential retail businesses.
Excluding Victoria, the rest of Australia fell 1.5% from July 2020 to August 2020.
All industries fell, primarily driven by the Victorian result, although there were falls in most states and territories.
At the industry level, Household goods retailing led the falls, although sales in this industry remain 20% above the levels of August 2019.
Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing, department stores, and cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, also saw large monthly falls, with the largest falls recorded in Victoria. New South Wales saw a large fall in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services.
Food retailing saw a small fall, with mixed results amongst the states and territories.
There is a bit of confusion over what ‘community transmission’ means in NSW. Casey here clears some of that up
Here’s an interesting note from Westpac’s chief economist Bill Evans.
Evans thinks the Reserve Bank will be cutting interest rates on the day of the federal budget.
He says it will be a “Team Australia moment” because the RBA will be directly supporting a “bold” federal budget.
Readers of this blog will already know that the official interest rate is already sitting at a historically low 0.25%.
So how much more can the RBA cut?
Well, Evans reckons the RBA will cut the cash rate to 0.1%.
He also suspects it’ll adopt a 0.1% three-year bond target, and adjust the rate of any new drawdown of the Term Funding Facility to 0.1% – both of those rates are currently set at 0.25%.
In the last 24 hours, Victoria police have issued a total of 83 fines to individuals for breaching the chief health officer directions, including:
Eight for failing to wear a face covering when leaving home for one of the four approved reasons.
Seven at vehicle checkpoints.
Twenty for curfew breaches.
26,966 vehicles checked at the vehicle checkpoints.
Conducted 1,863 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places across the state (total of 455,214 spot checks conducted since 21 March).
Examples include:
Seven people who were located in an apartment in Melbourne having ‘going away’ drinks. All seven people were issued with a fine.
Four people who were located in a car which was parked at a sports centre in Greater Dandenong. None of the occupants in the vehicle were from the same household and did not have a valid reason for being together. All four were issued with a fine.
What else happened in that hour? Daniel Hurst has the latest from Paul Fletcher:
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has taken time out from his campaign of hate against the state of Victoria to extend rules watering down what companies have to tell the stock market.
The watered down provisions, which were greeted with dismay by investors, were part of the government’s war against class actions and were supposed to provide companies and their directors temporary relief during the coronavirus crisis and expire at the end of next month.
But Frydenberg today extended them by another six months, to 23 March next year.
The announcement was dropped to financial tabloid the Australian Financial Review yesterday, which rewarded the favour by giving the article a prime spot on, er, page 4.
Investors are concerned that the watered down rules will allow companies to get away with avoiding telling the market about bad news.
Frydenberg today defended the move, saying that “evidence to date shows that the temporary exemption has assisted companies to continue to update the market during this difficult and uncertain time”.
Corporate Australia, which has been lobbying for the weaker rules to become permanent, will enjoy the extra six months of lax regulation.
Class action lawyers and litigation funders were, unsurprisingly, unhappy.
“This is a cynical use of Covid-19 to justify the long-held goal of reducing corporate accountability for misleading the market,” said Keep Corporations Honest spokesman Ben Hardwick, who is head of class actions at law firm Slater & Gordon.
“The Morrison government’s decision to extend softer disclosure rules is a clear signal to corporate Australia to relax and get loose with the truth.”
Moving on to New South Wales, there have been six new cases reported in the last 24 hours, but all are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
From NSW Health:
Q: Premier, seeing as we’re ahead of schedule in terms of the 14-day average, will you consider lifting the curfew before the end of October?
Daniel Andrews:
Q: But there’s no health risk if someone wanted to exercise in the middle of the night, right?
Andrews: