Category Archives: Australia news

Western Australia suspends border reopening indefinitely amid Omicron spread

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State had been due to open up to double-jabbed international and interstate travellers on 5 February

The reopening of Australia’s most isolated state has been suspended indefinitely to allow West Australians to get booster shots, as the more transmissible Omicron variant rips through the nation.

Just one month after promising that from 5 February double-vaccinated interstate and international travellers would be allowed to enter Western Australia without quarantine, the WA premier, Mark McGowan, has said that all entrants will need to self-isolate for 14 days, be triple-dose vaccinated and take tests.

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Increased Covid risk a ‘trade-off’ in reopening schools, Australian chief medical officer says

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PM also announces commonwealth to split school Covid surveillance testing costs with states 50-50 following national cabinet meeting

Australia’s chief medical officer has conceded that children returning to school could create an increased risk of Covid transmission to their families, saying there would be “trade-offs” to getting students back in classrooms.

It comes as the commonwealth agreed to split costs for surveillance testing in schools 50-50 with state governments, despite the prime minister, Scott Morrison, saying there was no medical advice recommending such testing was necessary.

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‘No vax, no play’: surfer Kelly Slater won’t be let into Australia if he’s not vaccinated against Covid

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World Surf League events are due in Victoria and WA but federal health minister says position on coronavirus vaccine is ‘pretty clear’ following Novak Djokovic visa saga

Surfing great Kelly Slater could be the next big name in sport to be refused the right to compete in Australia, with the federal health minister saying the 11-time champion will not be allowed into the country if he is not vaccinated against Covid.

Slater, who has not publicly disclosed his Covid vaccination status, has aired some controversial views on the Covid vaccine, including an Instagram comment in October that claimed he knew “more about being healthy than 99% of doctors”.

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‘Terrorising us’: bluebottles wash up on Australian beaches in ‘gobsmacking numbers’

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There’s still much to learn about these ‘strange alien creatures’, but climate change likely to create ideal breeding conditions, expert says

Armadas of alien-like sea creatures have been washing up on Australian beaches thanks to the warm weather but experts warn people should look but not touch.

Jellyfish expert Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin said bluebottles had been washing up on beaches across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania in “gobsmacking numbers” over the last few months thanks to the warmer weather.

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Australia news live update: 42,000 Covid rapid tests stolen in NSW; Victoria reduces booster window to three months as case surge continues

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More than 40,000 rapid antigen tests stolen in NSW; PM says ‘don’t pay attention’ to George Christensen’s vaccine views; Queensland to open to international travellers on Saturday; Victoria reduces booster wait time to three months as state reports 18 Covid deaths and 20,769 new cases as hospitals move to emergency measures; NSW records 32 deaths and 32,297 new cases; Queensland records 11 deaths and 19,932 new cases. Follow the days news

An FYI for any ACT readers of the blog this morning.

As Victoria braces for Covid hospital admissions to skyrocket, a “code brown” emergency has been declared in all metropolitan hospitals and six in the regions, reports AAP.

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Tongans in Australia fear the worst amid a void in communications after tsunami – video

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Members of the Tongan diaspora feared never seeing their loved ones on the Pacific island again when communications were cut off following the volcanic eruption on Saturday. 'I'm aware that other islanders, other Pacific people, other Tongans, all feel exactly my feeling. That's how close we are.' said Tongan-Australian artist and activist Seini Taumoepeau. She said she hasn't had any contact with relatives and friends in Tonga days after a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami caused significant damage and cut off phone and internet lines for the archipelago.

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Australian Open day two: Stephens v Raducanu, Murray and Kyrgios win – live!

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First set: Basilashvili 1-2 Murray* (*denotes next server) Wahey! Basilashvili attempts to serve but the ball hits the top of the frame of his racket and it pings off skywards! You don’t see that every day in professional tennis. Anyway, it clearly doesn’t help him and a couple of unforced errors give Murray two break points - he grabs his chance as Basilashvili goes long and the Scot edges ahead earlier in this match.

First set: *Basilashvili 1-1 Murray (*denotes next server) There are some vocal fans in the arena today. I don’t speak Georgian but am assuming the bloke who is making himself heard from the stands is a Basilashvili fan. Good start from Murray, who ignores the distractions and secures a love-service game.

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France reports nearly half a million new cases, a record increase; Italy records 228,179 daily infections – as it happened

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France registers 464,769 new Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours; Italy’s cases jump from 83,403 a day earlier

China’s postal service has ordered workers to disinfect international deliveries and urged the public to reduce orders from overseas after authorities claimed mail could be the source of recent coronavirus outbreaks, Agence France-Press reports.

In recent days, Chinese officials have suggested that some people could have been infected by packages from abroad, including a woman in Beijing whom authorities said had no contact with other infected people but tested positive for a variant similar to those found in North America.

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‘Disrespectful’: Brittany Higgins criticises ditched two-week consultation for women’s safety plan

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Australian government defends handling of women’s safety plan after initially opening up consultation for a fortnight in summer

The federal government has defended its approach to a decade-long women’s safety plan after initially opening the consultation period for only two weeks.

There was a backlash from women’s safety advocates to the timeframe, with many criticising it as being far too short during a pandemic and holiday period.

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On Australia’s deadliest day of Covid pandemic, experts say we don’t know enough about who is dying

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Doctors say Australia must coordinate Covid-19 data nationally and pick up the game on testing, tracing, isolating and quarantining

Today is the deadliest day in Australia’s Covid pandemic. So far this year, about 30 Australians a day are dying with Covid.

“[These are] someone’s parents, grandparents, community leaders, people who contribute to our society,” the Burnet Institute director and chief executive officer, Prof Brendan Crabb, says.

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‘They treat me like dirt and tortured me’: Australian activist on three years in Chinese prisons

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Yang Hengjun was arrested in 2019 on espionage charges and his supporters fear he will be left to die of ‘medical neglect’

Australian writer and democracy activist Dr Yang Hengjun’s health is failing as he approaches three years imprisoned in China, say friends who fear he may not survive his incarceration.

Wednesday is the third anniversary of Yang’s arrest at Guangzhou airport on allegations of espionage on behalf of an unnamed foreign country. He maintains his innocence.

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Woolworths suspends orders from South Australia meatworks allowed to operate with Covid-infected staff

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Abattoir had exemption from state government but supermarket giant halted orders for product after discussion with ACTU

Woolworths has suspended supplies from a South Australia meatworks that was given state government approval to operate while some staff were Covid positive.

Brad Banducci, chief executive of the supermarket giant, decided to halt taking product from the Teys Australia abattoir near Naracoorte after a telephone hook-up on Sunday with Michelle O’Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

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Tonga volcano: a visual guide to the eruption and its aftermath

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The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption – from explosion and tsunami alerts to a drifting veil of ash

Surveillance flights have been sent from Australia and New Zealand to assess damage after Tonga was isolated from the rest of the world following a volcanic eruption. Here’s how events have played out over the past few days.

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Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić criticises Australia on Novak Djokovic visa ruling – video

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Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić criticises the Australian federal court's decision to dismiss Novak Djokovic's visa appeal as 'political'. 'Of course, all of us in Serbia are very much disappointed with the court's ruling,' says Vučić. 'I think Australian authorities humiliated themselves with these kinds of procedures against Novak Djokovic.'

Djokovic  was trying to use a medical exemption to get around the requirements that everyone at the Australian Open - players, their support teams, spectators and others - be vaccinated against Covid-19.

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NSW Covid-19 update: Hazzard urges people to ‘give a damn about someone other than yourself’ – video

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NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has taken aim at the unvaccinated. ‘Can I just say to those people who have chosen not to get vaccinated, it’s time to give a damn about someone other than yourself', Hazzard said. ‘Give a damn about your community, your family and most particularly the health staff across New South Wales who you expect to be looking after you if and when you end up in our hospital system’. There were 29,504 new Covid-19 cases recorded from rapid antigen tests and PCR tests . However, 11,858 positive rapid antigen tests were from the previous seven-day reporting period, and were not necessarily detected in the past 24 hours. There were also 17 deaths, only one of which had received their booster shot

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Australia news live update: PM asked about double standard on Djokovic anti-vax concerns; 23 Covid deaths in Victoria, NSW as hospital cases rise

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Victoria reports 22,429 new Covid cases, six deaths and 1,229 people in hospital; NSW records 29,504 cases and 17 deaths, with 2,776 people in hospital; Scott Morrison discusses Novak Djokovic deportation; Australian surveillance flight to assess Tonga tsunami damage delayed; unions meet over workforce and supply chain shortages. Follow all the day’s news

Prime minister Scott Morrison has appeared on 2GB this morning, confirming Djokovic didn’t comply with entry requirements ... but that is not why his visa was cancelled.

Australia has very clear rules and Australians have been following those rules ... we apply our rules equally in this country and there was a very clear message sent – he wanted to come, he wasn’t vaccinated, well you’ve got to have a valid medical exemption and neither of those were in place. People make their own choices, and those choices meant you couldn’t come here and play tennis.

The idea someone could come and not follow those rules just was not on ... he was wrong, simple as that ... we didn’t give him an exemption, the federal government gave him no such exemption.

And that is that Mr Djokovic would be asked to leave, it is in the remit of the minister to do that, the judges reviewed the process and found the process the minister followed was legal. But to be quite frank, I am on the same page as Mr Djokovic. We’ll move on. And the things I will move on to are making sure to keep food on the shelves of supermarkets as ... people have been interested in the story, it’s been a ... soap opera. But now people are going to focus on the tennis, watch the tennis and also focus on looking after them and one of the big issues right now is making sure we keep food on the shelves at the grocery store.

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Pacific tsunami damage unclear as volcano ash blankets Tonga

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Conditions hinder communications and surveillance of towns believed to have been inundated by waves

A thick blanket of ash from a huge undersea volcanic eruption has covered the Pacific Island nation of Tonga, contaminating water supplies, cutting off communications and preventing surveillance flights assessing the extent of damage from tsunami waves that are believed to have inundated entire towns.

Videos shared on social media after Saturday night’s eruption showed people running for higher ground as the metre-high floods hit coastal areas and made their way inland while the sky darkened with ash. A sonic boom could be heard as far away as Alaska.

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‘Praying it won’t happen’: how Omicron could cut off Australia’s rural towns from essential services

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An outbreak in a small regional community could leave locals unable to access pharmaceutical and banking services

Essential services in rural towns are under pressure due to Covid-19 and could leave locals unable to access pharmaceutical and banking services.

Katie Stott, together with her husband, pharmacist Fred Hellqvist, manage the only pharmacy in Dover, Tasmania, the southernmost town in Australia, servicing approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people.

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Australia live news update: Novak Djokovic federal court decision expected today; ‘difficult three weeks’ ahead for NSW amid Covid surge

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Government argues Serbian tennis star has become ‘icon’ for anti-vax groups as federal court adjourns; Victoria records 13 Covid-19 deaths and 28,128 new cases; Perrottet warns of ‘difficult three weeks’ as NSW records 20 deaths and 34,660 new cases; Queensland records three deaths and 17,445 new cases; ACT records two deaths and 1,316 cases. Follow all the day’s news here

In further Australian Covid news, the Morrison government has announced $24m in new funding to widen the use of telehealth for GPs and other specialists. The funding is a direct reaction to the infection rate from the Omicron outbreak. AAP reports:

The $24m will also cover the continued supply of personal protective equipment, such as masks, respirators, face shields and gowns for face-to-face consultations including patients that have tested positive through a rapid antigen test.

The latter aligns with national cabinet’s January 5 decision that RAT tests no longer need to be confirmed by a PCR test.

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‘I’d keep it on the down low’: the secret life of a super-recogniser

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Police employ them and scientists study them, but what is life like for the rare few who can never forget a face? Super-recogniser Yenny Seo didn’t think it was anything special

As a child, Yenny Seo often surprised her mother by pointing out a stranger in the grocery store, remarking it was the same person they passed on the street a few weeks earlier. Likewise, when they watched a movie together, Seo would often recognise “extras” who’d appeared fleetingly in other films.

Her mother never thought this was “anything special”, Seo says, and simply assumed she had a particularly observant daughter.

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