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Australia Covid updates live: Melbourne protests continue; mandatory vaccinations for Victorian teachers; NSW records 1,035 cases, five deaths 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 newsFollow all the day’s news
So, one point made earlier at the emergency services presser was that Geosience Australia have revised the magnitude of the earthquake down to 5.9 strike, down from 6.0.
A no-fly zone has been declared over Melbourne, with the assistant commissioner of police in Victoria requesting it in the past hour.
Nothing can fly within three nautical miles of Melbourne, which is why there is no aerial footage coming in.
It’s not clear why the no-fly zone has been introduced, but footage now appears to show the protesters cornered at the Shrine of Remembrance.
Unions have denounced the violent protests in Melbourne, but what do employer bodies say?
AIGroup’s Victorian director, Tim Piper, told Guardian Australia the protests are “something that the industry abhors”.
“And, obviously, which just sends the absolute wrong message about the construction industry to the general community.”
“We obviously do not condone violence, and those who are participating in it. A participant here should recognise the long-term implications for their jobs and for the industry in doing what they do in their behaviour.”
He said there were “certainly construction workers involved” in the protests.
“And at the same time, there were certainly antagonists there who, construction people have told me, were wearing clean hi-vis vests.”
AIGroup didn’t mention the violence of the protests in a press release sent out on Tuesday deploring the shutdown of the construction industry, but Piper said it was sent at about 2pm, before the worst clashes with police took place.
“I really wasn’t aware of how violent things were until really the six o’clock news,” he said.
Master Builders Australia has also not issued a stand-alone press release on the stoushes but its Victorian head, Rebecca Casson, was on radio early yesterday condemning protesters as rioters who “do not represent our industry and nor do they speak for our work force”.
Wiebusch has said authorities are checking the buildings near the epicentre for any structural damage, and said it was important people remember how to react to an earthquake:
Wiebusch has given an update from the SES persepctive, saying there have been no injuries reported so far, but that the quake did affect the structural integrity of some buildings:
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp and Victoria SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch have been providing an update on the response to the earthquake in Melbourne, saying the epicentre was between Mansfield and Rawson.
Crisp said the key impact centres were around the north-east part of Victoria, and that further aftershocks were expected:
Long-time One Nation administrator and former senate candidate Steven Burgess has quit the South Australian branch, saying “there is no room for anyone else” because Pauline Hanson’s former advisor Jennifer Game will get “every winnable spot”.Long-time One Nation administrator and former senate candidate Steven Burgess has quit the South Australian branch, saying “there is no room for anyone else” because Pauline Hanson’s former advisor Jennifer Game will get “every winnable spot”.
Game says it isn’t up to her where she goes on the ticket.Game says it isn’t up to her where she goes on the ticket.
“I can put my hat in the ring but the federal party decides,” she says.“I can put my hat in the ring but the federal party decides,” she says.
There appears to be an escalation in the confrontation between protesters and police in Melbourne, with reports saying police are now advancing on those gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance.There appears to be an escalation in the confrontation between protesters and police in Melbourne, with reports saying police are now advancing on those gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance.
After initial confusion, where reporters there said protesters assumed police were taking a knee at the Shrine and attempted to join in, but it appears police were just adjusting their gear.After initial confusion, where reporters there said protesters assumed police were taking a knee at the Shrine and attempted to join in, but it appears police were just adjusting their gear.
The protest in Melbourne has now migrated down south of the Yarra heading towards the Shrine of Remembrance from St Kilda Road.The protest in Melbourne has now migrated down south of the Yarra heading towards the Shrine of Remembrance from St Kilda Road.
The hundreds of protesters gathered have lined the steps of the shrine. People on megaphones are telling those gathered to remain calm and respectful.The hundreds of protesters gathered have lined the steps of the shrine. People on megaphones are telling those gathered to remain calm and respectful.
Police are converging on the site, but were not there waiting, unlike earlier in the day where the police had covered the CBD.Police are converging on the site, but were not there waiting, unlike earlier in the day where the police had covered the CBD.
There is noticeably less hi-vis among those gathered than on Tuesday, but there are still a few people in hi-vis.There is noticeably less hi-vis among those gathered than on Tuesday, but there are still a few people in hi-vis.
The federal trade and tourism minister, Dan Tehan, says the scenes in Melbourne are “disturbing” and the violence must be condemned.
But he has stopped shortly of specifying whom he believes is responsible for the violence.
Addressing the National Press Club over Zoom, Tehan said when asked about the protests:
“Well, they are very disturbing and I think violence has no part in Australia at any time. Now I don’t want to get into any sort of blame game - we’re in a Covid-19 pandemic. I think what all of us have to do is condemn what has taken place, to make sure that we do everything we can to stop the violence. This is not vision that we want to be sending out to the rest of the world.”
Tehan said all levels of government needed to work together cooperatively “to get ourselves out of this pandemic”. He said the opening-up plan was driven by increasing vaccination rates.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.