Australia news live update: nation records 58 Covid deaths; Cleo Smith accused pleads guilty; Hunt says reseller ‘hoarding’ affecting rapid test shortage

This is interesting. Member for Chisholm Gladys Liu is pulling out of WeChat as fallout from Morrison’s ban continues.

Six days in a row over 40 degrees in Perth.

Related: Perth swelters through record six consecutive days over 40C temperatures

Meanwhile, more flood updates have been issued in NSW:

Here’s a further breakdown of South Australia’s Covid update:

Breaking news from Western Australia. Terence Kelly has pleaded guilty to kidnapping four-year-old girl Cleo Smith on a family holiday and keeping her captive for 18 days.

The Australian economy remains in solid shape in the face of the coronavirus pandemic with Tasmania the stand out state for the eighth quarter in a row, AAP’s Colin Brinsden reports.

In its quarterly State of States report CommSec says Tasmania has again held on to top slot and is likely to remain so in the short-term, but it warns much can change over 2022.

The other state and territories followed closely together, with South Australia ranked second, Victoria third, Western Australia fourth, Queensland fifth, NSW sixth, the ACT seventh and the Northern Territory eighth.

WA has benefited from a surge in iron ore exports and prices, while SA has enjoyed strong government and business investment.

Each quarter CommSec assesses state and territory economies on eight key indicators – economic growth, retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements.

Tasmania leads on four of the eight indicators – equipment, unemployment, retail spending and dwelling starts – and ranks second on another two – economic growth and construction work done.

CommSec chief economic Craig James:

Lockdowns have weighed on the economic performances of NSW and the ACT in the last survey. While both of these economies could scale the rankings again, new challenges are presented by Covid-19 restrictions and the resulting labour shortages – not just for NSW and the ACT but for all economies.

He expects the opening of domestic and international borders is also likely to further support the Queensland economy. James said all Australia’s state and territory economies are supported by strong fiscal and monetary stimulus with unemployment rates historically-low across much of the nation:

Labour is in short supply across many industries, a reflection of current Covid-related self-isolation requirements and border restrictions. Ahead, the country will continue to face challenges managing the latest Omicron wave with infrastructure spending continuing to be a key driver of growth in 2022.

Over in Melbourne, it’s the first Pride Day at the Australian Open, featuring, among other things, stylish sweatbands sported by Thanasi Kokkinakis.

But amidst rainbow flags is one glaring lack, after Tennis Australia was forced to maintain a ban on ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ t-shirts at the tournament:

Related: Tennis Australia defends banning ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ T-shirts at Australian Open

Australia has experienced another deadly day in the pandemic with 58 deaths recorded so far on Monday. Here is a summary of the daily numbers so far:

NSWDeaths – 24

Cases – 15,091

Hospitalisations – 2,816 (196 in ICU)

VictoriaDeaths – 17

Cases – 11,695

Hospitalisations – 998 (119 in ICU)

QueenslandDeaths – 13

Cases – 10,212

Hospitalisations – 879 (50 in ICU)

TasmaniaDeaths – 0

Cases – 619

Hospitalisations – 41 (three in ICU)

ACT

Deaths – 2

Cases – 756

Hospitalisations – 68 (three in ICU)

South AustraliaDeaths – 2

Cases – 2,009

Hospitalisations – 294 (29 in ICU)

Northern TerritoryDeaths – 0

Cases – 286

Hospitalisations – 74 (four in ICU)

Back in South Australia, and the Novavax vaccine is expected to be available from next month following Greg Hunt’s announcement today.

Back in South Australia, there have been 2,009 Covid cases detected overnight.

There are 294 people being treated in hospital, including 29 in ICU and six requiring ventilation.

Sadly, two more lives have been lost overnight – a woman in her 40s whose death will be referred to the coroner and a man in his 70s who was in a residential facility.

There are 27,991 active cases in the state with 3,508 people having recovered from Covid-19.

Before we do though, health minister Natasha Fyles is providing an update from Darwin.

She says there are about 3,900 active cases in the NT after 286 new Covid cases were recorded overnight.

Hospitalisations, though, have increased to 78. There are eight people receiving oxygen and four in intensive care.

The total active cases in the NT is stable at about 3,900 cases in the territory. We have now had a couple of days of lower numbers in the NT…and seen that seven day average come down to under 400. We acknowledge that usually earlier in the week, we see a lag in testing because of the weekend, we also are seeing bumpy results in our testing because of the isolating conditions within the NT…so we are using that rapid antigen test in some situations.

More wild weather is on the cards in New South Wales:

Here’s the latest on the WeChat fallout from AAP’s Dominic Giannini.

A reminder – TikTok (wildly popular social media app) is also owned by a massive Chinese company – ByteDance – worth more than US$37bn. Tencent, the company behind WeChat, is worth US$36.4bn. So Morrison could always jump ship, so to speak.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has called on WeChat to restore access to the prime minister’s account and allow politicians from all persuasions to use the platform.

Scott Morrison’s account on the Chinese social media platform was taken over and rebranded to “Australian Chinese new life” earlier this month, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Frydenberg says it’s not good enough the Labor leader still had access to WeChat while the prime minister did not:

It’s something we would like to see rectified because it’s a method of communication to the Australian Chinese community which is very important. It should be on offer to politicians of all political persuasions, it shouldn’t be a political football. It’s very, very disappointing to see the prime minister prevented from having that access.

But Frydenberg didn’t join his colleague’s call to boycott the platform amid the controversy. Liberal chair of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee James Paterson said WeChat had not heeded requests from the government to restore access to Morrison’s account. He called on all Australian politicians to boycott the platform:

The government has directly appealed to WeChat to restore access and no response has been given, which seems pretty clear WeChat has no intention on allowing the prime minister to continue to post.

The Victorian senator also revealed the prime minister’s WeChat account has been plagued with problems for at least six months, with issues starting around the time he attended G7 meetings in the UK.

An agent running Morrison’s account due to the app’s terms and conditions experienced trouble posting in the middle of 2021, which was around when the prime minister lobbied global government heads not to become overexposed to Chinese influence.

The initial problems came as he took a list of 14 demands handed by the Chinese embassy to an Australian journalist to the G7 to warn world leaders about the dangers of giving China too much leverage.

Paterson said it was also concerning 1.2 million Chinese Australians who use the service couldn’t access news from the prime minister, but could still see government critiques on the platform from opposition leader Anthony Albanese.

We’re about to hear from SA premier Steven Marshall, live from Aldinga Payinthi College.

More fallout from the resignation of Nikola Stepanov in Queensland:

Good news coming out of the Northern Territory.

From today, a full-time Auslan interpreter has been hired to support accessible information for the next three years.

The local interpreter will work across government services, in health, education and justice as well as providing emergency support and public messaging during emergencies like Covid-19.

There are more than 230 Territorians who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Chief minister Michael Gunner said Covid-19 had highlighted the need for an Auslan interpreter in the NT to deliver public health messages – which was previously lacking throughout the first two years of the pandemic.

CEO of Deaf Connect, Brett Casey, said he was pleased tangible outcomes for Deaf Territorians had been realised.

The Australian Council of Social Service has raised concerns rapid antigen tests will not be available to the most vulnerable despite changed regulations.

From today, rapid antigen tests have become freely available for concession holders – at least in theory.

ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie says RATs should be made available to people on low incomes, but many pharmacists are already raising the alarm about lack of supply. The body has said people on the lowest incomes may not be able to get rapid tests from pharmacies because of the ongoing supply chain issues.

She spoke on ABC News this afternoon:

 

People on lower incomes have been desperate to get their hands on their home testing kits like many across the community. Of course, the price has been prohibitive for people on low incomes. When you’re talking about $15 for a single test, that’s a lot of money if you’re on JobSeeker, that payment is almost $41 a day.

We’ve been calling on the government to make these kits free right across the community. We’ve got them now available for free, at least in some circumstances today, for people who hold a concession card. But…the Pharmacy Guild and others all acknowledge that’s not going to be the reality in many pharmacies today. It will still take time. The supply issues are still chronic out there.

 

Many thanks to the indomitable Matilda Boseley for guiding us through this morning’s news. I’ll be with you for the rest of this (depending on where you are) sunny Monday.

With that, I shall pass you over to the wonderful Caitlin Cassidy to take you through the afternoon’s news!

See you tomorrow!

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners [RACGP] has warned that general practices participating in the vaccine rollout need more assistance in the months ahead following approval of the Novavax vaccine in Australia.

RACGP president Dr Karen Price said the decision was a positive step forward in the vaccine rollout.

 

“The most important thing is that people get vaccinated against Covid-19…

But we are under enormous pressure. Term one of school starts next week, yet just one-in-four children aged five to 11 have had their first Pfizer vaccine dose and the vast majority of kids must wait eight weeks before receiving their second.

Although there are plenty of children’s vaccine doses in Australia, the challenge is getting those supplies into practice fridges and then into arms. So, the current deliveries of 100 or 200 vaccines a week per practice are not enough when you consider that some practices have well over 1,500 children in this age group on their books.”

 

GPs are still reporting doses not arriving on time or insufficient stock being delivered, she said.

So general practice teams then have the unenviable task of ringing families and telling them that their child’s appointment must be cancelled. This is causing a lot of stress and anxiety and, unfortunately, some people are once again taking their frustration out on exhausted nurses and receptionists… we need the federal government to step up and provide greater assistance to our hardworking general practice teams.

Here is the official Queensland infographic for the day.

SBS is reporting that the Biloela family have won their federal circuit court case after they appealed the immigration minister’s ruling that prevented three of the four family members from applying for a further bridging visa.

The court found that this rule was unfair.

I’ll bring you more updates as soon as I can.

Thanasi Kokkinakis has lifted the lid on a fiery exchange with an opponent’s trainer after he and Nick Kyrgios dumped top seeds Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektić out of the Australian Open doubles.

The Australian pair put on a typically energetic display on Friday as they upset the Croatian duo, whipping the Kia Arena crowd into a frenzy during the straight-sets win.

Local fans lapped up their antics but the home players seemingly riled Pavić’s trainer, who they allege confronted them in the players’ gym after the match.

© Provided by The Guardian Kokkinakis and Kyrgios said they have no plans to dial down their on-court behaviour. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty ImagesYou can read the full report below:

Related: ‘A bit salty’: Kyrgios and Kokkinakis make light of alleged Australian Open gym clash

Back in Queensland, chief health officer, John Gerrard, is breaking down the 13 deaths reported in the state.

Four people were in their 70s, seven were in their 80s, and two were in their 90s. Three were unvaccinated, and none had received a booster shot.

There are 878 people being treated in public hospitals with Covid-19, up “very slightly” from yesterday’s figure of 863. Numbers from private hospitals will be reported “later in the week”.

There are 50 people being treated in intensive care, also up slightly from 47 people yesterday. Of the 50 in intensive care 40% are unvaccinated.

In good news, Gold Coast Covid numbers have declined “very slightly” every day for the past four days, which would suggest the Gold Coast is past the peak of transmission.

The number of hospital staff in isolation or quarantine has also declined steadily in the past few days. Gerrard says the number of overall hospitalisations is significantly lower than was expected at this stage in the pandemic, likely due to self-imposed restrictions:

 

The Gold Coast was always likely to be the first area to peak, Brisbane should follow within seven days, possibly Cairns as well, and then other regional areas as well.

I would remind everyone, though, that this is the peak, not the end … the end will not be for a number of weeks … the impact of the epidemic is less than we expected in this wave, but I’m trying to be cautious as we still haven’t reached the peak in Brisbane.

 

Gerrard says with the return to schools, transmission is likely to increase, which may see a “longer, flatter peak”. At this stage, hospitals are keeping up with demand, but the next seven days will be crucial.

The Queensland press conference has wrapped up, concluding with an assurance the return to school plan will be released sometime in the coming week.

Palaszczuk said the delay of the school year in Queensland gave health authorities time to hammer out a decent plan (not in those words), and regular asymptomatic testing of students was unlikely to be a feature.

Gerrard said the vast majority of young people would not have a severe illness if they acquired Covid-19, but the mere fact of the “sheer number” of people who acquired the virus meant some people would experience complications.

There will be a small number of children who get complications from this virus … I’m not sure how frightened young people are, actually, my impression is most young people are not afraid of this virus, which is probably legitimate, but we want them to get vaccinated because there are rare complications.

The ACT has had another deadly day with two more people dying with Covid-19, a man in his 40s and a man in his 90s.

Sadly, ACT Health has been notified of the deaths of a man in his 40s and a man in his 90s with Covid-19. ACT Health extends its sincere condolences to their families and friends at this difficult time.

The state also recorded 756 new Covid-19 infections, a slight increase from yesterday’s 666.

Palaszczuk is asked about Queensland integrity commissioner, Dr Nikola Stepanov, who was revealed to have quit today following concerns about interference with her office.

Palaszczuk says people change jobs all the time, “even in the media”:

 

The integrity commissioner has taken another job. People take different jobs from time to time, even in the media, people take different jobs … some of these matters were before the Crime and Corruption Commission so I’m not going to get into these matters publicly.

People change jobs all the time. She has indicated she has taken on another role in Queensland … I don’t think it’s a problem at all – we’ll advertise and have a new commissioner, honestly.

 

Queensland health minister, Yvette D’Ath, lays down some striking statistics.

Only 8.2% of the population over 16 is unvaccinated, but the same demographic makes up 21% of people who have died with Covid.

Of 111 deaths reported in the state, only five people have had their booster shots.

Andrews confirmed that Victoria’s 7-day rolling average case numbers are down significantly from this time last week. In fact, it has nearly halved.

 

The average case numbers for the last seven days has been about 17,412. So roughly 17,500 and the seven days before that, it was 32,316. So again, about 32,500 …

It’s critically important to reduce case numbers and therefore, reduce the pressure on our health system. I’ll again make the point – we’re not seeing as many people in intensive care, but we are seeing people that are quite unwell.

They’re not critically unwell, but they are unwell enough to need a hospital bed. They’re going into general ward beds and with so many staff away sick, with so many staff, thousands of them, away because of or with COVID, that means that the system is under significant pressure.

 

Victoria press conference –

Premier Daniel Andrews:

 

998 people are in hospital. That’s down from 1,002 who were in hospital yesterday. And down from the 7-day average of 1,065.

119 people are in ICU – down from 120. 47 people are on a ventilator – up from 44.

And, sadly, I have to report, that 17 Victorians have passed away with COVID and we send our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences and best wishes to their families. This will be a very, very difficult time for them

 

Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, is up now.

There have been 10,212 new Covid cases reported overnight, including 3,615 positive cases detected from rapid antigen tests.

Sadly, 13 people have lost their lives in the latest reporting period. All deaths were of people aged 70 and above.

25.7% of five- to 11-year-olds are now fully vaccinated, two weeks out from school returning.

Palaszczuk says the following fortnight would be “critical” in reaching the peak of the Omicron wave.

Queensland integrity commissioner, Dr Nikola Stepanov, has quit following concerns about interference with her office, reports AAP.

Stepanov, who maintained the state’s register of lobbyists and confidentially advised politicians on integrity matters, reportedly raised concerns about the Public Service Commission last year.

The PSC confiscated Integrity Commission staff mobile phones and laptops, deleted records from those devices and altered security permissions and access to the commission’s offices, News Corp reported in September 2021.

Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, at the time dismissed some parts of that report as “speculation”, but told parliament it had been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

She then refused to comment further as the matter was yet to be finalised by the watchdog.

Stepanov also revealed the number of Integrity Commission staff had been cut from four to one in her 2020-21 annual report, released in October.

She was “very concerned” about illegal lobbying after a surge in recorded contacts between the state Labor government and lobbyists.

Opposition integrity spokeswoman Fiona Simpson said the integrity commissioner had held the government to account on “some really serious issues”.

Integrity matters, and it matters when a government … undermines the very statutory independent roles that are there to keep them honest.

The commission also said complaints about lobbying and requests for advice about lobbying were on the rise in Queensland.

There were 38 requests for advice and 988 contacts recorded between lobbyists and government ministers, MPs, public servants, councillors or local government staff in 2020-21, she wrote.

That compares with an average of 239 contacts per year between January 2013 and June 2020.

Stepanov said there were 46 discrepancies in the records held by chief executives of state government departments and lobbyists.

There were another 57 discrepancies between the records held by chief executives of local governments and the lobbyists’ register.

Almost all related to lobbyists failing to record contacts with people on the government register, Stepanov said.

Andrews:

 

In terms of child vaccinations, 3,562 children got their first dose through state-run centres yesterday. A big and indeed solid performance across the weekend for children’s vaccines.

176,371 kids aged 5-11 have received their paediatric first dose to date. That’s 30% roughly of that age group.

 

Andrews has stressed that there are plenty of vaccination appointments available across the state, for both first and second doses and boosters.

There are something like 161,000 bookings available for first, second or third doses. That’s just across state clinics over the next 30 days.

Let’s head to Victoria now, where the premier Daniel Andrews is speaking.

If you want to revisit that press conference with the health minister, Greg Hunt, you can catch up on the important Novavax update below:

Lots of booster bookings in Victoria the CHO says (although I’m pretty sure that sweet deal where you get a free Golden Gaytime is no longer in place.)

Perrottet:

 

We have a highly vaccinated population, and yes, as a parent as well I know that many parents across the state are anxious about sending it back to school, many teachers are anxious, I was speaking to a teacher on the weekend who was anxious about the return of school.

That is understandable in a pandemic, but it is really really important for our kids’ educational, mental health and social outcomes that they are back in the classroom. I accept it will not be perfect, there will be issues moving through this but this is the right approach, and I am very confident that by setting out this part, as we move to this next four weeks, and it’s pleasing to see the case numbers coming down.

 

Speaking of Victoria, we will be hearing from them at the same time as Queensland at 11am AEDT.

The press conference paused as a helicopter took off and it seems during the break the premier was joking about teaching his small tribe of children how to take a RAT test.

And you might be saying, “Matilda! You can’t make fun of someone for having a small army’s worth of children!” To which I say, “it wasn’t me, it was Brad Hazzard”.

Here is what the health minister had to say:

The premier was saying that is going to be a fun game, making sure that the kids know about the testing. So good luck to him with his six and a half children.

Hazzard has advised parents to be patient with their kids as they adapt to having to take two (often nasal swab) rapid tests a week. This may be especially challenging to neurodivergent kids, such as those with autism or ADHD who are very sensitive to sensory stimuli.

 

I think as a parent, we all know and have those moments … we worry about our children.

I can remember worrying about issues when my kids were little and understand. What I would say is just quietly and calmly to them and make sure they understand that this is a very simple process, not going to have any negative effect on them …

I’m absolutely certain that the children will learn very quickly to accommodate to having the rapid antigen tests.

 

The NSW education secretary, Georgina Harrisson, has urged parents to be patient as rapid tests arrive at schools and staff prepare to hand them out to families.

 

We have 5m rapid antigen tests out on the road today and another million expected to be out on the road by the end of today.

They will be arriving at schools over the coming days and can I ask parents to be patient with your school, they will be in touch with you about when you can pick up your test …

 

NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, says that only two of the 24 had received three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

 

I want to say this, out of the 24 people, there were only two, only two that had three shots, in other words, only two people out of the 24 have had the booster shot.

That’s a very clear message to all of us that we need to listen to the advice of the premier and Doctor Kerry Chant, boosters are actually absolutely critical to keeping us safe.

The two people who did have the booster … sadly, had very serious preexisting medical conditions. Boosters are critical, boosters are what makes a difference. For adults, go and get boosters.

 

NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, says two of the 24 people who died in the latest reporting period were in their 50’s.

 

And can I please induce a sense of urgency in the community to get their booster, we have appointments and it is despairing when I read out the tragic death numbers which I am now going to do. Some of these people have missed that opportunity afforded by the booster.

Sadly today New South Wales has reported 24 people who have died from Covid, 16 men and eight women, and again, can I express my sincere condolences to their families.

Of the 24 people had died, two people were in the 50s, one person was in the 60s, two people in the 70s, 12 were in the 80s, and seven people in the 90s.

And of the two people under 65, both were men who had serious underlying health conditions, one man had received two doses of the vaccine and one had received three doses.

 

Okay, jumping over to NSW and the state’s premier, Dominic Perrottet, is giving a Covid-19 update.

Today the state finally ticked over 95% first dose vaccination for those over 16.

Perrottet:

 

It is pleasing to see that we have 95% of people aged 16 plus who have had one dose of vaccine, and 93.9% aged 16 plus who have had two doses of the vaccine. In the 12- to 15-year-old age group we have 82.7% to have had their first dose, and it is pleasing to see that has increased but I would urge all parents to take their children to get vaccinated in that age group before school commences.

In the 5- to 11-year-old age group we have 28% of children who have had their first dose and we are really hopeful that will increase significantly this week ahead of school commencing.

Almost 40% of the eligible population have received a booster.

 

Guardian reporter Paul Karp has asked the health minister if the Commonwealth was doing anything to limit the types of businesses that are able to sell rapid antigen tests.

Karp:

Why are we in the situation at all where retail stores, rather than pharmacies are able to sell the tests if there is this concept of them stepping up to profiteer, and what should the Commonwealth have done to redirect orders towards priority people instead?

Hunt:

 

We have been in the market and supply since August and we have been able to provide a continuous supply of over 6.6m rapid antigen tests to aged care, so in relation to priority populations, that is one of the things that we have been able to do, to foresee, to acquire and supply throughout the course of not just Omicron, but before Omicron ever existed, we have been doing this since August and it has been a continuous Commonwealth process.

… And then in relation to private supply, what we have put in place with the supermarkets and the pharmacies was that anti-hoarding program in conjunction with price gouging, so that that meant anybody who was reselling was clearly on notice that the ACCC would come down on them like a ton of bricks.

If there are more outlets procuring TGA approved tests and bringing them in using additional supply lines, that simply means more tests for more Australians.

 

The health minister has also noted that the hoarding of rapid tests has played a part in Australia’s spluttering rollout, but unlike his Nationals colleague Barnaby Joyce, he seemed to focus the blame on bad-faith suppliers and re-sellers rather than individuals.

Hunt says anyone caught hoarding or price gouging RATs will face “the wrath” of the ACCC.

Hunt:

There were clear cases where there had been some hoarding. Unfortunately it does include people that were scooping up to resell at inflated prices and that’s why the anti-hoarding measures are in tandem with the price gouging measures which we have been pursuing, and what we have seen is that … there is increasing evidence that those who sought to do that are very quickly realising that they will face the wrath of the investigative body.

Hunt says that, as far as the federal government can tell, there will be an adequate supply of RATs going forward. (Famous last words perhaps?)

The advice we have from the pharmacies is that there will be adequate supply going forwards, and it’s been a global challenge, and I think I want to put this in context for a minute, and I will come back to the question in a second, but what we’re seeing is this will see very significant supplies coming in, and industry has said to me, the pharmacy sector, both at the Guild level, and the team leader level of pharmacies such as Chemist Warehouse, with whom I was speaking yesterday, that they are expecting very significant supplies.

When asked about the possibility of price gouging of RATs from suppliers, Hunt says that the pharmacy stores that are participating in the concession card RAT program have been putting stock aside for some time, which I mean isn’t really an answer to that question, but oh well.

Greg Hunt:

 

All the participating pharmacists are putting aside tests. I think that’s really important.

I spoke to one pharmacy chain CEO yesterday, they were prioritising for early on this week, where they were expecting to have 500 packs of five tests available in the vast majority of their pharmacies which, had been put aside specifically for pensioners, concession card holders, low income healthcare card holders and our veterans, and we’re seeing that across the system.

And so, they’re actually reserving spaces. That’s not to say that every pharmacy on day one is participating. It’s a phased program and importantly it’s a supplementary program.

 

Australia’s offshore processing regime on Nauru will cost taxpayers nearly $220m over the next six months as it holds 107 people on the Pacific island.

Brisbane firm Canstruct International has been awarded a new extension – its eighth non-competitive contract extension – for $218.5m to provide six months of “garrison and welfare services” on Nauru. The company’s total revenue from island contracts over the past five years now totals more than $1.8bn.

It currently costs Australian taxpayers more than $4m a year to hold one person within the Nauru offshore regime – a little over $11,000 per person per day.

The government’s latest figures, revealed in Senate estimates, stated 107 people – 81 refugees and 26 asylum seekers – were still held on Nauru.

The 81 refugees have had their claim for protection formally recognised. Australia is legally obliged to protect them and they cannot be returned to their home country because they face a “well-founded fear of being persecuted”.

The Canstruct group of companies, or entities associated with it, have made 11 donations to the Liberal National party in Queensland.

You can read more about this below:

Related: Nauru offshore regime to cost Australian taxpayers nearly $220m over next six months

But Hunt has urged people not to hold out for Novavax if they are able to get Pfizer, Moderna or even good old AstraZeneca today.

(Basically, Novavax is different because it’s a protein-based vaccine, which is an older, more well-understood vaccine technology. So therefore some who may be cautious about mRNA vaccines or AZ may be more inclined to roll up their sleeves.)

Hunt:

 

I do want to encourage everyone unless there’s a contrary indication, please continue to come forward and take the existing vaccines, the Pfizer, the Moderna, the AstraZeneca, depending upon your circumstances, but if you do have a contraindication, for those for whatever reason have not felt comfortable joining the program so far, this is your opportunity.

It can be taken by those who have had Covid on the advice of ATAGI, and for the severely immunocompromised, three doses are recommended, as is the case with the other vaccines.

 

Now the health minister has moved on to the start of the concession card holder RAT rollout, which starts today (in theory).

Hunt:

 

The second thing I want to mention is the concessional rapid antigen tests, which supports the health testing program, for pensioners, Commonwealth seniors, department of veterans gold, white, or orange cardholders and low-income healthcare cardholders commences this week.

We’ve had positive reports from the public and pharmacies that already led to supply this morning. This is a screening program, if you have symptoms, you’re a close contact, please continue to go through the principal health screening program, and health testing program, which has always been free and continues to be free, and has seen over 60 million tests delivered around Australia.

 

Hunt says that between 800 and 1,000 pharmacies will begin providing the free tests today, with more to be onboarded in the coming weeks.

This was a national cabinet decision, a 50/50 program in the same way the schools program is 50/50, this is a 50/50 program, with the states, and so we thank them and support them but also thank the Pharmacy Guild which has co-designed and engaged in the program.

Hunt says Novavax will start going into arms around Australia on 21 February:

 

To begin with, in terms of ATAGI, we have received a second green light in relation to the Novavax vaccine.

I have spoken with the company both last week and this morning among many conversations and we’ll be able to commence that program in the week of 21 February.

What happens from here is now that we’ve got the double green light in Australia, stocks will be released, provided to Australia, the TGA will go through a detailed batch testing process, as this will be the first such shipment we have received, and presuming that’s deemed to be safe and in line with all of the data and science that we have received to date, then that fourth vaccine will be made available from week of 21 February.

The specific advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is that it will be a 2-dose course, with a minimum of three weeks between the first and the second doses.

It’s a protein-based vaccine, for some, who may have had contrary indications or reactions with regards to other vaccines, this will provide an additional opportunity for them, as well as those who for whatever reason have not taken up the program so far.

 

Along with the Novavax news, Hunt says that Australia is seeing a “clear decrease in cases”, as Omicron passes through the nation.

 

We are seeing two critical developments. The first is a clear decrease in cases, hospitalisations, and that in turn will have an impact on ICU and ventilation numbers and lives saved.

And secondly, continued enormous uptake of the vaccination program with 48m doses passed and almost 2m doses in the last week. The pensioners concessional scheme will also commence, the first phase today, this is supplementary to the health testing, the health testing through the clinics remains the principal avenue, but this is an additional avenue and it’s started with greater numbers earlier than anticipated. I’m very pleased with that.

 

Federal health minister, Greg Hunt, is speaking now, let’s listen in.

The health minister, Greg Hunt, has announced that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended the use of the Novavax vaccine. The vaccine will be available in Australia from 21 February.

Novavax was already approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, but Australia has a “double green light” approach that requires a separate recommendation for use.

Hunt also declared there is a “clear decrease in cases, hospitalisations, and that in turn will have an impact on ICU and ventilation numbers”.

BTW we will be hearing from the Queensland leaders at 10am AEST (11am AEDT).

Those on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia have been warned to prepare for flooding, the SES urging people to move valuables inside, and if it’s safe clear gutters and drains to try and mitigate damage to homes.

Police are investigating the suspicious death of a man at a property in a small town in Tasmania’s northwest, reports AAP.

The man’s body was found by emergency services at Sprent on Sunday night.

Tasmania police said in a statement:

The death is being treated as suspicious and an investigation is under way.

Police are asking anyone with CCTV footage of roads in the Sprent area to come forward, as well as people who saw people or cars at Sprent Forest on Sunday afternoon.

The New South Wales government could be forced to spend another $4.1bn over the next decade to address “significant uncertainties” surrounding a controversial $40bn rail corporation it set up to inflate the state’s budget bottom line.

The auditor general, Margaret Crawford, has given the long-awaited signoff on the state’s finances after a three-month delay caused by concerns surrounding the establishment of the Transport Asset Holding Entity, or TAHE, which holds $40bn in NSW rail assets.

In 2021 Crawford delayed the release of the state’s audited finances as a result of “significant accounting issues” with TAHE – a move that forced the state to inject $1.1bn into the transport system to meet the auditor’s concerns.

While she has now signed off on the state’s finances, the auditor has flagged that significant uncertainties remain surrounding the financial assumptions underpinning TAHE.

You can read the full report below:

Related: ‘Accounting sham’: transport body set up to improve NSW’s budget bottom line could need $4.1bn injection

However, in NSW hospitalisation numbers have gone back up.

There are currently 2,816 people in hospital with Covid-19, up from 2,712 on Sunday.

There are now 196 Covid-positive people in ICU in the state, compared to 189 yesterday.

Now that we have the case numbers out of the way, let’s talk about hospitalisations.

Victoria recorded a slight decrease in hospitalisations, with 998 today, down four from Sunday.

The state’s ICU number also dropped by one to 119.

Senator James Paterson, the chair of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, has called for a boycott of WeChat over the takeover of Scott Morrison’s account.

Paterson revealed on Sky News that Morrison, who uses an agent to post to the account, lost access to it in the middle of 2021 and “repeatedly tried to regain access” but failed to do so.

“It’s clear WeChat has no intention of allowing him [the PM] to post,” he said.

Paterson said this happened about six months ago, as Morrison attended the G7 and cited China’s 14 demands of Australia as evidence of the “dangers of being over-exposed” to China.

It wouldn’t be at all surprising if those two events connected.

Paterson said the account takeover amounted to China making a “partisan intervention” in Australian politics by blocking one side from posting.

He called on all politicians to boycott WeChat, arguing that Anthony Albanese “shouldn’t allow a foreign power to dictate” the terms of who and how political leaders can speak to the people.

The New South Wales Covid figures are out and the state has recorded 15,091 new cases and sadly 24 deaths.

Victoria has recorded 11,695 new Covid-19 cases and sadly 17 deaths.

Australians may not be able to travel without quarantine to Europe even if they are fully vaccinated, with both the European Council and the United States issuing warnings about the severity of the Omicron wave down under.

On 17 January, the European Council removed Australia, Canada and Argentina from the “white list”, the list of countries for which restrictions on non-essential travel should be listed.

One day later, on 18 January, the United States updated its travel advice for Australia to “do not travel” after the Centre for Disease Control issued a level four travel health notice for Australia due to “a very high level of COVID-19 in the country”.

That was about a week after reported case numbers peaked at more than 100,000 on 8 January.

The European Council list is reviewed every two weeks, so if Australia’s case numbers continue to fall it could be reinstated as early as next week.

The recommendation is not legally binding, and countries can set their own border restrictions. Italy, Greece and Cyprus have already ignored the ruling. Many European countries are also experiencing a large number of Covid cases, including France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Denmark.

The European Council recommended that states gradually lift their travel restrictions for people coming from New Zealand, Indonesia, South Korea, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Kuwait, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Uruguay, and China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

Google has warned of a “devastating” impact on the internet if a court ruling that the search giant is liable for defamatory material contained in hyperlinked pages is not overturned.

Google warned in a submission to the high court it will be forced to “censor” its search results if a $40,000 defamation damages award to George Defteros, a solicitor who represented Melbourne gangland figures, is allowed to stand.

Defteros successfully sued Google, arguing its publication of search results that included a 2004 article in the Age about his arrest on conspiracy to murder charges – which were later dropped – defamed him.

In 2020, the Victorian supreme court justice Melinda Richards ruled the article had implied that Defteros crossed a line from professional lawyer to confidant and friend to criminal elements. Victoria’s court of appeal rejected a bid from Google to overturn the result.

You can read the full report below:

Related: Google warns of ‘devastating’ impact if court ruling on defamatory hyperlinks not overturned

OK, this has nothing to do with Australia or Covid but I just have to share this with you, as a little morning treat.

Please enjoy the woman in the background of this snow report FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE on those stairs.

On New Year’s Eve, on the other side of the world, Ash Fadian’s brother-in-law died of Covid-19.

Devastated by the news, Fadian’s thoughts quickly turned to getting from her home in Sydney to the funeral in London.

Fadian is on a bridging visa, one of the only visa types still subject to harsh Covid travel bans preventing her from re-entering Australia without an exemption.

Six times Fadian applied for an exemption on compassionate grounds. She showed authorities her brother-in-law’s death certificate and the funeral notice.

You can read the full report below:

Related: ‘I’m beyond devastated’: Sydney woman on bridging visa denied exemption to travel to UK funeral

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that Scott Morrison’s WeChat account (which has 76,000 followers) has been hijacked and was renamed “Australian Chinese new life” earlier in January in a change made without the government’s knowledge.

Morrison’s profile photo was reportedly deleted and the account description changed to “provide life information for overseas Chinese in Australia”, according to a translation.

The alleged “foreign interference” has prompted the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security chair, Senator James Paterson, to call on all Australian politicians to “voluntarily boycott” the hugely popular platform.

WeChat is a popular Chinese social media app, which has been used to run viral negative campaigns targeting Chinese Australian voters in past elections.

On Friday Morrison blasted China for alleged foreign interference and malicious cyber activity in a speech to the Davos World Economic Forum.

Barnaby Joyce was forced to quickly correct himself during a radio interview with ABC RN after stating that “people aren’t dying” from Covid-19 in Australia.

He was asked if the government can “really say that we are the envy of the world?”, given the European Council has now identified Australia as a Covid-19 danger zone, and the US is now warning against travel down under,

Barnaby Joyce:

Well, people aren’t dying.

Host Patricia Karvelas:

People are dying. People are dying every day.

Joyce:

 

Sorry, sorry sorry. Yes, you are correct, I shouldn’t have said that. But the number in which – the fatality rate is very low.

Obviously, that is a tragic thing for anybody … [to die] for any reason – for catching the flu. But the fatality rate of Omicron is remarkably low and Australia has done a remarkable job.

 

© Provided by The Guardian Barnaby Joyce has apologised after saying ‘people aren’t dying’ from Covid. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Albanese:

 

Whether you are a pharmacist or a medical centre what they have been doing is getting phone call after phone call as people search desperately for a test.

In so many communities around Australia, it is easier to catch Covid than it is to catch a RAT.

The lesson of the pandemic is that if you don’t get the health outcomes right, the cost to the economy will be more and we are seeing that play out … People are unable to go to work and that has an economic consequence.

 

Jumping back to Anthony Albanese – the opposition leader has slammed Barnaby Joyce for his “people aren’t dying” slip up.

 

What we heard from Barnaby Joyce was blaming the Australian people for the unavailability of RATs.

He said people aren’t dying when they’re dying in record numbers and he criticised the WA government for its economic and health performance.

The truth is that if you look at WA’s performance … they’re leading the country.

 

Speaking of ABC Radio National, the opposition leader Anthony Albanese is speaking now.

He has a fairly pessimistic outlook of how the first day of free RATs for concession card holders will go.

 

For so many pensioners it will confirm [the problems with the RAT roll out] because they will rock up to their local chemist and there won’t be a rapid antigen test available.

It’s quite extraordinary that on the day on which pensioners are eligible to receive a RAT … what we heard from Barnaby Joyce then was blaming the Australian people for the unavailability of rapid antigen tests here in Australia.

We all knew that once we opened up the increased number of infections, elimination tests would be an important part of the response to keep people safe, and the government simply didn’t do anything about it.

 

While speaking to ABC Radio National, deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has placed a significant portion of the blame for the RAT shortage across Australia on individuals hoarding tests.

When questioned about this by host Patricia Karvelas, Joyce stated that he needed to be realistic and this was the reality.

I’m blaming the fact that we have a virus out there, that people have been buying not what they require but more than they need.

I’ll try to bring you the exact quotes as soon as I can, but in the meantime here is some more of what the deputy prime minister has been saying.

 

We have 16mn [tests] turning up by the end of the month … We have 70m on order.

It is not as if the tests aren’t there. The problems that Australia is experiencing is being experienced around the world.

We don’t manufacture RATs like other countries do. That’s an issue that you can’t, years ago, predict RATs are going to be the things you need. But what we are doing is making sure we deal with issues as they come along. That is what a competent government does.

 

Good morning everyone and welcome to the new week!

It’s Matilda Boseley here with you and why don’t we start the day with some rapid antigen test news?

From today, more than six million Australians will notionally have access to free RATs at pharmacies. But I say “notionally” because pharmacists say that the widespread supply shortages mean that it could be borderline impossible to meet demand.

Basically, earlier this month, when everyone was begging the federal government to make rapid antigen tests free for all Australians, Scott Morrison met them halfway (a quarter way?) and announced concession card holders would be able to access up to 10 free tests from their local pharmacies.

The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has been out and about this morning, including on ABC News Breakfast, attempting to quell fears about the RAT supply chain strain, reminding people that they are (notionally) available at state testing clinics as well.

 

The people who need them right now, who are either symptomatic or are a designated close contact, can go to a state clinic.

With respect to those who want to purchase them through the pharmacy, some pharmacies will be making them available as part of this initial program, which then gets expanded.

As you know, there’s great demand for these rapid antigen tests right around the country and here in Australia we’ve got more than 200m on offer. The federal government has provided more than 6m through the aged care sector. We’re providing more than 10m through the states to be used in their clinics. In Victoria, just over 7m have arrived in the last two weeks alone. There’s more supply coming online.

 

I guess we will have to wait and see today if that explanation really cut the mustard with the Australian public.

So, without further ado, why don’t we jump into the day.

Australia news live update: nation records 58 Covid deaths; Cleo Smith accused pleads guilty; Hunt says reseller ‘hoarding’ affecting rapid test shortage (msn.com)