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The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Taylor and Mostafa Rachwani

Nation records 26 Covid deaths as pre-flight Covid testing for international arrivals scrapped – as it happened

Covid vaccine nurse in Melbourne
A nurse at the Royal Exhibition building Covid vaccine clinic in Melbourne. Atagi have officially recommended a second booster, or ‘winter jab’, as new coronavirus cases continue to rise across Australia. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

The day that was, Friday 25 March

We will wrap up the blog for Friday now. Here’s what you might have missed:

  • The prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced $58m in funding for endometriosis care and treatment, and $81m in funding for Medicare support for genetic testing for couples planning pregnancy.
  • Morrison has denied Australia was blindsided by a draft security deal between China and the Solomon Islands which would allow China to base navy warships in the Pacific.
  • Four-year-old Shayla Phillips has been found alive and well after her disappearance on Wednesday sparked a massive search in Southern Tasmania.
  • There were 58,511 new Covid-19 cases reported, including 23,702 in NSW, 9,244 in Victoria, 9,730 in Queensland, 8,133 in Western Australia, 4,459 in South Australia, 1,786 in Tasmania, 1122 in the ACT and 335 in the Northern Territory.
  • There were 26 more deaths reported including seven in NSW, nine in Victoria three in Queensland, four in South Australia, one in the ACT, and two in WA.
  • From 4 April, adults 65 years and over, Indigenous Australians over 50, and aged care and disability residents, and people over 16 who are severely immunocompromised will be eligible for a fourth Covid-19 jab.
  • Pre-flight Covid tests for international arrivals will be scrapped from 17 April, when the biosecurity emergency determination expires.
  • Australia announced sanctions on the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko and Russian propagandists over their support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Thanks for reading.

Updated

A federal parliamentary committee has called on universities to train students and staff on foreign interference, and provide “transparency” on the risks, AAP reports.

A body should be established to crack down on the intimidation of students on-campus and the reporting of higher education staff and students to foreign embassies, under recommendations made by the intelligence and security committee.

This body should urgently provide clear guidelines to universities on how to introduce penalties for instances of foreign interference on campuses.

The inquiry looked at safeguarding taxpayer funded research and student safety on campus.

The recommendations are targeted at securing sensitive, taxpayer-funded research and protecting student safety on campus.

Recorded incidents of harassment, intimidation, and censorship due to foreign interference on higher education campuses would be published in a report each year – and would include the response taken by the university.

Universities that choose to have Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes – language and culture centres – would be required to publicly disclose funding arrangements and the details of the agreements.

They should also be able to have the “final say’’ about the appointment of staff and curriculum content, and that robust academic freedom and free speech clauses be included in any agreement.

The committee chair, James Paterson, said more work needed to be done to protect research and students.

“There’s no question that students and academics have faced a sustained campaign of intimidation, harassment, censorship and intelligence gathering by foreign state governments,” Paterson said.

“This resulted in the transfer of sensitive research to authoritarian regimes and their militaries and threats to the safety of domestic and international students.”

The foreign affairs minister has been asked to decide whether to dump a $10m contract between Monash University and Comac, a Chinese government-owned aviation company that has been sanctioned by the US.

Sophie McNeill, a Human Rights Watch Australia researcher, said the measures ensured universities have “clear policies in place to counter state-backed harassment and intimidation”.

The committee also recommended banning employees of government departments and agencies from participating in talent-recruitment programs.

Updated

The foreign minister, Marise Payne, and the minister for international development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, have just put out this joint statement regarding the draft security agreement between China and Solomon Islands.

They said:

Australia is aware of the proposed draft security cooperation agreement between China and Solomon Islands. We respect the right of every Pacific country to make sovereign decisions. We have regularly and respectfully raised our concerns with the Solomon Islands government and will continue to do so.

We would be particularly concerned by any actions that undermine the stability and security of our region, including the establishment of a permanent presence such as a military base.

The pair go on to point out Australia extended its defence support in Solomon Islands until December 2023 and is building an integrated emergency services radio network across Solomon Islands, as well as a second patrol boat outpost. The government has said $22m is also being provided to fund salaries for essential workers on Solomon Islands.

Updated

Assistant defence minister Andrew Hastie has told a court that preserving the Special Air Service regiment requires “coming clean” on the mistakes of the past 15 years, as he declared he was no longer proud of Victorian Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith.

Hastie, a former captain in the SAS, told the federal court on Friday he had once revered Roberts-Smith – who is suing three newspapers for defamation – but now pitied him.

The abduction of Hannah Clarke’s daughter by her estranged husband just weeks before he killed them was “disgusting” but didn’t break the law, an inquest has been told.

Hundreds of school students have protested outside the prime minister’s official Sydney residence as part of a global day demanding action on climate change, AAP reports.

The student-led climate strikes took place in cities, suburbs and regional towns across Australia, and aimed to call on the federal government to divert funding away from coal and gas projects and to clean, renewable energy.

Much of the attention of Friday’s strike was directed at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with a large crowd of protesters arriving at Kirribilli just before lunchtime.

Organisers estimate the crowd swelled to about 3000, and NSW Police said there were about one thousand demonstrators there.

“It was great to see so many people turn up to Scott Morrison’s house, to really bring home the message that we need climate action,” student Owen Magee told AAP.

“It was very full and packed.

“There was people as far as you could see around the streets around Scott Morrison’s house.”

One student Ella O’Dwyer-Oshlack lost her home in the devastating Lismore floods, and addressed the crowd.

“My home was flooded and our whole town is a mess,” the 13-year-old said.

“I haven’t been able to go back to my school since it was flooded.

“Why is the federal government still giving money to fossil fuel companies? This is making the problem worse.”

An ice shelf about the size of Rome has completely collapsed in East Antarctica within days of record high temperatures, according to satellite data.

The Conger ice shelf, which had an approximate surface area of 1,200 sq km, collapsed around 15 March, scientists said on Friday.

The Courier-Mail is reporting there is a search for a car in the Brisbane River after reports it drove in.

The Victorian government is being urged to strengthen its rules around political donations, election advertising and lobbying ahead of the November poll.

The Centre for Public Integrity on Friday released a discussion paper titled Integrity inadequacies: Victoria, which details how the state’s frameworks are falling short when compared to other jurisdictions.

It said that despite substantial improvements to Victoria’s donations laws introduced in 2018, which require donations over $1,050 to be disclosed and capped at $4,210 over four years, the definition is too narrow.

Here’s a bit more background on Shayla Phillips’ disappearance before she was found alive and well this afternoon, from AAP:

About 100 people have been involved in the frantic search for Shayla Phillips in southern Tasmania for the past three days.

Shayla was last seen about 2.30pm on Wednesday near Stormlea Road in Stormlea, wearing pink leggings, a cream top, and gumboots.

She has spent two nights in the remote area where temperatures dropped to 11 degrees.

Police say she had been playing outside with dogs from a neighbouring property.
When her mother went to check on her after about half an hour, Shayla and the dogs were gone.

One of the dogs was found about 7pm on Wednesday, 800 metres from where Shayla was last seen.

Police did not believe there was anything suspicious about the disappearance and there was no person of interest.

Significant resources, including thermal imaging drones and sniffer dogs from Victoria Police, were involved in the search operation.

Updated

Shayla Phillips found alive and well

We’ve confirmed four-year-old Shayla Phillips has been found alive and well.

Tasmania Police released this statement:

Police can confirm 4-year-old Shayla Phillips has been safely located a short time ago, in bushland near Halls Rd, Stormlea.

She has been taken to hospital for medical assessment.

Further details will be provided when available.

She went missing on Wednesday afternoon in the Stormlea area on the Tasman Peninsula. Tasmania Police used divers, drone operators and investigators as well as the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to try to locate her in the previous two days.

Four-year-old Shayla Phillips found alive and well: report

The ABC is reporting four-year-old Shayla Phillips has been found alive and well after she went missing on Wednesday afternoon from Southern Tasmania.

We are just looking to confirm now.

New Zealand’s defence minister Peeni Henare is up next, and says New Zealand is similarly concerned over the draft agreement between the Solomon Islands and China.

He says NZ was not aware of the deal, and says New Zealand, like Australia, has a defence force presence on the Solomon Islands. He says the deployment has been extended for the next few months.

Henare is meeting today with his Australian counterpart, Peter Dutton, and he says that security in the Pacific is an important topic of discussion.

He said:

I think the most important thing to me as Minister of Defence for the New Zealand government is to have a wider context and a wider view of security in the Pacific, and this is one of the matters that I am looking forward to discussing with Minister Dutton very shortly, and it’s something that we have made a priority in New Zealand and we will look towards the security across the entire Pacific and the Solomon Islands plays a key part.

He says he also wants to compare notes with Dutton about the defence force response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and also how to regenerate the workforce.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja is on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing and is asked about the reports of a security deal between China and the Solomon Islands.

He says the Australian government is “obviously concerned by the words in the draft agreement” and these concerns are being raised with the Solomon Islands, but he says the Australian government is working very closely with the Solomon Islands government.

He says the Australian government doesn’t “see a role for an authoritarian regime to be obviously coming in to a security environment” in the Pacific region.

That is something that is very important to Australia, to our interests but to the interests of the broader Pacific.

He disagrees that Australia has been “outfoxed” by China.

I don’t think you should draw that conclusion. As you say, it is a draft agreement and they will be discussions taking place between our government, the Australian government and Solomon Islands government and amongst Pacific counterparts, the Pacific family.

As I say and I will repeat, the Pacific family comes together in these circumstances. We work well together. We don’t see the need in a security environment to go beyond that and I think it does potentially have implications and we will see significant pushback in the region I think.

Updated

Police are moving in on the Blockade Australia climate protesters at Port Botany in Sydney.

Reports say a man has climbed up a 40-metre-high crane.

My colleagues Melissa Davey, Stephanie Convery and Emma Kemp have published this excellent feature this afternoon on the AFL’s study on concussion and brain injury that never saw the light of day.

On the topic of defamation law, during the hearing on the government’s proposed changes to defamation law to make the page or group administrations safe from liability over defamatory posts made by third party users, Meta was asked by Liberal senator Hollie Hughes about whether it complied with Australian court orders for the information of users on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp.

In a response filed last week, Meta has revealed that in the 2020 and 2021, Meta received three court order requests for user data, including one for a defamation case, and in all three cases, basic subscriber information was provided.

Top defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou, who spoke against the proposed legislation earlier this month, said in a written follow up statement that anonymous users on Twitter and Facebook are less likely to be subject to defamation action.

She says regarding Twitter, the nature of the platform is the identity of the tweeter is central to the publication.

Generally, no one pays any heed to anonymous Tweets; and anonymous Tweets will not feed automatically into many people’s Twitter feeds (due to lack of followers).

On Facebook, she says posts are rarely anonymous - “people usually post to let their views be known to those who know them”

Where anonymous posts occur on Facebook pages maintained by large organisations (eg the media Facebook pages involved in [the Voller case]), the natural (and sufficient) response is to pursue the media organisation, rather than the individual “troll”.

She says regarding Instagram “anonymity is the antithesis of nearly most activity on this platform.”

Chrysanthou says tweets and Facebook posts have often been the subject of concerns notices and defamation proceedings, but they’re rarely brought against anonymous accounts, where they might be for Google reviews, because of the reputation damage associated.

Labor MP Andrew Leigh says he was granted a personal protection order this week by the ACT Magistrates’ Court.

He says he won’t go into the details but “people should be aware of the way the environment is changing for MPs. Never imagined this when I got into politics in 2010.”

It comes a day after two men were charged over alleged threats made against WA premier Mark McGowan and his family.

The Great Barrier Reef has been hit with a sixth mass coral bleaching event, the marine park’s authority has confirmed, with aerial surveys showing almost no reefs across a 1,200km stretch escaping the heat.

The Guardian understands a United Nations mission currently underway to check the health and management of the reef will be briefed on the initial findings of the surveys as early as Friday in Townsville.

Looks like a pretty serious car crash near Sydney airport, with people trapped in their car. The crash is also causing traffic issues.

Labor’s shadow foreign minister Penny Wong says Labor is “deeply concerned” about reports of a new security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China.

She said:

Such an agreement would have serious implications for Australia and for our shared region.

It also raises serious concerns about the Morrison government’s Pacific step up.

Australia should be the partner of choice for our Pacific partners to address shared challenges.

The Morrison government needs to explain the implications of the reported arrangement and how it plans to respond.

Labor is seeking a briefing on these matters.

Labor respects the right of the people and the government of the Solomon Islands to make sovereign decisions about its security.

The Pacific family has shown we can provide effective and sustainable support to the Solomon Islands in times of need - and we hope to see this continue.

Updated

South Australia records four Covid-19 deaths

South Australia has reported 4,549 new Covid-19 cases and four deaths, including a man in his 30s.

There are 157 people in hospital, including six in intensive care.

Melbourne researchers have created two new Covid-19 vaccines which could provide better immunity to the virus than any other vaccination in the world, AAP reports.

More than 100 Victorians, aged 18 to 70, are being recruited to participate in a trial for the Melbourne-made RBD protein vaccine and RBD mRNA vaccine.

The new jabs, created by scientists from the Doherty Institute and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, are distinct from all existing vaccines.

They focus on the immune response on the tip of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, called the receptor binding domain.

The RBD enables the virus to enter and infect cells in the body and can elicit more than 90% of neutralising antibodies to block the virus following infection.

The vaccines may also provide immunity to the Omicron variant and more serious future variants, as they are “proof-of-principle” variant vaccines.

“As well as inducing strong neutralising antibody immunity to the Beta variant in mice, it also retains its potential to neutralise the original ancestral strain, and preliminary in-lab studies have demonstrated neutralising activity against other variants including Delta and Omicron,” Doherty Institute researcher Georgia Deliyannis said.

She said the RBD protein vaccine protected against Covid-19 in a mouse even 100 days after it was given the jab.

Doherty Institute Director Sharon Lewin said the emergence of new Covid-19 variants showed the need for the next generation of vaccines.

“Both vaccines are efficient to produce and can be rapidly modified to incorporate distinct or multiple RBD mutations arising in future variants,” she said.

“In addition, Australia needs the ability to manufacture its own vaccines to ensure our own supply should future global shortages occur, and to contribute to the global need for Covid-19 vaccines.”

Some 114 volunteers are needed to participate in trials to assess the safety and efficacy of a single dose of the vaccines as a fourth Covid-19 dose.

Participants must have had their third dose at least three months prior to the study commencing.

People who have been infected with Covid-19 are eligible so long as it’s been at least three months since infection and they’ve received a third dose.

Some more photos from the climate striking students across Australia.

Queensland will not introduce new restrictions, as authorities say they are not sure when the current wave of Covid-19 cases will peak, AAP reports.

The current wave is largely the result of the BA2 Omicron variant and although its arrival is earlier than predicted, chief health officer John Gerrard says it’s not unexpected.

“There is no clear indication at this stage stage when this wave will peak, it’s a bit too early, we haven’t got enough data (but) it will be some time in April,” he said on Friday.

“We’ve always known that there will be further waves, this will be the future for months and years to come, and we’re not going to overreact every time there is another wave of the virus.”

Covid-19 infections had increased by 54% from a baseline two weeks ago, and about one in 50 school-aged children had tested positive in the past week, Gerrard said.

Just under half of recent cases are from the same household as a known infection, and about one in four PCR tests are returning a positive result.

While virus hospital numbers haven’t increased, health minister Yvette D’Ath said the number of staff off work because they were Covid-19 positive or needing to quarantine was having an impact on the health system.

More than 2400 health workers are furloughed, up from about 1600 at the start of the week.

Peters Ice Cream has been ordered to pay $12m in penalties by the federal court for anti-competitive conduct in relation to selling ice creams at petrol stations and convenience stores.

Peters, the company behind Connoisseur, Drumstick, Maxibon and Frosty Fruits, admitted that between November 2014 and December 2019, its distributor PFD Food Services agreed to not sell or distribute competitors’ products without consent from Peters Ice Cream.

Peters admitted it had engaged in exclusive dealing conduct that likely lessened competition in the ice cream market.

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the case was important.

We took this action because we were concerned that Peters Ice Cream’s conduct could reduce competition in this market and impact on the choice of single serve ice creams available to consumers.

Peters Ice Cream admitted, that if PFD had not been restricted from distributing other manufacturers’ ice cream products, it was likely that one or more potential competitors would have entered or expanded in this market.

The ACCC said potential competitors include Bulla, Gelativo and Pure Pops.

Peters was also ordered to establish a compliance program for three years, and pay the ACCC’s legal costs.

WA records two Covid-19 deaths

AAP has the latest on the new Covid-19 cases in Western Australia.

More free Covid-19 tests are being rolled out across regional Western Australia as the state records a further 8,133 infections and two deaths.

WA Health on Friday said two men in their 70s and 80s had died with the virus earlier in the week.

There were 209 people in hospital including 10 in intensive care.

A further 180,000 free rapid antigen tests are being distributed across regional and remote WA.

People in remote communities will receive 20 free RATs per household, which will be handed out at shopping centres and distributed by local Aboriginal organisations and members of parliament.

Other households are eligible to receive 15 free tests.

Finally, Morrison was asked about the climate strike being undertaken by school children in capital cities around Australia.

He said his message is the government has taken climate change seriously, but claims they might be being told by “many people with other agendas” that the government hasn’t reduced emissions by around 20%.

He seems to be blaming what the children are being taught:

And I think it’s important as young people are growing up, and have an understandable keen interest in this issue because it affects their futures, but I would encourage them to understand that Australia, contrary to what they might be being told by many people with other agendas, Australia is reducing its emissions by around 20%.

They probably might not know that Australia has reduced its emissions by more than New Zealand, by more than Canada, by more than the United States, by more than Japan, more than many countries in Europe.

They might not know that because they’ve probably only ever been told that Australia isn’t doing these things. But the opposite is true. What is true is that, as a country, we’re taking these issues very seriously and we’re doing things about it that actually reduce emissions.

He repeats his previous comments that it’s about resilience and adaptation, that recent floods and weather events are not as a result of something in the past few years but for “decades and decades and decades”.

As I said a few weeks ago, Australia is a harder country to live in now because of these changes, but those changes haven’t been caused by a couple of years or even 10 years.

He says it is great the children are expressing their view, and then pivots to discussing the need for reducing emissions with technological advances, and also the need for other countries to do so, too.

It’s not enough for Australia to achieve net zero by 2050. The whole world has to. And so if emissions are continuing to rise, be it in China or in Indonesia or Vietnam or South America, all these places, well, the world continues to get hotter. And so the solution, we believe, is technology that those countries can embrace at a cost that enables their countries to continue to develop and give their citizens jobs. You know, dealing with climate change is not just an advanced economy’s challenge, it is a global challenge.

He finishes by saying those protesting should focus on the “practical” changes.

So, I respect their voice, I respect their opportunity to raise their voices, but I would encourage them to look at these many other issues. Because if you want to see climate action undertaken, then they’re the practical things that you need to do.

Morrison says the Australian government wasn’t blindsided by the Solomon Islands security deal with China, and says he has been in communications with the Solomon Islands.

He said:

Not in the last 24 hours. There’s dialogue that’s taking place there. But we deal with these issues as family and we work them through. As you know, we have Australian Federal Police in Solomon Islands right now, guaranteeing the peace and security of the Solomon Islands right now. And the reason we’re there is because Monasa called me and asked me and said, “Scott, can you please send us support to ensure we can stabilise the situation here in the Solomon Islands?” I visited their constabulary and thanked them for the tremendous work they’ve done in Honiara. It is a tremendous partnership.

And just regarding Senator Rex Patrick’s future, he confirms he is considering whether to run again in the Senate or in the seat of Grey in the House of Representatives. He says he won’t make an announcement today.

Back to Scott Morrison for a bit. On China’s influence in the Pacific region compared to Australia’s, Morrison says the Australian government has increased investment in the region by 50%.

He said:

We increased it from around $1.12bn, I think, up to $1.7bn. And this was part of our Pacific “Step-up” program. We melded that with our maritime security program, providing patrol boats into the Pacific, so they can protect and support their own ocean territories.

We are the single largest provider of development assistance into the Pacific. ... And through the course of the pandemic in particular, that has been our first and primary focus beyond our own shores.

And so whether it be Frank Bainimarama [prime minister of Fiji] – I would speak to Pacific leaders or be in text contact with leaders almost every day, and certainly every week – and we are constantly in discussions about the many challenges they face. Whether it’s the volcanic explosion in Tonga recently, whether it was the measles epidemic that we saw up in Samoa, where we sent in our medical teams. Whether it has been the many challenges we’ve faced up in Papua New Guinea.

And even now the training bases for emergency service operators and those involved in peacekeeping missions up there near Lautoko, the Black Rock facility we put in Fiji. The Pacific finance initiatives, some $1.5bn. We have led in the Pacific.

Morrison says there is a “constant pressure” in the region that is not aligned with Australia’s interests, but that’s why the government is investing in the region in telecommunications and electricity infrastructure, among other projects.

Updated

Independent senator Rex Patrick was due to announce his future plans today given Nick Xenophon is planning to run for the Senate again.

There’s no announcement yet but there is this. I am not sure what it means yet. Perhaps running in the seat of Grey?

Updated

Here’s more on today’s funding announcements from my colleague Josh Butler.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney and greater Wollongong.

The Liberal member for Boothby, Nicolle Flint, has been campaigning on the issue of endometriosis after being diagnosed in early 2020 and says the funding announced today for pain clinics will be a game changer.

She said:

When you have proper holistic care for endo, which is what we’ll be supporting women and girls around the nation to achieve, you can have a great life and a very fulfilling life, and a largely pain-free life for so many women.

She also pays tribute to the former Labor MP Gai Brodtmann, who is also at the announcement campaigning with her on the issue.

Updated

$81m funding for Medicare support for genetic testing

The second announcement the prime minister is making today is for Medicare-supported testing for genetic conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy.

Morrison tears up when he recalled how his wife Jenny asked him to go to a forum on spinal muscular atrophy to hear the stories:

And I did what any man in that situation would do and just said, “Yes.”

And I’m glad I did. I walked in the back and I sat at the back of the room quietly, and I just listened to heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story. And I walked out of there and I said, “We’re gonna do something about this.”

And [we] linked up with Greg Hunt and we began that trial program that provided for the clinical testing of couples looking to have children who would have been going through the very things I’ve just been talking about often as well.

Morrison says the trial has been incredibly effective.

And so we put Mackenzie’s Mission to work and it’s done its work, and it’s proved to be incredibly effective. And so today we’re announcing that we will help couples plan for their pregnancy by investing $81.2m to create a new Medicare item to support access to genetic testing for three serious genetic conditions. And they are, of course, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis, and for fragile X syndrome.

Updated

Morrison says the funding includes $16.4m for specialised pain clinics, to provide support for women and girls on how to manage endometriosis, and get the right advice.

It will also include support for the endometriosis management plan, clinical scientific trials, and clinical practice guidelines.

PM pledges $58m for endometriosis care and treatment

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is holding a press conference to announce the Coalition’s plan to fund care and treatment for endometriosis for $58m in the budget next week.

His wife, Jenny Morrison, was on the Today Show this morning to talk about her own experience with it, and Morrison references that:

When it came to our own journey, when Jenny was a mid-teen all the way through to her mid-20s, it wasn’t until then that she learned she was suffering from endometriosis. Jenny has told her story over the last 24 hours. And I want to thank her, and I know everyone around me thanks Jenny for doing that.

She told the story of crippling and terrible pain. And I knew it, because Jenny and I started going out when I was 16. And she lived through that and she’s incredibly tough. I know that personally. But this was the most awful thing to see someone you love going through every single month.

He says it impacts one in nine women and girls, and they suffer: “I can’t underscore that more strongly”.

He said:

And so what today is about is saying to all Australians, and talking to them about their dream of having children, their dream of trying to live a life which is pain-free, or as pain-free as you can make it, and being able to live with conditions like endometriosis, and to be able to manage that pain, going about your life, about not having to plan your entire day about how you manage endometriosis. About the sort of jobs you can have, the sort of holidays you can go... Whether you can go out at night, whether you can see your friends, or, you know, whether you can even go and exercise. And ultimately about whether you can have children or not, what sort of job you can choose to have because you have to think about how you’re going to manage that condition.

Updated

Queensland has recorded a fourth human case of Japanese encephalitis (JEV), taking Australia’s total number of known or probable cases to 32, AAP reports.

Queensland Health had listed four virus cases as of Monday, but the latest case wasn’t widely publicised like previous cases.

The patient has been listed in Brisbane’s Metro North Hospital and Health Service for the week starting 7 March.

Another human Japanese encephalitis case has also been listed in that region, while two are listed in the state’s southwest.

Queensland Health did not comment on the new case or about the condition of the state’s four Japanese encephalitis cases, but stressed that people should not be alarmed by the mosquito-borne virus.

“It’s important to be vigilant, but not alarmed, by recent cases of Japanese encephalitis,” a spokesperson said on Friday.

“Most people infected by Japanese encephalitis virus will experience mild symptoms, such as a headache and fever. Only in rare cases will JEV can cause serious illness.”

“Given recent flooding, it is expected mosquito numbers will increase across Queensland.

“Queenslanders are urged to protect themselves by taking steps to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and removing mosquito breeding sites on their properties.”

Australia has 32 confirmed or probable Japanese encephalitis cases in humans: 11 in Victoria, nine in NSW, eight in South Australia and four in Queensland.

One case in NSW, another in Victoria and a third in SA have been fatal.

Updated

The climate strike protests are getting underway.

A bid to overturn the federal takeover of the Victorian Labor branch will be expedited to the high court.

Diana Asmar, the Health Workers Union secretary and ally of late senator Kimberley Kitching, and a group of Victorian unions on Friday sought to expedite their application for special leave to appeal the takeover.

Labor will have until 28 March to make submissions to the high court, with the unions to reply by noon the following day.

No date has been set for the hearing.

The Victorian ALP was placed under control of the national executive following allegations of branch stacking. It means rank-and-file members have been unable to vote in preselections for two years.

The takeover has twice been upheld by the Victorian supreme court and Victorian court of appeal.

National Covid update

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 26 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 1,122
  • In hospital: 42 (with 3 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 7
  • Cases: 23,702
  • In hospital: 1,182 (with 43 people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 3
  • Cases: 9,730
  • In hospital: 265 (with 14 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 4
  • Cases: 4,549
  • In hospital: 157 (with 6 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,786
  • In hospital: 2 (with xx people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 9
  • Cases: 9,244
  • In hospital: 253 (with 19 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 8,133
  • In hospital: 209 (with 10 people in ICU)

Updated

And with that I will hand the blog over to the ever-capable Josh Taylor. Thanks for reading.

I wanted to return to discussions around the Solomon Islands and China, with the former opposition leader, Bill Shorten, saying the government “has been asleep at the wheel.”

Shorten was on the Today show this morning where he ripped into the government, saying of the leaked report showing China is finalising a security deal with Solomon Islands:

Australia should be the partner of choice for Pacific nations. The Morrison government has been asleep at the wheel.

I think this is a major foreign policy blunder and that, when we’ve got these sort of agreements being signed in our backyard, that’s the day job of the Morrison government - they keep polishing their Defence credentials. Well, I’m afraid this one’s gonna hang around for a very long time, and it’s a miss.

Updated

The former Victorian Liberal premier, Denis Napthine, has been appointed as the new chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency.

The NDIS minister, Linda Reynolds, confirmed the appointment in a media release on Friday.

The appointment was made despite fury from federal and state Labor when it was proposed last month.

Reynolds said in her statement:

Dr Napthine is an eminently qualified Australian with the passion, commitment, leadership and experience to ensure the NDIS continues to deliver on its promise to people with disability, their families and carers.

As premier of Victoria in 2013, it was Dr Napthine that reached agreement with the Gillard Labor government to establish the NDIS in his state. As the father of a son with disability, Dr Napthine also brings very personal lived experience to this crucial role.

Through his work with local and regional disability services, which includes hands-on experience as a direct care provider, Dr Napthine has shown his commitment to making tangible improvements to the lives of people with disabilities.

Labor’s NDIS spokesman, Bill Shorten, said last month the proposed appointment of Napthine was a “disgrace”.

Napthine will be in the role for three years. He was added to the role in January along with Leah van Poppel, Dr Peta Seaton and Meredith Allan.

Napthine takes over from James Minto, who was acting in the role after Helen Nugent stepped down from the role at the end of 2021.

The government has previously been criticised over a failure to appoint a person with disability as chair of the agency.

Updated

Queensland reports 9,730 new cases and three deaths

Queensland is reporting 9,730 new cases and three deaths overnight:

A Lismore resident told me earlier this week that for some people caught up in the recent floods in northern NSW even showery rain could be enough to trigger anxiety.

Unfortunately, the meteorological signs aren’t calming, with the return of heavy rain possible, even “super cells” of thunderstorms, to a large swathe of the NSW coast.

Here’s NSW’s State Emergency Services today:

Actually, you could pick a range of days over the next week where rainfall could get heavy at times. Here’s Monday and Tuesday:

The mix of a cool upper-level trough with warmer moisture-laden air off the coast creates the atmospheric instability that will foster thunderstorms.

Over the next eight days, the rainfall totals in areas that are already about as sodden as you can get start to look significant.

Dams still almost full, including around Sydney, where they were at 99.4% capacity yesterday.

Here’s hoping we won’t be needing those kayaks, surfskis and tinnies again soon.

Updated

ACT records one Covid-related death, 1,122 new cases

The Australian Capital Territory has reported a Covid death overnight, the first in weeks. The territory also reported 1,122 new cases.

Updated

It was interrupted by technical difficulties, but Tasmanian police have provided an update on the search for missing four-year-old Shayla Phillips, saying they have expanded their search.

A police representative said State Emergency Services had joined the search before the feed was cut off.

Here’s what he said:

As you know she’s been missing since 2:30pm on Wednesday, we put an effort into locating her and that effort hasn’t been reached, we are still using the same resources ... we’ve had the resources, ground resources, we’re using the same assets to safely locate Shayla, we’ve also expanded the search area and we’ve also expanded our resources.

On top of the police search and rescue capacity, the State Emergency Services will search, we are also using horses, and Wildlife have come to search tracks and we’ve also sought assistance from Victoria police and they’ve been assisting in the search effort.

Updated

Albanese is asked about the high court challenge of the legitimacy of the federal takeover of the Victorian ALP, and said the case will be heard today.

The application to the high court was fast-tracked, and Albanese called it an “appeal of an appeal”:

This is... an appeal of an appeal. There are some people who have made decisions some time ago, they went to court, they lost. They then sought to arrange some costs, they lost. They then appealed that decision, they lost. Now they are appealing before the high court. We have a legal system where people are entitled to do that.

People will make their own judgements about the merits of that up to this point in time, the courts have made a judgement on the merits of the cases and have been very clear in their decisions. It will be heard today. I obviously don’t make any comments about the specific, given that by definition, the court hearing is today.

Updated

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is in Wollongong and has been discussing the reports that China intends to have a military presence in the Solomon Islands.

Albanese said there are “real implications” if the reports are true:

These decisions, which the sovereign government and the Solomons can make but if the reports are correct, then this would be – have real implications for the region and is of concern. We have sought – I have sought briefings and have them scheduled with our appropriate agencies on Monday in Canberra.

When it comes to these issues, it is important that you deal with the facts and that we have appropriate briefings and I will be receiving those on Monday. But I would very much seek to have cooperative relationships with the Pacific.

It certainly is an issue that has serious implications for Australia. And there is a need for the government too, as always, make sure that Australia’s interest I represented while, of course, respecting other sovereign nations and their right to make decisions. It’s important that Australia be engaged on these issues, given there are implications for Australia.

Updated

Two weeks ago the high court issued a judgment upholding the federal law giving old parties an effective monopoly over their names, allowing them to bar newer parties from using words like “Liberal” in the “Liberal Democrats” or “Labour” in the “Democratic Labour Party” on the ballot paper.

In reasons released today, we find that chief justice Susan Kiefel, justices Patrick Keane and Stephen Gageler would have struck down the law – but were overruled by the majority.

CJ Kiefel and Justice Keane said the laws “restrict or distort the choice presented to an elector” by not allowing parties to use their proper name on the ballot paper, which is “not compatible with the irreducible minimum requirement of the constitution that the choice presented to electors be an informed choice”.

They said:

No substantial reason is shown for the significant impairment that the impugned provisions effect on the choice of electors; their significant burden on the freedom cannot be justified.

Gageler, similarly, said the commonwealth had not shown a “meaningful risk of confusion” to justify the law.

But justices Michelle Gordon, James Edelman and Jacqueline Gleeson found there was “significant confusion” of voters in 2013, when Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm was elected for the Senate in NSW. In a technical judgment, they found the Liberal Democrats had failed to prove sufficient facts to conclude that voter choice had been impeded.

Justice Simon Steward agreed, finding although the law may be considered “heavy-handed” the court “has traditionally deferred to the legislative branch in the case of laws regulating federal elections” and only “extreme laws” dismantling Australian democracy should be struck down.

He also referred to an earlier judgment in which he claimed the implied freedom of political communication may not be settled law in Australia.

Updated

Tasmania records 1,786 new Covid cases

Tasmania has seen a drop in case numbers overnight, reporting 1,786 new cases.

No one is in ICU with the virus, with 24 people in hospital.

Updated

Pre-flight Covid tests for international arrivals to be scrapped

Just returning to health minister Greg Hunt’s media conference this morning, he also announced the government’s biosecurity emergency determination will not be renewed after 17 April, when the determination expires.

That means international travellers won’t have any pre-departure testing requirements anymore. It also means restrictions on cruise ships and anti-price gouging penalties for rapid antigen tests will end.

The health minister will also lose certain powers. However, arrivals to Australia will still need to be vaccinated and wear masks on flights.

Hunt said the move would mean there would be no need for pre-flight testing for arrivals into Australia.

The country is ready to move on from the emergency declaration made two years and one month ago. I will not be renewing the biosecurity emergency determination.

That’s on strong advice from Prof Kelly and our other medical advisers; the unanimous advice that was given to me and discussed with the national security committee of cabinet.

Updated

Back at the Beetaloo inquiry, Origin says that Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, now on Australia’s sanctions list, is not certain to profit from its planned fracking project in the Northern Territory.

The Origin general manager for government engagement, Tim O’Grady, said the fracking project may not even proceed and was still years away from production.

That made it uncertain whether Vekselberg, who holds a stake in Origin’s joint venture partner in the Beetaloo, would make any money from the project.

I wouldn’t be certain that if the project did proceed to production, Mr Vekselberg would be a financial beneficiary.

Origin initially resisted appearing before the inquiry. It had to be compelled by the Senate committee.

O’Grady is asked why Origin did not want to appear. He says the inquiry was initially focussed on a government grant scheme, designed to encourage exploration in the Beetaloo Basin. Origin did not apply for that funding, he said.

Origin saw the main focus of this inquiry being the cooperative funding grant, and given we are not party to that funding, we chose initially to submit to the inquiry and appear at the inquiry through the peak industry body, Appea. Given the inquiry’s as you say quite insistence that we do appear, we are happy always to stand up to scrutiny on our activities and I’m glad we are now here in front of you responding to your questions.

Updated

Police say additional resources have been allocated to the “significant” search underway for four-year-old girl Shayla Phillips.

In a statement this morning, Tasmanian police say resources from interstate arrived in Tasmania last night, including drones and investigators.

Inspector Gavin Hallett said police were concerned for Philip’s wellbeing, as the search entered its second day:

Understandably, as we enter another day searching for Shayla, we are concerned for her welfare.

Significant resources are continuing to search the Stormlea Road area, with Tasmania police, including search and rescue, divers, drone operators and investigators, the Westpac rescue helicopter, members of Tasmania SES and Ambulance Tasmania assisted by resources from interstate.

Updated

Australia imposes new sanctions on Belarusian president

AAP is reporting that Australia has imposed new sanctions against the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, and Russian propagandists following Ukraine’s invasion.

Australia has placed new sanctions on Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and his family, following their support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The government has also imposed sanctions on 22 Russian propagandists and disinformation operatives, including senior editors of state broadcaster Russia Today.

Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko.
Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko. Photograph: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Foreign minister Marise Payne said the latest round of sanctions against the Belarus president was due to the country providing strategic support to Russia.

“The Belarusian government allowed Russian military forces to train in their country for weeks ahead of the invasion,” she said in a statement.

“Since then, it has allowed Russia to fire ballistic missiles from Belarus into Ukraine, enabled the transport of Russian military personnel, heavy weapons and tanks into Ukraine, provided refuelling points in Belarus for Russian military aircraft and stored Russian weapons and military equipment.”

The Belarusian sanctions will also apply to the president’s son, Viktor Lukashenko, and first lady Galina Lukashenko.

There are now sanctions against 32 pro-Kremlin propagandists, including editors from the Strategic Culture Foundation, InfoRos and NewsFront.

“These latest steps, one month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, continue our focused efforts to ensure that Russia and those who support its illegal, unprovoked invasion of its democratic neighbour, pay a high cost,” Senator Payne said.

“The Australian government reiterates our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the people of Ukraine.”

Updated

Diana Asmar, the Health Workers Union secretary and ally of late senator Kimberley Kitching, and a group of Victorian unions are again seeking to challenge the federal takeover of the Victorian Labor branch.

The national executive’s takeover, triggered by allegations of branch-stacking, has twice been upheld by the Victorian supreme court and Victorian court of appeal.

There is no automatic right to appeal to the high court in this type of case, so Asmar and her allies will need leave to appeal.

The high court has confirmed that at noon today it will hold a hearing to consider a request to expedite the hearing of a special leave application.

Updated

A Senate inquiry is again exploring plans to frack the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin.

This morning’s hearing in Canberra will be closely watched, because Origin Energy, which is seeking to frack the region, is tied up with a Russian oligarch now on Australia’s sanctions list, Viktor Vekselberg.

Origin’s planned Beetaloo project is in a joint venture with a company named Falcon Oil and Gas. Vekselberg, through a holding company, has a 16% stake in Falcon.
Origin’s general manager for government engagement, Tim O’Grady, revealed this morning that the company had sought advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about what it should do, now that Vekselberg is on the sanctions list. He says Origin is still waiting on that advice, but will be “very happy” to comply with whatever the department says.

O’Grady says Origin has no direct relationship with Vekselberg. He is also asked why Origin chose to get involved with Falcon, given Vekselberg has been on a US sanctions list since 2018. He says:

There is an interest from Mr Vekselberg, but it is a passive interest. We were aware of the sanctions on Mr Vekselberg from the US back in 2018. And at that time our actions took greater control of the project to Origin and we were happy to distance ourselves from Mr Vekselberg. And we were aware a few days ago that Mr Vekselberg was designated on the Australian sanction list and we promptly contacted the department of foreign affairs and trade for advice on what actions, if any, Origin should take after this new development.

Updated

Greg Hunt announces Atagi advice on fourth jab

Health minister Greg Hunt has been speaking to the media on the Gold Coast this morning, and announced that Atagi have officially recommended a second booster, or “winter jab.”

Hunt says the new jab will be available from 4 April, and will be targeted at adults 65 years and over, Indigenous Australians 50 years and over, aged care and disability residents and people aged 16 years and older who are severely immunocompromised.

I’ve now received advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation – and they’ve worked very closely with Prof Kelly – and they have recommended that there should be a winter dose, or second booster, or, in some cases, that will be known as a fourth dose, for particular groups of people.

We gave complete freedom to Atagi, and Paul and his team have worked very closely with the medical experts, and I thank them for their work. They’ve probably considered this more closely than almost any other decision, in reaching those outcomes.

Updated

'It will put a line in the sand': Lambie on asylum seeker deal

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has released a statement saying she did not regret supporting the repeal of medevac laws because it eventually led to the deal announced yesterday, to resettle asylum seekers in New Zealand.

Lambie says in the statement the negotiations and the deal itself took longer to process than she expected, and that she had to hide her frustrations lest she imperil it, but stood by her decisions:

The decision to repeal Australia’s medevac laws was the hardest I’ve ever had to make in my political career.

In the end, I decided to support it. Not for nothing. I did it because I thought, on balance, that medevac gave me leverage to get people out of offshore detention. To let them move on with their lives, after years of limbo.

That’s what I told the PM. I told him to show some humanity and get those people off those damn islands.

I ended up negotiating an agreement with the government I couldn’t disclose.

For years, I held up my end of the agreement. Yesterday, the government held up their end.

I have tried to keep calm throughout this process. I’ve tried to remember that any level of frustration, anxiety, disappointment or anger I was feeling about this taking forever, those asylum seekers were feeling at levels I couldn’t even comprehend.

I was told if I disclosed the terms of the deal, there would be no more deal. I don’t believe that was said out of malice.

The United States resettlement agreement was still going when I negotiated with the Morrison government. And because not everybody who was eligible for resettlement with the United States program would definitely qualify for the New Zealand program, I couldn’t speak out, in case asylum seekers who had a spot in the US deal would turn it down in the hope of taking the New Zealand option.

It took longer than I wanted it to.

New Zealand was going into its own election at the time and they were nervous about who they’d be accepting. They needed to do their own assessments. That took time. And because of Covid and border closures, it took a lot of time.

I agreed to repeal medevac in exchange for an end to offshore detention. An end which, when secured, would mean we wouldn’t have a need for medevac.

I stand by it. It won’t restart the boats. It won’t keep costing the taxpayer. It will put a line in the sand.

I’m grateful we got there in the end. And I hope this means those asylum seekers can get back to living their lives. Finally there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.

Updated

Victoria records 9,244 new cases and nine deaths

And Victoria has reported 9,244 new cases and nine deaths overnight:

Updated

NSW records 23,702 new Covid cases and seven deaths

NSW has reported 23, 702 new Covid cases overnight and seven deaths:

Updated

South Australia’s new premier, Peter Malinauskas, has said he won’t be shutting down schools early to combat rising Covid cases.

Malinauskas was on ABC Radio Adelaide, and rejected calls by the Australian Education Union to shut down schools early as a means of “regrouping.”

He said it wouldn’t happen “if I’ve got anything to do with it – and I do”.

I just can’t countenance the idea of extending school holidays by an entire week.

The amount of disruptions that would cause parents, cause students, cause people who don’t have fixed incomes, that is, they might not be public servants.

Updated

A 72-year old man has died in floodwaters in Grafton in northern NSW overnight.

Police said they were contacted around 8.30pm on Thursday after reports the man went missing in floodwaters near Coaldale Road.

Authorities found a body shortly after, a short distance away, with police saying the body has yet to be identified.

Police inquiries into the death are continuing.

Updated

The Australian is reporting Newspoll results this morning that show support for the prime minister in key demographics that helped him win in 2019 is falling.

The Coalition has seen a seven-point fall in support among 35 to 49-year-olds, with only 29% now supporting the government. Labor saw a five-point lift to 44%.

Another previously supportive demographic, voters with household incomes of more than $150k, are looking away from the Coalition. Support dropped 12 points, from 45% to 33%.

Labor now leads in that demographic, seeing a one point rise to 36%.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese now leads as preferred prime minister, 41% to 39%.

Updated

Dutton says Australia hasn't 'dropped the ball' in the Pacific

Building on the below post, defence minister Peter Dutton was on the Today show earlier, and was asked if the Morrison government has “dropped the ball” in the Pacific.

Dutton rejected the idea, saying Australia has a “fantastic” relationship with the Solomon Islands:

Not at all.

If you look at ... the amount of support that we have provided into the Pacific, the work we’ve done in Tonga, the work we continue to do in PNG and every other nation – I’m meeting with my New Zealand counterpart this afternoon – it’s a standing agenda item for all of us to be able to realistic about China’s footprint, their exertion, their pressure and the way in which they conduct their business.

I don’t think [China’s ambitions in the Pacific are] consistent with the values that we share with the Solomon Islands and with Tonga, and other countries. There’s aid ... and many ways we’ll work very closely together. We’ll continue to do that. We want peace and stability in our region. We don’t want pressure and exertion from China to continue to roll out in the region.

We have a fantastic relationship with the Solomon Islands and we’re there at the request of the government of the Solomon Islands at the moment. We have 50 people on the ground and they’re going to stay there in the run-up to 2023. There’s a lot more we can do for them.

As part of the Pacific family, it is obvious we want to work together and we want to resolve any issues within that family, within our region. And we would be concerned clearly about any military base being established and we would express that to the Solomon Islands’ government.

Updated

Labor 'deeply concerned' by China's planned presence in Solomon Islands

The shadow minister for climate change and energy, Chris Bowen, was on RN Breakfast this morning, and was asked by host Patricia Karvelas about leaked documents that showed the Chinese military was planning a presence in the Solomon Islands.

So, how concerned are they?

Deeply [concerned], we agree.

This would be a very significant and negative development for Australia’s geopolitical interests in our region.

It would frankly represent a failure of the pacific step up if these reports were true – we should be the partner of choice on all matters that would be in our view the regions best interest.

Updated

Eastern states will combine to develop “hydrogen highways”, investing an initial $20m to build a refuelling network to accelerate the decarbonisation of heavy transport.

The network, to supply hydrogen created from renewable energy sources, will provide the fuel initially on the Hume, Pacific and Newell highways.

The Labor states of Queensland and Victoria will sign memorandums of understanding with Coalition-led NSW to coordinate the rollout of hydrogen on the nation’s busiest major roads.

Cars and light vehicles are likely to be easier to electrify than heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses, where hydrogen may be a more viable alternative than batteries.

“Renewable hydrogen will increasingly become a competitive zero emissions fuel option for our heavy transport sector, giving our trucking industry the opportunity to decarbonise their fleets,” NSW’s treasurer and energy minister, Matt Kean, said.

His Victorian counterpart as energy and climate minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said renewable hydrogen highway would “create new jobs, drive investment across the east coast and is a landmark step towards meeting Victoria’s target to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050”.

Queensland’s Mick de Brenni, who has hydrogen and energy among his ministerial titles, stressed the development of green hydrogen as a national security issue, “to shield our nation from foreign companies and foreign powers”.

“Low-emissions electricity and hydrogen-fuelled heavy transport will sit at the heart of the renewable energy ecosystem,” he said. “Transport is the fastest growing sector for emissions and ironically it could also be the key to reducing them.”

Victoria and NSW will tip in $10m each to build at least four renewable hydrogen refuelling stations between Sydney and Melbourne. There will also be grants for the country’s first long-haul hydrogen fuel-cell electric freight trucks.

Updated

Three bodies have been found in a vehicle that was on fire last night, on Western Port Highway.

A crime scene has been established and investigations are ongoing.

Emergency services initially responded to reports of a car fire on the highway on Thursday night.

Good morning and happy Friday, Mostafa Rachwani with you today, and there is much going on.

School students across the country will leave class to protest against climate change inaction as part of the Strike 4 Climate protests. Students from all over Australia, including Tweed Heads in northern New South Wales, Geraldton in Western Australia, Toowoomba in Queensland and Melbourne in Victoria will be striking, with a protest planned outside Kirribilli House in Sydney as well.

Atagi, the country’s top vaccine advisory group, will today announce it is recommending a “winter” Covid vaccine, ahead of a feared surge in cases. The jab will be for for people aged 65 and over, the immunocompromised and Indigenous Australians over 55. Authorities say the jab will be similar to the seasonal flu vaccine, and comes as case numbers climb across the country.

In Sydney, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union has suspended their planned industrial action today, in support of fare-free Fridays for passengers. The union had agreed to suspend the action in exchange for an intensive period of bargaining with the government.

There are increasing concerns for four-year-old Shayla Philips, who has been missing since Wednesday afternoon in Tasmania. Philips was last seen around 2.30pm in her backyard in Stormlea, with horses brought in to help the search effort. An update from police is expected this morning.

We’ll keep an eye on those Covid cases and any further news throughout the morning. Let’s get stuck in.

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