G'day. It's Friday, February 11 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news headlines.
Let's start here
Australia's definition of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is set to change, with people aged over 16 years now only considered "up to date" with their vaccinations if they have had their booster.
ATAGI's advice to move away from the term "fully vaccinated" was endorsed by the national cabinet at a meeting yesterday. However, the change will not apply to international travellers arriving in Australia.
All Australians aged over 16 are eligible for a booster shot three months after their primary course. Anyone not eligible will be considered "up to date" after their primary vaccine course.
Something you’ll be hearing about today
The government's attempt to overhaul religious freedom laws has been shelved indefinitely, but there's still a lot to process in the fallout.
For now, the religious discrimination bill itself remains unchanged, but some religious groups have been adamant they do not support the transgender student protections passed alongside it.
But Coalition sources say the government is all but guaranteed not to bring it back for debate when the Senate next sits in March.
- LGBTQIA+ advocates say the federal government's religious discrimination bill has already had a "material impact" on people's lives and safety
- The Australian Christian Lobby says removing exemptions that allowed schools to discriminate against trans students "completely undermined" the bill
- Now Scott Morrison has been rocked by a cabinet leak revealing his most senior colleagues rejected his plan to introduce legislation for a corruption watchdog as he scrambled to rustle Coalition support for his signature religious discrimination laws
News while you snoozed
- A palace source says Prince Charles, who has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time, met with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, just a couple of days before his positive test
- The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal for James Harden after a drama-filled season
- Scientists have revealed the discovery of the first-known dinosaur with evidence of respiratory illness. "Dolly" was about 18 metres long and weighed perhaps 4 to 5 tonnes, and died at between 15 and 20 years of age
What Australia has been searching for online
- Katie Allen. The Liberal MP revealed on Q+A why she crossed the floor to side with Labor on amendments to the now-shelved religious discrimination bill, and why she's happy she did
- Bob Saget. ICYMI yesterday, the late actor and comedian's family has revealed he most likely hit the back of his head, "thought nothing of it and went to sleep" before his sudden death last month
One more thing
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has written to the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia, Craig Phillips, formally requesting the state be considered as a host for the 2026 event.
It comes after Hobart successfully hosted the fifth Ashes Test, and could be used as leverage by the Tasmanian government to encourage a federal spending spree in Tasmania.
Proud Tasmanian James Dunlevie has even suggested some Tassie-based additions to the sporting program:
- Race to the disappearing tarn — individual and team events in which competitors have to make their way across mountainous terrain to find a pool of water which only appears after heavy rain, and not for long — weird, but good!
- E-scooter rally — this incredible showcase event could be like the Tour de France, except slower, but probably with as many crashes
- Nude swimming — let's face it, watching swimming can be a bit ho-hum, so, ditch the clothes and watch the TV ratings go off (this is just a logical extension of Hobart's world-famous winter solstice swim, which is super popular. It just makes sense!)
- Royal tennis — played on an indoor court and described as a mix between squash, tennis and chess, this is an actual sport! OK, the real reason it is included here is because Hobart has a royal tennis court already, so that saves on building one — thrifty!
- Track and field — all the normal activities, but on the gravel surface of the Queenstown oval
So whaddya reckon, could Australia's southernmost state make this thing work? We're sure we'll hear more about this as the Commonwealth Games get closer.
You're up to date
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