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| Australia politics live: Victoria reports five new coronavirus cases and 400 Melbourne residents given stay-at-home order | Australia politics live: Victoria reports five new coronavirus cases and 400 Melbourne residents given stay-at-home order |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Suburbs in Melbourne’s north on high alert after school student tests positive. Follow the latest | Suburbs in Melbourne’s north on high alert after school student tests positive. Follow the latest |
| Guy Sebastian is back in the news. | |
| The Australian Idol winner (I haven’t forgotten) was widely criticised in June for standing next to prime minister as he announced a $250m worth of emergency funding to the arts, widely viewed as too little and too late. | |
| The singer took to twitter today to push Morrison to explain the delay in the delivery of the funds, after it emerged yesterday that only $49.5m of the rescue package had been allocated. | |
| Sebastian was tweeting in response to Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who was reminding everyone of that June press conference. | |
| A spokesman for Morrison confirmed to Guardian Australia the singer had made contact with the PM’s office on Thursday, and that the PM would respond to Sebastian personally, the spokesman said. | |
| Victoria police has defended the use of drones this grand final weekend, saying they’ve already been using them to monitor crowd numbers in public places, and that they won’t be using them to spy on people’s homes. | |
| The assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius told the ABC that the use of drones was a “specialist capability”. | |
| “We are not going to have drones hovering above pizza ovens in people’s backyards,” he said. When asked if helicopters would be used, he said the police had “bigger fish to fry”. | “We are not going to have drones hovering above pizza ovens in people’s backyards,” he said. When asked if helicopters would be used, he said the police had “bigger fish to fry”. |
| The drone unit said the force would use the drones in places of public gathering, such as beaches and parks, to provide police with “situational awareness of crowd numbers and any potential breaches”. | |
| Mathias Cormann and Paul Fletcher have released a statement saying they have instructed the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, together with the Department of Finance to investigate senior managers at Australia Post receiving expensive gifts. | Mathias Cormann and Paul Fletcher have released a statement saying they have instructed the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, together with the Department of Finance to investigate senior managers at Australia Post receiving expensive gifts. |
| This comes after Senate estimates today heard Australia Post bought four Cartier watches in October 2018 worth $12,000 as a reward for four senior managers who helped secure a deal to allow more people to do their banking at post offices. | This comes after Senate estimates today heard Australia Post bought four Cartier watches in October 2018 worth $12,000 as a reward for four senior managers who helped secure a deal to allow more people to do their banking at post offices. |
| The statement says the investigation will involve an external law firm, and is due to be completed in a month. | The statement says the investigation will involve an external law firm, and is due to be completed in a month. |
| Muslim community leaders in Victoria say they fear a “fresh wave of hatred” after a student at an Islamic school tested positive to Covid-19. | Muslim community leaders in Victoria say they fear a “fresh wave of hatred” after a student at an Islamic school tested positive to Covid-19. |
| Two schools have been shut down, and more than 100 social housing residents told to isolate after a grade five boy who was meant to be quarantining attended classes at East Preston Islamic College for several days. | Two schools have been shut down, and more than 100 social housing residents told to isolate after a grade five boy who was meant to be quarantining attended classes at East Preston Islamic College for several days. |
| Adel Salman, a spokesperson for the Islamic Council of Victoria, said the community was preparing for racial backlash. | Adel Salman, a spokesperson for the Islamic Council of Victoria, said the community was preparing for racial backlash. |
| Thanks Amy, and thanks again for your stellar work. | Thanks Amy, and thanks again for your stellar work. |
| And on that note, I am going to hand you over to Mostafa Rachwani for the evening. | And on that note, I am going to hand you over to Mostafa Rachwani for the evening. |
| Everyone is still beavering away at the Guardian office, so make sure you check back for the news and analysis coming your way. | Everyone is still beavering away at the Guardian office, so make sure you check back for the news and analysis coming your way. |
| But it has been a GIANT week on the blog, and news land in general, so I also hope you get a small break from it all sometime soon. I’ll be back on Monday – but the blog will be up and running as usual tomorrow in what will most likely be even better hands, so I hope you join along. | But it has been a GIANT week on the blog, and news land in general, so I also hope you get a small break from it all sometime soon. I’ll be back on Monday – but the blog will be up and running as usual tomorrow in what will most likely be even better hands, so I hope you join along. |
| Have a lovely weekend. Smell a flower if you can. Or not. If eating is your thing, do that. This year doesn’t count. | Have a lovely weekend. Smell a flower if you can. Or not. If eating is your thing, do that. This year doesn’t count. |
| In the meantime, take care of you. | In the meantime, take care of you. |
| Annastacia Palaszczuk has responded to Gladys Berejiklian’s earlier demand that Queensland repay NSW the $35m NSW has spent on hotel quarantine for Queenslanders: | Annastacia Palaszczuk has responded to Gladys Berejiklian’s earlier demand that Queensland repay NSW the $35m NSW has spent on hotel quarantine for Queenslanders: |
| Bill Shorten appeared on Afternoon Briefing today. He was asked if he was concerned with the northern Melbourne suburbs Covid cluster and whether Melbourne could handle a third lockdown if that cluster were to get out of control: | Bill Shorten appeared on Afternoon Briefing today. He was asked if he was concerned with the northern Melbourne suburbs Covid cluster and whether Melbourne could handle a third lockdown if that cluster were to get out of control: |
| Q: You know big business has been concerned that the announcement should already have been made for reopening. Do you think they have been too slow to open? | Q: You know big business has been concerned that the announcement should already have been made for reopening. Do you think they have been too slow to open? |
| Shorten: | Shorten: |
| (No, I don’t have a Bvlgari anything – just a habit of browsing Instagram accounts of things I will never be able to afford in a gazillion years.) | (No, I don’t have a Bvlgari anything – just a habit of browsing Instagram accounts of things I will never be able to afford in a gazillion years.) |
| And in answer to the person who sent me a message asking about my watch – I have an older model Apple watch that I pay off monthly, because it is impossible to do a daily blog and keep on top of all the messages I receive without the buzz on my wrist. | And in answer to the person who sent me a message asking about my watch – I have an older model Apple watch that I pay off monthly, because it is impossible to do a daily blog and keep on top of all the messages I receive without the buzz on my wrist. |
| For those asking, Christine Holgate did not receive one of the Cartier watches – they went to four senior managers who worked on a project that involved increasing the amount of banking people could do at post offices. | For those asking, Christine Holgate did not receive one of the Cartier watches – they went to four senior managers who worked on a project that involved increasing the amount of banking people could do at post offices. |
| It appears, at least from what I can see here, that Holgate is a Bvlgari fan. | It appears, at least from what I can see here, that Holgate is a Bvlgari fan. |
| The Community and Public Sector Union has also responded to the Australia Post Cartier story: | The Community and Public Sector Union has also responded to the Australia Post Cartier story: |
| The union’s deputy national president Brooke Muscat: | The union’s deputy national president Brooke Muscat: |
| It is clear that the board and the CEO are more concerned with lining their pockets than public services and their workers. | It is clear that the board and the CEO are more concerned with lining their pockets than public services and their workers. |
| This is the latest in a string of dodgy and selfish decisions made by management. Instead of focusing on essential public services, Australia Post has: | This is the latest in a string of dodgy and selfish decisions made by management. Instead of focusing on essential public services, Australia Post has: |
| Frozen workers’ wages; | Frozen workers’ wages; |
| Forced workers to take leave during the pandemic; | Forced workers to take leave during the pandemic; |
| Misled Parliament and lied about profits; | Misled Parliament and lied about profits; |
| Refused to rule out redundancies; | Refused to rule out redundancies; |
| Failed to act on customer aggression in contact centres; | Failed to act on customer aggression in contact centres; |
| Been slow to act on increasing workloads at contact centres; and | Been slow to act on increasing workloads at contact centres; and |
| Tried to pay themselves fat bonuses in the middle of a pandemic. | Tried to pay themselves fat bonuses in the middle of a pandemic. |
| The union representing Australia Post workers, the CPSU is calling for the resignation of Australia Post CEO and investigation into to the board. | The union representing Australia Post workers, the CPSU is calling for the resignation of Australia Post CEO and investigation into to the board. |
| “Our members having been working harder and longer to help the community in the pandemic, all while taking a pay freeze, and how are they rewarded? Not with a watch or a bonus I can tell you that,” Muscat said in a statement. | “Our members having been working harder and longer to help the community in the pandemic, all while taking a pay freeze, and how are they rewarded? Not with a watch or a bonus I can tell you that,” Muscat said in a statement. |
| “Whether it’s watches in 2018 or big fat bonuses in the middle of a pandemic the Australia Post board and its management are out of touch.” | “Whether it’s watches in 2018 or big fat bonuses in the middle of a pandemic the Australia Post board and its management are out of touch.” |
| The Australian Financial Review’s Tom McIlroy has spoken to John Stanhope, who was the Australia Post chairman at the time of the watch purchase. | The Australian Financial Review’s Tom McIlroy has spoken to John Stanhope, who was the Australia Post chairman at the time of the watch purchase. |
| From the Fin story: | From the Fin story: |
| Mr Stanhope told the Australian Financial Review he didn’t remember the purchases. The port of Melbourne chairman said he would cooperate with an investigation by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. | Mr Stanhope told the Australian Financial Review he didn’t remember the purchases. The port of Melbourne chairman said he would cooperate with an investigation by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. |
| He said: | He said: |
| The posties’ union has responded to the Cartier story and the request for Christine Holgate to stand aside while it is investigated. | The posties’ union has responded to the Cartier story and the request for Christine Holgate to stand aside while it is investigated. |
| Greg Rayner, the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union’s national secretary, said the problems at Australia Post went far deeper than watches and the largesse was a symptom of broader problems at Post and how management was out of touch with workers. | Greg Rayner, the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union’s national secretary, said the problems at Australia Post went far deeper than watches and the largesse was a symptom of broader problems at Post and how management was out of touch with workers. |
| After high court officials told Senate estimates that eight former associates and one former staff member had come forward to give more information to the inquiry into Dyson Heydon, we’ve clarified how many of these were new complaints. | After high court officials told Senate estimates that eight former associates and one former staff member had come forward to give more information to the inquiry into Dyson Heydon, we’ve clarified how many of these were new complaints. |
| A high court spokesman said: | A high court spokesman said: |
| Australia Post paid dividends of about $28m in the last financial year to its one and only shareholder: the government (therefore part of taxpayer consolidated revenue). | Australia Post paid dividends of about $28m in the last financial year to its one and only shareholder: the government (therefore part of taxpayer consolidated revenue). |
| We heard in estimates that it paid close to $100m in bonuses. Of that, just over $21m went to frontline workers – the posties. Most of the rest went to managers and executives. | We heard in estimates that it paid close to $100m in bonuses. Of that, just over $21m went to frontline workers – the posties. Most of the rest went to managers and executives. |
| That’s the problem with government business enterprises: they are run as if they are part of the private sector. But they are owned by the taxpayer. | That’s the problem with government business enterprises: they are run as if they are part of the private sector. But they are owned by the taxpayer. |
| So it’s a weird grey zone where people from the private sector are brought in to run the organisation, and they run it as if it were a private corporation – which is what it is set up to run like – but it is accountable to the government. | So it’s a weird grey zone where people from the private sector are brought in to run the organisation, and they run it as if it were a private corporation – which is what it is set up to run like – but it is accountable to the government. |
| Meanwhile, in Macquarie Street ... | Meanwhile, in Macquarie Street ... |
| Kath Sullivan does great work in this space (as does Lucy Barbour). | Kath Sullivan does great work in this space (as does Lucy Barbour). |