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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria reports 13 new cases and four deaths as pressure mounts over border closures Coronavirus Australia live update: Daniel Andrews holds press conference as Victoria reports 13 new cases and four deaths
(32 minutes later)
The federal government wants restrictions eased as case numbers drop and budget speculation intensifies. Follow all today’s updates NSW records no new locally acquired cases for fifth day as pressure mounts over border closures and budget speculation intensifies. Follow all today’s updates
There is an update on testing - there have been 160,000 tests over the last 2 weeks, which is about 3300 tests for every positive found, which is very good news.
Still, if you have any symptoms, get tested.
Victoria has recorded 13 new coronavirus cases and four more deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 798 and the national figure to 886.
The new cases, confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, bring Melbourne’s 14-day average down to 16.4.
“I can report to you that the strategy is absolutely working,” Andrews said.
There remain 21 mystery cases between September 14-27, all in Melbourne.
Melbourne’s 14-day average must drop below five and have fewer than five mystery cases for a fortnight before the state eases restrictions further, and no further easing will occur before 19 October.
“The good news is, though, our modelling from multiple sources… [shows] that we are on track and, all things being equal, we will be able to take a significant step in just three weeks time,” Andrews said.
Only 444 Victorians remain hospital with Covid-19, six are in intensive care, and three requiring a ventilator. There are now 147 active cases in aged care facilities and only one active case, a staff member, in disability care.
Daniel Andrews then addresses critics who have been calling for restrictions to be lifted faster - which includes federal government ministers - now that case numbers are coming down.
I missed the beginning of the press conference looking for a feed (apologies) but there were about 18,000 people who came forward to get tested yesterday, which makes the 13 new infections, on what is usually a peak numbers day, very good news indeed.
There were a lot of questions on this yesterday – how Victoria was dealing with high risk worksites.
Well, here is the answer.
That is from 13,575 tests which is great news – the 24 hours prior just 6,381 New South Wales residents were tested.
NSW has recorded four new cases of Covid – but all are in hotel quarantine.
This is the fifth day of no community transmission/locally acquired cases for NSW.
If you want to follow along with the debate though, and can’t get to a TV, you’ll find the Guardian’s live coverage here
Everyone is broadcasting the Trump v Biden debate (do debates even matter anymore?) but I’m trying to hunt down the Australian press conference feeds.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has released its report looking at jobseeker.The Parliamentary Budget Office has released its report looking at jobseeker.
It doesn’t look at social impacts – that is not its job – but it does include this:It doesn’t look at social impacts – that is not its job – but it does include this:
The rise of long-term recipients and older recipients is likely to continue irrespective of short-term fluctuations in unemployment, given the gradual increase in age pension qualifying age to 67 currently underway and the jobseeker payment appearing to function as a kind of pre age-pension payment for some older Australians in the labour market.The rise of long-term recipients and older recipients is likely to continue irrespective of short-term fluctuations in unemployment, given the gradual increase in age pension qualifying age to 67 currently underway and the jobseeker payment appearing to function as a kind of pre age-pension payment for some older Australians in the labour market.
Changes to eligibility for other payments over previous decades may mean that the jobseeker recipient population has a larger share of recipients with higher barriers to employment than was previously the case. This is reflected in the lower proportion of existing recipients (also referred to as the “stock”) who move off the payment each year relative to new recipients and will likely lead to higher jobseeker expenditure in the future.Changes to eligibility for other payments over previous decades may mean that the jobseeker recipient population has a larger share of recipients with higher barriers to employment than was previously the case. This is reflected in the lower proportion of existing recipients (also referred to as the “stock”) who move off the payment each year relative to new recipients and will likely lead to higher jobseeker expenditure in the future.
It is important to note, however, that this increased expenditure is at least partially offset by savings from other income support payments due to eligibility changes. These eligibility changes mean expenditure on these other payments such as DSP and the age pension is lower than it would have otherwise been as a result of the payment rate for jobseeker being lower relative to these payments.It is important to note, however, that this increased expenditure is at least partially offset by savings from other income support payments due to eligibility changes. These eligibility changes mean expenditure on these other payments such as DSP and the age pension is lower than it would have otherwise been as a result of the payment rate for jobseeker being lower relative to these payments.
Overall, these longer-run developments are likely to maintain upward pressure on jobseeker expenditure into the medium term.Overall, these longer-run developments are likely to maintain upward pressure on jobseeker expenditure into the medium term.
The PBO will continue to monitor developments and adapt its projection approaches across payments in the social welfare system as a whole, given the importance of these inter-relationships for expenditure trends.The PBO will continue to monitor developments and adapt its projection approaches across payments in the social welfare system as a whole, given the importance of these inter-relationships for expenditure trends.
Ahead of that presser is a new high-risk locations list.Ahead of that presser is a new high-risk locations list.
I understand you can still watch the Daniel Andrews press conference on the ABC website – but yes, this is a very good point.
It’s 11am for Daniel Andrews 90th consecutive press conference.
10 more and he gets a telegram from the Queen, or something.
There is a new $100 note coming at the end of next month.
It has taken a year to get the new Granny Smiths ready for circulation – they’ll be out on 29 October. Apparently, there are more than 400 million $100 banknotes in circulation, unless you are a pensioner, on benefits, or a millennial political blogger, in which case, there are about three.
From the Reserve Bank statement:
Queensland has recorded no new cases of Covid-19.
Michael McCormack is also giving a speech today, at the Regional Institute.
That is at midday, with a press conference to follow at 1.30pm.
We imagine he has been well-briefed at not calling government purchases for 10 times their value “a bargain” by now.
Anthony Albanese was on ABC radio AM this morning, where he was asked why he was calling the economic downturn the “Morrison recession”.
Q: In the speech, you’re labelling the economic downturn the Morrison recession. The World Bank’s not calling it that. Europe and the US aren’t calling it that. How’s that fair?
Albanese: “Well, the fact is the economy was really struggling last year. We had wages stagnant. We had the Reserve Bank intervening on multiple occasions to lower interest rates to record low levels. We had business investment in decline. We had productivity going backwards. We entered the difficulty of the global pandemic from a position of weakness.
Q: At a time when people are really frustrated with needless partisanship, why are you making this personal?
Albanese: Well, the fact is that Scott Morrison was the treasurer who presided over a weakening of the economy and then the prime minister.
Q: But the Morrison recession?
Albanese: Well, Scott Morrison is the prime minister. And this is a government that spent a long time talking about Labor’s debt issues as if there wasn’t a global financial crisis, it must be said, a debt that will be pretty close to one quarter of what it is now is what they inherited.
Q: So, political payback?
Albanese: The fact is that Scott Morrison is the prime minister.
For those interested in what Anthony Albanese has to say at the McKell Institute later today, Murph has you covered.
Gladys Berejiklian still wants those Queensland borders open (and presumably the other states that are not Victoria, who still have closed borders with NSW, but Queensland is usually the focus here). One, because, well, the states butt up against each other, and two because relations haven’t exactly been warm between the two leaders for quite some time and three, they come from different parties and there is an election campaign on).
Asked on the Seven network this morning why NSW still had the one person per 4 sq metre rule for some spaces, while other states had moved to the one person per 2 sq metres, Berejiklian accused the states with closed borders of having “a false sense of security”:
It being the last day of the month, the ADF is packing up and leaving the Queensland border, after being “redeployed” by the federal government.
The federal government says the personnel are needed to prepare for any potential disasters this summer (we are in for floods, because fires are so last season) but Queensland says it is a political decision, as ADF personnel are remaining at other border zones across the country.
Queensland will open to northern NSW residents from 1am tomorrow, so that border zone is about to get a lot busier.
People of all binaries, it is my pleasure to inform you that the pandemic is apparently over.