NSW has a positive case related to the Byron Bay Chicken Party. Australia joins 13 countries to raise concerns about China’s collaboration with WHO investigators. Follow live
Wed 31 Mar 2021 05.28 BST
First published on March 30, 2021 21:53 BST
5.28 a.m. BST05: 28
According to Hunt, the decision to make Greater Brisbane a hotspot triggers the provision of PPE, measures for elderly care facilities that have PPE themselves and a supplement to the workforce in a single location, support with tracking of contacts and where appropriate Reallocation of vaccine supplies.
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The states and territories are doing a great job, general practices have increased, the Commonwealth is contributing, and everyone comes together to see that number of 72,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours and 670,000 total vaccinations. Suffice it to say that this is a different tone from previous comments by Deputy Head of State David Littleproud, who said today: We are going to help states, but they have to admit they have a problem because of it they did all three fifths of the crap. «
5.25 a.m. BST05: 25
Hunt adds that more than 99,000 people in elderly care have been vaccinated. There were 848 nursing homes where vaccination was completed.
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This shows that due to a very clear evolution, the national vaccination program is being accelerated exactly as it was intended at the time when it was intended. That is the ability to have a sovereign domestic production with strong, stable deliveries from CSL.
5.23 a.m. BST05: 23
Meanwhile, Tanzmanian liberal hopeful Dean Ewington is set to step down as a candidate after it was revealed he called Covid restrictions « silly » and attended an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne earlier this month.
Prime Minister Peter Gutwein says he saw Dean Ewington’s video directed at him last night and they « have different opinions » about the value of bans. You will recall that the Liberal Party said yesterday that Mr Ewington’s views were « known and publicly known » #politas
5.18 a.m. BST05: 18
Some interesting developments in the Tasmania election that revealed the Labor opposition to have signed a memorandum of understanding with the powerful Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA).
You may recall that Labor went into the 2018 election with a bold policy to ban poker machines, resulting in a violent public campaign in the pubs and clubs lobby and a spate of industrial donations to the Liberals .
The Memorandum of Understanding says Labor will now support « the rights » of pubs and clubs to run pokies, and commitments include a promise that opposition leader Rebecca White would meet the THA executive director every quarter.
According to ABC, Labor publicly shared the document after it was released to the media today.
After Labor originally said it would not be published publicly, Labor shared the signed Memorandum of Understanding with the THA. #politas @WINNews_Tas pic.twitter.com/Cw1mET1ZE9
5.05 a.m. BST05: 05
Northern Territory Prime Minister Michael Gunner returned a negative Covid-19 test after coming into contact with Queensland family members and developing cold symptoms.
Gunner’s family arrived from Toowoomba on Friday Darwin, a week after a man infected with the British strain of the virus began moving in the south-east of the state.
« The Prime Minister did the right thing and after feeling uncomfortable he isolated himself and tested negative NT Health Secretary Natasha Fyles told reporters on Wednesday. The NT declared Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, the Toowoomba area, the Moreton Bay area and the Redland hotspots on Monday from 4:30 p.m.
The NT Chief Health Officer declared another hotspot for the Byron Bay area of NSW on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Anyone who has been traveling to the NT from hotspots since the declaration dates must Complete a 14-day mandatory monitored quarantine.
Gunner’s family arrived from Queensland before Monday, but NT law required them to self-isolate and get a Covid-19 test within 72 hours and remain in quarantine, until a negative test result is returned.
Greater Brisbane remains on lockdown as two new virus cases were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections in the community to 17.
One known case lives on at the Gold Coast and others have visited Toowoomba, Gladstone, Hervey Bay and Gin Gin contagiously.
Gunner became self-isolating late Monday after convening a meeting of NT’s Covid-19 State Emergency Management Committee from another office in the NT House of Representatives had.
It is not known if Mr. Gunner’s family returned negative virus tests or if they isolated themselves.
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While we are waiting for the Minister of Health, my colleague Antoun Issa has compiled the figures on the representation of women in Parliament.
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We expect Federal Health Secretary Greg Hunt to start a press conference around 3 p.m.
4.53 a.m. BST04: 53
Permits to build private homes hit a record high in February, fueled by the federal government’s HomeBuilder funding program, which ends Wednesday.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said they had been since HomeBuilder’s launch in June 2020 Home permits up nearly 70%, reports AAP.
In February, home permits rose 15.1% to 13,939 homes, breaking the previous high of December last year.
« HomeBuilder did the Demand for new homes soared across the country, « said Tim Reardon, Chief Economist of the Housing Industry Association.
» The record volume of work will see housing construction absorb workers from across the economy in 2021 and into 2022. «
The HomeBuilder program was launched in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic and extended to March at the end of last year, although the grant went from $ 25,000 to $ 15,000 has been lowered.
During the closing, applications can still be submitted until April 14th. Work must start within six months of signing a new contract.
4.43 a.m. BST04: 43
Hey Hey, it’s Saturday star Daryl Somers apologized to Kamahl for his « clearly inappropriate » treatment on Hey Hey It’s Saturday and admitted that the « offensive » skits that targeted the entertainer’s skin color weren’t today be broadcast.
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If you want to hear what it sounds like to miss our vaccination goals, I have this for a podcast ep audio table of the Australian coronavirus vaccine rollout https://t.co/sIVgHmEURK pic.twitter .com / McygUzUtiv created
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Melissa Davey has more to report about the big bankruptcy between the federal government and the states in introducing the vaccine.
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Victoria Disability Minister Luke Donnellan has spoken to the federal government about his plan to introduce independent assessments within the NDIS.
New NDIS Secretary, Linda Reynolds, is tasked with implementing these changes and it is opposed by disability groups, some former NDIS executives and now the Victorian government.
On the Commonwealth’s plans to introduce independent # NDIS assessments: In December, VIC & requested all states / territories on the Cth to conduct meaningful consultation with people with disabilities on impact assessments. Disappointingly, this did not happen. 1/3 @ valid_inc @everyaustralian
Over the past few months I have heard from many Victorians of their horrific experience – « robo-planning » ratings without knowledge of their disability, which then reappear after years of battling for NDIS access must be proven. 2/3
I greet the new Minister for NDIS and urge the Cth to take a break, return to the drawing board and work with PWD, the families of &, to develop a fairer system. 3/3
3.56 a.m. BST03: 56
Western Australia reported four new cases of Covid-19 overnight, according to the state’s Department of Health.
A statement said the new cases are overseas travelers – a mother in her forties and her teenage son, a woman in her twenties and another person in her twenties.
3.42 a.m. BST03: 42
A gas company was fined more than half a million dollars after an explosion badly burned a worker and a woman in their home next to a public school in the NSW Hunter area, reports AAP.
Elgas Limited has been investigated by SafeWork NSW and found guilty of two health and safety violations that exposed an employee and others to the risk of death or serious injury.
Truck driver David Orrock was driving LPG gas in a large tanker to a home of the Muswellbrook family on a December afternoon in 2015.
Natalie Remnant and others were at home at the time Orrock was filling a large cylinder outside the house with a high flow hose.
A gas leak was observed during this process, but the “exact cause , The source and location of the leak is not known according to the facts of the individual case ”.
Judge Andrew Scotting ruled in the state district court on Wednesday that Elgas had been inadequate in this case, despite extensive risk mitigation measures, including training truck drivers.
The perpetrator failed to ensure that the appropriate instructions were followed under the supervision of the drivers during LPG deliveries.
Elgas Limited has since made a number of additional procedural changes and invested significant sums of money to prevent another explosion of this kind to prevent.
He was sentenced to pay a total of $ 525,000 plus the prosecutor’s costs.
3.24 a.m. BST03: 24
The two Queensland teams still in the state have been ordered by the NRL to leave the team so as not to disrupt the season. The North Queensland Cowboys and Gold Coast Titans will pack their bags and later cross the border into NSW today, where they will join the Brisbane Broncos, who are in Sydney after making the leap south earlier this week.
The Cowboys and Titans were scheduled to play Cronulla and Canberra in southeast Queensland on Saturday, but now they are playing in a double headed ball at Kogarah Anniversary Stadium.
An NRL statement on Wednesday said, “The Titans will be today Move to Sydney afternoon and stay in Sydney until NRL health experts are certain that the risk of infection on the Gold Coast has subsided. The cowboys stay in Townsville. “
The Broncos vs Storm game will take place at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Friday night after the Victorian government gave the team the green light to travel from NSW.
The moves mean that all NRL- Games will take place this week despite the logistical challenges posed by the Covid outbreak in Queensland.
“Our priority is to make sure that all games take place this weekend. While infection rates in southeast Queensland are positive today, there is a risk that more outbreaks will occur between now and Saturday, ”said Andrew Abdo, CEO of NRL.
By confirming the relocation of games today, all clubs have players and fans have the peace of mind that we are planning the games for the weekend and as a game we eliminate the risk of these games taking place.
I want to thank all the clubs that make sacrifices for the good of our game. These are tough choices, but choices that will ensure our competition continues uninterrupted this weekend.
3.20 a.m. BST03: 20
ACT COVID Update March 31: Health Secretary Rachel Stephen-Smith says ~ 2,600 people said they had been to the testing centers in Greater Brisbane # Canberra, almost returned to normal waiting times. And then … well. She is VERY unhappy with the vaccine comment from some of the Cwealth Ministers today.
ACT Secretary of Health Stephen-Smith: « I think some of the comments from some of the Commonwealth Ministers today, and I do not note Health Secretary Greg Hunt, but some of these Comments from his colleagues have been EXTREMELY disappointing and reveal a real lack of understanding «
Ref: https://www.theguardian.com
