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| Australia news live: authorities to consider EU advice on AstraZeneca Covid vaccine and blood clots; changes to Sex Discrimination Act to cover MPs | |
| (33 minutes later) | |
| Follow updates live | Follow updates live |
| Australian Uighurs are calling for the Chinese ambassador to meet them to help make contact with loved ones missing in Xinjiang, reports AAP’s Marion Rae. | |
| Several Uighur associations issued the joint request after China’s ambassador to Australia called local journalists to his residency in Canberra. | |
| There are several thousand Uighur people living in Australia and many of them have family living in China. | |
| Australian Uighur Association secretary Bahtiyar Bora many have lost contact with their loved ones. | |
| Australia has condemned restrictions on the freedom of religion, mass surveillance, extra-judicial detentions, forced labour and sterilisation in Xinjiang, but stopped short of imposing sanctions. | |
| The Morrison government has also not followed the United States in calling events in Xinjiang genocide. | |
| China’s ambassador to Australia denied human rights abuses in Xinjiang in a presentation to local media on Wednesday. | |
| Ambassador Cheng Jingye said it was “fake news” made up by anti-China forces. | |
| The Victorian health minister says they do not know how many of their residents have been vaccinated by the federal government. | |
| This is similar to comments made by NSW health minister Brad Hazzard on ABC’s 7:30 Report last night. | |
| He went on to say the NSW government was getting a lot of their information from the 7:30 Report rather than the commonwealth. | |
| It’s been such a busy morning that I haven’t brought you the Victorian numbers. | |
| Spoiler alert: it’s zero. | |
| More revelations have come out today about embattled Liberal MP Andrew Laming. | |
| Guardian political correspondent Sarah Martin today reported Laming awarded a $550,000 grant to a rugby club with links to one of his staff members as part of the government’s controversial female sports facilities grants program. | |
| This comes after accusation from multiple women of harassment both on and offline, and the Australian Electoral Commission confirming they would investigating Laming for more than 30 Facebook pages he operated without disclosing his identity. | |
| He is currently on leave from parliament after reports about his poor behaviour towards women, and although he says he will not contest the election the Morrison has declined to ask for his resignation from the Liberal party or parliament (a move that would plunge the government into minority). | |
| Earlier Morrison was asked if still feel Laming is “a fit and proper person to sit in the Coalition party room and in the Liberal party and National party room?” | |
| Morrison: | |
| You can read Sarah’s full story below: | |
| By the sounds of it, there might be a Covid-19 case in New Zealand. | By the sounds of it, there might be a Covid-19 case in New Zealand. |
| Guardian Australia hasn’t independently confirmed but the New Zealand Herald is reporting that a border worker has been diagnosed with the virus, but there has been no community spread so far. | Guardian Australia hasn’t independently confirmed but the New Zealand Herald is reporting that a border worker has been diagnosed with the virus, but there has been no community spread so far. |
| New Zealand’s director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, is holding an unscheduled press conference at 1pm (11am Sydney and Melbourne time) where we should learn more. | New Zealand’s director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, is holding an unscheduled press conference at 1pm (11am Sydney and Melbourne time) where we should learn more. |
| Scott Morrison has been asked about this at the press conference. | Scott Morrison has been asked about this at the press conference. |
| Reporter: | Reporter: |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| OK did Scott Morrison just PLAGIARIZE my birth control side effects comparison in his press conference! (I mean no, it’s a fairly obvious idea, but still how funny). | OK did Scott Morrison just PLAGIARIZE my birth control side effects comparison in his press conference! (I mean no, it’s a fairly obvious idea, but still how funny). |
| The prime minister is still discussing the EU’s new advice that blood clotting is a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine. | The prime minister is still discussing the EU’s new advice that blood clotting is a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine. |
| Morrison says there are currently no plans to pause the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout: | Morrison says there are currently no plans to pause the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout: |
| The prime minister has been asked what he would say to someone who feels the government’s response is “actually just trying to ban flirting in the workplace?” | The prime minister has been asked what he would say to someone who feels the government’s response is “actually just trying to ban flirting in the workplace?” |
| And sure Morrison’s response does involve yet another story about the bloody footy, but overall quite worth reading. | And sure Morrison’s response does involve yet another story about the bloody footy, but overall quite worth reading. |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| I mean the sentiment would carry more weight if his government hadn’t repeatedly dealt with sexual assault and harassment accusations so terribly though. | I mean the sentiment would carry more weight if his government hadn’t repeatedly dealt with sexual assault and harassment accusations so terribly though. |
| Morrison has been asked when we can expect to see these changes come into effect: | Morrison has been asked when we can expect to see these changes come into effect: |
| It’s worth remembering that it has taken the government more than a year to respond to this report, with the avalanche of alleged sexual harassment scandals in parliament in recent weeks finally pushing this to the top of the agenda. | It’s worth remembering that it has taken the government more than a year to respond to this report, with the avalanche of alleged sexual harassment scandals in parliament in recent weeks finally pushing this to the top of the agenda. |
| Reporter: | Reporter: |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| Michaelia Cash has laid out some specific legal changes that will be made, including extending the period a victim can come forward to two years, and clarifying that sexually harassing someone is a valid grounds for dismissal: | Michaelia Cash has laid out some specific legal changes that will be made, including extending the period a victim can come forward to two years, and clarifying that sexually harassing someone is a valid grounds for dismissal: |
| Attorney general Michaelia Cash is unveiling the government’s response to the respect at work campaign now: | Attorney general Michaelia Cash is unveiling the government’s response to the respect at work campaign now: |
| Morrison appears fairly sombre and serious today about the need for cultural change in regards to sexual harassment. | Morrison appears fairly sombre and serious today about the need for cultural change in regards to sexual harassment. |
| It’s worth remember last time he took this tone in a press conference he accidentally outed a false harassment scandal at News Corp in an attempt to strongarm journalists into not asking hard-hitting questions about the government’s track record in this area. | It’s worth remember last time he took this tone in a press conference he accidentally outed a false harassment scandal at News Corp in an attempt to strongarm journalists into not asking hard-hitting questions about the government’s track record in this area. |
| Fingers crossed it goes better this time. | Fingers crossed it goes better this time. |
| Morrison says: | Morrison says: |
| Morrison is now discussing the Respect at Work report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins: | Morrison is now discussing the Respect at Work report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins: |
| The prime minister is speaking today following the first meeting from the new women’s cabinet taskforce, and his announcement yesterday that a National Women’s Safety Summit will be held in July. | The prime minister is speaking today following the first meeting from the new women’s cabinet taskforce, and his announcement yesterday that a National Women’s Safety Summit will be held in July. |
| Scott Morrison is speaking now. | Scott Morrison is speaking now. |
| Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk has just spoken and confirmed there were no new local Covid-19 cases recorded in the state overnight. | Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk has just spoken and confirmed there were no new local Covid-19 cases recorded in the state overnight. |