The day that was, Monday 21 March
That’s where we will leave the live blog for Monday.
Here’s what made the news today:
- Peter Malinauskas was sworn in as the new premier of South Australia following Labor’s landslide win in the state election on the weekend.
- Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, could address the Australian parliament next week, Scott Morrison has indicated.
- Morrison also tempered expectations about a big cash splash in the budget next week, stating there wouldn’t be “knee-jerk” reactions to cost of living pressures in the election-eve budget, but there will be petrol price relief.
- Morrison held a virtual summit with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, where the two leaders pledged greater cooperation between the two countries, including $280m in funding for new projects.
- Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has been remembered as “tough, determined and forensic” at a funeral service in Melbourne.
- There were six Covid-19 deaths reported, with 39,768 new cases, including 14,970 in NSW, 7,531 in Victoria, 6,206 in Queensland, 5,566 in Western Australia, 3,121 in South Australia, 1,304 in Tasmania, 898 in the ACT and 172 in the Northern Territory.
- One of the four NSW deaths reported was a two-year-old child who was previously well and did not have any major pre-existing health conditions.
Thanks for reading. We will be back with the news tomorrow.
Updated
Australia-India leaders virtual summit gets underway
Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, is opening the discussion with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, at the virtual summit being held now.
He speaks about the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
Our region is facing increasing change and much pressure, and I think our Quad leaders call recently ... gave us the opportunity to discuss Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, but it also gave us the opportunity to discuss the implications and consequences of that terrible event for our own region in the Indo-Pacific and the coercion and the issues that we face here.
The tragic loss of life underlines the importance, of course, of holding Russia to account, but cooperation between like-minded democracies. I welcome your leadership within the Quad to keeping us focused on those important issues.
Our comprehensive strategic partnership though reflects the ambition that we share and we hold for our relationship, and the pace and scale of that cooperation since we lifted ties back in 2020 has been remarkable, but I’m ambitious as I know you are to make it even closer – particularly when it comes to our economic cooperation which I hope we are able to advance further today.
The government is set to announce a range of funding for cooperation between the two countries including:
- $17.9m for a trade and skills package.
- A new consulate general in Bengaluru.
- $35.7m for a green steel partnership, and research on clean technologies.
- $25.2m to expand the Australian Space Agency’s international space investment initiative with India.
- $28.1m for a Centre for Australia-India Relations.
- A new high commission in Maldives.
Updated
Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro withdrew from public life and was “considering self-harm” after a series of YouTube videos by the comedian Jordan Shanks, a former adviser has told a court.
Monday marked the first day of Barilaro’s trial against tech giant Google over videos posted by Shanks under the nom de plume FriendlyJordies in September and October 2020.
NSW paramedics will continue with industrial action tomorrow despite attempts by the state government to stop it.
“The [industrial relations] commission recommended that we take off our action, which members have been undertaking since this morning” said the president of the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW), Chris Kastelan.
“We will be continuing with our action despite this recommendation, because our members have little confidence that NSW Ambulance is ready to address our concerns.
“Paramedics are taking action because we want real change from this government. We haven’t seen that change yet, so our action is continuing as planned.”
Members have been taking action by refusing all staff movement, which means moving crews away from their designated station once on shift. This is used to cover roster shortfalls.
“We respect that the industrial relations commission has a job to do, but we also have a job to do, and that’s to advocate for our safety and the safety of our communities. We can’t let this crisis continue”, Kastelan said.
“Today’s attempt to silence us through industrial instruments demonstrates that this government is desperate to stem the rising tide of frontline voices calling for a better-resourced healthcare system.
“We’re disappointed and frustrated that the government would rather try to block out our voices than act on our demands.”
The union is seeking a pay increase, 1,500 additional paramedics, and large investment in specialist programs and referral networks.
Updated
Australia is set to announce $280m worth of investment in India following a virtual summit between the two leaders on Monday, AAP reports.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will commit to closer trade ties and cooperation in sectors including critical minerals and education when they meet online at 6pm AEDT.
The $280m package has been described as the largest-ever Australian government investment in India.
It will cover sharing of renewable energy technology, defence and space cooperation and a new Centre for Australia-India Relations.
A broadcasting agreement involving Australia’s SBS and the return of 29 significant Indian artefacts from the National Gallery of Australia are also expected.
Scholarships and partnerships will be offered to boost cultural, business and institutional ties.
Work is also set to begin on a new mobility agreement to free up travel access, and a task force will start work on a plan for joint recognition of educational, trade and professional qualifications.
Trade minister Dan Tehan is set to unveil on Tuesday an update to the Australia-India Economic Strategy to take into account changes in the global environment and Indian economic reform, which will set out a five-year action plan.
The strategy update involved consultations with more than 600 businesses across the two nations.
Australia’s communications regulator has found the voluntary code entered into by tech platforms to combat misinformation and disinformation has not been effective, in a report handed to government in June 2021, but only released today.
My colleague Paul Karp has the full story.
A man aged in his 80s has died in an excavator rollover on a Tasmanian private property, AAP reports.
Police and emergency services, including the rescue helicopter, were called to a property on Colebrook Road, Campania, following a report an excavator rolled about 12.35pm Monday.
The driver of the excavator, a man in his 80s, was found deceased.
Police and WorkSafe Tasmania will investigate and prepare a report for the coroner.
Updated
A mid-week #coldfront is bringing rain and storms to south-eastern Australia. Showers and #thunderstorms are forecast to develop across southern #SA from early Tuesday, extending east into #Vic, #Tas and southern #NSW through Tuesday and into Wednesday https://t.co/u9MMNeKXBS pic.twitter.com/6Oo5RyaKBM
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 21, 2022
In response to the PM’s infrastructure announcement today in Queensland, Labor has pointed out this deal was first announced prior to the last election, and questions when it will actually be implemented.
They’ve also questioned why the Gold Coast is excluded from the package.
An better future for SE Queenslanders requires a focus on delivery - not just announcements.
— Andrew Giles MP (@andrewjgiles) March 21, 2022
A statement on today’s SEQ City Deal, with @CatherineKingMP pic.twitter.com/OdnS5nuJPv
The Christian Democratic Party, also known as the Fred Nile Group, has been struck off the federal political party register, AAP reports.
The Australian Electoral Commission said the party had been deregistered because it did not meet the required 1,500 members.
The AEC said the party had not responded to a notice sent to it.
Under electoral laws, in order for a party to be registered at a federal level it must either have 1,500 members or a current member of the federal parliament.
Updated
A Jewish group has called for an end to careless public Nazi comparisons after a News Corp columnist likened Queensland public servants to the German wartime propagandist Joseph Goebbels, AAP reports.
Peter Gleeson, who is also a Sky News host, has recently been lambasting Wivenhoe Dam operators over water releases during Brisbane’s floods last month, which are being examined as part of an inquiry.
In a column in the Courier-Mail on Monday, he compared Seqwater operators to World war two Nazi war criminal Joseph Goebbels.
“It was just following the manual, it says. That was German propagandist Joseph Goebbels’ favourite line,” he wrote.
The line featured in both the newspaper’s online and print editions, but it was subsequently deleted from the website version.
Comment has been sought from the Courier-Mail.
Anti-Defamation commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said it was odd the “careless and thoughtless remark” made it into print and did not “raise any red flags”.
He said there was no place in the public discourse for Nazi analogies, particularly figures like Joseph Goebbels, who was the Nazi propaganda minister.
Abramovich said Goebbels had led a dehumanisation campaign against the Jews, which led to about six million people being murdered, and it was not appropriate to use such figures to criticise people or companies in Australia.
“Nothing in this country comes close to the Final Solution and Hitler’s industrialised machinery of death, and to draw any comparisons to the Holocaust in this context was wrong,” he told AAP in a statement.
“Imagine the pain a survivor who lost their parents and children to the Nazi terror would feel seeing this comparison.
“Such equations trivialise the horror of the Nazi regime’s crimes against humanity and the extermination of six million Jews and millions of others, and diminish the proud legacy of our courageous Diggers who sacrificed their lives to vanquish the Nazis.
“This misappropriation has to stop. All of it. We trust the author and the editors will ensure that such lapses do not re-occur.”
The water minister, Glenn Butcher, who oversees Seqwater, said Gleeson’s comparison of public servants with Nazi was offensive.
“I am disgusted by what went to print this morning,” he told AAP.
“Seqwater staff worked around-the-clock to keep Queenslanders safe during the flood event, to make sure Wivenhoe was operated exactly how it was designed to and worked exactly how it should.”
Butcher added that Gleeson’s comments had not been made in the public interest.
Comment has also been sought from Seqwater, which is understood to be considering lodging a complaint with the Australian Press Council.
Updated
Veterans will be able to take part in a full march in Canberra on Anzac Day for the first time in three years, AAP reports.
The Australian War Memorial announced on Monday the 107th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli will be commemorated with a full veterans’ march during the national ceremony.
It marks the first return of the march since 2019, after Covid restrictions on numbers stopped the ACT RSL branch from holding a full march.
All veterans in the ACT and surrounding districts are invited to join the marching contingent, the ACT RSL president, John King, says.
Memorial director Matt Anderson says the march is a chance to reflect on the sacrifices of people who have served in the defence forces.
“We owe an enormous debt to all who have served our nation, and those who have given their lives in defence of Australia,” he said.
“The march provides a moment to pause and reflect on how our defence force personnel have upheld the values and the legacy created on April 25, 1915.”
Updated
Here’s Bill Shorten’s speech at Kimberley Kitching’s funeral.
My colleague Benita Kolovos will have more soon but you can read through it in full here.
My eulogy for my dear departed friend Kimberley Kitching pic.twitter.com/Ng9wGRR6k1
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) March 21, 2022
Interesting rebuff regarding the talk around her friendships with Coalition politicians and the fighting within Labor. Shorten said:
She understood - in the marrow of her bones - that the people who count on Labor count, above all, on Labor government.
So I know if she were here with us still all her energy and activism and enthusiasm and the powerful force of her personality would have been dedicated to a Labor victory in May.
The funeral of Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching is still underway at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Her husband Andrew Landeryou has addressed reports his wife was subject to bullying within the Labor party prior to her death.
“There is a lot I could say about the unpleasantness of a cantankerous cabal, not all of them in parliament, that was aimed at Kimba,” he says.
“She deserved so very much better.”
But Landeryou says the vast majority of people within the party were welcoming of her.
“She was unafraid in all things, unafraid of all foes and she had big plans. She wanted to be the defence minister or foreign affairs minister,” he says.
Her father William Kitching is speaking now.
Updated
The independent South Australian senator, Rex Patrick, who is up for re-election, said the SA state result was a warning sign to both the Liberals and Labor about voter priorities at the federal election, which is due to be held by 21 May, AAP reports.
“There’s a strong message for people in the federal domain, and that is: stop pork-barrelling, stop the political corruption that’s taking place where you throw money at marginal seats,” Patrick told Sky News on Monday.
“Concentrate on the issues that really count: aged care, healthcare, higher education, access to justice, cost of living.”
The senator said the result in SA showed there was support for independent or third-party candidates which could flow through to the federal election.
One in four SA voters cast their ballot for a candidate from neither of the major parties – down from 29.2% in 2018.
Updated
Police have revealed that the bodies of two people found in a dam in Queensland’s South Burnett region were chained together, AAP reports.
The bodies of a man, identified as Darryl Smith, and a woman in her early 40s were found by a member of the public at the Gordonbrook Dam, about 250km northwest of Brisbane, on Saturday about 3.30pm.
Detective senior sergeant Paul McCusker says the woman hasn’t been identified yet and it’s still unclear how the pair died.
“A post mortem is being undertaken tomorrow, and it’s not until that’s undertaken, and our inquiries, that we will be in a position to state how these two people have died,” he told reporters on Monday.
“What I can tell you is the two people were connected by a chain, that’s correct.”
The pair’s bodies may have been in the dam for some days as Smith’s white station wagon had been parked in the nearby picnic area since March 13.
McCusker said he wasn’t sure why the bodies hadn’t been found earlier, but indicated they may have been weighed down before becoming dislodged and floating loose.
“There is a suggestion they may have been weighted at that time, yes,” he said.
He wouldn’t confirm if any note had been found on the car, but said at this stage detectives were not looking for another person involved in the pair’s deaths.
“We go to these investigations very open-minded as to what may have occurred at this stage,” McCusker said.
Without knowing the woman’s identity, he said, it was also hard to work out whether or not they were a couple.
He also refused to say if Smith had been known to police before his body was found.
McCusker said it was unclear where the two had been staying, but a blow-up bed found near the car indicated they had been staying at the dam.
Police have also released the last known photo of Smith alive, taken at the Wondai Post Office on 10 March, and called for anyone who saw him around or after that date to contact them.
“We would love to hear from any of the public who may have seen the van or seen Smith or a female he may have been travelling with at the time in the Kingaroy area,” McCusker said.
Updated
George Christensen's "pro-freedom" news website seems to be on the verge of launching, as he prepares to leave parliament - he's padded out the site and is seeking advertisers pic.twitter.com/NUj5IZBdNk
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 21, 2022
Kimberley Kitching 'tough, determined and forensic', funeral told
The funeral of the Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching is under way at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Kitching died suddenly of a suspected heart attack on 10 March. She was 52.
Labor senator Don Farrell has made a short speech on behalf of the senate president, Slade Brockman, in which he described her as “tough, determined and forensic – occasionally fiery”.
A spokesman for the Dalai Lama said he was saddened to hear of Kitching’s death, describing her as a “steadfast friend of the Tibetan people”.
Her husband, Andrew Landeryou, is speaking now. He says they were married at the same cathedral some two decades years ago.
Updated
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, and the minister for the digital economy, Jane Hume, have announced the next phase of the government’s response to cryptocurrency with a consultation on introducing crypto asset licensing in Australia.
What it would mean is that it would set out minimum standards of conduct for crypto exchanges/markets, including around the custody of private keys and the suitability of key persons to be operating the secondary service provider businesses, through fit and proper persons tests.
The government says it is doing this to protect consumers from criminal enterprises and fraud, as well as to provide more certainty for the industry.
You can read the consultation paper here, and it’s open until the end of May for submissions.
The Board of Taxation has also been asked to review how digital transactions and assets such as cryptocurrency should be treated for tax purposes, with consideration for what is being done in other jurisdictions.
That report won’t be finalised until the end of this calendar year, meaning both announcements will be followed on well after the election, depending on the outcome.
Updated
SA reports 3,121 new Covid-19 cases
South Australia has recorded 3,121 new cases of Covid-19, with 150 in hospital, and nine in intensive care.
South Australian COVID-19 update 21/03/22. For more information, go to https://t.co/XkVcAmeZ6V or contact the South Australia COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/d0vZfE5ZgL
— SA Health (@SAHealth) March 21, 2022
Victoria’s opposition has backed down from its pledge to scrap the Andrews government’s mental health levy if it wins the state election in November.
Last year, the Victorian government unveiled a levy on big businesses forecast to raise $843m each year to fund mental health services. Businesses with more than $10 million in national wages pay the levy through a payroll tax surcharge for their Victorian employees.
Shadow treasurer David Davis on Monday said the “mental health levy will remain.”
We did oppose it at the time but the bill is now legislated, it’s now through.
The opposition had previously argued that mental health reform should be funded with existing revenue.
WA reports 5,566 new cases
The Western Australian Covid-19 numbers have come through for today.
There are 5,566 new cases reported on Monday. There are 163 people in hospital, including four in intensive care.
My colleague Ben Smee has the story on the harrowing detail coming out of the Queensland inquest into the murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children at hands of her estranged husband.
Mourners have begun arriving at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral of Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching.
Kitching died suddenly of a suspected heart attack on 10 March. She was 52.
Her close friend senior Labor MP Bill Shorten, Labor’s national president Wayne Swan and former prime minister Tony Abbott have arrived.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese, deputy leader Richard Marles, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and senior Coalition figures including deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, defence minister Peter Dutton, attorney general Michaelia Cash, Senate leader Simon Birmingham and Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy are also expected to attend.
Updated
Another update on the Gold Coast death – a man has now been charged. Story via AAP:
A man has been charged with murder after the body of a 74-year-old woman was found in a Gold Coast home.
The 50-year-old man is due to face Southport magistrates court on Monday and police will allege the pair were known to each other.
Earlier, acting chief superintendent Rhys Wildman said the woman’s death was not being treated as domestic violence.
The man and woman were not related but both were allegedly staying at the Molendinar property, he told reporters on Monday morning.
The residence had not previously raised red flags with police.
“This whole incident has taken us very much by surprise,” Wildman said.
Emergency services were alerted after the man allegedly went to a neighbouring home to ask for help before officers found the woman’s body at about 8.40pm on Sunday.
Updated
Indigenous people are dying of suicide at more than double the rate of non-Indigenous Australians and it is a national tragedy, the federal government says.
AAP reports the commonwealth and the Northern Territory government will spend $43m over the next five years to help prevent suicide in the territory.
David Coleman, the assistant minister to the prime minister for mental health and suicide prevention, says the support aims to reduce the heartbreaking suicide rate in remote communities.
“Indigenous Australians die of suicide at more than double the rate of the non-Indigenous population,” he said on Monday.
“This is a national tragedy.”
The NT’s health minister, Natasha Fyles, said mental health was one of the biggest challenges confronting people in the NT.
“The mental health needs in the territory are incredibly complex and vastly different to those in other jurisdictions,” she said.
The funding includes $15.4m for two new Head to Health adult mental health satellite clinics, $9.1m for a new Head to Health children’s hub and $9.3m for aftercare services when patients are discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt.
The minister for health and aged care, Greg Hunt, said the funding ensured Territorians had access to additional mental health support when and where they needed it.
• In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978.
Updated
Qantas is getting into NFTs.
There are many many reasons why this is a bad idea, but fads and all that.
The airline says it’ll be using low carbon platforms and offsetting, but on environmental grounds alone it’s probably not great for an airline to be adding even more for something like NFTs.
A new way to own a piece of Qantas history is on its way: https://t.co/IGf2fBLGAy pic.twitter.com/eJVT4nMXCA
— Qantas (@Qantas) March 20, 2022
Updated
More Victorians are returning to public transport, AAP reports.
New transport department data shows the network last week experienced its sharpest increase in activity since March 2020, with usage at 63 % of the pre-Covid baseline.
The 1.412m total trips recorded on Thursday was a 9% increase from the same time a week earlier.
The state’s transport infrastructure minister, Jacinta Allan, said on Monday the numbers were unsurprising as more Victorians returned to normal life:
No doubt some people will be making their choice on returning to public transport based on the pressures at the petrol pump.
But we always did anticipate we would see [this] as life begins to return and people get back into the returning to work pattern.
Updated
I’m sure we were all waiting for this announcement.
The Logies are returning to Queensland on 19 June 📺👏
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 21, 2022
A court battle between the Northern Territory government and the commonwealth over claims Parks Australia illegally disturbed an Aboriginal sacred site in Kakadu National Park has started in Darwin, AAP reports.
The NT’s Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) filed a criminal charge against Parks in 2020 for carrying out uncertified work at Gunlom falls – a cascading waterfall that appeared in the movie Crocodile Dundee.
It alleges Parks built a walking track to Gunlom’s top pools without permission from the Indigenous custodians.
Parks has agreed to remove the offending section of track and apologised to traditional owners for the distress the work caused.
But it has pleaded not guilty to the charge, which triggered the court case being fought on Monday before a full bench of the NT supreme court.
The case is not about the walking track, but rather to address constitutional issues arising from the criminal charge and whether the director of Parks is liable.
Parks has previously urged the AAPA to drop the criminal charge but it refused.
AAPA has previously alleged the track was constructed close to a restricted ceremonial feature against the wishes of the World Heritage-listed park’s traditional owners and without an authority certificate, which is issued after consultation.
Before AAPA issues a certificate, it consults traditional owners about the sites to understand how they should be protected and what restrictions and conditions should be applied to the proposed works.
Parks has since sought and obtained a certificate and negotiated with traditional owners about the realignment of the track.
The National Parks acting director, Jody Swirepik, has previously said Parks was ordered to plead not guilty by the commonwealth attorney general so the constitutional issues could be addressed.
The maximum penalty under NT law for carrying out work on a sacred site without a certificate is $314,000.
The hearing continues.
Updated
We are just waiting for that PM Scott Morrison and Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk press conference to start. Should be soon.
Just a bit more on the Gold Coast death, via AAP.
The death of a 74-year-old woman in a Gold Coast home is not being treated as domestic violence as police continue to question a man about the incident.
Acting chief superintendent Rhys Wildman clarified the 50-year-old-man in custody was not related to the woman, but both were staying at the Molendinar property.
The residence had not previously raised red flags with police.
“This whole incident has taken us very much by surprise,’ he said on Monday.
“These two persons, the 74-year-old woman and the 50-year-old male, are known to each other. However, this matter is not being treated as a domestic violence incident.”
Emergency services were alerted after the man went to a neighbouring home to ask for help before officer’s found the woman’s body at about 8.40pm on Sunday.
The man has not been charged.
Updated
With that I shall hand you over to the amazing Josh Taylor who will take you through the afternoon’s news.
Updated
National Covid-19 update
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least six deaths from Covid 19:
ACT
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 898
- In hospital: 39 (with 4 people in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 4
- Cases: 14,970
- In hospital: 1,163 (with 34 people in ICU)
NT
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 172
- In hospital: 1 (with people in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 2
- Cases: 6,206
- In hospital: 243 (with 14 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 3,121
- In hospital: 150 (with 9 people in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 7,531
- In hospital: 248 (with 20 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 5,566
- In hospital: 163 (with 4 people in ICU)
Updated
One in four Australians drinks too much, and only one in four gets enough exercise, according to the latest statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
About one in three men drinks more than 10 standard drinks a week, compared to about one in five women.
The data were collected differently for the 2020-21 year, and cannot be compared to previous years, the ABS said.
Almost 19% of people aged 15 to 24 had anxiety, and 14% had depression. Those figures steadily decline with age and by the time people hit their 75th birthday, just over 7% of people had anxiety, and about the same amount had depression.
It also found almost eight in 10 Australians have a long-term health condition. The conditions listed include cancer, diabetes and asthma, as well as short or long-sightedness, hay fever and allergies.
Of the 78.6% of people reporting a condition in 2020-21, about half had a chronic condition.
For the first time, the ABS asked people about their vaping use – one in ten adults have tried vaping, but that figure goes up to one in five for people aged between 18 and 24.
Updated
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has tweeted ahead of recently passed Labor senator Kimberley Kitching’s funeral today.
Today at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, Kimberley Kitching’s friends, family, and colleagues from across the Parliament will gather to honour and celebrate her life.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 21, 2022
Kimberley was formidable, passionate and courageous. She was the life of any room she walked into. She will be missed by those who knew her, and many more who didn’t.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 21, 2022
Vale Senator Kimberley Kitching. pic.twitter.com/ea8PuRDrBh
Queensland records two Covid deaths and 6,206 new infections
Queensland has recorded two Covid-19 deaths today with 6,206 new infections.
There are 243 Covid positive people in hospital, including 14 in the ICU.
Today we have recorded 6,206 new COVID-19 cases.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) March 21, 2022
2 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.
Full details ➡ https://t.co/2vvTmlzIil pic.twitter.com/KuMo5Lsh0Z
Updated
Tropical #CycloneCharlotte has developed over waters to the north of WA. The #cyclone is currently sitting 840km NNW of #Exmouth, and 840km NW of #Karratha. It is moving to the southwest at 17km/h. The system is expected to start weakening from Tuesday.https://t.co/4mpqmd6EXl pic.twitter.com/mjuNYHvOeD
— Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) March 21, 2022
A reminder that if you want to find out more about those proposed tax cuts you can read the amazing Josh Butler’s article below:
The federal government has promised a “major tax break”: for carbon-abating farmers.
Agriculture minister David Littleproud has tweeted that there will be $100m in tax changes.
Ahead of #Budget2022 - a major tax break for our carbon abating farmers.
— David Littleproud MP (@D_LittleproudMP) March 21, 2022
The Government will apply concessional tax treatment to farmers who generate revenue from the sale of Carbon Credits & Biodiversity certificates.
Here’s a summary of the changes: pic.twitter.com/cOeN0FgpIp
Updated
The new SA premier says there will be some changes to Covid rules but there won’t be an overhaul of the health settings.
Updated
Peter Malinauskas says he will be wasting no time in starting on his campaign promise to clear out fat cats from the public service and free up funds:
As part of my incoming government brief, I have requested for exactly who has contracts with me as premier. All of our chief executives, their contracts are with me as the premier.
Now that I am the premier, I have the opportunity to review those and I will be doing that in the coming days.
Updated
Peter Malinauskas has been asked what his first order of business will be in his new role today, and if this will be to meet the police commissioner and the chief public health officer.
No, I will meet with them later on this afternoon. I will undertake another important matter of business shortly. Our focus now is about policy delivery.
That requires a full cabinet, we will be back here later in the week swearing in the full cabinet and we have got some important work to do in putting that together, as I have already announced. I will be meeting with the police commissioner, the chief public health officer and the chief executive of health later today and that is an important priority ...
I am a new leader. I have an opportunity as the premier now to fully examine all of the reasons why the policy settings are what they are. If there are good reasons for that, that is fine.
People of our state deserve to know. I think there is a sense within the community at the moment, and a consciousness of the fact that we are different to other states and they need to know why. I want to communicate that to them as effectively as possible, if indeed there is a necessity for its maintenance.
Updated
The new SA premier Peter Malinauskas is making his first official speech in his new role, after being sworn into office this morning.
He says he wants to be a “modern” Labor government, which seems to essentially mean being friendly to businesses:
I want to start by – at this particular moment by acknowledging that we are here on Kaurna land. This building has an extraordinary tradition but that pales into insignificance to the connection that the Kaurna land has with this sacred patch of land. I didn’t know Karl Telfer was going this morning and it wasn’t lost that the power of that moment.
I want to thank the people of SA for investing in me their confidence to take on this extraordinary responsibility of being premier of the most beautiful state in the greatest country anywhere in the world. To be able to give the oath of allegiance this morning in the presence of my family before an outstanding Australian in her excellency, Frances Adamson, long with the deputy leader of the Labor party, Susan Close, and treasurer Stephen Mullighan, it was a very special moment. Gravity and the poignancy of the moment is not lost on me.
I take this responsibility incredibly seriously. I approach it with a genuine sense of humility that the people of SA entrusted me to lead them. But also with a very firm resolve. A resolve to deliver on our policy, a resolve to use the power and authority invested in my government to do good for people, particularly those people that aren’t always represented with a powerful voice around Parliament House.
Ultimately, I lead a Labor government but I want to lead a modern Labor government with the best traditions of getting the balance right between capital and Labor, with the traditions of expanding and delivering a prosperous middle class and making sure that we have got a firm eye on those in our state who are doing it tough. Those who might not have enjoyed the same privileges that other South Australians have experienced. That is a sincere mission that exists within my party and now we have got the opportunity to translate that to government. I am determined to do it.
.@PMalinauskasMP first press conference as Premier. @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/pDCxtoUujz
— Kimberley Pratt (@KimberleyPratt_) March 21, 2022
Updated
The ACT records 898 new Covid cases
The Australia Capital Territory has recorded 898 new Covid cases today, with no lives lost.
There are 39 Covid-positive people in hospital, including four in the ICU.
ACT COVID-19 update (21 March 2022)
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) March 21, 2022
💉 COVID-19 vaccinations
◾ Aged 5-11 years (1 dose): 79.7%
◾ Aged 5-11 years (2 doses): 33.6%
◾ Aged 5+ years (2 doses): 96.2%
◾ Aged 16+ years (3 doses): 71.7%
🦠 COVID-19 case numbers
◾ New cases today: 898 (460 PCR and 438 RAT) pic.twitter.com/0gP1huXf0O
Updated
'Previously well' toddler dies of Covid-19 in NSW
One of the four Covid-19 deaths in NSW today was a two-year-old child from Sydney, NSW Health says.
It noted that the child did not have any major pre-existing health conditions before contracting the virus:
Sadly, NSW Health is today reporting the deaths of four people with Covid-19 – one child, two women and one man.
Tragically, a previously well two-year-old child from Sydney died at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead due to Covid-19 infection.
NSW Health asks for the privacy of this child’s family to be respected during this most difficult time.
Of the three adults who died with Covid-19, one was aged in their 70s, one was in their 80s, and one was in their 90s.
The three adults had all received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Older age is a significant risk factor for serious illness and death for Covid-19, particularly when combined with significant underlying health conditions.
Updated
⛈️Thunderstorm forecast for today: thunderstorms are possible across far northern and northwestern #QLD, but are not expected to be severe. Mostly sunny conditions across the remainder of the state. Forecasts: https://t.co/ZhiAztv3kh pic.twitter.com/Jkz6LlN1KG
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 20, 2022
Peter Malinauskas sworn in as new SA premier
Here is the new SA premier being sworn into office:
I, Peter Malinauskas, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors, according to law, so help me God. I, being chosen and admitted to Her Majesty’s executive council in the state of South Australia, do swear that I will, to the best of my judgment and at all times required, freely give my counsel and advice to the governor for the time being, for the good management and for the public affairs of the said state. That I will not directly, nor indirectly, reveal such matters as shall be debated in counsel, and committed to my secrecy, and that I will in all things be a true and faithful councillor, so help me God. I, Peter Malinauskas, do swear that I will, well and truly, serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors, according to law in the offices of premier, minister for energy and mining, minister for education, minister for human services, minister for innovation and skills, minister for health and wellbeing, minister for child protection, minister for infrastructure and transport, minister for recreation, sport and racing, minister for police, emergency services and correctional services, minister for primary industries and regional development, minister for trade and investment, minister for planning and local government, and attorney general, so help me God.
Updated
(Very) soon to be SA premier Peter Malinauskas is being sworn in now.
.@PMalinauskasMP has driven himself to today’s swearing-in ceremony where he’ll become Premier. He’s arrived with his 3 kids and wife Annabel. @9NewsAdel pic.twitter.com/0AscscXs4Z
— Ollie Haig (@ollie_haig) March 20, 2022
Budget will offer petrol price relief, Scott Morrison signals
At the press conference in Brisbane, Scott Morrison has signalled that the budget will contain cost-of-living relief including for Australians feeling the pinch of high petrol prices at the bowser:
The government is very conscious of the cost-of-living impacts, particularly at the moment, with the war in Ukraine and the impact that that is especially having on fuel prices, because fuel prices just don’t hit the economy and hit family budgets when they fill up, but they have a knock-on effect across the economy.
And so we’re very conscious of those cost-of-living pressures that have been caused by these awful events that we’ve seen with the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And so the budget is on next week and we’ve been carefully considering our response to ensure that we can deliver a budget that both addresses those immediate needs but also ensures that we continue on with our strong economic plan for a stronger economy, which means a stronger future for Australia.
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Take a sip of coffee every time the prime minister says “one-in-500-year flood”.
Scott Morrison:
In New South Wales, we have delivered $1.7bn in commitments, both in the flood response and the flood recovery. And around the country, in fact, our commonwealth disaster payment now has supported 1.2 million people and over $1bn has already been paid out, it’s already out the door, supporting people.
And that has been ... In addition to that, there has been the support we’ve provided both in partnership with the New South Wales state government but as well as up here in Queensland, and we’re working through some additional requests that have been made by the Queensland government that we received on the weekend.
These floods are the worst we’ve ever seen in the northern rivers, and I can understand the frustration. But what I can assure you is that the commitment, both in people, defence forces, support for the state government’s package of measures, but the direct support which, has already seen, as I say, $1.7bn in to support the people of New South Wales, and the majority of that is going up into the northern rivers area, means we’ll be there with them to build back, and to ensure that they can reclaim what was there before this one-in-500-year flood.
Updated
Scott Morrison has continued to emphasise that the flooding this month was “a one-in-500-year flood” when asked about mitigation projects:
And we were talking particularly about a number of the flood mitigation projects so we’ll continue to work together on those matters. I think whether it’s here or particularly down in – also in the northern rivers of New South Wales, where they had a one-in-500-year flood, which is just hard to get your head around.
Take the worst flood you’ve ever seen in Queensland here in Brisbane and then add 2.14 metres to it. That’s what occurred in the northern rivers, and the minister for recovery and resilience, Bridget McKenzie, announced the other day $150m going into some important resilience works which goes to river management.
But even within this deal, as the lord mayor has said, there is important projects that are addressing those issues. Because that’s about the liveability and sustainability of south-east Queensland.
Updated
The Premier @AnnastaciaMP and PM @ScottMorrisonMP at the Gabba this morning- PM in town to announce a 1.8 Billion dollar injection into Queensland @9NewsAUS @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/se4yrmfKhe
— Peter Fegan (@PeterFegan9) March 20, 2022
Annastacia Palaszczuk:
So, I always say we work best when we work together. It’s great to be joined by the prime minister here today. My deputy premier, it’s great to see my good friend the lord mayor and of course we also have a very common factor, too, not just in doing this city deal but of course when it comes to shaping the legacy that we will need as part of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Updated
Here is what Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has to say about the new infrastructure projects:
This city deal is also really important because it’s also a catalyst for the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games here in 2032 where we’ll see the Gabba completely rebuilt. But right across from the Gabba, of course, is the Cross River Rail and also the new interchange with the Brisbane metro.
This is about connectivity. It’s actually another chunk in that armour of infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for the growing population of the south-east, delivering jobs. We know how important it is for people to have jobs because that is so important for a family.
Updated
Morrison and Palaszczuk announce infrastructure funding package
The prime minister is in Brisbane this morning at a joint press conference with the Queensland premier – jointly announcing a package of infrastructure funding, including projects to help prep the city for the upcoming Olympics.
Scott Morrison:
We’re protecting the liveability of these cities that make up south-east Queensland, and I particularly want to thank all the mayors for their tremendous work in fulling this together. Many councils are involved in these projects, and working together with the premier and myself and our ministers.
We’ve been able to land on what I think is a great portfolio of projects that will take south-east Queensland forward over not just the next decade but beyond, and to be doing it here at the Gabba is exciting not just because of the Gabba metro that sits at the heart of this arrangement, particularly between the commonwealth and the state government, but, of course, here we are at the Gabba with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, which is an Olympics not just for Brisbane or even south-east Queensland but indeed all of Queensland and all of the country.
Updated
Australian web addresses will soon be shorter with the launch of .au domains, allowing people to drop the .com for the first time.
From Thursday, people who can demonstrate they or their business have a connection to Australia will be able to purchase .au domains. It is the first time the .au domain has been available for purchase after auDA, the organisation that manages Australian domains, launched the product after years of consultation.
“We heard from more than 97,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were in favour of the introduction of short, simple, distinctly local domain names,” said auDA CEO Rosemary Sinclair.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
A man is being questioned about the sudden death of a woman whose body was found at a home on the Gold Coast, AAP reports.
Police say the 74-year-old woman’s body was found at a house at Molendinar about 8.40pm last night.
Detectives are speaking to a 50-year-old man about the woman’s death and are examining the scene.
Updated
Congratulations to Peter Malinauskas - South Australia’s 47th Premier. Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, will swear in Mr Malinauskas this morning at 10am.
— SA Government (@sagovau) March 20, 2022
Congratulations Premier Malinauskas! pic.twitter.com/xAKCaq4sOA
BREAKING: Steven Marshall has arrived at Government House where he’ll resign as Premier. He said “it’s been an absolute honour to serve the people of South Australia.” @TheTodayShow @9NewsAdel pic.twitter.com/2RGw4LptrF
— Ollie Haig (@ollie_haig) March 20, 2022
Volodymyr Zelenskiy could address Australia's parliament, PM says
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy could address the Australian parliament during budget week, Scott Morrison has flagged.
While the prime minister was speaking to Brisbane’s 4BC radio station, it was revealed Morrison was in discussions about a potential address to parliamentarians as early as next week, AAP reports.
Morrison:
We are in regular contact with the president and the prime minister. We would welcome any opportunity for him to speak to the Australian people.
Liberal MP and former diplomat Dave Sharma says he’s confident every member of parliament would welcome hearing from the Ukrainian president directly about how Australia can support and assist efforts against Russia. He told Sky News:
If he thinks it could be helpful we should welcome it with open arms.
The PM says Australia has issued 5,000 “normal” visas for Ukrainians, 750 of whom have since arrived in the country.
Sharma says Australia needs to be conscious of Ukrainians wanting to return home after the conflict, following the announcement of three-year temporary visas for those fleeing the conflict. The temporary visas allow the holder to access Medicare, work and for children to go to school:
Beyond that it will depend very much on what Ukraine ends up looking like and whether there is a chance of them resettling or not and whether they would like to return to their homes or not.
I think it is a little premature to be having those conversations right now but certainly down the track those are the things we will need to consider.
Australia has donated $21m worth of Australian defence force stock and put aside 70,000 tonnes of thermal coal for Ukraine’s power stations in an effort to prop up its resistance against Russia.
An additional $30m in humanitarian assistance will focus on protecting displaced women and children and addressing food shortages.
Updated
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Prime Minister Scott Morrison will hold a presser at 9am (QST)
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) March 20, 2022
The Coalition will put $60m into recycling initiatives and make tax changes to encourage farmers to reduce their carbon output, in a pair of pre-budget announcements as the government seeks to beef up its environmental credentials before the federal election.
It comes as the Australia Institute thinktank launches a television campaign accusing the government of using “dodgy carbon credits” and calling the Coalition’s net zero by 2050 plan a “fraud”.
Scott Morrison will be in Brisbane on Monday to announce the boost to the Recycling Modernisation Fund. The new funding specifically focuses on plastics such as bread bags and chip packets, which can be difficult to recycle.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
By the way, this is the second day in a row that Victoria has recorded no Covid deaths.
NSW reports four Covid deaths and 14,970 new cases
NSW has recorded four Covid deaths and 14,970 new cases in the latest reporting period.
COVID-19 update – Monday 21 March 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 20, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 96% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 94.5% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/U4Yi6lDiQz
Updated
Victoria reports 7,531 new Covid cases and no deaths
Victoria has recorded 7,531 new Covid cases and no deaths in the latest reporting period.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 20, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/w8UvaN67K3
Updated
Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese has taken to Twitter to congratulate the soon-to-be SA premier.
Congratulations to the new South Australian Labor Government – led by @PMalinauskasMP who will be sworn in as Premier today. South Australia has better days ahead. pic.twitter.com/3NYbgkLzGj
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 20, 2022
Updated
Now the question on many people’s lips in South Australia this morning is: “What’s the new premier’s plan when it comes to Covid restrictions?”
Well, luckily, Peter Malinauskas has answered that on the ABC this morning:
In South Australia, mask-wearing requirements are higher, which might not be a bad thing, but the close contact rules here are very different. So, the four-hour rule that we see in the eastern states is actually a 15-minute rule here in South Australia.
Now, like I said, there might be good reasons for that. I suspect one of the reasons is that our health system isn’t performing well. And that’s why, of course, I’ve made health such a central element of our election policy.
But I just think a new government might be able to provide a greater degree of scrutiny and then be providing all of those reasons in a more public way than what has occurred previously. And that’s an effort I’m committed to. But we’ve got a big agenda.
Updated
Peter Malinauskas:
Naturally, we’ve got a job to do in terms of establishing the cabinet. That will be sworn in later in the week. But of course I’ve already asked for an immediate briefing with our state emergency coordinator, which is the police commissioner and our chief public health officer.
We’re moving into a different phase of the pandemic and I want to make sure that that transition is smooth, despite the fact we’ve got a change of government. But I also think that, as a newly elected premier, I’ve got a responsibility, a duty, to fully scrutinise all the reasons why South Australia is out of step with the rest of the nation on Covid restrictions.
I’m not averse to having our state being unique to other parts of the nation, but if that’s going to be the case, I want to have a crystal-clear understanding as to the reasons why, and then make sure the rest of the state understands those reasons as well.
Updated
New South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas says his landslide victory in the state election is “humbling” and is yet to fully sink in.
He is speaking with ABC News Breakfast now:
I always believed there was a very real possibility that we’d be able to form a government. And we hoped that we’d be able to form a majority government. But the size of the victory is something that we’re still computing, and naturally there are still results to be counted yet, so we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.
But to be able to get this support from the people of our state, I’ve gotta say, is really quite humbling. And that certainly fills me with confidence that we’ve got the right plan, but, of course, now we’ve gotta focus on the execution of it.
Updated
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been asked on Sunrise what her thoughts were on the landslide Labor victory in South Australia, and while she said she was delighted by the results, she stressed that this doesn’t necessarily mean that Labor is a shoo-in for the upcoming federal vote:
I texted him and wish him all the best. I look forward to catching up with him at the next national cabinet ... And well done to the Labor team in South Australia.
I think people know the difference between state and federal elections and, we have to remember, Labor has a big mountain to climb in the federal level, and they will not take anything for granted.
Everything that the LNP has will be thrown at this election, so I think the best thing that Albanese can do, and I have been out on the ground with him and people really want to him, they like him as an individual, he is very down to earth, he can talk to anyone.
Updated
Over the next 4 days parts of #NSW coast could see up to 50mm of rain, severe thunderstorms with heavy rain possible on Wednesday. Soils are wetter than usual and flash flooding can't be ruled out in slow moving thunderstorms. Sunny conditions today. See: https://t.co/JRTA9enlgd pic.twitter.com/Lbg6D8B2SW
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) March 20, 2022
For almost four years Suzanna Sheed has started each parliamentary sitting week by moving the same motion.
The independent MP for Shepparton, a rural electorate of almost 50,000 people in northern Victoria, asks for a non-government business program to be reinstated in the state’s lower house.
Each week leave to debate Sheed’s motion is refused. But she always brings a speech with her in the hope that, one day, the government will let her speak on the matter.
Non-government business refers to the time allocated to backbenchers, opposition members, minor parties and independents. It allows them to introduce their own bills, move motions, demand production of documents by the government and refer an issue for inquiry.
You can read the full story below:
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Budget won't contain 'knee-jerk reactions' to rising living costs, Scott Morrison says
Next week’s federal budget won’t contain any “knee-jerk reactions” to help deal with the rising cost of living, according to the prime minister.
Scott Morrison said the government was aware of rising living costs that had been driven by the invasion of Ukraine, Andrew Brown and Colin Brinsden from AAP report. He told Brisbane radio 4BC this morning:
They’re having a real impact on people right now, so we’ve been conscious of that. But what we do as a government is we don’t have knee-jerk reactions, we think through carefully how we can best provide the sort of support that we believe the federal government can deliver.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is reportedly considering a temporary cut to the 44.2 cents a litre fuel excise, as petrol prices rise above $2 a litre.
Morrison said the budget would focus on addressing the impacts of the costs of living in the lead-up to the federal election.
Updated
Pix: Lismore Flood Dump Kirribilli House https://t.co/SXzRaEjR0c pic.twitter.com/5bz9QMXNN1
— AAP Photos (@aap_photos) March 20, 2022
Fifty-one asylum seekers who were brought to Australia for medical treatment continue to languish in detention in Australia, including 18 in the Park hotel in Melbourne, with no indication of when they might be released, according to a prominent refugee support group.
Their ongoing detention comes despite a string of releases, including high-profile campaigner and Iranian refugee Mehdi Ali, who was allowed to resettle in the US two weeks ago.
Last week a group of nine men were allowed to leave the Park hotel, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton, and eight will now wait in the community while they organise to leave Australia.
Their freedom has advocates questioning the seemingly “random” way some of the refugees are allowed to leave, while others are left indefinitely detained.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
Lismore flood survivors to dump debris
A group of northern NSW residents plan to dump sodden household goods outside the prime minister’s official residence to protest against his handling of the flood crisis, AAP reports.
Nine Lismore flood survivors were travelling from the flood-ravaged north-eastern town to Sydney with a tip truck of flood-destroyed possessions to leave at Kirribilli House this morning.
The action is a protest against the federal government’s response to the “climate fuelled mega-floods” on the east coast, the group said.
Organiser Naomi Hodgson said the residents planned to dump the detritus “as long as we’re not thwarted”.
A member of the group, Kate Stroud, said she had sheltered in her roof cavity for six hours in the floods before being rescued by a civilian jetski, and had lost everything:
We’ve interrupted our clean-up and travelled more than 700km to the prime minister’s residence to hold him to account.
When Morrison came to Lismore, he was too cowardly to front the community outside his curated media stunt, because he knows that he’s again failed in a crisis and people are furious.
The PM has promised to open the chequebook and cut red tape for business and welfare support for those affected by the disaster in NSW and south-east Queensland.
The federal government has come under fire for its handling of the unprecedented flooding, with Lismore residents claiming it was too slow to help deal with the clean-up efforts.
An extra $742m in joint federal-NSW flood recovery funding was announced for northern NSW last week, pushing the total federal and state package for the state to $1.7bn.
Updated
Speaking of the SA state election, shadow health minister and senior South Australian Labor politician Mark Butler has been asked what lessons federal Labor can learn from the results down south:
A campaign focused on healthcare is a very clear lesson ... Talking to the reality, the economic reality of Australia today I think is also a strong lesson.
Our research shows that a lot of that [swings to Labor in the SA state election] has to do with Morrison personally. One in two voters indicated they were less likely to vote for Steven Marshall when they learned he was from the same party as Scott Morrison.
Updated
Labor’s new state golden child Peter Malinauskas has been asked about the thorn in the federal party’s side – the accusations that Penny Wong contributed to “bullying” against the late Kimberley Kitching.
Malinauskas has defended his South Australian colleague Wong.
Look, it is not for me to tell Albo what to do. He will make decisions on the information he’s got before him. The opinion who I probably know best who has been party to all of this is Penny Wong. I know Penny well enough to know she is a really decent person and she’s made, on Channel Nine, an admission and I think that speaks to her character.
Politicians are [human]. When they make mistakes or act in a way that isn’t appropriate, you acknowledge it and apologise for it, you correct your behaviour and move on, just like any other human being and Penny is a fine woman.
Host Allison Langdon:
I am not requesting that, but there are some pretty serious allegations that have been made. Do you not think it should be investigated?
Malinauskas:
Look, that is a matter for Albo and his team, but, like I said, knowing the people involved, I just know their characters and I do think they are good people.
You have to forgive me, Ally, as you probably appreciate, I have been wholeheartedly immersed in the operations of state government in the lead-up to this state election and we have been very much focused on that.
Updated
The new SA premier-elect Peter Malinauskas is still out and about on his media victory lap. He was asked on the Today show if he believed it were local issues alone that contributed to his landslide victory:
Look, to the extent that there is a comparison to be made between state and federal, I think it is this – as we ... as a nation move into the next phase coming out of the pandemic, I really believe there is a hope and an aspiration that the legacy of Covid for our country is going to be a fairer society.
It is not just going to be a big debt and bad memory, but rather a moment in time, as the people we come together and say, ‘What is next? What is the future of our home going to look like on the back of the pandemic?’
I was very determined to tap into that tune and that sentiment during the course of the campaign and we have developed an agenda to realise that chance and this special moment in time. And I think the federal election presents a similar representation for the country and I know that Albo is wanting to deliver on that.
Updated
Good morning
Good morning everyone, it’s Matilda Boseley here with you today.
Let’s start the day’s news in South Australia where incoming premier Peter Malinauskas is set to be sworn in after a landslide Labor victory in the state election at the weekend, ousting the Liberal party’s Steven Marshall from the top job.
Malinauskas will take the oath of office at Government House in Adelaide on Monday morning. Susan Close will also be sworn in as his deputy and Stephen Mullighan as the state’s new treasurer.
With counting of pre-poll votes to start, Labor looks set to hold at least 25 of the 47 House of Assembly seats and remains a chance to win two or three more. The Liberals should retain 15 seats while four or possibly five will be held by independents.
Let’s now head over to NSW where paramedics are set to take industrial action for 24 hours, as they push for an additional 1,500 paramedics that the union says are needed to turn around deteriorating ambulance response times across the state.
Paramedics across the state will on Monday knock back “all staff movements” at stations, as part of union efforts to improve emergency responder staffing and pay.
The Australian Paramedics Association’s NSW president Chris Kastelan said yesterday:
We’re taking action to demand a better resourced service. We want a fairer workplace for paramedics, and improved coverage and care for our communities.
And finally, former NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller and NSW chief scientist and engineer Mary O’Kane will head an inquiry into the state’s flood crisis, after widespread criticism of the handling of the disaster. People were left stranded on rooftops in Lismore in the state’s north after it was inundated with a record 14.37-metre flood on 28 February.
Many people ended up being rescued by fellow residents on private boats. Nine people died, thousands lost their homes and many were uninsured because of the high cost of premiums.
NSW’s acting premier Paul Toole announced the independent inquiry to investigate the causes of the catastrophic flooding and the state’s preparedness, response and recovery.
The inquiry will report on the factors contributing to the floods, the frequency, intensity, timing and location of floods as well as the preparation and planning by agencies and the community.
OK, obviously there is plenty to get through, so let’s jump right into the day!
Updated
