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| NSW eases Covid restrictions on churches and gyms as state reports 10 new cases and Victoria three – politics live | NSW eases Covid restrictions on churches and gyms as state reports 10 new cases and Victoria three – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| New South Wales coronavirus testing rates increase as Daniel Andrews says Victoria may have recorded its first case of re-infection. Follow the latest | New South Wales coronavirus testing rates increase as Daniel Andrews says Victoria may have recorded its first case of re-infection. Follow the latest |
| This ain’t it | |
| The former prime minister Tony Abbott signed up on the foreign influence register after writing to the attorney general’s department to ask about his reporting obligations, a Senate estimates committee has been told. | |
| A couple of weeks ago we reported on how Abbott had registered his new role as an adviser to the UK Board of Trade – an appointment that attracted controversy in both countries – but wrote that he was not receiving any payment. | |
| Abbott’s registration is particularly notable because past correspondence between the attorney general’s department and Abbott about potential reporting obligations over previous engagements triggered a rebuke from the attorney general, Christian Porter, and criticism from conservative groups. | |
| Chris Moraitis, the secretary of the department, confirmed at estimates that Abbott had added himself to the register set up under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme (Fits) in connection with the UK Board of Trade role: | |
| “My understanding is it does not relate to the matters of a year ago. It relates to more recent engagements by Mr Abbott. As a former prime minister and cabinet minister of course he has lifetime obligations. Given that it’s a matter of public record, I can say that that engagement now with another country meant that he has decided to register.” | |
| The Labor senator Kim Carr asked whether Abbott registered reluctantly or was angry about his need to register. | |
| “Not at all. I can say that I received correspondence from Mr Abbott enquiring about his obligations, which is fair enough and exemplary in that respect. And I wrote back saying in my view, yes, and next I knew he was registered. That sounds pretty amicable and professional to me.” | |
| Moraitis added that he had not heard from the Institute of Public Affairs “for a while”. | |
| The Institute of Public Affairs has previously expressed outrage at the targeting of Abbott, with the IPA communications director writing a piece in February calling for the Fits legislation “to be recast to defang the bureaucrats as well as opportunistic politicians” who used it to pursue enemies. | |
| The department’s deputy secretary, Sarah Chidgey, confirmed the department had also had “engagement with other former prime ministers and former ministers” about potential reporting obligations. | |
| Matt Gardiner Save the Children Australian services executive director has responded to the LNP in Queensland announcement it will enforce a curfew on children in Townsville and Cairns (both regions with large Indigenous populations) if it wins government. | |
| Your wishes, are, as always my command. | |
| (Via AAP) | |
| The country’s agriculture department has again picked up the trail of actor Amber Heard over her 2015 decision to illegally bring pets Pistol and Boo to Australia. | |
| Kevin Murphy, a former employee of Heard’s then-partner Johnny Depp, earlier in the year told a London court he repeatedly warned her it would be illegal. | |
| At a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Wednesday, agriculture official Peta Lane confirmed Murphy’s testimony had them digging. | |
| “There was evidence presented in the London court case which suggested false statements were provided in a court case in 2016, so we are investigating that,” she told senators. | |
| Murphy claimed Heard asked him to contact her former assistant, Kate James, and tell her to lie under oath to an Australian court. | |
| He cooperated with Heard’s request to provide her with a statement supporting the account for Australian authorities. | |
| Lane said the Australian federal police were now involved in the investigation. | |
| “Giving a false testimony is an offence under the Crimes Act, so that is what we are now investigating,” she said. | |
| The agriculture department has tried to contact Murphy without success. | |
| “We are liaising with the AFP who are using their contacts overseas to obtain information on our behalf,” Lane said. | |
| Heard was sentenced to a one-month good behaviour in 2016 after pleading guilty to providing a false document to customs officials. | |
| Former agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce threatened to euthanise the dogs if Depp didn’t take them back to the US after breaching biosecurity laws. | |
| “He’s now got about 50 hours left to remove the dogs. He can put them on the same charter jet,” he said at the time. | |
| “If we start letting movie stars – even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice – to come into our nation, then why don’t we just break the laws for everybody? | |
| “It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.” | |
| Some more Mike Bowers magic: | |
| Laughs all round: | |
| Milton Dick called Peter Dutton a “covid spreader” in a debate yesterday (he later withdrew it and apologised – the Queensland election has made things a little tense) and I imagine that this is what this little tête-à-tête was about. | |
| Victoria Health has put out its official data: | Victoria Health has put out its official data: |
| Victoria has recorded three new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 20,323. | Victoria has recorded three new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 20,323. |
| There have been no new deaths from Covid-19 reported since yesterday. To date, 817 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria. | There have been no new deaths from Covid-19 reported since yesterday. To date, 817 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria. |
| Of today’s three new cases: | Of today’s three new cases: |
| Two are linked to the northern metro region community outbreak | Two are linked to the northern metro region community outbreak |
| One is a household contact of a known case | One is a household contact of a known case |
| The three cases were in quarantine when they tested positive. | The three cases were in quarantine when they tested positive. |
| A previous case included in yesterday’s numbers continues to be reviewed and assessed by an expert panel of clinicians and epidemiologists to determine if this is a new infection or if the person is still shedding virus from their original infection. | A previous case included in yesterday’s numbers continues to be reviewed and assessed by an expert panel of clinicians and epidemiologists to determine if this is a new infection or if the person is still shedding virus from their original infection. |
| One avenue being explored is that this is a reinfection of coronavirus. Such cases are rare globally and only a handful have been reported in scientific literature. We are conducting further investigations and additional tests, including whole genome sequencing, before making a final determination. | One avenue being explored is that this is a reinfection of coronavirus. Such cases are rare globally and only a handful have been reported in scientific literature. We are conducting further investigations and additional tests, including whole genome sequencing, before making a final determination. |
| While this investigation is underway, the case is being treated as a new positive and appropriate public health actions are in place, pending a decision. | While this investigation is underway, the case is being treated as a new positive and appropriate public health actions are in place, pending a decision. |
| The Department of Health and Human Services continues to work with local health services to contain an outbreak of coronavirus in Shepparton. There are three cases in Shepparton. | The Department of Health and Human Services continues to work with local health services to contain an outbreak of coronavirus in Shepparton. There are three cases in Shepparton. |
| Day 11 re-testing of contacts and close contacts in Shepparton is continuing, with the final round of tests to be conducted on Saturday. | Day 11 re-testing of contacts and close contacts in Shepparton is continuing, with the final round of tests to be conducted on Saturday. |
| A further 248 tests were taken in Shepparton and surrounding regions yesterday, taking the total number of tests in Shepparton and the surrounding region to 6,972. | A further 248 tests were taken in Shepparton and surrounding regions yesterday, taking the total number of tests in Shepparton and the surrounding region to 6,972. |
| Simon Birmingham is defending the delayed the release of the federal national integrity commission draft bill, which was delayed before the pandemic and which Christian Porter told me would “take as long as necessary” well ahead of the pandemic in Australia. | Simon Birmingham is defending the delayed the release of the federal national integrity commission draft bill, which was delayed before the pandemic and which Christian Porter told me would “take as long as necessary” well ahead of the pandemic in Australia. |
| Birmingham, speaking to Afternoon Briefing, holds the line: | Birmingham, speaking to Afternoon Briefing, holds the line: |
| Airlines have lashed the federal government for “uncertainty” about how many passengers they can fly into Australia, warning the now 32,000 stranded Australians registered with the government as wanting to return home will increase. | Airlines have lashed the federal government for “uncertainty” about how many passengers they can fly into Australia, warning the now 32,000 stranded Australians registered with the government as wanting to return home will increase. |
| In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the Board of Airline Representatives of Australia, which represents airlines including Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Etihad, scolded the government for telling airlines their upcoming passenger allocations – how many they can take each flight – today, just four days before they take effect on 25 October. | In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the Board of Airline Representatives of Australia, which represents airlines including Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Etihad, scolded the government for telling airlines their upcoming passenger allocations – how many they can take each flight – today, just four days before they take effect on 25 October. |
| Some planes flying into Australia are limited to carrying as few as 30 passengers, as airlines have to comply with the state government-requested and federal government-enforced cap of about 5,700 weekly arrivals. | Some planes flying into Australia are limited to carrying as few as 30 passengers, as airlines have to comply with the state government-requested and federal government-enforced cap of about 5,700 weekly arrivals. |
| The caps, designed to ease pressure on states’ hotel quarantine systems, have resulted in Australians overseas being bumped off return flights they had booked before the caps were introduced. | The caps, designed to ease pressure on states’ hotel quarantine systems, have resulted in Australians overseas being bumped off return flights they had booked before the caps were introduced. |
| Bara said: | Bara said: |
| Senate estimates on Tuesday heard the number of stranded Australians wanting to return home had grown to 32,300, increasing from just under 19,000 in late August. | Senate estimates on Tuesday heard the number of stranded Australians wanting to return home had grown to 32,300, increasing from just under 19,000 in late August. |
| It has also increased from 29,100 registered last week, when the Morrison government announced it would be expanding the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory – a move which will allow for 5,000 additional quarantine places by the end of March, or about 200 a week. | It has also increased from 29,100 registered last week, when the Morrison government announced it would be expanding the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory – a move which will allow for 5,000 additional quarantine places by the end of March, or about 200 a week. |
| The government also announced emergency evacuation flights to repatriate Australians from the United Kingdom, India and South Africa. | The government also announced emergency evacuation flights to repatriate Australians from the United Kingdom, India and South Africa. |
| Labor’s Murray Watt has asked about the higher education integrity unit, established in Melbourne in June. The point is: how did the government set up a cop on the uni beat but not the corruption beat? | |
| Unfortunately senator Jonathon Duniam isn’t familiar with the body, so he can’t explain why it was set up when a national integrity commission wasn’t. | |
| Duniam said: | Duniam said: |
| Watt then picks out holes in proposed integrity commission model, including that it can’t make findings of corruption and can’t take referrals direct from whistleblowers and members of the public. He then reads quotes from David Ipp and Geoffrey Watson the general thrust of which is that the proposed body isn’t very good. | Watt then picks out holes in proposed integrity commission model, including that it can’t make findings of corruption and can’t take referrals direct from whistleblowers and members of the public. He then reads quotes from David Ipp and Geoffrey Watson the general thrust of which is that the proposed body isn’t very good. |
| Sarah Henderson is now leading evidence from attorney general department witnesses about deficiencies with the Labor-Greens-crossbench model of integrity commission. | Sarah Henderson is now leading evidence from attorney general department witnesses about deficiencies with the Labor-Greens-crossbench model of integrity commission. |
| That was very, very quick. | |