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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/sep/28/australia-covid-updates-live-coronavirus-vaccine-nsw-victoria-gladys-berejiklian-scott-morrison
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| Australia Covid live news update: NSW sends Muswellbrook and Port Macquarie into lockdown; new Qld restrictions after four local cases | Australia Covid live news update: NSW sends Muswellbrook and Port Macquarie into lockdown; new Qld restrictions after four local cases |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow the latest updates live | Follow the latest updates live |
| The big push to up vax rates in Melbourne’s north continues apace. | |
| This lovely piece by Lorena Allam about her resident magpies has reminded me to remind YOU about Bird of the Year! | |
| There’s a fair body of evidence suggesting the pandemic has been good for incumbent governments, but impossible to know how this will play out when the Victorian election is held in about 14 months. | |
| Minimum regional mobile performance standards could be legislated if the government collected data about phone capacity, according to a new paper from RMIT University. | Minimum regional mobile performance standards could be legislated if the government collected data about phone capacity, according to a new paper from RMIT University. |
| While the government conducts a review into regional telecommunications every three years, Prof Mark Gregory said achieving outcomes based only on anecdotal evidence can be difficult, particularly related to performance.Full story here: | |
| The NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, has accused the government of leaving business “inadvertently” on the front line of enforcing continued restrictions on unvaccinated residents in coming months. | The NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, has accused the government of leaving business “inadvertently” on the front line of enforcing continued restrictions on unvaccinated residents in coming months. |
| Earlier today, confusion arose as to whether police would enforce looming public health orders that will bar unvaccinated patrons from venues and some businesses until December. | Earlier today, confusion arose as to whether police would enforce looming public health orders that will bar unvaccinated patrons from venues and some businesses until December. |
| The police commissioner, Mick Fuller, suggested his officers would have no role in patrolling venues to enforce the rules, while the health minister, Brad Hazzard, said enforcement would be a police responsibility. | The police commissioner, Mick Fuller, suggested his officers would have no role in patrolling venues to enforce the rules, while the health minister, Brad Hazzard, said enforcement would be a police responsibility. |
| Minns says he is concerned businesses will be left to enforce the new rules “with no legal protection”. He says: | Minns says he is concerned businesses will be left to enforce the new rules “with no legal protection”. He says: |
| Victoria has officially overtaken New South Wales in daily Covid case numbers, recording its highest since the beginning of this Delta outbreak. | Victoria has officially overtaken New South Wales in daily Covid case numbers, recording its highest since the beginning of this Delta outbreak. |
| It comes as the state’s health department revealed an error meant almost 150 cases had not been tallied over the weekend. | It comes as the state’s health department revealed an error meant almost 150 cases had not been tallied over the weekend. |
| On Tuesday, Victoria recorded 867 new, locally acquired cases and four deaths. | On Tuesday, Victoria recorded 867 new, locally acquired cases and four deaths. |
| Read the full story here: | Read the full story here: |
| Like when you squint at something because it doesn’t quite add up, that kind of refocusing? | Like when you squint at something because it doesn’t quite add up, that kind of refocusing? |
| Here’s the full wrap of the Covid-19 situation in Queensland, and the not unimportant matter of what it means for the NRL grand final: | Here’s the full wrap of the Covid-19 situation in Queensland, and the not unimportant matter of what it means for the NRL grand final: |
| Just a reminder if you live in one of these places and are worried that in about two hours you will be in lockdown for a week: you can go to the supermarket during lockdown. Do not go there now. It will be a hellscape. | Just a reminder if you live in one of these places and are worried that in about two hours you will be in lockdown for a week: you can go to the supermarket during lockdown. Do not go there now. It will be a hellscape. |
| Confirmation of news from earlier about lockdowns for Muswellbrook and Port Macquarie LGAs. Both areas will go into lockdown for a week, starting at 6pm: | Confirmation of news from earlier about lockdowns for Muswellbrook and Port Macquarie LGAs. Both areas will go into lockdown for a week, starting at 6pm: |
| Two Melbourne football club fans wanted by police on suspicion of flouting quarantine requirements to attend the AFL grand final on Saturday have reportedly been captured. | Two Melbourne football club fans wanted by police on suspicion of flouting quarantine requirements to attend the AFL grand final on Saturday have reportedly been captured. |
| Earlier today, WA police posted pictures of the men on their Facebook page and appealed for any more information, saying it was suspected they had travelled to the state’s south-west. But the Facebook post was removed about an hour ago, and it has been reported they have now been taken into custody. | Earlier today, WA police posted pictures of the men on their Facebook page and appealed for any more information, saying it was suspected they had travelled to the state’s south-west. But the Facebook post was removed about an hour ago, and it has been reported they have now been taken into custody. |
| The NSW LGAs of Muswellbrook and Port Macquarie are reportedly set to go into lockdown, but I haven’t had this confirmed yet. | The NSW LGAs of Muswellbrook and Port Macquarie are reportedly set to go into lockdown, but I haven’t had this confirmed yet. |
| Back to the Covid committee, the health department secretary Brendan Murphy is being asked about the ability of the health system to cope when restrictions are eased under the national plan.Murphy said work by ANZICS – the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society – had estimated there were currently 2,000 ICU beds in use, with the potential for this to scale up by another 2,500 if necessary, with 500 of these staffed and ready to go.“The important thing is that the jurisdictions are now doing significant additional work to refine what they will see as able to be staffed in that additional capacity,” he said. | Back to the Covid committee, the health department secretary Brendan Murphy is being asked about the ability of the health system to cope when restrictions are eased under the national plan.Murphy said work by ANZICS – the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society – had estimated there were currently 2,000 ICU beds in use, with the potential for this to scale up by another 2,500 if necessary, with 500 of these staffed and ready to go.“The important thing is that the jurisdictions are now doing significant additional work to refine what they will see as able to be staffed in that additional capacity,” he said. |
| Murphy added that the prime minister had considered “high-level aggregated data” about the ability of the health system to cope when the country reopened under the terms of the national plan. He said: | Murphy added that the prime minister had considered “high-level aggregated data” about the ability of the health system to cope when the country reopened under the terms of the national plan. He said: |
| Labor senator Katy Gallagher, whose child contracted Covid-19 and was managed under community care arrangements, said she was concerned the country was not prepared. She asked: | Labor senator Katy Gallagher, whose child contracted Covid-19 and was managed under community care arrangements, said she was concerned the country was not prepared. She asked: |
| State governments have released reopening roadmaps and are on their way to vaccinating us to freedom, and while the thought of a return to the great Australian summer has provided a morale boost, the knowledge of all the days we have lost to lockdowns this year remains difficult to scrub from our minds. | State governments have released reopening roadmaps and are on their way to vaccinating us to freedom, and while the thought of a return to the great Australian summer has provided a morale boost, the knowledge of all the days we have lost to lockdowns this year remains difficult to scrub from our minds. |
| Among my peers of twentysomethings, there is a sense we have been robbed of an uncomfortable enough chunk of what is meant to be the best time of our lives. | Among my peers of twentysomethings, there is a sense we have been robbed of an uncomfortable enough chunk of what is meant to be the best time of our lives. |
| Full piece here: | Full piece here: |
| The federal government says it will set up a $2bn loan facility to support Australian critical minerals projects, just days after the Quad leaders’ meeting in Washington DC where supply chains were a key issue. | The federal government says it will set up a $2bn loan facility to support Australian critical minerals projects, just days after the Quad leaders’ meeting in Washington DC where supply chains were a key issue. |
| The government had flagged the plans yesterday, but released a statement today outlining some details, saying it wanted to make Australia “a world-leader in the mining and downstream processing of in-demand resources, supporting jobs and communities, particularly in regional Australia”. | The government had flagged the plans yesterday, but released a statement today outlining some details, saying it wanted to make Australia “a world-leader in the mining and downstream processing of in-demand resources, supporting jobs and communities, particularly in regional Australia”. |
| The government said the plans to offer up to $2bn in finance over coming years were to “ensure we are providing the rare earths and other critical minerals that are essential to the supply chains of the new energy economy”. | The government said the plans to offer up to $2bn in finance over coming years were to “ensure we are providing the rare earths and other critical minerals that are essential to the supply chains of the new energy economy”. |
| The loan facility will be managed by Export Finance Australia and report to the trade minister, Dan Tehan. The scheme will operate for 10 years, or until a total of $2bn in finance has been provided. | The loan facility will be managed by Export Finance Australia and report to the trade minister, Dan Tehan. The scheme will operate for 10 years, or until a total of $2bn in finance has been provided. |
| Readers will notice the climate messages in the government’s release, amid ongoing Coalition divisions over the prospect of Australia making a formal commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 in the lead up to November’s Glasgow summit. | Readers will notice the climate messages in the government’s release, amid ongoing Coalition divisions over the prospect of Australia making a formal commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 in the lead up to November’s Glasgow summit. |
| Tehan said Australian critical minerals would “help other countries in the Indo-Pacific and beyond to accelerate their industrial reforms and transition to low-carbon technologies and that benefits Australia and our partners”. | Tehan said Australian critical minerals would “help other countries in the Indo-Pacific and beyond to accelerate their industrial reforms and transition to low-carbon technologies and that benefits Australia and our partners”. |
| The minister for resources and water, Keith Pitt, a Queensland National who has been developing a critical minerals strategy and has publicly signalled hesitancy to a net zero pledge, said: | The minister for resources and water, Keith Pitt, a Queensland National who has been developing a critical minerals strategy and has publicly signalled hesitancy to a net zero pledge, said: |
| The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said the idea was to fill finance gaps in critical minerals resources developments to get them off the ground. | The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said the idea was to fill finance gaps in critical minerals resources developments to get them off the ground. |
| The New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard insists police will be responsible for enforcing entry restrictions on unvaccinated people – a position at odds with the state’s police commissioner who said officers would “not be walking through restaurants, cafes and pubs checking if people are double vaccinated”. | The New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard insists police will be responsible for enforcing entry restrictions on unvaccinated people – a position at odds with the state’s police commissioner who said officers would “not be walking through restaurants, cafes and pubs checking if people are double vaccinated”. |
| The state recorded 863 new cases and seven deaths in the past 24 hours, but hit a full vaccination rate of 60.4%, edging closer to the 70% target that will trigger an easing of restrictions, likely on 11 October. | The state recorded 863 new cases and seven deaths in the past 24 hours, but hit a full vaccination rate of 60.4%, edging closer to the 70% target that will trigger an easing of restrictions, likely on 11 October. |
| Full story here: | Full story here: |
| You may remember the inquest of Wayne “Fella” Morrison, which we covered extensively earlier this year. Well our reporter Royce Kurmelovs is back in court for the case today, and you can follow bits and pieces here: | You may remember the inquest of Wayne “Fella” Morrison, which we covered extensively earlier this year. Well our reporter Royce Kurmelovs is back in court for the case today, and you can follow bits and pieces here: |
| A reminder for Victorians: there will be a slight easing of restrictions from midnight tonight in locked-down areas. | A reminder for Victorians: there will be a slight easing of restrictions from midnight tonight in locked-down areas. |
| The travel distance will increase to 15km from home (you can check your radius here) and “contactless” outdoor recreation – such as boating, tennis or golf – will be allowed, as will personal training with up to five people, as long as everyone is vaccinated. | The travel distance will increase to 15km from home (you can check your radius here) and “contactless” outdoor recreation – such as boating, tennis or golf – will be allowed, as will personal training with up to five people, as long as everyone is vaccinated. |
| Victoria is easing restrictions as the state is set to hit 80% of residents with at least one jab today. | Victoria is easing restrictions as the state is set to hit 80% of residents with at least one jab today. |
| What to do if you’re an Australian in New Zealand? Charter a private jet home. | What to do if you’re an Australian in New Zealand? Charter a private jet home. |