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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy and Natasha May (earlier)

Nation records 78 Covid deaths – as it happened

Anthony Albanese Covid-19 Australia Anika Wells Queensland Manasseh Sogavare Solomon Islands
Mask signs in Melbourne
Signage encouraging commuters to wear face masks while travelling in Melbourne. Photograph: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

What we learned: Thursday 14 July

With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. It’s going to be a very frosty night in large parts of east Australia so make sure you get your thermals at the ready.

Here are today’s major developments:

  • The national unemployment rate has fallen to 3.5%, the lowest figure in almost 50 years. There were 88,000 more people in jobs.
  • The prime minister will hold a snap national cabinet meeting on Monday in response to rising Covid cases and changes to federal government supports. It comes as Tasmania’s premier, Jeremy Rockliff, and the NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, joined a growing number of voices opposing the end to the pandemic leave payment.
  • There were 78 Covid deaths reported today, amid warnings the coming winter wave could be worse than the January peak.
  • In Suva, the prime minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, has guaranteed there will never be a Chinese military base in his country, calling Australia the nation’s security partner of choice.
  • Former attorney general Christian Porter has lost his appeal against a federal court decision which blocked his barrister from acting in a now abandoned defamation case against the ABC.
  • More rain is in store for the east coast in the next three months according to the BoM’s latest climate and water outlook.
  • And the foreign mister, Penny Wong, says Australia will support Ukraine’s international court of justice case against Russia.

Updated

Tony Abbott receives award from Japan

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has received Japan’s Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, a tribute to the “special relationship” between the two nations.

Abbott has been vocal in the outpourings of grief after former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s death, a “best friend” to Australia.

Updated

Hunter region mayors call for additional disaster support

All 10 mayors in the Hunter region have signed a joint statement calling for additional disaster support following the recent floods, above funding that has already been allocated.

Nine out of 10 councils in the region have been declared disaster zones.

The mayors said many communities have seen “irreparable damage” while being cut off from roads, shops and power:

As one of the biggest growth areas and economic contributors in NSW, the Hunter needs support from other levels of government to recover from this disaster.

We acknowledge the recently announced $1m grants for disaster declared LGAs. We welcome and are grateful for every additional dollar. In comparison with past disasters, we have seen an improved and more timely response, but this needs to be put into the context of this being a region that has faced many large-scale natural disasters but has continuously been underfunded.

This far-reaching event will take time to completely recover from, but our communities need support, and they need it now.

Updated

Additional government funding saves Norco ice-cream factory jobs in Lismore

The Norco Lismore ice-cream factory celebrates as additional government funding saves the jobs of its 170 employees.

The announcement comes the day before the date Norco said they would have to stand down employees of the ice-cream factory if it didn’t receive more government support after it was destroyed in the record flood earlier this year.

The bespoke financial package will cover salaries and wages for the ice-cream factory employees for approximately 10 weeks, giving the farmer-owned cooperative time to have their grant application under the Anchor Business Support Program completed and assessed.

Sarah Moran, whose brother lost his home in the floods and very nearly his job at the ice-cream factory, previously told the Guardian how important a place the business has in the town.

Norco is the beating heart of Lismore. Psychologically, if Norco can’t win, Lismore loses hope.

Updated

More rain in store for Australia’s east, according to latest BoM outlook

Sorry readers, it looks like there won’t be much of a reprieve from wet weather in the coming months.

The latest climate and water outlook, released by the BoM this afternoon, says August to October rainfall is likely to be “above median” for the eastern-two thirds of the nation, while western Tasmania is expected to be below median.

CBD shoppers shelter from the rain under umbrellas in Sydney earlier this month.
CBD shoppers shelter from the rain under umbrellas in Sydney earlier this month. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Maximum temperatures are also expected to be higher than normal for northern and parts of far southern Australia, well below median for parts of Australia’s east. Minimum temperatures should be warmer than median almost Australia wide.

A developing negative Indian Ocean Dipole, along with warmer than average waters around northern Australia, and neutral phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation during winter, are likely to be influencing this outlook.

Updated

Albanese to hold snap national cabinet meeting

Anthony Albanese has agreed to hold a national cabinet meeting on Monday with state and territory leaders to discuss Australia’s Covid situation, after several premiers voiced concern over the trajectory of new cases and changes to federal supports.

Guardian Australia understands the national cabinet will meet via teleconference on Monday morning, in the second meeting since the May election. The first Albanese-chaired national cabinet, held in June, had not set a firm date for its next meeting but resolved to “next meet prior to the Federal Budget in October”.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had requested an update on the health advice and Covid situation from the chief medical officer. Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff said he wrote Albanese about the federal government’s decision to stick with plans to end the pandemic leave payment for people forced to isolate, and the winding down of free rapid antigen tests for concession card holders.

“It’s not the right time,” Rockliff said.

Union, business and medical groups had called for the Labor government to change its decision and extend the Covid measures.

Australian Council of Trade Unions leader Sally McManus tweeted:

Oh my god. The saying “don’t cry over spilled milk” has developed consciousness in Victoria.

Updated

South Australia is adopting the health advice to reduce the Covid reinfection period to 28 days, joining a string of states and territories.

Back to the Pacific Islands Forum, where the Fijian prime minister has been speaking.

Bainimarama specifically references Australia when speaking of the required “end [to] fossel fuel addiction, including coal”.

Dialling back, Albanese said all Pacific leaders supported Australia’s bid to co-host UNFCCC COP29.

You will see that reflected in the communique. Every nation expressed support and were very enthusiastic about the idea. What it will do, it will provide a focus on the very real threat of climate change ... in the communique you will see that threat very directly mentioned ... there is time, of course, the decision will not be made until the COP21 seven, which is being held later this year.

Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama presents Anthony Albanese with a Wau war club
Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama presents Anthony Albanese with a wau war club during a bilateral meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Need to make sure ‘people’s talents are fully utilised’, says Rishworth

Rishworth is asked about employment figures released today which are at near historic lows. Is this likely to see a budget improvement with more people in jobs?

She says the figures are a “good thing” but there are still barriers for some cohorts to enter the workplace.

This is good news for so many people that may not have had a job last month. There was an additional 80,000 jobs available to people in the economy.

We also know that there are people, some people for example living with a disability or some people who have been unemployed for some time. For those people we want to make sure that they get the support to enter the job market and that is what the focus for me will be on at the job summit is how do we make sure that people’s talents are fully utilised.

We do know that there are some barriers for people that have stopped them from getting into the labour market, to take up the opportunity that now exists. We need to support those people as well ... it is really important that as a government that we support them with growing skills and productivity to ensure that there is ongoing economic growth as well.

Updated

‘Range of payments’ available, says social services minister

Rishworth says the pandemic has been “very difficult to navigate”, that the payments were expected to end on 30 June.

It is a difficult time, there is no suggesting that it is not. Our government has, as I said, as we move into the next phase of the pandemic, really looked at how we can support states and territories with hospital funding and all those other measures ... such as making antivirals available.

Rishworth says there are a “range of payments” available through Services Australia for people doing it tough.

Jeremy Rockliff, the Tasmanian premier has written to Albanese to ask that it is reconsidered. So has NSW Labor leader Chris Minns. “Both of them, same answer?”

She replies:

The government has made the decision that this payment is to end and moved into the next phase of the pandemic. There are payments available around states and hospitals and as I said, a range of other measures that we are taking.

Updated

‘No money’ for Covid payments for casual workers, says government

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth has appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.

Asked about the pandemic leave disaster payments, which have recently lapsed, Rishworth said there was “no money” to extend the $750 payments and focus is now turning to antiviral drugs and vaccine boosters.

Labor has faced some backlash, including from within its ranks, for refusing to extend the payments, which were introduced by the Coalition for casual workers who were isolating with Covid.

That payment was due to end at the end of this financial year. The government has taken that decision but there is no money to be able to extend that and this is the right time to end up payment.

Of course, we haven’t sat on our laurels when it comes to tackling this pandemic. What we have done is we extended money to hospitals, very important for states and territories to be able to deal with the increased numbers of patients, we have been off to make those ... putting in information campaigns of getting a booster and ensuring that there is a fourth shot available for people, as well as antivirals and making sure that they are widely available.

Updated

Perth protest against transfer of juvenile inmates to an adult jail

In Perth, about 100 people have assembled to protest the transfer of 20 young people from WA’s only juvenile detention facility Banksia Hill to an adult prison.

The rain didn’t dampen advocates’ attendance urging the West Australian government to consider alternatives after what the state government says is ongoing disruptions and disturbances from the boys.

Rally organiser Megan Krakouer told Guardian Australia’s Indigenous Affairs reporter earlier that there are serious concerns young vulnerable people could be at risk of harm if the transportation goes ahead:

Youth justice has failed – what they’re doing is shifting the problem. They’re shifting the problem into an adult prison.

A grandmother of one of the boys said she fears for the life of her teenage grandson.

Protesters march towards the department of corrective services during a rally in Perth
Protesters march towards the department of corrective services during a rally in Perth. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

Updated

Can Pacific Island visa scheme alleviate Australian labor shortages?

Finally, the prime minister is asked if he will extend the Pacific Island visa scheme to help address labor shortages currently hitting the aged care sector.

“Have a look at what we promised in the election campaign,” he replies.

We promised a Pacific island visa campaign to be extended ... we promised more permanent migration from the Pacific for a specific visa to be applicable ... to make people from the Pacific permanent Australian citizens.

It’s one of the things I’ve been working on, whether it be here or with New Zealanders who are in Australia, we need to give people more security. There is a role for temporary migration but I am someone who believes people should have a stake in the country and there is huge opportunities there.

Updated

From that brief, vital rugby interlude, back to the climate crisis.

Reporter:

The declaration of a climate emergency - is that the same kind of words you would use to describe what the world is facing with climate change? Is Australian policy consistent with such a declaration?

Albanese:

People have used that term before many times. What I say is that the word climate emergency is Australian’s opportunity, jobs opportunity for Australia we could be a renewable energy superpower for the world if we just seize that opportunity.

Updated

Now to ... the State of Origin.

Albanese is asked with “many people ... passionate about rugby league” if the State of Origin could be brought to the Pacific as a soft diplomacy tool.

I’ve ... had discussion with the NRL, very directly and I have spoken ... about the Pacific and the engagement with rugby league, it is a passionate sport here. It’s the number one sport here. Rugby league, rugby union of course is very big in Fiji here, and as well, but in places like Papua New Guinea ... the prime minister who was sitting next to me last night watching the origin said it’s the one time in PNG that everything stops. Everything stops through the entire country. And they are very passionate and it would be a great thing for such an event to occur.

It was a great game last night, congratulations to Queensland on a deserved one, even though I’m a loyal NSW person, clearly the best team won last night.

Updated

Relief on Solomon Islands ruling out Chinese military base?

Albanese is asked whether he feels a sense of “relief” when it comes to China in the Solomon Islands after revelations any military base would be ruled out and Australia remained their “nation of choice”.

I think that we have set about an objective to, I guess, reconfirm Australia’s position in this region. We have been, since the Second World War, a security partner of choice. We are now very much re-engaged with the Pacific.

I note that previously this meeting would have still been going for many hours. I’m told that one of the reasons ... is the changed position of Australia. For example on the communique, we dealt with that pretty expeditiously. It was all over not long after three o’clock today. That represents a success.

Anthony Albanese meets with Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare
Anthony Albanese meets with Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare on sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum. Photograph: Reuters

Updated

Global 1.5 degrees warming limit? New coal and gas developments?

Australia’s current emissions targets, Albanese is reminded, are not in line with keeping warming to 1.5 degrees “and if any communique says that that is the goal then Australia falls short”.

Albanese replies “how you determine things is global action”:

Australia starts from a point whereby unlike some other countries that don’t have the sort of industry and resource base that we have, we have an economy that is very similar to Canada. The shift in our economy is far more difficult ... what is important is the trajectory and whether you are playing a role to get in at zero by 2050. ... our plan has been welcomed by the Biden administration, by former prime minister Boris Johnson, by people across the administration around the world.

The idea that you don’t equate action to being part of global action is just not right.

What about new coal and gas projects? Which would be at odds with Pacific leaders’ assertion global warming be kept to 1.5 degrees.

“Have any Pacific leaders asked you about Australia’s commitment to no new coal or gas and what answer would you give them as to why you are not ruling out new coal and gas?”

The answer to the question is no. You can’t then ask me a hypothetical. You’ve asked me the question. The answer to the question, they haven’t. I was not asked about that.

Updated

Anthony Albanese questioned on emission reduction target

Albanese is asked about a tweet made by Fiji’s prime minister pushing for greater climate action from Australia. What is his response?

He replies Labor went into the election campaign with an “ambitious but achieveable” emmissions reduction target.

We will do exactly what we said we would do, and that was exactly what was worked on unanimously in the communique that was adopted. We had a bit of a debate about targets.

The truth is we went to the election campaign with an ambitious but achievable target of 43% by 2030. With a fully costed plan that included a shift to renewables by 82% of the national market by 2030. That’s a real plan and if you ask someone in abstract if you want a high number in absence of how you get there, then of course people who care about climate change would want action to be as soon as possible.

What you have to do is to have a real plan with a real timetable. That is what we have. And that is why it has received the unanimous support of our Pacific neighbours today in the communique.

Updated

Albanese says the leaders discussed national security and security in the Pacific, the climate crisis and “the range of challenges” economies have going forward. No specific mention of the Pacific’s neighbour, China.

There is a real sense of regional cooperation here. This afternoon as well, we adopted the plan to 2050. Once again, looking for the long-term, rather than just short-term interest. That is still a great credit of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders, who have done a lot of work in the lead up to this conference and it makes a real success going forward.

Updated

The prime minister thanks Fiji’s prime minister, Frank Bainiarama, for hosting the forum, and confirms 17 of 18 nations present signed the Suva declaration.

I want to congratulate Frank, for his hosting, because it was a successful effort ... There were divisions, earlier this year, but the fact that 17 of the 18 nations have signed the Suva declaration on the new structure of the Pacific Islands Forum, which has brought countries together, is very positive indeed. This afternoon, the leader spoke to the prime minister and indicated to him that he wanted to have dialogue and the door is open for them to rejoin. And once again, bring the family together.

Updated

Anthony Albanese addresses media from Pacific Islands Forum

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking now from Suva, flanked by minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy.

He says the forum has been “very successful” and reiterates the relationship is one of “family”.

We are family when it comes to the Pacific, and there was a good spirit of cooperation and dialogue, speaking about our common interests. Australia’s new position on climate change was particularly well received, and that is reflected in the communique. It was also reflected in the comments made in every single one of the person-to-person dialogues I had with prime ministers and other leaders from other Pacific Islanders neighbours.

Updated

Court hears ACT hospital whistleblower’s allegations of retribution from employer

A senior figure at the Australian Capital Territory’s main hospital has alleged in court documents that she faced retribution from her employer for blowing the whistle on safety concerns.

The Canberra hospital’s intensive care unit director, Bronwyn Avard, has filed a case in the federal court alleging she was the subject of retaliation for raising workplace health and safety issues with the hospital across a number of years.

Her case alleges that, in response, her employer commenced a clinical misconduct investigation against her, directed her to attend an independent medical examination (which found her fit to perform her role) , directed her not to come to work, and threatened her with suspension if she showed up.

She categorically rejects any suggestion that she was involved in any misconduct and is seeking an order that the Canberra Health Service be restrained from continuing the misconduct investigation, which she says was brought in retaliation for her complaints.

She alleges her employer’s conduct breached the Fair Work Act. In a statement, Avard said:

I have devoted the past 17 years to the wellbeing of patients and staff in Canberra hospital and I remain fully committed to public healthcare in the ACT. I am shocked and dismayed that the hospital system is so resistant to suggestions as to how to improve its service.

She said she had “to defend my integrity and shine a light on the shortcomings in the system in the hope that things will improve, for the safety of patients and staff.

Canberra Health Services said it could not comment on court matters or individuals. But it said it could “assure Canberrans and those in the surrounding region who rely on our critical care services that our Intensive Care Unit is well staffed and delivers quality, safe health care”.

It said:

We acknowledge there have been some culture issues identified within the ICU.

This was highlighted in our staff survey, which was conducted last year. These results were out of step with the broader organisational results.

In response to the survey findings for ICU, an external review into the culture of the unit was undertaken by former Commissioner of the Fair Work Commission, Barbara Deegan.

Updated

Federal MP calls for Albanese government to rethink ending Covid payments

Earlier today, Queensland’s minister for aged care Anika Wells backed the federal government’s decision to allow Covid pandemic leave payments to lapse, arguing it was one inherited from the previous government.

Now, a Labor MP is breaking ranks, joining New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns in calling for the payments, which gave casual workers $750 to isolate at home while infected with Covid, to be reinstated.

Read the story:

Updated

Unvaccinated AFL and AFLW players cleared to take the field again

The path has been cleared for unvaccinated AFL and AFLW players to play again after the league lifted its vaccine mandate on Thursday.

Instead of barring those who have not been jabbed from playing, the AFL will now “strongly encourage” all players across its men’s and women’s competitions to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The strict measures introduced to keep the competitions running during the pandemic meant Carlton defender Liam Jones and former Brisbane and Adelaide midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen had to step away from the top-level game, while St Kilda midfielder Georgia Patrikios sat out the entire last AFLW season.

After the league conducted an extensive review into its policy, all three will now be able to return.

“The health and safety of our players, staff and the wider community has been one of the guiding principles governing the AFL’s ongoing response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” AFL football operations manager Andrew Dillon said.

Our AFL industry has continued to adapt to the circumstances in front of us, and while we have removed the mandatory vaccine mandate, we still maintain the view that vaccinations are the best form of defence in minimising the impacts of Covid with the focus now on keeping “up to date” with all recommended boosters.

We will continue to monitor the Covid situation as it evolves. If we need to adjust over the coming weeks and months we will do so in consultation with the respective governments and medical professionals.

Georgia Patrikios
St Kilda’s Georgia Patrikios can return to the AFLW with the lifting of the Covid vaccine mandate. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Updated

Still at the Pacific Islands Forum, leaders have been in attendance at the official 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy launch.

There are some notable absences this year.

Damn that cake looks good!

If you missed the latest at the Pacific Islands Forum:

Victorian dairy farmers welcome Coles-brand milk price rise

The Victorian Farmers Federation has welcomed a recent move by Coles to lift their own-brand price milk by up to 60 cents, while acknowledging it is reflective of the mounting costs producers are copping at the farm gate.

The VFF United Dairy Farmers of Victoria vice-president, Mark Billing, said farmers had been doing it tough.

We’ve got fertiliser costs that have gone through the roof and significant costs around energy and grain that farmers need to feed to our cows.

Farmers can’t continue to fully absorb these costs and that’s part of the reason we’re now seeing retail level prices start to increase.

Many dairy producers are just breaking even in terms of mounting costs. To have milk, we need dairy farmers, and this move helps ensure that.

Updated

Thanks as ever to the wonderful Natasha May for keeping us all informed today. Me, and my new slippers will be with you for the rest of the afternoon.

It’s time for me to say goodbye and hand you over to the wonderful Caitlin Cassidy who will take you through the rest of the day’s news.

Adam Bandt says global heating of 1.5C means no new coal and gas

The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has made his thoughts clear that if Australia is to heed the Fiji PM’s urgings for global heating to stay at 1.5C, there cannot be new coal and gas projects.

Bandt says his party’s support for the government’s climate legislation may hinge on whether it continues to back new fossil fuel projects.

Updated

New South Wales will likely see frost across most of the state tomorrow with overnight temperatures of zero and below.

Updated

Christian Porter loses appeal over blocked barrister in dropped ABC case

The former attorney general Christian Porter has lost his appeal against a federal court decision which blocked his barrister from acting in a now-abandoned defamation case against the ABC.

In April Porter launched an appeal to the full bench of the federal court over a ruling which saw his barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, blocked from acting in his high-profile defamation case against the national broadcaster.

He launched the appeal to the full bench of the federal court, despite dropping his case against the ABC last year.

On Thursday Justice Anthony Besanko handed down the ruling during a brief hearing in the federal court, saying all three justices who heard the case had agreed to dismiss the majority of the appeal.

Updated

Health minister regrets impact of ending pandemic leave payments

Butler is asked about whether he is concerned that the end to government payments to casual workers who are Covid positive will see people struggling for money go out and work while infected:

This is going to have an impact on people in the community. I deeply regret it as do other members of the government. Unfortunately, wherever an emergency payment measure is withdrawn or comes to an end, they will be an impact on the community. Whatever time, whether that’s now, three months ago or in three months time.

Butler, like other members of the government this week, emphasised the budget cannot afford for the measures to continue.

The NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, has called on the federal government to rethink the pandemic leave payments but Butler said: “I have not seen any direct communication from him.”

While the Covid payments for casuals are ending, Butler said job security and improving access to paid leave entitlements of casual workers is right at the centre of our workplace relations policy.

He said he has no information before him at the moment that the seven-day isolation rule could be revised or scrapped when asked about the possibility by media.

Updated

Butler confirms free PCR testing will continue

Butler has clarified current Covid testing arrangements, saying he is concerned about misinformation:

There is no change to the arrangements that are in place right through the pandemic. If you think you have Covid, if you have symptoms, if you’re exposed as a close contact anywhere in Australia you can access Covid test free of charge through state government, give a PCR or rapid test code provided by the commonwealth. There will be no change to that whatsoever.

I am concerned about misinformation that has been spread that there will be change to the free Covid testing arrangements in place for some time now.

Also if you want to visit a relative in an aged care there will be free rapid tests available funded by the commonwealth to allow you to do that.

What there is a change to is a time-limited program that the national cabinet put in place, not the commonwealth, the national cabinet put in place about six months ago that would allow pensioners and other concession cardholders to put together a stockpile for their personal use. That was always intended to run the six months, that was the budgeted position of the commonwealth and the budget position as far as I understand it, every single state and territory government.

Updated

Mark Butler says business and unions must work together to keep labour market strong

The acting employment minister, Mark Butler, is providing more details about the unemployment figures that were released today.

Today’s unemployment rate of 3.5% is the lowest rate in almost 50 years, since 1974, including the lowest female unemployment rate in that same period.

The youth unemployment rate is at its lowest level, down almost one full percentage point of the lowest level since before the global financial crisis.

This is all terrific news for tens of of thousands of people who find themselves in work who weren’t last month. It also reinforces the incredible tightness of Australia’s labour market.

Butler reinforced the need for cooperation between business and unions.

There is a need for government to work collaboratively with the businesses and unions to boost productivity and boost skills and training and to boost wages and job security so workers can also see a dividend from this very strong labour market. That is exactly what the government will be doing through the prime minister and treasurer’s jobs and skills summit in seven weeks time.

Updated

Sydney Opera House concert hall to reopen on 20 July

Audiences will be able to see the Sydney Opera House’s newly renovated concert hall next week.

The hall will have better acoustics as well as improved accessibility with a new lift and passageway installed.

The chief executive, Louise Heron, spoke to the ABC earlier today about is the largest and most ambitious construction projects since the Opera House opened in 1973.

It has been a very long time coming. For decades people have dreamt of fixing the acoustics. We dreamt of replacing machinery and improving accessibility and the concert halls, some of these shortcomings have been well documented.

Musicians around the world have been playing here but all too often the experience has fallen short of expectations and unmet expectations are really not something that we want at the Opera House. With this upgrade we have corrected that imbalance. The upgrade was funded by the New South Wales government and was part of a larger $300m project to upgrade this World Heritage site a head of its 50th anniversary next year.

The concert hall reopens to the public on 20 July with a gala featuring the Sydney Symphony Orchestra led by Simone Young.

You can read more about the renovations here:

Updated

National Covid summary: 78 deaths reported

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 78 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,367
  • In hospital: 137 (with 5 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 36
  • Cases: 14,235
  • In hospital: 2,001 (with 56 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 494
  • In hospital: 55 (with 3 people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 18
  • Cases: 6,900
  • In hospital: 863 (with 16 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 4,761
  • In hospital: 231 (with 7 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 1,844
  • In hospital: 125 (with 4 people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 20
  • Cases: 11,283
  • In hospital: 771 (with 34 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 6,535
  • In hospital: 329 (with 14 people in ICU)

Treasurer makes new ACCC appointment

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has nominated Catriona Lowe, a former consumer advocate, to become the new deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Lowe, a former boss of the Consumer Action Law Centre, currently sits on the board of the Australian Energy Regulator and has previously served on the boards of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

Chalmers has put her forward to replace Delia Rickard, who has served as deputy chair since 2012.

Unusually for a commonwealth body, the process of appointing commissioners to the ACCC requires the treasurer to seek the approval of the states and territories.

Rickard was most recently re-appointed for five years in August 2017, meaning her term expires next month. Because former treasurer Josh Frydenberg neglected to put anyone forward for the role prior to the election, Chalmers wanted to extend Rickard’s term through until 27 January, when Lowe can take over.

(Rickard’s isn’t the only role Frydenberg failed to fill in the dying months of the Morrison government – there’s an empty chair at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, where the commissioner responsible for markets supervision, Cathie Armour, left last month with no replacement lined up.)

Updated

Tasmanian premier says 'not the right time' to end paid pandemic leave or free RATs

Speaking of which, the Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, says he has written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, about the Covid changes:

Updated

Wells says pay rise for aged care workers more important than paid pandemic leave

Wells says the decision to end paid pandemic leave payments was one taken by the previous government, and says it’s more important to lobby for a permanent pay rise for aged care workers.

This is exactly why we are trying to get a pay rise for aged care workers. I want to see more aged care workers as full-time and permanent part-time workers. We need to value care more in this country. We haven’t been doing it for decade. If we had been we would not be in this situation.

This is decades of neglect that we are now trying to mop up, catching up to the flight midair. No one wants us to be in this situation. I want aged care workers to have fantastic pay and conditions. They are a long way from that at the moment.

Updated

Wells says focus is on vaccinations and antivirals

Wells says almost 70% of aged care residents in Queensland have received their fourth vaccination dose.

Anti-virals are now available and pre-deployed to residences across the country ahead of this winter wave. We are providing almost 1.9m RAT kits per week to residential facilities.

She justifies the federal government’s ceasing of pandemic leave disaster payments, arguing the decision has been made in the broader context of the “absolute mess” of the budget.

Money needs to go where it is best targeted: vaccinations and antiviral treatments.

Updated

Anika Wells announces ‘winter plan’ for aged care

The new minister for aged care, Anika Wells, is speaking now in Brisbane, revealing a “winter plan” for aged care ahead of the next wave of Covid-19.

The wave is expected to peak at the end of July. The chief medical officer said he is “as worried” about this wave as he was in December.

Wells said:

This week I called an urgent meeting with the chief medical officer, the deputy chief medical officer and the aged care quality and safety commissioner to ensure that we are leaving no stone unturned ahead of our response to this current winter wave. Following that meeting I am today releasing our government’s winter plan for aged care.

She said the plan is in five parts: vaccination, antiviral access, proactive engagement, visitor and worker safety, and infection control training.

We are in a few phase of living with Covid-19 but that does not stop our new government’s determination to do everything we can to support aged care homes to be places of care, quality and humanity. The former government may have been content to leave aged care residents on their own, that is not my approach as the new minister and that is not the approach of the Albanese-Labor government.

Updated

South Australia records one Covid death

South Australia Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 4,761 new Covid cases reported and one further death.

There are 231 people being treated in hospital with the virus including seven people in ICU.

Wage growth predicted on the back of low unemployment

The chief economist from AMP Capital, Shane Oliver, told the ABC he predicts wage growth will follow the low unemployment rate.

Oliver said there are “various business surveys including the NAB survey earlier this week, and also the Reserve Bank’s liaison pointing to higher wages growth”.

Small comfort, I guess, given inflation is 5% and still rising but nevertheless we are, I think, going to see some pick-up in wages growth.

Updated

NSW records its lowest unemployment rate on record of 3.3%

The New South Wales unemployment rate of 3.3% is its lowest on record.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, took comfort from the NSW rate being 0.7% lower than Queensland’s after last night’s bruising State of Origin defeat for the blues.

Updated

‘Tokenistic’ engagement with First Nations people, disability royal commission hears

The disability royal commission has heard scathing details on a lack of meaningful engagement with First Nations disability service providers and ‘tokenistic’ measures.

The First Nations Disability Network is giving evidence on Thursday with the chief executive, Damien Griffis, outlining a decade of “frustrations” with the NDIS scheme and the National Disability Insurance Agency.

Griffis told the royal commission:

If you are to judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable we would argue that as a nation we are failing miserably.

The royal commission has been examining the difficulties First Nations people living with disabilities have in accessing basic care and services in remote and regional parts of the country.

Griffis is calling for the NDIS and the NDIA to work with First Nations people and disability services.

We are prepared to take that approach now as long as it’s done in a genuine way – with co-design and genuine power sharing and a genuine two-way learning approach.

Updated

Leaders, including Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, pose for the “family photo” at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji.

Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva
Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

The parliamentary budget office (PBO) has released its report on parties’ 2022 election commitments, finding that Labor’s commitments will increase public debt interest payments by $1.6bn over four years.

It found Labor’s election policies “if fully implemented, would result in increased deficits over the same periods relative to the [pre-election fiscal outlook] (a decrease in the underlying cash balance of up to 0.1% of GDP in any year).”

Labor’s two most expensive policies were: cheaper childcare ($5.1bn over four years) and fixing aged care ($2.5bn over four years).

The PBO said:

Overall, the estimates presented in this report are not materially different from those published by Labor for the forward estimates prior to the election.

However, it did detect a few policies would actually improve the underlying cash balance more than Labor estimated:

  • Abolishing the cashless debit card.
  • Infrastructure projects, some of which are already funded.
  • Cutting the PBS general co-payment to $30.

The PBO noted Labor announced 11 policies that involve not direct spending from the budget but “balance sheet financing arrangements” such as loans, equity injections and guarantees. These include the Powering Australia plan, the Help to Buy housing scheme, the National Reconstruction Fund and Housing Australia future fund.

Together the 11 off-budget promises “would result in the headline cash balance being $33.6bn lower than the underlying cash balance over the forward estimates period, and $62.7bn lower over the medium term”, the PBO said.

Updated

Australia will support Ukraine’s international court case against Russia

The foreign mister, Penny Wong, says Australia will support Ukraine’s international court of justice case against Russia.

Updated

Labor sends Covid antivirals to aged care homes as part of winter plan

The aged care minister, Anika Wells, says effective Covid antiviral drugs have been deployed to all residential aged care homes, as the federal government releases its winter plan for aged care.

Wells had flagged the plan in morning radio interviews. She said the government’s focus was on proactive communication with providers, boosting vaccination rates and infection control training.

We absolutely must remain on the front foot as we face this next wave of Covid-19 pandemic. We all remember how the former Morrison government did not have a plan for Covid-19 in aged care and the devastating impact that had.

Another tool we have against Omicron is antiviral treatments, which have been pre-deployed to all residential aged care homes.

The 27-page plan outlines procedures on how providers should manage visitors, outbreaks and infection control. It’s available here.

Updated

Cows washed away in flood waters have “followed a trail of hay” to return home.

Updated

NSW Labor leader calls for pandemic leave payments to be reinstated

The Albanese government is under growing pressure to reinstate pandemic leave payments, with the NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, calling for an “urgent rethink” of the decision to end the payment on 1 July.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been resisting calls from unions to keep the $750 payment ongoing for workers who are not entitled to paid sick leave, but who may be required to isolate if infected with Covid-19.

Minns said the payment would help people abide by the “law of the land”, which in NSW required seven days of isolation.

If you’re a casual worker, and you must spend seven days in isolation, you may not have access to any funds at all.

I don’t want people having to choose between declaring whether they’ve got Covid-19, testing whether they’ve got Covid-19 and returning to work and putting their coworkers, the community, and their family at risk.

This payment is probably the price that we need to pay in order to deal with living with Covid over the next 12 months.

It’s a difficult decision, and I understand it’s hotly contested by the federal government, but we have to make sure we make commonsense decisions to help people make the right personal care decisions so that we can keep the community safe and protect our emergency departments over what will undoubtedly be a very difficult winter period.

Speaking on the Today show on Thursday morning, Albanese said he understood people were going through a “difficult period”.

The former government made the decision that this support would stop on the first of July. That was foreshadowed a long while in advance. We’ll continue to address these issues based upon the health advice.

This pandemic has thrown challenges at Australians, Australians have responded magnificently to those challenges, and my Government will continue to take the health advice and continue to take action based upon that advice.

Updated

Unemployment rate falls to 3.5%, lowest in almost 50 years

Unemployment in Australia has fallen from 3.9% in May to 3.5% in June, the lowest level since August 1974.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are 88,000 more people employed and 54,000 fewer people unemployed, driving the unemployment rate down by 0.4%

The head of labour statistics at the ABS, Bjorn Jarvis, said:

This is the lowest unemployment rate since August 1974, when it was 2.7 % and the survey was quarterly.

The 3.4% unemployment rate for women was the lowest since February 1974 and the 3.6% rate for men was the lowest since May 1976.

The large fall in the unemployment rate this month reflects more people than usual entering employment and also lower than usual numbers of employed people becoming unemployed.

Together these flows reflect an increasingly tight labour market, with high demand for engaging and retaining workers, as well as ongoing labour shortages.

Updated

Lower unemployment figure could put pressure on RBA for further rate rise, economist says

The head of macroeconomic forecasting at BIS Oxford economics, Sean Langcake, tells the ABC he is “very surprised” by the June unemployment figure of 3.5%.

This is a remarkably strong – my expectations were that it looked as though the economy or the labour market at least was approaching capacity and as part of that I was expecting employment growth to slow a little bit.

Langcake believes the lower unemployment figure will add pressure to the Reserve Bank to keep raising interest rates and predicts a 50 basis point rise at the next RBA meeting.

I think we were headed for another rate rise in August. I think it was an open question as to whether or not that would be 25 basis points or 50, I think this point will see them want to front load their rate hiking phase and I would expect 50 at the next meeting.

Updated

Unemployment rate drops to the lowest figure in almost 50 years

The unemployment figure for June has just come through with a significant drop.

It has dropped from 3.9% in May to now 3.5% in June.

The ABC is reporting the rate is now the lowest since August 1974 when it was at 2.7 .%

Updated

Solomon Islands PM rules out China military base

The prime minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, has guaranteed there will never be a Chinese military base in his country.

In his first interview since the security deal with Beijing, Sogavare says he would only call on China if there was a “gap” that Australia could not fill.

Lice Monovo and Guardian Australia’s Pacific editor, Kate Lyons,
bring you this exclusive interview from Suva.

Updated

More smiley snaps coming back from Fiji’s Pacific Islands Forum as the foreign minister, Penny Wong, meets with her Vanuatu counterpart, Marc Ati.

Updated

Queensland records 18 Covid deaths and 863 people in hospital

Queensland reported 6,900 new Covid-19 cases in the last reporting period, and 18 deaths. There are 863 people in hospital in the state, with 16 in intensive care.

Updated

States and commonwealth to discuss national plan for domestic violence

With the ABC reporting that the previous government sat on the domestic violence report for months, Fitzgibbon welcomes Labor’s release of the report today.

I hope that it indicates a commitment to transparency, but also, you know, the Government’s come in fairly recently and they have moved on this. So I hope that’s a commitment to action also.

State and territory ministers will meet with the federal government to progress the development of the next national plan at the end of next week, which Fitzgibbon says will be a “critical meeting.”

Look, there’s a fantastic draft plan that has been put together and there’s many really important components that we think do reflect the expertise and the views that were shared in this report. We’re really pleased to see how that will be not only brought together and published but improved under the current government and looking forward to having our next national plan in action as you said at the start, we have a national crisis, so we need to ensure we move to address that.

Updated

Dangerous surf conditions in NSW

Strong winds and dangerous surf conditions for the NSW coast, the Bureau of Meteorology is warning.

The BoM reported waves of up to 4.4 metres seen along the Byron coast this morning.

These warnings come after Queensland also received warnings of gale and strong winds across their waters earlier this morning.

Updated

Calls for dedicated First Nations domestic and family violence action plan

Kate Fitzgibbon says stakeholder consultation shows that First Nations people need dedicated consideration when it comes to tackling domestic and family violence:

What we know is that there’s been extremely loud and important calls for First Nations communities to have a dedicated plan and a dedicated action plan. And the consultation findings really support that. We need the national plan to embed the right to truth-telling, to healing and to self-determination and we heard that consistently across the consultation.

Updated

Regional Australian women left out to dry when it comes to domestic violence

Fitzgibbon says the report shows there is a lack of support across the board for women who live in regional and remote areas.

We need not just in relation to housing, but across services as well... there’s a significant shortfall and barriers to accessibility for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence who live out of metropolitan areas.

Updated

Chief investigator of domestic violence report highlights housing problems

Dr Kate Fitzgibbon, the chief investigator on the stakeholder consultation report for domestic and family violence, says it shows housing is a major issue:

Housing was a factor that we just heard consistently throughout the consultation.

We heard that women are having to choose between staying with an abusive partner or becoming homeless and we know that family violence is the leading cause of homelessness in Australia.

So we need immediate housing crisis options but we also need housing options in the medium- and long-term for women and children who have left abusive families and relationships.

We need a suite of different housing options. We need to ensure that ... it tackles women who are living individually, living with families, living with pets.

Updated

‘Inter-partner violence peak around the major sporting events’

Dr Kate Fitzgibbon is the chief investigator on the stakeholder consultation report that has just been released today to tackle domestic and family violence. She is now speaking to the ABC, discussing what is known about when domestic violence flares in the country – it peaks around major sporting events:

In Australia, approximately every nine days, a woman is killed by a male violence and that’s a figure that has stayed stubbornly persistent over the last decades.

We need to ensure that the next national plan takes forward this ambitious agenda to end violence against women and children by tackling everything from prevention to intervention to response through to recovery.

We know that, unfortunately, acts of violence against women and in particular inter-partner violence peak around the major sporting events, things like the NRL and the AFL.

What we know from that is we need a sector that is equipped and properly funded to respond to that level of demand but we also need to be asking questions about why it is that these behaviours go up around those times and what are the underlying drivers of this violence and how can we address those.

Updated

The Maroons are celebrating their win in the State of Origin decider last night after an epic comeback. You can read Angus Fontaine’s report if you missed it or just want to relive what some are calling one of the greatest deciders.

As NSW lick their wounds, coach Brad Fittler has spoken out, saying he thinks Matt Burton’s sin-binning was a “tad ridiculous”.

Updated

Fiji urges greater ambition on Australia’s climate targets

Frank Bainimarama, the prime minister of Fiji, the country hosting the Pacific Islands Forum, is urging our PM Anthony Albanese to be more ambitious with Australia’s climate targets in line with limiting warming to 1.5C.

Australia’s midterm target is currently a 43% emissions reduction by 2030 but experts say that target would need to be raised between 50% and 74% to limit global heating to 2C and 1.5C respectively.

Updated

Victoria records 20 Covid deaths and 771 people in hospital

There were 11,283 new cases in Victoria’s last reporting period, and 34 people are in intensive care.

Updated

Morrison puts blame for unpopularity on national cabinet

Scott Morrison will argue his government’s popularity took an unavoidable “hit for the mission” in the creation of the national cabinet and trying to manage the federation during the Covid crisis.

It’s a bit of revisionist history that ignores that Morrison’s popularity tanked first mainly due to his handling of the 2019-20 bushfires, then recovered during the initial response to Covid while borders were shut, national cabinet formed and lockdowns imposed. There was also $90bn in wage subsidies, which were wildly popular. Mid-2020 his approval began a long slide but it took almost a year and a half to reach the bushfire lows as voters marked him down for the slow vaccine rollout.

But in Morrison’s telling:

Frustration with the ­national cabinet was actually frustration with the nature of our constitution and federation. But in a crisis, this was no time to engage in a political debate about our federation, nor as the national leader to pick fights with provincial leaders. Leadership often requires you to take the hit for the mission you are engaged in. This was certainly the case when it came to managing our federation during the pandemic. A crisis demanded that you curb your natural defensive domestic political instincts to focus on the bigger job and bigger picture. It could not be politics as usual.

That said, for all its critics, the national cabinet proved its worth in the outcomes we were able to achieve together. And I am yet to hear of a better alternative ... But we didn’t always agree, especially when it came to issues where the medical advice was not consistent such as state borders, school closures or vaccine mandates. As the pandemic evolved, it became more difficult to keep uniformity in the various restrictions employed by each state as the experience of the virus was no longer uniform. When we disagreed, this caused great frustration among the public. While such disa­greement was inevitable, many Australians found it difficult to understand why the prime minister could not just make the decisions.

Were Australians frustrated by the national cabinet? The biggest disagreement was over internal border restrictions, which were wildly popular and helped governments in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania be re-elected. In South Australia, the government only fell after it reopened borders and Omicron spread through the community.

Morrison is at it again, taking credit for lives saved by joint decisions of the national cabinet, then sheeting blame for his unpopularity back to ... national cabinet, most of the members of which are still sitting around the big table.

Updated

Scott Morrison blames Covid and federalism for downfall

The Australian newspaper has reproduced slabs of a speech former prime minister Scott Morrison will give at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul, blaming Covid for his downfall.

According to the speech “given” to the newspaper, Morrison will say:

Australia’s results do tell a proud story. One of the lowest fatality rates, highest vaccination rates and strongest economic performances of any developed country in the world.

Australia has the third lowest mortality rate in the OECD at 401 deaths per million population. This can be compared with Canada at 1,106 per million, the UK at 2,688 per million and the US at 3,031 per million. During the pandemic, we estimate that when compared to the average fatality rates of OECD countries, Australia’s response saved an estimated 40,000 lives.

The 40,000 lives statistic is one of Morrison’s favourites because it measures Australia’s success in 2020-21 while borders were closed and states imposed lockdowns to suppress or eliminate Covid. It’s a shame that after just 2,239 Covid deaths in 2020-21 we’ve had more than 8,200 this year alone, which rather takes the gloss off a statistic that is now more than six months old.

Updated

Warnings this wave of Covid-19 could be worse than January

Dr Bruce Willet, the vice-president of the Royal Australian College of GPs, told the ABC this morning that the winter outbreak could be more severe than January’s wave:

We’re seeing these new variants of the Omicron virus being far more infectious and spreading really quite rapidly. And so this so-called third wave appears that it’s gonna be, you know, close to or perhaps even exceed the initial first wave that we had in January. It’s looking like it will be a longer, more sustained spread of the Omicron virus through the community.

Updated

NSW records 36 Covid deaths, with 2,001 people in hospital

There were 14,235 new cases in the last NSW reporting period, and 56 people are in intensive care.

Updated

Foot and mouth explained

If you’re hearing about “foot-and-mouth disease” and wondering what all the fuss is about, Guardian Australia’s rural and regional editor Gabrielle Chan explains it for you on today’s podcast.

As rural reporter working with Gabrielle until recently, I can attest that if anyone can explain esoteric farm matters to the layperson, it’s her.

Updated

Domestic violence plan released

The Albanese government has today released a long-awaited report on domestic and family violence, which will underpin the national 10-year plan to address the issue.

The ABC is reporting that the Morrison government sat on the report for months.

Amanda Rishworth, the social services minister, told the ABC today she wants to treat the issue with urgency:

We want to make sure that we make progress on the next national plan that will last for 10 years, and get something in place. I want to get it right, but with a sense of urgency, get something in place so that states and territories and the commonwealth are all working in the same direction.

Updated

Murray Watt in Jakarta to help combat foot-and-mouth outbreak

The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, is in Jakarta today as part of an Australian delegation to Indonesia to help the nation combat their foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Watt will meet Indonesian ministers as part of the government’s two-pronged approach of taking action at home and abroad to protect Australian farm animals.

The disease has spread to most of Indonesia’s 34 provinces, including Bali, which raises the risk for Australia’s agriculture industry.

Updated

Strong wind warnings for Queensland waters

There is a gale warning for waters off the Gold Coast as well as strong wind warnings in the north of the state, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Torres Strait and coastal waters extending from the Peninsula Coast into Sunshine Coast waters.

The strong wind warning is the lowest of the four different categories of wind warnings the Bureau of Meteorology can issuem with a gale warning the next step up behind storm force and hurricane warnings.

Updated

Ukrainian humanitarian visa extended

Ukrainians refugees from Russia’s invasion have an extra two weeks to apply for humanitarian visas in Australia.

The deadline for the temporary humanitarian concern visas was originally set to expire on 30 June 30 but was extended.

Andrew Giles, the immigration minister, said the deadline has been extended even further to 31 July because the previous expiry date had not been communicated to the Ukrainian Australian community.

There had been concern in the community that those who hadn’t received the visas would have to stay in the country on tourist visas, which would mean they wouldn’t have access to services such as Medicare or have the right to work.

The visas were offered in March by the former Coalition government after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. More than 8,000 people have been granted visas since then.

- with AAP

Updated

Global economic outlook is getting gloomier, IMF warns

The International Monetary Fund could downgrade its expectations for global economic growth this month.

Its head Kristalina Georgieva has hinted as much, saying the war in Ukraine, higher than expected inflation and the Covid pandemic are to blame.

Georgieva released a statement yesterday:

As G20 ministers and central bank governors gather in Bali this week, they face a global economic outlook that has darkened significantly.

Recent indicators imply a weak second quarter – and we will be projecting a further downgrade to global growth for both 2022 and 2023 in our World Economic Outlook Update later this month.

Updated

Did the pandemic hurt the Coalition’s election chances?

Simon Birmingham says he agrees with Scott Morrison’s assessment that the pandemic did hurt the Coalition at the election.

He qualified that it was predominantly in Western Australia, which saw a swing to Labor.

Outside of WA, he said you would be “hard pressed” to say it was the dominant factor.

Updated

Birmingham quizzed on emissions reduction target

Simon Birmingham, the shadow foreign affairs minister, is speaking to ABC Radio. Asked if he will cross the floor to support Labor’s target 43% emissions reduction target, he says he needs to see the legislation before answering that question.

Asked about Peter Dutton’s statements that the opposition would be voting against it, Birmingham said:

Peter has rightly noted it’s not necessary to legislate for the target.

He said governments have been able to set targets without legislation.

Updated

Scott Morrison to speak in Seoul

The former prime minister and current member for Cook, Scott Morrison, is due to speak today at a leadership conference in Seoul, the Australian is reporting.

In his first post-poll speech he is expected to say Covid-19 and the national cabinet hurt his election chances.

Updated

‘You’re not going to have to go to a BP to pay $50 for one RAT’

Anika Wells is asked to defend the government’s decision to end the free RAT tests for concession card holders.

Anika Wells with Anthony Albanese in March
Anika Wells with Anthony Albanese in March. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

She has responded with similar justifications the treasurer Jim Chalmers stated yesterday.

She said there was now a “different set of circumstances” to when Labor was criticising the previous government’s delay in providing free RATs at the beginning of the year and that Labor cannot extend the access in the broader context of a “mess of a budget”.

She admitted “I was livid about the RATs in January” but says at the moment free testing is still available through PCR testing, without the same waits experienced during the Omicron outbreak.

She highlighted that RATs are also more readily available for lower prices:

Free tests are still available without the same demands in January as an eight-hour queue to do it.

You’re not going to have to go to a BP to pay $50 for one RAT.

Updated

‘We should all be listening to health advice’

Anika Wells says the percentages of outbreaks in aged care homes are down from the 2021 outbreak in Victoria but “let’s not shy away from” the high numbers.

Asked about the percentage of aged care home residents who have had a fourth Covid vaccine shot she said there had been a 15% rise in vaccination rates, with higher than the national average given their fourth jab.

The government is today releasing its winter plan for aged care residents, which Wells says will prioritise vaccination and access to antiviral medication.

Asked if she is alarmed by states including Victoria ignoring health advice such as mask mandates, Wells has reaffirmed the importance of heeding it:

I think we should all be listening to health advice.

Updated

PM promises to take advice on end to free RATs

Also on Channel Nine’s Today program, Anthony Albanese was challenged about the end to the federal scheme for free rapid antigen tests and Covid isolation payments.

He said:

We’ll continue to take advice. We inherited those decisions and we inherited those decisions and we inherited a trillion dollars of debt. So, we’ll continue to take advice and monitor what’s going on. That’s the position that the government has.

Albanese acknowledged that some people, including casual workers, face a “really difficult circumstance” but blamed the “former government” for the decision to end isolation payments.

He pointed to other measures Labor has extended, including an extra $890m to the states and territories for health and hospitals for three more months of Covid funding. I’m not sure this is the killer argument he thinks it is: it illustrates that the new government is not saddled with arbitrary end dates to programs pencilled in by the previous government.

But as for RATs and isolation payments –- it would seem the advice would have to change.

Albanese:

What we need to do is to work with state and territory governments. We’ll take the health advice as well. There’s been no rejection of any health advice by my government that we’ve received from the experts, from the AHPC. What we’ve done is to accept the advice, for example, on vaccinations and that’s why we’ve made that change.

Updated

Albanese ‘very confident’ there will be no Chinese bases in Solomon Islands

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said he is confident there will not be Chinese bases in Solomon Islands, despite the two countries’ security pact.

Albanese told Today:

I’m very confident that won’t happen. I had a very constructive meeting with prime minister Sogavare yesterday. And I sat with him at dinner last night. One of the things we need to do is build personal relations between Australia and our friends in the Pacific. To make sure that our interests, but also their interests, are protected. We need to be prepared to listen to what they have to say, be prepared to assist in their development. But also, be prepared to advocate, as my government is, action on issues of concern to them. And the No 1 issue for them is, of course, climate change, because it’s a threat to their very existence. And my government’s changed position on that has been very much welcomed by them.

Albanese said Solomon Islands were a “sovereign nation” but Australia had also made clear what its “interests are”:

And obviously, the interests of Australia would not be served by having a military base so close to where Australia is and so close to where Queensland is as well.

Updated

More than 800 aged care homes report outbreaks

Anika Wells, the minister for aged care, has told the ABC that 819 aged care homes nationally have reported Covid outbreaks.

You can read more about the fears for the country’s aged care residents from Christopher Knaus:

Updated

Good morning!

The Coral Princess cruise ship carrying more than 120 confirmed cases of Covid today returns to Brisbane after making two stops in NSW, as cases and hospitalisations continue to rise across the country.

Mark Butler, the health minister, warned yesterday that “millions” of people will be infected in coming weeks. The new wave comes as the government maintains the controversial decision to roll back pandemic measures like free RAT tests for concession card holders, pandemic leave payments and longer telehealth consultations.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese remains in Fiji today where the leaders’ retreat will take place at the Pacific Islands Forum and he will sell his plan to cohost a UN climate change conference with Pacific nations.

A meeting yesterday with Solomon Islands leader Manasseh Sogavare ruled out a Chinese base there, the PM says.

Let’s kick off!

Updated

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