Requires employers to permit staff to work at home as a consequence of Covid surge
Josh Butler
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly says well being consultants are once more calling “on employers to permit work at home if possible”.
The CMO mentioned on Tuesday.
We can’t cease this wave of infections however we will sluggish the unfold and defend the weak.
Kelly joined well being minister Mark Butler for a press convention at Parliament Home – his first look of this sort in a while. Each entered the press briefing room sporting face masks.
In a press release, Kelly mentioned Covid circumstances would proceed to rise over the following month. Butler mentioned the actual charges of Covid an infection had been “doubtless greater than double” the reported figures.
Kelly really helpful employers overview occupational well being and security dangers, in addition to enterprise continuity plans. He says staff ought to contemplate sporting masks within the office.
Key occasions:
What we discovered: Tuesday 19 July
With that, we’ll wrap up the weblog for the night. Listed here are in the present day’s main developments:
- The atmosphere minister, Tanya Plibersek, criticised the Coalition’s atmosphere report and introduced a federal atmosphere company. She referred to as the State of Surroundings report one of many “most vital paperwork in environmental science”.
- The Therapeutic Items Administration accredited a paediatric dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, which implies youngsters aged six months as much as six years might quickly be eligible for vaccination.
- The deputy governor of the Reserve Financial institution of Australia mentioned many mortgage holders may ‘face comparatively giant reimbursement will increase’ within the close to future.
- The Australian Power Market Operator has intervened to stop a possible gasoline scarcity in Victoria.
- Victorian and NSW college students have been urged to put on masks indoors, whereas Victorian college students particularly had been requested to masks up in colleges as Covid spikes.
- A senior lawyer from Funding NSW disputed proof given by Jenny West over the appointment of a New York commerce job.
- Australia’s first fastened pill-testing web site, CanTEST Well being and Drug Checking Service, has formally been launched in Canberra.
- NSW recorded 13,544 new Covid circumstances and 26 deaths, Victoria recorded 12,201 circumstances and 25 deaths, Queensland recorded 6,786 new circumstances and 18 deaths, Western Australia recorded 6,815 new circumstances and three deaths, the ACT recorded 1,221 new circumstances, the Northern Territory reported 671 new circumstances, South Australia reported 6,786 new circumstances and 18 deaths, and Tasmania reported 1,642 new circumstances.
Paul Karp
Milton Dick chosen as authorities’s candidate for speaker of the parliament
As our colleague Sarah Martin foreshadowed in June, Labor has chosen Oxley MP Milton Dick as the federal government’s candidate for speaker.
Given Labor has a majority within the Home of Representatives, he’ll take the job when parliament resumes on Tuesday.
Dick mentioned in a press release:
When parliament resumes subsequent week, I intend to simply accept the federal government’s nomination as speaker of the Home of Representatives for the forty seventh parliament … I’m honoured to be endorsed in the present day by the federal parliamentary Labor Social gathering. Out of deep respect for the workplace of speaker I will likely be consulting with members from throughout the Home of Representatives, to seek the advice of and search their help. I’ll now observe and respect the processes of election to this vital position.
Dick is a member of the fitting faction, which can choose the speaker as a result of Sue Traces, from the left faction, will likely be Senate president within the forty seventh parliament.
Dick gained Labor’s endorsement technically unopposed, though Victoria’s Rob Mitchell had put himself into rivalry for it earlier than formal nominations. Labor MP Sharon Claydon would be the deputy speaker.
Aemo confirms gasoline intervention in Victoria
The Australian Power Market Operator (Aemo) has confirmed in a press release that it has taken steps to handle “tight gasoline provides”.
The vitality regulator says it has activated the Fuel Provide Assure mechanism to make sure extra gasoline provides from Queensland-based gasoline producers to help the Nationwide Electrical energy Market (Nem).
They added that there has to date been no affect to gasoline provide in Victoria:
The producers and pipeline operator have responded positively to the request for extra gasoline provide. AEMO will proceed to work with the events to know gasoline provide availability.
Difficult technology circumstances skilled from early June proceed within the NEM.
This has resulted in a higher reliance on gas-powered technology and bigger than forecast stock discount on the Iona gasoline storage facility in Victoria.
In response, AEMO has issued two ‘risk to system safety notifications’ (11 July and 18 July) to cut back the depletion charges at Iona.
This included an preliminary request for members to stop buying gasoline from Victoria’s Home Wholesale Fuel Market (DWGM) for provide to different jurisdictions, after which a second request to stop purchases for Victorian electrical energy technology.
Market members are responding to AEMO’s requests and instructions to take care of a safe working state for Victoria’s gasoline system.
At this stage, there isn’t a affect to gasoline provide in Victoria.
AEMO expects the gasoline provide assure and risk to system safety mechanisms to want to stay in impact till 30 September 2022 or till gasoline provides are adequate and the risk to gasoline provide attributable to Iona storage stock depletion has subsided.
Previous week has seen 560,000 individuals obtain fourth Covid shot, PM says
Josh Butler
Anthony Albanese says 560,000 Australians have obtained their fourth vaccine shot final week alone.
In a video to be uploaded to his social media channels, the PM encourages extra individuals to observe go well with.
“That’s doing the fitting factor by themselves, their household and their group,” Albanese says within the clip.
Congratulations and thanks. In case you haven’t bought your shot but and you’re eligible, please log onto well being.gov.au and organise to get your booster shot and get protected in the present day.
Karen Andrews says level of legislating Labor’s 43% emissions discount goal ‘not clear to me’
I simply needed to return to Karen Andrews’ look on ABC Afternoon Briefing for a bit, as a result of she was requested about her personal social gathering’s reluctance to again Labor’s 43% emissions reductions goal.
Contemplating it is going to doubtless be the primary piece of laws tabled by the brand new authorities, and with the State of the Surroundings report launch within the background, Andrews was requested if the Liberal social gathering would rethink:
Processes are essential. Can I guarantee you, there have already been a variety of discussions between myself and a few of my colleagues. I’ve been talking broadly to the individuals right here on the Gold Coast about points which are of concern to them, significantly in relation to local weather change and to laws. I’ve already requested the query earlier than about what the implications will likely be of legislating.
It’s not clear to me at this stage what the purpose is of legislating. The goals of the federal government – it could appear to me they should get on with what they proposed, which might be restricted for the time being, they should get on with delivering relatively than what appears to be greater than a grandstanding train to strive the legislate a goal. I don’t see the purpose in doing that.
Aemo intervenes to stop gasoline scarcity in Victoria
The Australian Power Market Operator (Aemo) has intervened to stop a possible gasoline scarcity in Victoria, based on the state’s vitality minister, Lily D’Ambrosio.
D’Ambrosio informed ABC Radio Melbourne that Aemo had triggered the gasoline provide assure this afternoon, as reserves within the states storage facility proceed to fall.
She mentioned the set off will imply the vitality regulator can have “higher visibility” of the sale and provide of gasoline, in an try to vary market behaviour:
Meaning they’ll have higher visibility of the sale and provide of gasoline throughout the market together with Victoria however in different states, to get some transparency right here,
Whenever you’ve bought higher transparency available in the market, the market begins altering its behaviour, and admittedly, the market has been capable of get away with an excessive amount of right here.
Extra visibility ought to imply, because it did in April [when the guarantee was last triggered], that gasoline goes to the place its wanted.
The Iona gasoline storage facility is because of fall to an all-time low of six petajoules by 6 August, which may lead to gasoline provide shortfall throughout the state.
D’Ambrosio mentioned the state had greater than sufficient provide, however blamed the state of affairs on “greed”:
A number of that is pushed by greed throughout gasoline producers. They’ll observe the greenback, and we’re about defending shoppers, ensuring that they pay not more than what’s deemed to be a good value and that’s why that value cap is there.
Frankly, a good value needs to be paid for gasoline. We’ve bought greater than sufficient provide to have the ability to meet our wants and it needs to be supplied at a good value.
Guardian Australia has reached out to Aemo for affirmation.
Karen Andrews says former atmosphere minister didn’t delay launch of atmosphere report
Shadow dwelling affairs minister, Karen Andrews, was additionally on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier this afternoon, and denied that the previous atmosphere minister, Sussan Ley, had held again on releasing the State of the Surroundings report:
The recommendation that got here by way of from Sussan Ley, former atmosphere minister, is that always she complied with the necessities for releasing paperwork.
I feel it’s truthful to say that each one Australians are targeted on the atmosphere, we wish to do the perfect factor for atmosphere.
One of many key tenets of the Liberal social gathering is to guard the pure atmosphere for future generations.
So, all of us wish to work very proactively in direction of supporting the atmosphere.
We simply have to be sure that what we’re doing is affordable, and that it does arrange future generations correctly right here in Australia.
SA chief public well being officer has contracted Covid
South Australia’s chief public well being officer Prof Nicola Spurrier has been struck down with Covid, amid surging case numbers.
The Advertiser is reporting Spurrier has gentle signs, and had been visiting a relative interstate over the weekend. It’s her first an infection.
It comes as new modelling exhibits South Australia is going through an exponential enhance in hospitalisations within the coming weeks, with over 400 sufferers a day predicted.
SA well being minister, Chris Picton, informed reporters earlier in the present day that the well being system was beneath severe stress, with over 900 employees at the moment off as a consequence of Covid infections:
That clearly locations stress by way of staffing, the place you’ve bought elevated stress on the hospital system and decreased employees numbers.
Hollie Hughes says local weather change is ‘not Australia’s downside’
Shadow assistant minister for local weather change, Hollie Hughes, has informed ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that local weather change shouldn’t be Australia’s downside.
Sure, she is a shadow assistant minister for local weather change, denying that local weather change is an issue for Australia.
She had been requested why earlier atmosphere minister, Sussan Ley, hadn’t launched the Graeme Samuel report when it was handed to her in December, however Hughes determined to reply by discussing mining, farmers and the German Greens.
Right here’s what she mentioned:
I actually can’t touch upon that, I don’t know. I haven’t heard that, that’s not what I seen. It was launched in the present day.
What I’m involved about [is that] Ms Plibersek, the member for Sydney, doesn’t actually perceive the very first thing about agriculture in our nation, not to mention help mining. And the perfect environmentalists are fairly often the farmers.
However listening to a number of the commentary round in the present day, I’m very involved for what kind of laws they’re going to wish to introduce that would affect farming land … but in addition affect our potential to proceed to mine, to additionally search for these coal and gasoline reserves, as a result of the entire world is in search of these of the second.
However this Labor authorities appears intent on turning the lights out, shutting down at business, for a problem that may be a world concern. Local weather change shouldn’t be Australia’s downside, it’s not a regional downside.
Our emissions are 1.3%. We are able to shut every little thing down and we’ll make zero distinction however we don’t see any strikes by this Labor authorities however to name out China for its emissions which are growing. The German Greens are turning on coal-fired energy. I feel they know to provide them a name to indicate how vital it’s to dispatch vitality to maintain the nation working.
That’s one concern I’ve with reference to a number of the rhetoric round this. But additionally, I feel we have to be aware – and I do know Sussan can have one thing to say – … however lots of these environmental impacts round planning and improvement are literally run by state governments [so where do we] draw the road between what we will do federally and what’s the accountability of the state authorities and in reality some councils?
Hanson-Younger was additionally requested if the Greens had been ready to withdraw their calls for of no new coal and gasoline, within the title of discovering consensus on the atmosphere:
Nicely, I’m actually wanting ahead to sitting down with the minister and speaking about what we will do to halt the extinction disaster, to cease the destruction of habitat and to cease making local weather air pollution worse and having a local weather set off in our environmental legal guidelines would go a protracted approach to that.
You may’t simply have structural reform, which goes to take a while, whereas carrying on enterprise as typical as approving massive tasks, massive mines, coal and gasoline tasks, which are going to make not simply the local weather change disaster worse however our job of halting this environmental collapse more durable. No level in gathering the fireplace blankets on one aspect when you proceed to pour petrol on the fireplace with the opposite.
Sarah Hanson-Younger says atmosphere report a ‘code purple for nature’
Greens atmosphere spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Younger, has mentioned the Graeme Samuel overview is a “code purple for nature” and that Australia’s forests, wildlife, and atmosphere typically are on the “brink of a really severe collapse”.
Hanson-Younger was on ABC Information earlier, and added that Australia’s present atmosphere legal guidelines have “not been adequate”:
We all know that our surroundings legal guidelines haven’t been adequate to guard the atmosphere, however we additionally know that successive governments haven’t finished their job in standing up for the atmosphere.
All of that is now being fuelled by the local weather disaster. It’s a double whammy for nature and land clearing, native forest logging, there’s destruction of habitat – it’s making local weather change worse after which in return local weather change is tremendous charging the environmental disaster. So, we have to pull out all stops. Responding to the Samuel overview from two years in the past is the very first thing – on the prime of the record that must be finished, after all.
There’s a lot of alternative for us to work as quick as doable in parliament to repair the atmosphere legal guidelines. We have to see a local weather set off within the legal guidelines in order that when massive tasks, mines or developments are assessed. And given environmental approval, they’re assessed for his or her local weather affect as nicely.
We all know local weather change is an enormous risk. The minister has powers proper now in entrance of her she will use. She doesn’t want parliament to cease a few of these unhealthy tasks on her desk and she or he ought to use that energy.
Victorian well being minister says masks data ‘the perfect device’, not mandates
I needed to revisit the discussions in Victoria over masks sporting, after the state’s well being minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, insisted earlier in the present day that it’s a advice, not a mandate.
Thomas was on ABC Radio Melbourne this morning and mentioned the state authorities wanted to provide mother and father “data to make their very own determination”, relatively than providing mandates:
The perfect device is data. We have to take our time and proceed to coach and clarify to these mother and father who’re involved about mask-wearing why it really works.
What I’ve seen is an extra take-up of mask-wearing over the previous week or so, as individuals are informing themselves and studying in regards to the present wave of the Omicron virus.
We’re making certain that we’re offering communities with the knowledge and the recommendation that they should make the selections which are finest for them, finest for his or her family members and their communities.
Queensland’s Covid hospital circumstances hit report excessive as well being minister admits they bought modelling fallacious
Queensland is going through its highest ever variety of individuals in hospital with Covid, as a winter surge in circumstances continues throughout the nation.
There at the moment are 983 individuals in hospital with Covid, surpassing the height of the primary wave in late January, which hit 928 hospitalisations.
Queensland in the present day recorded nearly 10,000 new circumstances in a single day, taking the full recognized circumstances within the state to over 54,000.
Earlier in the present day, well being minister Yvette D’Ath informed reporters modelling had didn’t predict the dimensions of the third wave the state is at the moment going through:
We thought and the recommendation we had been getting and the modelling we noticed firstly of the 12 months that we’d preserve having waves for months and years, however they’d slowly scale back and our immunity would construct.
However with these new variants and subvariants, we’re not seeing that.
Liberals accuse Plibersek of ‘partisan finger-pointing’ over atmosphere report
And we start with shadow atmosphere minister Jonno Duniam, kicking up a fuss about Tanya Plibersek’s Nationwide Press Membership handle.
In a press release entitled “Surroundings Minister Ought to Concentrate on Options, Not Politics”, Duniam goes on to say, with a straight face, that Plibersek ought to cease “partisan finger-pointing” and that she “erroneously” criticised the Morrison authorities for its report on local weather and the atmosphere.
Sure, actually. He even calls the Samuels report a “prop”.
Right here’s a fast exert:
On the Nationwide Press Membership in the present day, Ms Plibersek spent a lot of her speech making an attempt to (erroneously) criticise the Morrison authorities’s efficiency on the atmosphere – utilizing the newest ‘State of the Surroundings Report’ as a prop for her assaults.
That’s not what Australia or the atmosphere wants from her time as Minister. Australians are in search of sensible measures and wise options that assist our pure atmosphere, and severe plans and packages by way of which these are delivered.
Sadly, these remained absent from Ms Plibersek’s speech.
Thanks Natasha, that is Mostafa Rachwani coming to you from wet Sydney, with a lot nonetheless to get by way of, so let’s dive in.
With that I depart you for the day within the palms of my colleague Mostafa Rachwani.
In case you’ve been following alongside by way of the dense Covid data, your eyes in all probability want a break from all of the textual content!
Some unbelievable footage is coming in from Hawaii the place towering waves have ruined one couple’s big day.