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Australia Covid updates live: Melbourne braces for a third day of protests, Qld shuts border to Tweed and Byron
Australia Covid updates live: Daniel Andrews speaks as Melbourne braces for third day of protests, Qld shuts border to Tweed and Byron
(32 minutes later)
Follow all the day’s news
Follow all the day’s news
Looks like we will be hearing form the Victorian premier shortly as well:
Now, it might surprise you to hear this but despite the focus on the Victorian protests, states do actually still exist.
Would you look at that! The strangeness of Albanese going in to bat for union boss John Setka has been mentioned in the interview.
Speaking of which, we will be hearing from the Queensland leadership at 10am AEST.
Host Michael Rowland:
Reporter:
Albanese:
Andrews:
Rowland:
The Victorian premier has been press on whether he should have fronted media yesterday and called for calm after he was notably absent from Tuesday’s Covid-19 press conference that occurred as the protests were ramping up.
Albanese:
Andrews:
Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese has just been asked on ABC News Breakfast if he believes union members were involved in the Melbourne protests this week.
Patton has been asked if police moved in too late yesterday, allowing the protest to truly take hold.
The Labor leader didn’t outright deny this, but focused on the far-right elements while condemning the demonstrations:
Patton:
*Albanese supporting Setka is very funny given he led moves to expel the union boss from the ALP a couple of years ago.
Reporter:
Just in case anyone was wondering how former prime minister Kevin Rudd felt about Australia backing out of the $90bn French submarine deal.
Patton:
OK, we won’t have to wait too long for an update on the police operation in Melbourne today.
Shane Patton (the victorian police commissioner, not the main character in The White Lotus of the same name) says he won’t go into details about the tactics planned for today but seems to be confident that they won’t be chasing the protesters all around the city again for hours on end.
Victoria police minister Lisa Neville will be stepping up to speak at 8.15am AEST.
Here is the Victorian police minister, Lisa Neville, with a stern warning for those planning to protest today.
I’ll bring you all the updates here.
Andrews:
Victoria police deputy commissioner Rick Nugent says this week’s protests were attended by all sorts of people.
Andrews has flagged that there will be further announcements today concerning mandatory vaccinations for sections of the Victorian workforce.
He was asked on ABC radio the demonstrations were actually made up of unhappy, construction workers and union members, or anti-vaccine activists and far-right agitators.
Andrews has managed to get a plug in there for his government’s level crossing removal projects. Skillfully done:
Nugent:
Andrews:
Speaking of CFMEU Victorian construction secretary John Setka, he has just told ABC News Breakfast that construction workers involved in the violent protests over the last two days will be punished:
Setka did admit that not everyone in the crowd of a false-flag operative:
Good morning everyone, I hope you are well and are ready and raring to go for a full day of news. It’s Matilda Boseley here, let’s jump in.
First things first, I have some bad news for Melbourne folk: a third day of demonstrations over mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for the construction industry is planned for the CBD today.
You’ll remember yesterday that the city was sent into disarray after demonstrators, mostly men dressed in hi-vis workwear, took to the streets demanding an end to the two-week construction industry pause and denouncing the vaccine.
Rubber bullets and smoke rounds were used by police to keep the crowds under control and, after winding their way through the city streets for hours, the mob of hundreds of people walked on to the West Gate Bridge, bringing traffic to a standstill.
In the end, 62 protesters were arrested yesterday, some for assaulting police, but most for breaching public health orders.
Victoria police chief commissioner Shane Patton issued a warning to those planning to return today:
There will no doubt be more debate today ofter whether the crowds were actually comprised of legitimate union members or were false-flag “rent-a-crowds” organised by “neo-Nazis and rightwing extremists”. This is the position of a number of union bosses including CFMEU Victorian construction secretary John Setka.
There are 337 Covid cases directly linked to 154 construction sites in Victoria at the moment. Of that number 239 cases are linked to sites in metropolitan Melbourne, including nine people who live in regional Victoria.
With that why don’t we jump straight into the day? There’s certainly enough to get through.
