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Australia live news updates: Daniel Andrews to give press conference; 980 new Covid cases in Victoria; fifth term for Clover Moore as Sydney mayor
Australia live news update: Credlin apologises to South Sudanese community; Victoria records 980 Covid cases; Clover Moore’s fifth term as Sydney mayor
(31 minutes later)
Follow live updates
Follow live updates
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is running a little late. I’ll bring you updates once he shows.
Anthony Albanese, speaking at a Labor rally, has argued the Morrison government has “nothing left to offer but scare campaigns” as it enters its “second decade”.Albanese has accused Morrison of choosing to “divide, to play politics, to pit Australians against each other” including “state against state”.Albanese on leadership:
I’m handing the blog over to my brilliant colleague, Nino Bucci!
On Morrison’s relationship with the truth, Albanese said:
He will be bringing you updates from Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference, which is expected to start in 10 minutes.
“The notion that we try and keep this out forever...that just doesn’t make sense,” Andrews says.
There has been a lot of talk this morning about whether South Australia will close the state’s borders as the Omicron variant spreads in Australia.
He says he sympathises with Victorians who have family in South Australia and will no longer be able to see them for Christmas because of the Omicron restrictions.
Our friends at AAP have the story:
Andrews says on the tighter restrictions other states have brought in to tackle Omicron that he is not critical of these measures, but that Victoria will not take any steps to keep the variant out of the state.
South Australian authorities are “extraordinarily concerned” about the presence of the Omicron Covid variant interstate, but will not make any immediate changes to the state’s borders.
He said he was texting his NSW counterpart Dominic Perrottet yesterday and the pair agreed they would not be pursuing “Omicron zero”, given the high vaccination rates in the states, and the fact the variant appeared to be less serious.
Premier Steven Marshall has instead indicated travellers from NSW, Victoria and the ACT could soon find themselves locked out of SA, only days after they were welcomed back for the first time in months.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, describes the TGA approval of Pfizer for children as an important next step. He says the state would be ready to roll the vaccines out in schools, if it aligned with the federal government’s approach.
“It may become necessary. I hope it doesn’t,” he said in a press conference on Saturday, before SA reported five new cases.
Anthony Albanese is addressing his first rally of the unofficial election campaign.The warm-up act was deputy leader, Richard Marles, who focused on two main attacks against the Coalition government: its long eight years in office; and Scott Morrison’s credibility.Marles used the words “lie” or “liar” dozens of times, criticising Morrison for “lying” about going to Hawaii, how he became prime minister, to world leaders (Emmanuel Macron) and “lying about lying”.Marles had a particular focus on the fact Morrison switched codes from rugby union to rugby league, and claimed he only picked up a Sharks scarf when he ran for Liberal preselection.
Chief public health officer Prof Nicola Spurrier on Saturday morning recommended to the state’s Covid-19 directions committee that borders be shut.
Marles argued it was “dangerous” because a prime minister who is willing to “lie about who he is” will mislead Australians.
But instead the committee agreed to require all arrivals from NSW, Victoria and the ACT be tested upon arrival.
The funding will allow 84,000 students to attend camps.
They must isolate until a negative result is received – which currently takes about five hours, Marshall said – and be tested again on day six of their visit to SA.
“We’re really going to target those kids who were most impacted by the pandemic,” Merlino says.
The new rules are in addition to a requirement for travellers from those parts of the country to present proof of a negative test undertaken up to 72 hours before their arrival.
Victorian education minister James Merlino is pretty psyched. He says the package means 2022 will be the best school year ever.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and deputy premier, James Merlino are expected make an announcement at 11am.
Andrews is up in Victoria. He is speaking about a $113m funding for school camps. And $700,000 for swimming lessons. Which is fine I guess but perhaps a little anticlimactic?
We will be watching and bringing you updates as they happen.
Sky News host Peta Credlin has issued a lengthy apology to Victoria’s South Sudanese community over comments she made linking them to a Covid-19 outbreak. Credlin apologised for claiming South Sudanese community members had spread infections last year during Ramadan dinners (the vast majority of South Sudanese are Christian) and that they did not speak English (Credlin clarifies during the apology that 84% of the community speak English at a very high level).She also said during the four-minute apology that the broadcaster was planning on working with the community on positive stories.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt said there are now 15 known cases of the Omicron variant in Australia.
Watch the apology here.
In a press conference announcing the Pfizer vaccine had received TGA approval for five to 11 year olds, Hunt said that the government is “reviewing daily and weekly travel restrictions” but that there are “no plans to change the current proposals”.
That’s it from Palaszczuk (ABC has cut away). We’re still waiting for Victorian premier, Dan Andrews (he was due at 11am).
Hunt said:
Prof John Skerritt said that “early indications are that it provides a milder case of disease. Although usually there is a two-week lag to work out whether there are going to be cases of hospitalisation and severe disease. So that’s why the lead up here into Christmas and exercising caution is so important.”
Skerritt added that the TGA is looking at how well vaccinations work against the Omicron variant. He reassured that, while we thought that we might need a new vaccine against the Delta variant, “the current vaccines held us in good stead”.
Finally, Speers asked Frydenberg about the Jenkins inquiry into parliamentary culture handed down this week.
Frydenberg said that “what Kate Jenkins said in this report was that there was a normalised culture of misconduct. That is completely unacceptable”. He added that the government will “be taking action on all the recommendations. We’re absolutely leaning into this”.
Speers asked Frydenberg about that Liberal party is doing to ensure more women are elected to parliament, and whether the party should adopt a 50% target. There was a lot of back and forth, and Frydenberg pointed to the fact that the number one candidate on the Victorian Liberal party’s senate ballot is female.
But the treasurer eventually admitted that “we’ve got to do more”.
Speers asked Frydenberg about wages growth (or lack thereof).
Speers:
Frydenberg:
Speers turned conversation to the government’s mid-year budget, asking Fryenberg whether the outlook for growth for the economy is stronger than at the last budget?
Frydenberg:
Speers:
Frydenberg:
Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg told David Speers on ABC Insiders this morning that he has spoken to South Australia premier Steven Marshall this morning and has been told that he is keeping his borders open, despite concerns around the Omicron variant in Australia.
Speers points out that members of the of the Australian industry group, the business council are backing Labor’s 43% emissions reductions target.
Speers:
Frydenberg:
Speers:
Frydenberg:
Speers:
Frydenberg:
Frydenberg tells Speers that the Coalition, if in opposition, would vote against Labor’s emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030.
ABC Insiders host David Speers starts by asking what Frydenberg thinks of Labor’s recently announced climate policies, which includes an emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030.
Speers points out that “the business council, the Australian industry group, they both backed Labor’s policy. Has business got it wrong?”
Frydenberg starts by talking about the government’s commitment to net zero by 2050, before responding to Labor’s policy:
Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg is speaking on ABC Insiders.
Clover Moore is set to secure an unprecedented fifth term as lord mayor of the City of Sydney following New South Wales council elections on Saturday, AAP reports.
Moore, an independent, will speak to reporters at 11am in Sydney.
By late on Saturday night, she was sitting on 43% of first preference votes, well ahead of her two nearest competitors, fellow independent Yvonne Weldon and Labor’s Linda Scott, who were both on 16%.
The early results suggested a swing against Moore of nearly 15% – but that’s compared to her landslide win in 2016 when she won almost 58% of the vote.Moore has four decades of public service under her belt, 17 of them as Sydney’s lord mayor.
“We have been able to achieve so much but we have a lot more to do,” she said on Saturday night. Moore’s plans include a council goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2035, growing green spaces across the city, improving access to social and affordable housing, and repairing the CBD’s economy and council’s own coffers post-Covid.
The race to become Sydney’s mayor was one of more than 120 council elections across the state on Saturday.
It was an all-female field in the City of Sydney with many of Moore’s opponents arguing it was time for change at Town Hall.
Moore was first elected as lord mayor in 2004 which was 16 years after she was elected to state parliament in 1988.
She managed both responsibilities until 2012 when new legislation forced her to choose between the roles.