Thank God Itã¢â‚¬â„¢s Monday We Can Start All Over Again
What happened today, Th 26 August
With that, we will close the blog for the day.
Hither's a quick run through of the day's biggest events:
- NSW has once again prepare a new record for daily case numbers, with 1,029 cases recorded today. Three people died, all in their homes and all men, aged in their 30s, 60s and 80s, and all lived in western Sydney.
- The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, also announced some restrictions will be eased from 13 September, including assuasive households in Sydney LGAs of business i extra hour exterior, and exterior of those areas adults who have been fully vaccinated volition be able to gather in groups of 5.
- Victoria recorded fourscore cases of customs transmission, with no word on when the lockdown volition exist lifted as scheduled next week.
- The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, also announced that vaccination passports will exist on the national chiffonier agenda tomorrow.
- The ACT recorded xiv new cases today, all linked to known cases.
- The prime minister, Scott Morrison, told reporters today 639 Afghanistan evacuees have arrived in Australia but the state of affairs was deteriorating.
- The Queensland government today announced its intention to build a dedicated regional quarantine facility in Toowoomba, with the first stage to be ready by the cease of the year.
- Qantas has reported a $ane.8bn loss, with the CEO, Alan Joyce, saying these were "big numbers", and that it was a "tough time" for the industry.
Service NSW's let arrangement for authorised workers in the 12 LGAs of concern has finally gone live, just over 24 hours from when it is due to be implemented.
However, the current application process has a section where applicants volition need to list the addresses they intend to visit, which is not very helpful for commitment drivers, Uber drivers and the like, who may not know what surface area they volition be visiting.
Earlier today, businesses from western Sydney spoke to the Guardian about their frustrations at the rollout and the organization existence implemented:
Crown Resorts names Ziggy Switkowski as chairman
Crown Resorts has announced Ziggy Switkowski volition succeed Helen Coonan as chairman, every bit part of the "planned succession process".
In a statement, Crown welcomed Switkowski, saying he was "one of Commonwealth of australia'south virtually experienced corporate leaders" and that he was "well suited" to meet the "challenges" Crown was currently facing.
Coonan was also quoted in the statement, saying it was her aim to "stabilise and strengthen the business" post-obit the recommendations of the Bergin inquiry:
I have always sought to act in the best interests of Crown and endeavoured to consider the impact on our shareholders, customers, and employees. I am confident the Lath'due south choice of Ziggy as chairman will reinforce the organization-broad delivery to our reform programme.
The ABC is reporting that NSW has recorded another death tonight, a homo in his 60s, who was an inpatient at Nepean infirmary, and acquired the virus earlier this month.
The death is the 80th in NSW since the start of the Delta outbreak. Nosotros'll bring you more details equally they come in.
Paul Karp
The tax commissioner has bucked an order from the Senate to produce documents revealing which companies received jobkeeper wage subsidies because treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, made a public interest immunity claim over the documents.
The tax commissioner Chris Jordan had until four.30pm today to comply with the order spearheaded by independent Rex Patrick.
Frydenberg wrote to the Senate president, Scott Ryan, on Thursday explaining the basis of the amnesty claim was made "on the grounds that the disclosure of individual taxpayer information would harm the public interest by undermining public confidence in taxation laws and revenue enhancement administration."
Frydenberg said companies provided the Australian government with information in confidence to receive back up, and the gild would retrospectively reveal their identity. One wonders why the government didn't brand information technology a requirement of the scheme that the companies challenge money be published in the beginning identify.
Jordan, who has made his ain public interest immunity claim, wrote that he was in an "unprecedented state of affairs" of the Senate enervating the documents while they are field of study to another claim from the government.
Jordan noted if the Senate accustomed the government'southward claim, information technology would relieve him of an obligation to provide the documents, so the Senate will have to decide that first earlier he decides whether to disclose or not. Looks like a bit of a game of craven is developing hither.
Patrick said:
Australians accept a correct to know which big employers take received taxpayer money and how much they received.
The information the Senate asked for is not related to an employers' business or taxation information, it is related to the amount of public money they were provided. It is no different to grant coin or the total amount of money received under a government contract, which is already published information.
Well, in some practiced (only maybe predictable) news, South Australia has recorded cypher new cases:
The NRL has fined Cronulla histrion Josh Dugan $50,000 and kicked him out of his team's biosecurity bubble, in what is his second breach of Covid protocols in less than 2 months.
Dugan was charged by NSW police earlier this week for attempting to travel to Lithgow with a friend.
Skilful evening anybody, and a quick thank you to Amy for her usually stellar job on the blog throughout the twenty-four hours. There's still much going on, and so permit's dive in.
The wonderful Mostafa Rachwani volition take you through the evening and tomorrow'due south blog will be back to Covid and news, with Politics Live not resuming until Monday.
I know I say this every evening, only thank you, thank y'all, thank you, to everyone who follows along as nosotros rest parliament and Covid news. You all make it a lot easier than information technology might be. Thank you for your messages, and for your notes – even if I don't respond, I do read them.
Mike Bowers remains my hero and Politics Live couldn't function without Katharine Murphy, Daniel Hurst, Paul Karp and Sarah Martin, and so please take a moment to give thanks them if you tin, besides as everyone in the Guardian brains trust, who go on the web log alive, and are my eyes and ears exterior parliament.
And happy international dog solar day! If you need a feed cleanser, you'll discover some accented delight in this thread
Happy international canis familiaris 24-hour interval – I've moved effectually too much and lived in too small flats for dogs - then hit me with photos of yours and liven up our feeds x
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) August 25, 2021
Recall to exist kind to yourself. And to take breaks. Information technology'south rough out there. Swallow the fudge, drinkable the guilty pleasure, scout the dotterel entertainment. Information technology's important to have breaks.
And please – take intendance of you.
That'south pretty much information technology for parliament this week – although the sitting will go along from Monday.
National chiffonier is being held tomorrow, where the issues of vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds will exist discussed, along with vaccine passports and of course, the "national program".
In that location really hasn't been a lot of dash in that plan of belatedly – nuance apparently another thing we have lost this pandemic – but the lines are split between Scott Morrison and Gladys Berejiklian using the program equally the way out, and pretty much anybody else wondering how information technology will work if NSW case numbers aren't nether control by then. Information technology won't be lockdowns, information technology volition be lockouts, with states similar Due south Commonwealth of australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland still enjoying relatively normal life (if you don't count not existence able to travel, or move freely).
And while the Doherty Institute analysis does model how Commonwealth of australia tin brainstorm to reopen at seventy and eighty% eligible population vaccination rates, information technology does as well include targeted lockdowns, and increased cases, hospitalisations and deaths during the transition. Scott Morrison keeps talking well-nigh the plan allowing the nation to "open up safely" but information technology is not going to exist rubber for everyone. That's the transition. That's going to be what people accept to take. It was somewhat easier in the United kingdom and the US, where people were forced to go used to high case numbers, nether pressure health systems and deaths, because the virus was never under control in those countries. Which the federal authorities, Morrison in detail, would point to, repeatedly, especially in defence of the delayed vaccination program, when he would say "you lot'd rather exist in Australia than anywhere else right now".
But now, the federal government, and NSW government want everyone to move to getting used to living with the virus, in a manner they haven't had to. And yes, it will be the unvaccinated who endure the virtually, and yeah, there will have been chances for people to have been vaccinated by and then. But it volition exist still be very confronting for a lot of people. And the more than existing cases there are when Australia opens up, the faster that against transition volition seem.
That's the balance the states are trying to deal with. It's going to take time, considering of the messaging Australians have received throughout most of this pandemic.
Morrison wants Commonwealth of australia reopened and life almost back to normal by the end of the year, anticipating a lot of the acrimony of how this twelvemonth has been handled by the federal government will have evaporated by the time the election is held, probably in March. The platonic scenario is that he can convince people that Labor wants to go along the nation in lockdowns, or "in the cave" and that blame will outset to turn to the premiers, if the health systems don't agree upwards.
The premiers, particularly those in Labor states, have seen that move coming, and are urging a more cautious approach.
And tomorrow, they all come together again. What happens in the national cabinet is only half the story. Near of the time, they are quite congenial. It's the messaging after that you accept to pay attending to.
The government has lodged a public interest immunity claim to stop the revenue enhancement commissioner from having to requite documents to the Senate naming big employers who received jobkeeper – and how much they got.
Rex Patrick is not happy:
Australians accept a correct to know which large employers have received taxpayer money and how much they received.
The information the Senate asked for is non related to an employers' business organisation or taxation data, it is related to the corporeality of public money they were provided. It is no different to grant coin or the total amount of coin received under a government contract, which is already published data.
At that place is huge controversy around the abuse of the jobkeeper scheme, a program ready to help struggling businesses during the pandemic.
Jobkeeper was a wage subsidy scheme for businesses significantly affected by Covid-xix. And yet some businesses took it, improved their profits and then paid larger dividends to their shareholders and bonuses to their executives.
Those companies that driveling the taxpayers' goodwill should pay information technology back.
WA might become the AFL m final if the MCG can't – now information technology is also getting the third Bledisloe Cup Examination.
Optus Stadium in Perth volition host the third exam on 5 September (the All Blacks had pulled out of an before date because of Covid concerns).
The amazing video team take the clip of what happened in parliament today, with Julian Hill letting loose at Karen Andrews.
For those focussed on Afghanistan:
BREAKING: French prime minister says France will no longer exist able to evacuate people from Kabul airport after Friday night. https://t.co/Wluc5vqnX7
— The Associated Printing (@AP) Baronial 26, 2021
That continues:
Patricia Karvelas: Hang on a minute. It was about lack of vaccine for preferred groups. It was. And it was ever almost the way yous managed the plan. You tin can't just arraign information technology on them, can you?
David Gillespie:
I'1000 not going to blame it on them, it'south just that the premise that information technology wasn't planned for and that there was a failure of policy, I dispute.
The nature of the rollout has been, there's been widespread hesitancy initially because we did recollect that we've suppressed it and many people idea what's the point because in that location's no cases.
It was the aforementioned in the non-Ethnic population and still in some states, people think they don't need to exit and get vaccinated. As soon equally information technology reared its ugly head once more in New South Wales and in Victoria, you've seen vaccination rates go up because people realise the best thing they can practice to become themselves and their family and reduce the risk of them ending upwardly ill similar these poor people in ICU is to exist vaccinated.
PK: Are y'all proverb the federal regime doesn't take responsibleness for the low vaccination rates in those communities that are now dealing with this moving ridge?
Gillespie:
Look, the buck e'er stops with us just nosotros've had a organisation in place and been rolling it out as fast as possible.
The surge into these areas wasn't a thing that was planned. One case in these areas triggered a whole lot of events which you've seen unfold. And nosotros've had a ramp-upwardly of vaccine delivery and we've also had a ramp-up of vaccine acceptance.
It's a two-way street, PK. And what yous will see is that we are getting alee in the right direction to get those numbers that are office of the program to get united states of america back to a more than normal life.
Nationals MP David Gillespie, who is the minister for regional health, is on Afternoon Briefing at present where he is beingness asked most vaccinations in Indigenous communities (which was meant to be completed past Easter and...well, see for yourself):
Q: What y'all demand to do and so is have people in these vulnerable communities ready and protected simply they're sitting ducks in those communities. And they are vulnerable Aboriginal people largely. And it was your authorities'south job to go them vaccinated to protect them from this scenario. In that sense, you failed.
Gillespie:
Well, I disagree with that totally.
Q: They weren't vaccinated. They weren't set up for this wave, were they?
Gillespie:
At that place is a thing called voluntary vaccination. There have been involvement with the Aboriginal community controlled health organisations and distribution of vaccine around the whole network since the very get-go. In that location were plans in all these regional and rural areas.
All the appointment with both the states have this scenario planned. Simply at that place is a thing called vaccine hesitancy which has been pointed out is quite profound amongst many of these communities.
We take been doing a great chore to turn that sentiment around both with date with the Ethnic people and with other people. Other people besides Indigenous are equally vulnerable to this in small communities. We have rolled it out as quickly as possible. They were behind, yes, but in that location is a reason. Information technology wasn't because of lack of vaccine or lack of distribution...
Labor shadow health minister, Mark Butler is speaking to the ABC well-nigh vaccinations for Indigenous communities (and particularly for western NSW):
We're securely concerned about the position of Aboriginal communities especially in remote parts of western New Due south Wales. But they've washed a fantastic job and to get some relief will be welcome. But it was a terrible day in New South Wales. The worst result nosotros've had in the 18-month long pandemic. The six worst days, case numbers wise, for the whole 18-month pandemic.
And on 12 to 15-year-olds (the Atagi communication is due very soon, if it hasn't already been given to the government, and vaccinations of this cohort volition be discussed at tomorrow'southward national chiffonier meeting) Butler says:
It but doesn't make sense, I'm certain, particularly to parents to have a national programme to end lockdown safely but 12 to xv-twelvemonth-olds aren't included within it when they accept admission to the vaccine.
I don't understand why the prime minister wouldn't do this. He persists with the position he's adopted of excluding them from the count, for the plan to terminate lockdowns safely, then at the very least he needs to tell parents what per centum of our 12 to 15-year-olds volition be fully vaccinated before we move to the next phases in the national programme.
We are desperately backside the rest of the world. Canada has fully vaccinated 60% of their 12 to 15-year-olds considering they started three months agone.
Many European countries and State of israel started months ago as well. Yet not one of our 12 to 15-yr-olds, 1.2 million of them, are fully vaccinated yet. And we have seen them go the frontline in this disastrous bookkeeping of 0-18-year-olds of 40% of new cases.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/aug/26/australia-covid-live-update-politics-sydney-hospitals-outbreak-lockdowns-financial-support-regional-nsw-hsc-schools?page=with:block-612740ee8f080840ca17bc77
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