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The Guardian - AU
National
Tory Shepherd and Natasha May (earlier)

PM extends pandemic leave payment; 77 Covid deaths – as it happened

National Cabinet Anthony Albanese Australia Paul Kelly
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced after a national cabinet meeting that emergency pandemic payments will be reinstated until 30 September. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP

What we learned today, Saturday 16 July

That’s all from us today, folks. You may have noticed Natasha May did all the hard yards and I just swanned in and gave you a couple of animal stories. She’s a rock star and will be back next week, but you can tune in tomorrow for more live blog action. Here are today’s highlights:

Have a delightful Saturday evening!

Rare orcas spotted for first time in Victorian waters

A rare type of orca has been spotted for the first time in Victorian waters, according to the ABC.

About 15 Type C orcas cavorted around a whale-watching boat off the Gippsland coast. Apparently they usually hang out closer to Antarctica, are smaller than other types, and they “have a very distinctive and dramatically slanted eye patch”.

And these killer whales eat fish, not mammals.

Updated

Climate crisis ‘single greatest threat’ to Pacific, Jim Chalmers tells G20

Climate change is the “single greatest threat” to the wellbeing and security of the Pacific Islands, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has told a G20 meeting in Indonesia.

AAP reports that Chalmers made a special mention of Australia’s Pacific neighbours in an address to global finance ministers.

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have gathered at a summit in Bali, where Chalmers described ambitious action on climate as a generational imperative.

An upgraded electricity grid supporting more renewable energy and “predictable” framework for industry to decarbonise will help Australia meet its 2030 emissions reduction target of 43% below 2005 levels, Chalmers said:

We’re also working with our Pacific partners, recognising that climate change is the single greatest threat to their wellbeing and their security.

We want to be part of a more vibrant, sustainable finance agenda in our region which reflects the different needs and opportunities for individual countries and for the region at large.

The comments follow a Pacific Islands Forum summit in which leaders declared a climate emergency.

While the newly elected Australian government’s stronger position on climate was welcomed, some leaders in the region have publicly pushed for greater action.

“Australia’s new climate pledge is a step-up that Fiji has long sought – but out of the duty I owe every young person in the Pacific, I have urged @AlboMP to go further for our family’s shared future by aligning Australia’s commitment to the 1.5-degree target,” Fiji’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, tweeted on Wednesday.

Jim Chalmers shakes hand with Singapore’s deputy prime minister and finance minister Lawrence Wong at the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia
Jim Chalmers shakes hand with Singapore’s deputy prime minister and finance minister Lawrence Wong at the G20 meeting in Bali. Photograph: Sonny Tumbelaka/EPA

Chalmers also used the speech to acknowledge the former Liberal finance minister Mathias Cormann, who is now the secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He said:

A key priority for the new Australian government is introducing clear and globally-aligned climate reporting requirements for large businesses and financial institutions.

I look forward to joining with a big group of countries represented here who are developing stronger requirements for disclosure of climate risks and opportunities.

Updated

GPs, like the Australian Medical Association, are calling for more telehealth consultations to be made available:

National Covid-19 summary: 77 deaths reported

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 77 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

Deaths: 0
Cases: 1,104
In hospital: 156 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

Deaths: 38
Cases: 11,082
In hospital: 2,024 (with 66 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

Deaths: 1
Cases: 424
In hospital: 61 (with 2 person in ICU)

Queensland

Deaths: 22
Cases: 5,795
In hospital: 921 (with 14 people in ICU)

South Australia

Deaths: 3
Cases: 3,863
In hospital: 287 (with 9 people in ICU)

Tasmania

Deaths: 2
Cases: 1,662
In hospital: 138 (with 5 people in ICU)

Victoria

Deaths: 8
Cases: 9,982
In hospital: 802 (with 34 people in ICU)

Western Australia

Deaths: 3
Cases: 6,473
In hospital: 351 (with 17 people in ICU)

The chimpanzees at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia have come down with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The park reports they were tested after getting coughs and runny noses, and the troop is now being monitored closely.

The zookeepers were already wearing PPE when working with the chimps, because they (both the chimps and the humans) are susceptible to Covid.

Cheers, Natasha May! Especially for the feel-good story. I’m still coming down after this one from earlier in the week:

Updated

Thanks to everyone following along today, I am handing you back to the wonderful Tory Shepherd who will be with you into the evening!

With rising cases, Guardian Australia has updated its Covid-19 data tracker.

You can check out the latest figures on daily new Covid-19 cases, as well as stats, charts and live state by state data, as well as numbers on the vaccine rollout and fourth dose booster vaccination rates here:

Updated

Tasmania records two Covid deaths and 138 people in hospital

There were 1,662 new cases in the last reporting period, and five people are in intensive care.

Small Fry Rock, a children’s concert with a difference

If you’re looking for a feel-good read to brighten up this wintry Saturday afternoon, Katie Cunningham has this story about Small Fry Rock, a children’s concert with a difference.

It also features the most adorable images from Guardian Australia’s picture editor, Carly Earl.

A child at a Small Fry Rock concert
Small Fry Rock is a live music event that is child friendly, currently in Sydney and in Brisbane. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Updated

ACT records no Covid deaths and 156 people in hospital

There were 1,104 new cases in the last reporting period, and four people are in intensive care.

The Pacific Islands Forum has met for the first time in three years since the Covid pandemic. Guardian Australia’s Pacific editor, Kate Lyons, was in Suva covering the event and brings you this report looking back on the week’s forum.

She writes that while leaders presented a picture of harmony, more vexing topics like Australia’s fossil fuel ambitions and China were kicked down the road.

Updated

Opposition says PM needs to apologise to casual workers

The acting opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has continued the Coalition’s criticisms of the government’s handling of pandemic support on the ABC.

Ley says:

Far too slow and Anthony Albanese today has refused to acknowledge his error. Now we were calling last Sunday for these payments to be reconsidered and it’s now almost a week later ... a flip dragged kicking and screaming to an emergency rushed payment of national cabinet. Of course we welcome the reinstatement of the payments, but this is two weeks after they stopped.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said that timetable was set in place by the Morrison government and he was simply adhering to what was inherited, but Ley denies the Coalition has any responsibility for the timing of the way the payments have been provided.

That’s just another ridiculous excuse from the prime minister. He had the health data. His health minister stood up days ago and said millions of people were going to get Covid. He had the briefings and the information. We’re not sitting at the National Security Committee table. We’re not getting those briefings. He knew, as those payments were concluding, exactly what the health situation was turning into with new waves of Covid.

Ley highlights her concern for “the largely female casualised workforce ... helping our cities, our towns, our health system, our aged care run, helping our restaurants, our retail”.

And knowing that they’re on some the lowest wages and, like many of us, they can’t choose to work from home, so putting them in this impossible position is unacceptable and Anthony Albanese needs to apologise to every casual worker who suffered stress as a result of this flip-flopping.

Updated

AMA says investment in pandemic management is a good investment

The government announced pandemic leave payments would be reinstated until the end of September. Khorshid says “we need these supports to be in place as long as they’re necessary to support Australians doing the right thing”.

Whether it will still be necessary at the end of September is a bridge we’ll have to cross at the time.

The payments should never have been removed and I think this government is learning new lessons as it gets its feet under the desk – how important it is to stay in touch with the community, with the experts and others in the community that are giving them advice, and not just to listen to bean-counters and bureaucrats that see any expenditure on health as a waste.

What he know, as doctors on the ground and as workers in a healthcare system, is that investment in healthcare and investment in pandemic management is a positive investment for Australia’s health and it will be good investment in time. And that’s one of the key lessons of the pandemic that we must not forget.

Updated

AMA urges government to restore telehealth to pandemic settings

The Australian Medical Association president, Dr Omar Khorshid, is responding to the national cabinet meeting from Perth.

The government announced that telehealth appointments would be available to people who may need access to antiviral drugs until the end of October. Khorshid says that shows “the government is listening to community concerns and the very deep concern of the medical profession”.

However, he says “the changes on telehealth do not go far enough”.

The reality is that many Australians who don’t have access to video calls do need to access their doctor, whether they be a specialist or a dental practitioner, by telehealth, and as of 1 July around 70 item numbers were cut from Medicare that allowed access to telephone telehealth and none of those have been reinstated.

The decision to reinstate an item for discussions around antivirals is an important step and it will help Australians access the critically important antiviral medication quickly so they can get that at their pharmacy, get that medication and get it into them as fast as possible following a positive test result, and that’s a good step and it’s an acknowledgement by government that the previous decision was incorrect. But we need to go further and make sure that pandemic settings for telehealth remain.

Updated

Queensland premier encourages mask-wearing indoors

Annastacia Palaszczuk has spoken after today’s meeting of national cabinet. The Queensland premier says she welcomes the isolation payment extension and says Queenslanders are now encouraged to wear masks indoors.

Palaszczuk says:

You are strongly encouraged to wear your masks indoors. I’ll be wearing my mask indoors and I’m encouraging people to do that as well.

Secondly, I strongly endorse the prime minister’s announcement about the joint pandemic leave. This is really important. We know this is impacting on our workforce as well. In terms of if you are in the vulnerable category, you should think about whether or not you go into your workplace, but we are being advised by wearing a mask it is safe to go into work.

The other thing we’ll be doing too is making sure we’ve got extra RAT tests going out to schools, making them more available to people as well. I’m strongly encouraging when school goes back on Monday for children to be wearing masks in schools as well as teachers, except where you, of course, can socially distance.

Updated

Unions welcome government decision on pandemic leave payment

Sally McManus, the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), has just fronted the media to respond to the government’s decision to reinstate Covid disaster payments for people isolating.

McManus says:

The union movement really welcomes the prime minister reinstating paid pandemic leave disaster payments.

They’re absolutely essential to support people to isolate if they’re infectious, if they’ve got Covid. It’s great he’s come back into the country and didn’t muck around and that’s he’s got the states together and he’s got this job done.

What we’ve got to do at the moment is put in place everything that’s necessary to stop our hospitals being overwhelmed. That’s critically important, about keeping all of us safe.

McManus said the decision was important not only for casuals but also workers who might have run out of sick leave.

If you have a situation where there’s a big group of workers who don’t get paid leave – that’s obviously casuals and people on ABNs, but also a lot of people that have run out of paid sick leave, especially if they’ve got kids. If they have to make a choice between their bills and going to work, unfortunately, some will go to work or just won’t get tested.

So this is a really essential part of our defences as a country. It’s about supporting everyone. We really welcome that the prime minister is backing workers to keep everyone safe at this time.

Updated

Flood clean-up continues in NSW

Natasha May back with you!

The immediate flood emergency in NSW may be over but there is still a long road ahead for communities cleaning up the devastation left behind.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has shared this video of clean-up efforts.

Updated

If you’re wondering where and when you can apply for the payments:

Some very muscular military music and manoeuvres here from the Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) war games:

Updated

ACTU says extending Covid payments is ‘right and very welcome decision’

The unions, though, have called the restoration of the payments a “right and very welcome decision”. The Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary, Sally McManus, says many workers would have been left without employer sick leave:

[Prime minister Anthony] Albanese has made the right decision to protect workers and businesses by restoring pandemic leave disaster payments. The previous Morrison government never should have set the finish date in the middle of winter.

Bringing back pandemic leave disaster payments is very welcome and means that workers will no longer have to decide between isolating with the virus and putting food on the table for their families.

Updated

Opposition calls pandemic leave decision an ‘embarrassing backflip’

Unsurprisingly, the opposition has taken the opportunity to have a crack at Anthony Albanese’s reinstatement of paid pandemic leave. The shadow health spokeswoman, Anne Ruston, has called it an “embarrassing backflip”:

Updated

Acoss welcomes pandemic leave and crisis payments and looks forward to further cooperation

Asked by the ABC what measures could be further introduced Edwina MacDonald, the acting CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss), said:

The key thing we saw is the start of the pandemic, we had the coronavirus supplement and increased income support that brought it [the jobseeker payment] above the poverty line. We know that the impact of that payment meant that poverty was half of what it would have been for the winter ...

That was overnight and a massive impact on ending poverty. We can do it – these are policy choices we can make. And we know when the payment was pulled away people were thrust back into poverty – and we see poverty levels rising. The increased income is really fundamental.

MacDonald says there is “absolutely” a feeling that the new government is responsive to further change and praised the government for including temporary visa holders in the new supports.

Certainly [we] would have liked to hear this announcement earlier, but the prime minister and the government has listened and have made this announcement today.

There’s another thing I wanted to comment on in terms of the announcement and that is that the federal government is now also including temporary visa holders in the payments and paying for 50% of that – previously covered by state and territory governments.

I think that is really worth noting, that this is something temporary visa holders, who miss out on all social safety nets that we have in Australia, this is something we need to be looking at as well.

Updated

South Australia records three Covid deaths and 287 people in hospital

Tory Shepherd here for a bit, coming to you from Kaurna land in South Australia. Speaking of the middle bottom bit, here are today’s Covid numbers. Sadly another three deaths have been recorded. There are 287 people in hospital, nine in intensive care:

Updated

Crossbenchers welcome restoration of pandemic leave payment

Members of the crossbench are welcoming the government’s restoration of pandemic leave payment.

Among them, the new Greens member for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, who continued to work another three shifts in his retail job following his electoral victory.

Bates has previously highlighted that retail and hospitality workers are overwhelmingly employed casually and therefore disproportionately disadvantaged by the scrapping of the payments.

Updated

Western Australia records three Covid deaths and 351 people in hospital

There were 6,473 new cases in the last reporting period, and 17 people are in intensive care.

Health authorities noted that the three deaths date back to 8 July.

Updated

Acoss welcomes pandemic support but urges long-term solutions to inequality

Edwina MacDonald, the acting CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss), has told the ABC she welcomes the announcements from the national cabinet meeting of additional payments for Australians who are struggling.

A few things we have heard that are really great – we heard about the extension of the pandemic leave disaster payments, the crisis payment, the availability of rapid antigen tests – and all those things are really needed at the moment.

However, MacDonald says that while the new short-term pandemic supports are welcome, long-term solutions to issues of inequality are still needed.

The pandemic is showing some inadequacies with our income support system and what is possible ... when we are not in a pandemic time because these kinds of pressures continue.

The prime minister is open to taking the health advice and looking at what is needed, really committed to making sure no one is left behind. That is really encouraging to hear that. But we know that we do need a longer term solution as well.

Updated

National cabinet meeting brings renewed support amid latest Covid surge

After days of pressure to extend paid pandemic leave, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has reversed the government’s plan to end the emergency measure.

The $750 payment will now continue until 30 September, with the costs covered 50-50 with the states. Telehealth appointments will also be available to people who may need access to antiviral drugs until the end of October.

Concession card holders will no longer be automatically eligible for 10 free RATs through the existing scheme, but Albanese said there were other federal and state schemes in place to provide free tests to the vulnerable.

Albanese arrived back in the country yesterday from the Pacific Islands Forum and called a snap meeting with state and territory leaders for this morning.

The chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, briefed the PM on Friday, then spoke at the national cabinet meeting.

Albanese said national cabinet would continue to meet every two to three weeks as the winter surge hits.

“All of the premiers and chief ministers as well as the commonwealth understand that we need to get the health outcomes right in order to protect people’s health and also to protect our economy,” he said.

“When you get the health outcomes right, you protect jobs and protect the economy. We are all committed to that. The really positive thing as well today is [we are] working towards a much more consistent national approach.”

Anthony Albanese speaks to the media
Anthony Albanese speaks to the media following today’s national cabinet meeting. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP

Albanese said there was “increased access” to RATs.

“States and territories are making sure that they are available as well as the commonwealth through various measures that we have,” he said.

“All of the first ministers also agreed that jurisdictions will utilise existing rapid antigen test stocks funded through these arrangements.”

Albanese and his ministers had argued that the payments and distribution of free RATs were always going to be discontinued after being implemented by the former Coalition government, and that the $1tn budget debt meant the spending could not continue indefinitely.

The health minister, Mark Butler, argued during the week that emergency payments had to be reconsidered as the pandemic entered the “next phase”.

But as the latest Covid surge began and Butler warned that millions of people would be infected, health experts, state leaders, unions and others demanded that the measures should be kept in place.

Albanese said they would reverse the decision “inherited from the former government”.

I want to make sure that people aren’t left behind, that vulnerable people are looked after and that no one is faced with the unenviable choice of not being able to isolate properly without losing an income.

Albanese also urged people to get their booster shots, and to talk to their doctors about accessing antivirals.

On Friday, the Australian Medical Association national president, Omar Khorshid, said people should be supported to “do the right thing” and isolate when they were sick.

Generally the government has extended the measures we continue to need because the pandemic is still here and affecting us.

Albanese had come under fire for suggesting sick people should just work from home, a measure that is not available to many employees. He then announced the national cabinet would meet on Monday to consider pandemic support, but on Friday brought the meeting forward to today.

Updated

Albanese says pandemic payment extension to cost $780m by end of September

Albanese says the extension of payments is estimated to cost “just under $800m” by the end of September 30:

Around about $780m to be shared 50-50 between the commonwealth and the states and territories.

They will be available from Wednesday morning if people want to apply, they can apply online, or people who can’t claim online will be able to claim by calling 180 22 66.

Because it is a new financial year, a number of people have sick leave entitlements that have expired and are ready to go as well. In addition to that, a number of businesses have adjusted to the way that they deal with these issues. It may well be that the cost is less.

Updated

PM notes increased access to RATs but no change for concession card holders

Albanese says there is increased access to supplies of rapid antigen tests, but the state of free rapid antigen tests for concession card holders appears to be unchanged.

Also noting the increased access to supplies of rapid antigen tests because the commonwealth has already picked up the tab of the cost of all the rapid antigen tests. And states and territories are making sure that they are available as well as the commonwealth through various measures that we have. All of the first ministers also agreed that jurisdictions will utilise existing rapid antigen test stocks funded through these arrangements.

Updated

Albanese says indoor mask wearing to be part of health messaging

Albanese says indoor mask wearing recommendations will be part of consistent health messaging between the commonwealth and states and territories:

The jurisdictions and the commonwealth also agreed to provide that consistent health messaging out of there to encourage Australians to follow the recommendations that were provided by Prof Kelly.

These include wearing masks indoors where appropriate, where people are mixing and can’t have social distancing, then that makes sense for that to be highly encouraged. Also getting tested, practising good respiratory hygiene and where it is, where people are contacts or where it is appropriate, for people to work from home. These measures are important.

Anthony Albanese speaks to the media
Anthony Albanese speaks to the media after today’s national cabinet meeting. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP

Updated

PM announces new temporary telehealth consultation item

A new temporary telehealth consultation will also be available, Albanese says:

The commonwealth is also agreeing to create a new temporary telehealth item so GPs can spend longer with their patients to assess the suitability for oral Covid-19 antivirals.

[Health minister] Mark Butler with the Royal Australian GPs and the AMA yesterday worked through these proposals.

We want to make sure that antivirals can be administered where appropriate and in order to do that this temporary telehealth facility is appropriate, it is appropriate it be established.

Updated

Albanese has also announced the reinstatement of crisis payment national health emergency payments:

In addition to that, the government will also reinstate the crisis payment national health emergency payments until the 30th of September. This will ensure that those affected by Covid-19 isolation requirements ... who are in severe financial hardship continue to receive support during the winter period.

Updated

Albanese confirms pandemic leave payment to be reinstated

Albanese has confirmed the reinstatement of pandemic leave disaster payments to the end of September:

In recognition of the risks that are associated with the more infectious new variants, we have agreed to reinstate the pandemic leave disaster payment to September 30 of this year.

I want to make sure that people aren’t left behind, that vulnerable people are looked after and that no one is faced with the unenviable choice of not being able to isolate properly without losing an income and without being put in a situation that is difficult.

Going forward, the states and territories have agreed that this payment will be covered 50-50 – a shared cost with the states and territories.

Previously, the states and territories picked up the bill for temporary visa holders – they will also be shared 50-50. And they picked up the bill for business support – that was in place and is no longer being provided.

This is a fair way. Going forward, all of the states and territories as well as the commonwealth understand that emergency payments are just that. They can’t continue forever, given the physical constraints that are on governments at all levels, but that this is an appropriate measure going forward.

Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference
Anthony Albanese says national cabinet has agreed pandemic leave disaster payments will be reinstated until 30 September. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP

Updated

Albanese says national cabinet to meet every two to three weeks

Albanese has announced a more consistent national approach with the commonwealth to meet with states and territories every two to three weeks.

The really positive thing as well today is working towards a much more consistent national approach.

That was agreed and indeed, over the coming period up until at least the end of September, the commonwealth will meet with the states and territories in the national cabinet approach every two to three weeks to make sure we are hearing the updated reports from AHPPC [the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee] and to respond, as need be, to make sure our approaches are consistent so people can be clear about the messages which are out there.

Updated

Albanese has started his press conference following the national cabinet meeting saying there have been “several new measures” agreed upon.

He says there is good news of strong uptake in the number of people who have received their fourth Covid-19 vaccine, which became available at the beginning of last week.

First, we heard from the chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, who provided an update of the pandemic, including the new variants and their potential impact and the impact that was having on hospital capacity and the broader health system in Australia. What was very positive was his report about the substantial increase in the number of people receiving their fourth shot, some 400,000 people in recent days. Also the increased use of antivirals. These two measures are absolutely critical.

Updated

PM speaks following emergency national cabinet meeting

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking following the emergency meeting of the national cabinet to discuss the worrying surge in Covid cases.

The snap meeting was originally to take place on Monday but was brought forward to this morning after Albanese was briefed yesterday by the chief health officer, Paul Kelly, and health department secretary, Brendan Murphy.

Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference
Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference after today’s national cabinet meeting. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP

Updated

If you missed our Guardian Essential poll at the start of this week, there were two key insights. The first is Australians are in a complicated headspace about Covid. The second is Anthony Albanese’s post-election honeymoon has moderated.

By complicated, I mean contradictory. More than half the voters surveyed want to treat Covid like the flu and just get on with normal life. But we don’t like high death rates. We also worry about pressure on hospitals.

Updated

Northern Territory records one Covid death and 61 people in hospital

There were 424 new cases in the last reporting period, and two people are in intensive care.

Memorable day for Australian golfers at St Andrews

Min Woo Lee has wowed the St Andrews galleries once again to give himself a shot at British Open glory with a dazzling second round at the home of golf, AAP reports.

The West Australian excitement machine almost holed out for a rare albatross on Friday en route to a three-under-par 69 to join his celebrated countrymen Cameron Smith and Adam Scott in contention for the Claret Jug.

Little more than a month after his older sister Minjee won the Women’s US Open in North Carolina, Lee is making an audacious bid to land a major championship of his own.

Min Woo Lee during the second round of the British Open golf championship at St Andrews, Scotland
Min Woo Lee during the second round of the British Open golf championship at St Andrews, Scotland. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

Updated

Gas giant Chevron falls further behind on carbon capture targets for Gorgon gasfield

Gas giant Chevron has fallen even further behind on targets to capture and store CO2 at its mega gas project in Western Australian, but has refused to say by how much.

The company also confirmed on Friday it had bought and surrendered 5.23m tonnes of CO2 offsets to make up for the failure to meet its 2021 target at its CCS project at the offshore Gorgon gasfield in Western Australia.

Queensland records 22 Covid deaths and 921 people in hospital

There were 5,795 new cases in the last reporting period, and 14 people are in intensive care.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese to speak at 11.45am

Stay tuned for Anthony Albanese’s press conference following the emergency national cabinet meeting will be coming up just before midday today.

I’ll bring you the announcements from that presser with Albanese expected to announce that pandemic leave payments for casuals will be reinstated.

Updated

Widespread frost in NSW this morning

The BoM confirming what many of us in NSW and Canberra felt this morning, it’s another cold one but dry conditions in store for the rest of the day.

Updated

Alcohol bans in Northern Territory lift at midnight tonight

The federal Stronger Futures law, which bans alcohol in remote Northern Territory communities, lifts at midnight tonight.

The rules affecting Aboriginal communities have been in place for fifteen years.

Chansey Paech, the Northern Territory’s attorney general, told the ABC that the end of blanket alcohol bans marks the end of a racist intervention-era law.

We have been working across the board, across the Northern Territory with remote Territorians around making sure that they have the information at hand to make a decision of whether they will opt in to remain dry or whether, when those restrictions fall away, they will be able to have alcohol brought into those communities.

Updated

Damaging winds expected in Victoria

A severe weather warning has been issued for Victoria with winds up to 100km/hour predicted over alpine regions from this afternoon.

Stay safe Victoria, and possibly cancel any tennis court bookings you had if you’re in the winds path.

Almond-geddon avoided thanks to new rules allowing bee movement in NSW and Victoria

The varroa mite has not only been a threat to bees in NSW but also the agricultural industries who rely on the mass movement beehives to pollinate their crops.

The timing of the outbreak has been particularly bad for the almond industry who require bees to pollinate the national crop in August every year in what is the largest movement of livestock in the country.

The NSW government has this morning announced a new plan to allow the movement of beehives for pollination and honey production.

Commercial beekeepers will be able to apply for movement permits on Wednesday next week, as long as they are outside of zones impacted by the varroa mite.

This news comes after Victorian authorities announced yesterday that they are also introducing a permit system opening Victoria up to interstate beekeepers.

Agriculture Victoria will issue permits to Victorian, Queensland and South Australian beekeepers allowing them to enter the Sunraysia region, requiring them to inspect their hives before arriving at Victorian almond orchards.

The Victorian authorities yesterday said that bees, hives, equipment and bee products from New South Wales were still prohibited from entering Victoria.

You can read more about the varroa mite’s threat to the almond blossom event here:

Updated

Victoria records eight Covid deaths and 802 people in hospital

There were 9,982 new cases in the last reporting period, and 34 people are in intensive care.

Reinstating pandemic payments is the ‘right decision’, Steggall says

Independent MP Zali Steggall appeared on Channel Nine’s Today Show supporting the move to see casual workers paid while infected with Covid-19, which is expected to be reinstated when the national cabinet meets today.

Steggall highlighted that the decision will help businesses struggling with staff shortages.

I know it was scheduled to finish but I think in the context of rising numbers, and we are in the peak of winter, I think it would be the right decision to reverse that and maintain those payments.

We have to be aware that our businesses are really struggling with staff shortages so they just can’t afford to have people coming in sick and making the rest of their workforce more sick.

But also obviously cost of living is really impacting families so casual workers need to be able to isolate and still put food on the table.

Updated

NSW records 38 Covid deaths and 2,024 people in hospital

There were 11,082 new cases in the last reporting period, and 66 people are in intensive care.

First home buyers blowing their budgets

While owning a home remains beyond reach for millions of Australians, those who manage to crack the market may increasingly be getting in over their heads, AAP reports.

More than a third (37%) end up exceeding their budget, according to Finder’s latest First Home Buyer Report.

The comparison site’s survey of more than a thousand first-time buyers – 372 of whom had already completed their purchase – found 8% paid more than $100,000 over budget and another 8% went at least $50,000 over.

Only 20% of those who took part in the research managed to buy for less than what they believed they could afford.

Part of the reason for the blowouts was to do with underquoted property prices, Finder money expert Sarah Megginson says.

Underquoting is where a property is listed at a price lower than what it’s worth to bait buyers.

It’s illegal but it does happen, particularly in the case of auctions, where underquoted prices can attract more buyers and lead to a bidding war.

Updated

‘We need a response right now’: expert on tackling latest Covid wave

Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Queensland, was on the ABC earlier this morning.

He says bringing the national cabinet meeting forward two days is a reflection of how urgent the situation with this third wave of Covid-19 is, and discusses what he would like to see come out of the meeting.

I think bringing forward that meeting is a really welcome change and should certainly signify the significance of this wave.

We do need a response right now. We need to make sure we get the vaccine in people’s arms and also do other things to curtail the spread, like facilitating mask-wearing and those sorts of things. Hopefully we will get a good response from that today.

I think we need to do as much as we can to facilitate the right response with pandemic payments. We don’t want finances to be a barrier to people doing the right thing to protect themselves and those people around them.

Facilitating things like telehealth with GPs – there has been challenges around funding there – and doing more to bring back mask-wearing and subsidising rapid antigen test and that mask wearing is easy to do
that.

Updated

PM to restore Covid leave payment as emergency national cabinet called

Here’s the message that came out from the prime minister Anthony Albanese yesterday that Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly would provide an emergency briefing to national cabinet this morning.

The snap meeting was originally called for Monday.

Albanese says proposals discussed will aim to “ensure the vulnerable are protected”.

If you want to read more about what to expect from the meeting Guardian’s political editor, Katherine Murphy, and Josh Butler have this report:

Updated

Good morning!

But of course the Covid-19 news is not so good this Saturday morning. Australia’s Covid hospitalisations are reaching record levels in several states as a new wave of infections sweeps the country.

Hospitals are struggling under the load and experts say most states and territories are likely still several weeks away from their peak hospitalisation rates of this wave.

The national cabinet will hold an emergency meeting this morning after the prime minister Anthony Albanese brought it forward two days following a briefing from Paul Kelly, the chief medical officer, yesterday.

Albanese will propose that Canberra and the states extend the pandemic leave payments after he faced mounting pressures, including from the backbenchers and state leaders within his own party, earlier this week.

Payments for casual workers who have to isolate due to Covid but do not have sick leave ended this month, but are expected to be reinstated.

I’m Natasha May and if there’s something you think should be on the blog you can ping me on Twitter @natasha__may or email natasha.may@theguardian.com.

Let’s jump in!

Updated

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