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Australia news live updates: 16 Covid deaths recorded; NZ drastically loosens restrictions Australia news live updates: 16 Covid deaths recorded; NZ loosens restrictions; Morrison and Joyce push Hells Gates Dam plans
(32 minutes later)
Follow all the day’s news liveFollow all the day’s news live
Joyce, continued: The member for Goldstein, Tim Wilson, has responded to the supreme court’s ruling allowing Zoe Daniel’s campaign signs to be erected before the federal election is announced:
Scott Morrison is asked if there would be any avenues for the government to pursue allegations of bullying following Kimberley Kitching’s death after Anthony Albanese said no formal complaint had been made.
He doesn’t answer directly:
Barnaby Joyce and Scott Morrison are asked whether Bob Katter’s opposition to a dam proposal below 395 metres will be a worry as they head into the federal election.
The dam would be Queensland’s largest, sitting at 2,100 gigalitres.
Joyce:
The prime minister and deputy prime minister have said in today’s press conference that nobody has ever tried to tear down a dam.
Were they right?
Attached is Worldwide Attacks Against Dams, a snapshot historical overview of attempted and successful attacks against dams around the world.
Scott Morrison is asked when he expects work will begin on the dam once the business case has been approved. He says he is “very confident” the case “stacks up”:
Asked why it wouldn’t be approved if the business case was so strong, Morrison says he can’t speak for the Queensland government but it’s “taken a long time to get Adani under way”:
Barnaby Joyce continues:
Barnaby Joyce is getting a little philosophical here – from what I can gather he is discussing how dams broadly contribute to the global supply chain and strengthen Australia’s economy:Barnaby Joyce is getting a little philosophical here – from what I can gather he is discussing how dams broadly contribute to the global supply chain and strengthen Australia’s economy:
Scott Morrison throws to Barnaby Joyce, saying:Scott Morrison throws to Barnaby Joyce, saying:
Joyce is up and about straight away, chatting dams. He says the $5.4bn in funding is a “marvellous outcome”:Joyce is up and about straight away, chatting dams. He says the $5.4bn in funding is a “marvellous outcome”:
Prime minister Scott Morrison is fronting the media now in Townsville alongside deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.Prime minister Scott Morrison is fronting the media now in Townsville alongside deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.
After the announcement of $5bn for Hells Gates Dam, Morrison assures “nobody has ever tried to tear down a dam” (would love a fact check on this):After the announcement of $5bn for Hells Gates Dam, Morrison assures “nobody has ever tried to tear down a dam” (would love a fact check on this):
Rain and thunderstorms are forecast to return to eastern Australia, including over flood-hit regions of northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland, ending the longest dry spell many areas have had for a month.Rain and thunderstorms are forecast to return to eastern Australia, including over flood-hit regions of northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland, ending the longest dry spell many areas have had for a month.
A frontal system will move through Sydney this morning, bank around the Blue Mountains and form a line of storms up through the Hunter Valley and the mid-north coast. Tomorrow the unstable conditions will shift further north, with the northern tablelands rather than Lismore likely to get a soaking.A frontal system will move through Sydney this morning, bank around the Blue Mountains and form a line of storms up through the Hunter Valley and the mid-north coast. Tomorrow the unstable conditions will shift further north, with the northern tablelands rather than Lismore likely to get a soaking.
Friday, though, is where the “problem comes in”, as uncertainties between weather models create a range of projections about the location and quantity of rain.Friday, though, is where the “problem comes in”, as uncertainties between weather models create a range of projections about the location and quantity of rain.
My colleague Josh Taylor has brought up an interesting aside.My colleague Josh Taylor has brought up an interesting aside.
Technically this reads as though Liberal MP for Goldstein Tim Wilson – a vehement opponent of the signs – would need to get permission to erect his own signs. The ruling only refers to Zoe Daniel’s.Technically this reads as though Liberal MP for Goldstein Tim Wilson – a vehement opponent of the signs – would need to get permission to erect his own signs. The ruling only refers to Zoe Daniel’s.
He brought the weather with him!He brought the weather with him!
Victoria’s opposition are urging premier Daniel Andrews to retract his claim that the state’s ambulance call centre met all its monthly benchmarks between 2016 until before the pandemic.
On Tuesday Andrews came under fire, with the state opposition accusing him of misleading Victorians about ambulance wait times. The state’s triple zero emergency service failed to reach its code one ambulance dispatch benchmarks between 2016 and 2020.
Opposition government scrutiny spokesperson Louise Staley on Wednesday said Andrews should “come into parliament today and say he got it wrong”:
Andrews dismissed the opposition’s claim that he misled the public.
“Political games don’t do anything to save lives,” he said. He said his comments on Tuesday referred to ambulance call times and not dispatch benchmarks.
New Zealand has done away with vaccine passes and vaccine mandates for some of the workforce in a major loosening of its Covid-19 restrictions.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced the changes on Wednesday morning, citing high vaccination rates and better data to be able to identify which environments are high risk.
The changes also include the removal of all gathering limits in outdoor settings and scrapping the requirements for people to scan in using the Covid-19 contact tracing app. Hospitality and other venues can increase their indoor gathering limit from 100 to 200 from Friday.
From 4 April – when the Omicron outbreak is expected to peak – vaccine passes will no longer need to be used to get into shops and venues, and vaccine mandates will be dropped for workers in education, police and the defence force.
Those working in health, corrections, aged care and at the border will still need to be vaccinated to work.
The Covid protection framework, known as the traffic-light system, will stay in place and will remain flexible to change, including if new variants of the virus emerge. Mask-use will also remain to keep vulnerable communities safe:
Ardern:
She thanked New Zealanders for the sacrifices they made to keep the country safe:
Independent candidate for Goldstein Zoe Daniel has won her supreme court challenge against a Victorian council ruling that her signs couldn’t be erected before the federal election was called.
The signs are free to go up henceforth.
You can read more about the significance of the case here:
Victoria has just released today’s Covid numbers and a further 10,471 new Covid cases have been detected. Sadly, 11 more lives have been lost overnight.
There are 243 people being treated in hospital with the virus, including 23 requiring intensive care and four on ventilators.
International travellers could soon have their pre-departure testing requirements removed after the prime minister flagged a further easing of restrictions, AAP reports.
Travellers need to show a negative Covid-19 test result in order to board a flight to Australia, even if they’re fully vaccinated.
Scott Morrison says the removal of pre-departure testing is an important milestone for Australia and has told Cairns reporters health minister Greg Hunt will be making an announcement on the matter soon:
The current biosecurity declaration is due to lapse on 17 April, aligning with international cruise ships returning to Australian waters for the first time since March 2020.
Speaking of Sirius Road, a 23-year-old has been arrested as the protest continues. Significant traffic delays are expected in the area.
Blockade Australia has shut down the Port of Botany for the second day in a row in protest against climate inaction.
Arno, a 21-year-old, has been suspended on a steel bipod structure hanging over a bridge on Sirius Road. The structure is tied off to the other side of the bridge, blocking traffic:
Below Arno’s structure hangs a banner which reads: “No Borders, No Nations, Stop Australia’s Operation.”
Would Scott Morrison welcome his daughters entering politics?
Scott Morrison is asked whether it is a “tit for tat” as to whether Labor or the federal government has the worst workplace. The PM says these issues were solved by the commonwealth a year ago: