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| Australia Covid updates live: Melbourne protests continue; mandatory vaccinations for Victorian teachers; NSW records 1,035 cases, five deaths | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow all the day’s news | Follow all the day’s news |
| The trade and tourism minister, Dan Tehan, mentioned in his National Press Club address: “It’s another reason why everyone should get vaccinated and we have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up – at this rate by Christmas at the latest.” | |
| During the question session, Tehan was asked whether Australians would be able to travel to any country in the world, or only green zone countries. | |
| He replied that an 80% double vaccination rate nationally and in individual states “means that outbound travel will will resume, so people will be able to freely travel outside of Australia, with no restrictions or no limitation to that”. | |
| (Just a reminder that the national plan agreed with states and territories says phase C - triggered by 80% of over-16s being vaccinated - involves lifting all restrictions on outbound travel for vaccinated Australians and abolishing caps on returning vaccinated Australians.) | |
| Tehan said outbound travel would open up but “it will be dependent on the requirements that are put in place of the countries that they are travelling with”. He said Australia was also looking to progress travel bubble arrangements. | |
| Tehan pointed to home quarantine trials, suggesting that would be a way forward for fully vaccinated returning Australians. | |
| So earlier today NSW Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello, announced that a “vaccine passport” trial will be running in regional NSW, as the state gears up to open up at 70%. | |
| The trial will run for two weeks from 6 October and would allow people to display their vaccination status via the Service NSW app, the same used for check-ins. | |
| But Dominello also said that the technology would not be ready by the time the state hits 70%, even though he was “moving heaven and earth” to get the system up and running as soon as possible. | |
| Dominello also said he was across “disturbing” reports people were using fake check-ins to avoid having to isolate in the event of a positive case. | |
| Earthquake content will likely get old soon, but not yet: | |
| A Coles supermarket in Melbourne’s south has been evacuated and closed after a partial collapse of the building’s facade earlier today. | A Coles supermarket in Melbourne’s south has been evacuated and closed after a partial collapse of the building’s facade earlier today. |
| The Prahran Coles is around 600m from the Betty’s Burger location that also partially collapsed earlier today. | The Prahran Coles is around 600m from the Betty’s Burger location that also partially collapsed earlier today. |
| A spokesperson for the supermarket told the SMH no one was hurt and that the store was awaiting emergency services and structural engineers to assess the damage before reopening. | A spokesperson for the supermarket told the SMH no one was hurt and that the store was awaiting emergency services and structural engineers to assess the damage before reopening. |
| The trade minister, Dan Tehan, will head overseas from next week for talks with counterparts in Indonesia, India, United Arab Emirates, Europe and the United Kingdom. | The trade minister, Dan Tehan, will head overseas from next week for talks with counterparts in Indonesia, India, United Arab Emirates, Europe and the United Kingdom. |
| Tehan is now addressing the National Press Club (by Zoom, from his electorate office in Victoria). He has raised hopes about Australia’s international border opening by Christmas. | Tehan is now addressing the National Press Club (by Zoom, from his electorate office in Victoria). He has raised hopes about Australia’s international border opening by Christmas. |
| Tehan will attempt to repair the relationship with Europe, after the backlash over the submarine deal. For more details, see this preview by Amy Remeikis earlier today: | Tehan will attempt to repair the relationship with Europe, after the backlash over the submarine deal. For more details, see this preview by Amy Remeikis earlier today: |
| Michele O’Niel, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is on ABC News right now, discussing the protests in Melbourne, and has reiterated what many union officials have been saying: that the protests weren’t largely made up of union members. | Michele O’Niel, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is on ABC News right now, discussing the protests in Melbourne, and has reiterated what many union officials have been saying: that the protests weren’t largely made up of union members. |
| She says there are still a “small group” of union members who are actually anti-vaccination, but that it is a “shrinking number of people”: | She says there are still a “small group” of union members who are actually anti-vaccination, but that it is a “shrinking number of people”: |
| Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you today and taking the blog into the evening. A quick thanks to Matilda Boseley for her expert guidance through quite a bit this morning. | Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you today and taking the blog into the evening. A quick thanks to Matilda Boseley for her expert guidance through quite a bit this morning. |
| With that, I shall hand you over to the amazing Mostafa Rachwani to take you through the afternoon of news. | With that, I shall hand you over to the amazing Mostafa Rachwani to take you through the afternoon of news. |
| See you tomorrow! | See you tomorrow! |
| The Victorian deputy premier has condemned this week’s protesters as violent “thugs”. | The Victorian deputy premier has condemned this week’s protesters as violent “thugs”. |
| Professionals Australia, the union that represents white-collar workers including engineers and scientists, has condemned violent protests in Victoria that have taken over the past two days and included an attack on the offices of the CFMEU. | Professionals Australia, the union that represents white-collar workers including engineers and scientists, has condemned violent protests in Victoria that have taken over the past two days and included an attack on the offices of the CFMEU. |
| In a statement, PA said the protests were “orchestrated by violent rightwing extremists and anti-vaccination activists”. | In a statement, PA said the protests were “orchestrated by violent rightwing extremists and anti-vaccination activists”. |
| It comes after other unions and peak body the ACTU condemned the protests.PA said attacks on emergency services workers were “completely unacceptable” and “particularly offensive to front line healthcare workers including our pharmacists, who for over 18 months now, have undertaken great risks to their own health and well-being to provide our community with the important medical services and supplies they require”. | It comes after other unions and peak body the ACTU condemned the protests.PA said attacks on emergency services workers were “completely unacceptable” and “particularly offensive to front line healthcare workers including our pharmacists, who for over 18 months now, have undertaken great risks to their own health and well-being to provide our community with the important medical services and supplies they require”. |
| PA said it supported vaccination in order to reopen “in a manner that does not put thousands of lives, particularly those of our most vulnerable, at risk”. | PA said it supported vaccination in order to reopen “in a manner that does not put thousands of lives, particularly those of our most vulnerable, at risk”. |
| More arrests at the protests: | More arrests at the protests: |
| Merlino: | Merlino: |
| Merlino says 75% of school staff are already fully vaccinated. | Merlino says 75% of school staff are already fully vaccinated. |
| Merlino: | Merlino: |
| Victoria’s deputy premier, James Merlino, has confirmed that a vaccine mandate will be brought in for all teachers in the state’s primary and high school system and staff at early childhood learning settings, with the deadline for the first does set for just over three weeks times on 18 October. | Victoria’s deputy premier, James Merlino, has confirmed that a vaccine mandate will be brought in for all teachers in the state’s primary and high school system and staff at early childhood learning settings, with the deadline for the first does set for just over three weeks times on 18 October. |
| Rapid antigen testing will also likely become a feature of schooling in term 4. | Rapid antigen testing will also likely become a feature of schooling in term 4. |
| Merlino: | Merlino: |