Australia news LIVE Sydneys lockdown extended until end of August as NSW records 177 new local COVID-19 cases Victoria restrictions eased

Key postsHide key posts

Latest

1 of 6

Oldest

A couple of callouts for Victorian readers:

Have you, your child, or somebody else you know been unable to see a Victorian GP during the pandemic after presenting with respiratory symptoms due to public health precautions? Did you seek care in an emergency department? We are keen to speak with you.

And on cost of living, petrol prices have soared across Melbourne as coronavirus restrictions were eased. Have you noticed any other price hikes as Victorians emerge from lockdown?

Qantas Group employees have been sent a survey asking for their opinions on mandatory vaccination, with the airline pushing for all aviation workers to be vaccinated as a requirement of their employment.

The airline operator said it was considering introducing mandatory vaccination rules for Qantas and Jetstar staff.

“The Qantas Group is responsible for an essential service, meaning that we need to guard against severe disruptions,” it said in a statement. “We’ve seen that just one COVID-positive employee can inadvertently shut down a freight facility or passenger terminal, which can have a big impact on the broader community and economy.”

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. Credit:Janie Barrett

In the past two months, passengers on multiple domestic flights between cities on the east coast have travelled while infectious with COVID-19. Last week, NSW Health reported a positive case had flown from Sydney to Ballina, resulting in all passengers and crew on the flight being identified as close contacts.

Vaccination is currently mandatory for aviation workers who come in contact with international arrivals in NSW and South Australia, under those state’s respective public health orders.

“Without a national approach we’ll wind up with a patchwork of rules between the borders that our people cross multiple times a day,” Qantas Group said, calling for national cabinet to make vaccinations a requirement for aviation workers, as it has for aged care workers from mid-September.

If you’re just joining us, or want a recap, here are the main storylines so far today:

Sydney’s lockdown will extend another four weeks to August 28, after NSW recorded 177 new cases including 46 who were infectious in the community. Year 12 students can return to school on August 16, construction in most of Sydney can resume, and single people can nominate a “buddy” to visit. But three more LGAs have been added to the hotspots where only some people can leave their area for work. (View a summary of the changes here.)

The Prime Minister has announced a boost to the disaster payments for COVID-affected areas. The payments will increase up to $750 a week for workers who have lost more than 20 hours a week of work. The total Commonwealth support to NSW is costing $750 million a week.

Victorians have woken up to freedom after the state’s lockdown ended. There were nine new cases of COVID-19 as the government unveiled a new support package including rental relief for businesses and a hardship fund for landlords.

Mr Morrison clarifies that the new payment levels of $750 and $450 will apply from the start of any future lockdowns, as will the supplement for people on welfare.

The Prime Minister says that recognises his view that lockdowns are the “best response” to deal with the highly infectious Delta variant of coronavirus.

“When you put restrictions on like we have in NSW and in Sydney, there isn’t another place that somebody can go and [work to] get those hours. In fact, we don’t want them to go and get those hours, we want them to stay at home,” he says.

“We want the lockdown to work. And the sooner the lockdown works, the sooner we get out of lockdown.”

Mr Morrison expects the national cabinet to release its four-stage plan on how to reopen Australia within weeks. He says it’s important to get the right scientific and economic advice on what works best and balance those two aspects.

“Countries that have moved too soon have found themselves shutting back up again within days,” he notes.

That brings the press conference to a close.

The Prime Minister commended the NSW government for its new walk-in clinics delivering AstraZeneca shots to people in Sydney.

“The AstraZeneca vaccine is a safe vaccine, an effective vaccine, it has saved lives all around the world,” he said. “It is the most recognised vaccine in the world, by all countries, particularly when they are looking at people travelling.”

He noted that while the doses of Pfizer vaccines were increasing, there was a strong supply of AstraZeneca and using that would get Australia to its goal faster.

His hope is that “bar any unforeseen events”, everyone will have had an opportunity to have at least one shot by the end of the year and “by Christmas that we would be seeing a very different Australia to what we are seeing now”.

Mr Morrison says younger Australians are listening to calls to consider taking AstraZeneca and tens of thousands of them are getting vaccinated.

So far, there are more than 463,000 people in NSW receiving the disaster payments. They will get the increased amount in their next payment, starting from Thursday.

People on JobSeeker, pensions or Youth Allowance can apply for the supplement form next Tuesday.
Mr Morrison reinforces his belief that lockdowns are the best tool for dealing with the Delta variant of the virus.

“We have to push through this lockdown. There is no other shortcut, there is no other way through. We just have to hunker down and push through,” he said.

The new rate of $750 a week is the same as the original level of JobKeeper. But asked why not simply reactivate JobKeeper, Mr Morrison says it is “not the right solution for the problems we have now”.

“JobKeeper was a great scheme but you don’t play last year’s grand final this year,” he says, pointing out the way JobKeeper was put together meant businesses had to borrow the money to make it available to employees before receiving the government payments.

One of the arguments in favour of JobKeeper was it kept people connected with their employer since it was paid through regular payroll systems.

Mr Morrison says the fact there hasn’t been an “uptick” in people going onto the JobSeeker unemployment payment meant people were staying in touch with their employers even under the new system.

“Because they understand they are getting up support from the government, they are staying with their employers. That means that in a month, hopefully, when business returns, they will go back into work with those employers, they will get on with their jobs, and our economy will draw back to life.”

The total Commonwealth support to NSW is costing about $750 million a week, the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is again fronting media outside the Lodge in rainy Canberra, this time to announce higher income support payments and further support for businesses affected by the coronavirus lockdowns.

“The Commonwealth government has your back just as we’ve had the back of all Australians through this crisis,” he says.

He reiterates a message the government was pushing last year, that the support systems “are never set and forget”.

The $600 disaster payment for people who have lost more than 20 hours a week will lift to $750 and the payment for people who have lost less than 20 hours of work increases from $375 to $450 a week.

As well, people on welfare who have lost more than eight hours of work a week will get a special disaster supplement of $200 a week.

“The whole point of this is that people are not able to earn that extra income they were earning, and these payments are there to support them and to ensure that there is some recognition of that,” Mr Morrison said.

The new business support measures were agreed last night with the NSW government and announced earlier by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to address the media from 12.45pm AEST in Canberra.

He is expected to talk about additional support payments for individuals and businesses.

Watch live below:

Australian Hotels Association Victoria chief executive Paddy O’Sullivan says the payments on offer from the joint federal and state government package announced on Wednesday is a shot in the arm for hospitality venues struggling with uncertainty caused by lockdowns.

“I think it’s fair to say that the pubs [and] the hospitality sector, in general, has suffered a bit of a rocky road when it comes to restrictions, closures and lockdowns, etc, but now today, this gives us a shot in the arm and ability to look forward with a bit of certainty,” he said.

“Next week is a new month of course and rent payments are due. In pub world, that’s a significant business cost.

“Thanks to the government here in Victoria today we now have a way forward, and we look forward to being able to welcome our staff back and have a degree of certainty into the future.”

Treasurer Tim Pallas says Victorians should take comfort from state and federal governments working together on this relief package, despite the disagreements that have occurred in recent history.

“We recognise that there [are] some fundamental problems that have now affected the functioning of our economy, particularly small and medium-sized businesses,” he said.

“We can’t fix all those problems. All we can do is ... do the best we can.

“The one thing people can be assured of is that government, state and federal, recognise the need to work together to come up with solutions to support business during this difficult period.”

Sixteen emergency department patients were admitted overnight to Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as a precaution after a COVID-19 patient visited the emergency department.

All 16 patients have been identified as close contacts of the positive case. The hospital said all staff were wearing protective gear, and the affected area was closed for cleaning.

Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital earlier this morning. Credit:Janie Barrett

“Some ambulances were redistributed to other hospitals within the District. No ambulances were turned away from RPA,” Sydney Local Health District chief executive Teresa Anderson said in a statement.

“Patients and staff who enter the hospital continue to be screened. This has been the practice throughout the COVID response in hospital settings.”

Latest

1 of 6

Oldest

Share this post