Category Archives: Australia news

Coronavirus bank loans: what’s on offer for Australian home owners and small business

Posted on by

Here’s how the banks are doing their bit to help while businesses are closed and people are out of work due to Covid-19

All the banks are offering a similar menu of relief for retail and business customers, although details of what’s available differ between institutions.

What’s set out below is as up-to-date as possible, but what’s on offer changes frequently and you should always check with your bank before making any financial decisions.

Continue reading...

Scott Morrison calls the Pacific our ‘family’; Covid-19 is Australia’s chance to prove that | Pat Conroy

Posted on by

It is Australia’s duty – and in our national interest – to respond to the health and economic challenges caused by coronavirus in the Pacific

The Covid-19 crisis has caused Australians to examine our hospital system with one question in mind: can it handle the coronavirus surge? There has been fierce debate about whether doubling our ventilators from 2,200 to over 4,000 is sufficient.

Australia currently has one ventilator and one Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed per 11,000 people. We have one doctor for every 285 Australians and one nurse for every 78.

Continue reading...

From tight purse strings to massive fiscal firepower: the Coalition’s staggering transformation | Katharine Murphy

Posted on by

The RBA begged the government for stimulus to kickstart the economy – to no avail. But coronavirus has seen a radical change in thinking

On 12 March Scott Morrison came to his courtyard with $17.6bn. A week later the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate to 0.25% and pumped more than $100bn into the financial system in an effort to keep struggling businesses afloat and stave off substantial job losses.

On 22 March Morrison returned to his courtyard with another $66bn. Then on 30 March, Monday, the prime minister came back with $130bn for wage subsidies. Monday’s $130bn will be spent not over the four-year forward estimates, which is the budgetary convention. It will be spent over the next six months.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus Australia update live: Tasmania records its first Covid-19 death – latest news

Posted on by

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced further restrictions on Sunday, including limiting public gatherings to two people. Follow all the latest Covid-19 updates

Passengers onboard the Ocean Atlantic have begged Scott Morrison to help bring them home via a YouTube video.

The passengers, who include about 150 Australians, embarked on what was supposed to be an Antarctic cruise in February/early March.

Queensland will also be issuing on the spot fines for people who ignore the social distancing rules. As AAP reports:

In Queensland thus far, no more than 10 people - other than residents - will be allowed inside a home at any one time, with homeowners and occupants now obliged to ensure they and visitors practice social distancing as much as possible.

Queensland Police now have powers to issue infringement notices for breaches of quarantine directions of up to $13,345 for individuals and $66,672 for businesses.

Continue reading...

We need to be physically distant, but we need to share our collective pain | Tim Costello

Posted on by

The wave of illness and death brought on by coronavirus is only beginning. How do we prepare for the sadness that will be thrust upon us?

• Join Tim Costello as he gives the inaugural Australia at Home lunchtime briefing at 1pm

Like many people, I am re-reading The Plague by Albert Camus. I haven’t picked it up for years.

“The first thing the plague brought to our town was exile ... It was undoubtedly the feeling of exile – that sensation of a void within which never left us ... they drifted through life rather than lived, the prey of aimless days and sterile memories, like wandering shadows that could have acquired substance only by consenting to root themselves in the solid earth of their distress.”

Continue reading...

Fears for Iranian refugee removed from Jakarta-Melbourne flight amid coronavirus crisis

Posted on by

Australian safe haven visa holder Amir denied re-entry and sent back to Europe in case reminiscent of detained footballer Hakeem al-Araibi

Refugee advocates fear time is running out for a refugee to return to his Australian home after he was denied the right to board a flight from Indonesia to Australia because of his visa status.

In what advocates fear may be a repeat of the Hakeem al-Araibi case, which left a refugee wrongly detained in a Thai prison after a series of bureaucratic bungles over his visa status, Amir, a young Iranian refugee on an Australian safe haven visa, has been sent back to Turkey amid the coronavirus crisis.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: Cases in Italy overtake China, US infections pass 100,000

Posted on by

Trump invokes Defence Production Act; Syria introduces travel restrictions; The UK, Spain, Italy see biggest daily rise in deaths. Follow the latest updates

Afghanistan has reported 15 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections to 110 - including four NATO forces and two foreign diplomats, Akhtar Mohammad Makoii reports from Herat.

Eleven of the new positive cases have been confirmed in western province of Herat, raising the total number of infections in Afghanistan’s worst affected province to 76. Herat neighbours Iran, where authorities have been struggling to control one of the world’s worst outbreaks.

This tweet from the air traffic tracking service Flightradar24, showing the number of planes in the air on Friday evening compared to four weeks earlier, shows the remarkable impact of travel restrictions across Europe.

Friday evening in Europe - February 28 vs March 27https://t.co/EqV2Vo80Kd pic.twitter.com/4puKM9G1f2

Continue reading...

Australia records 3,400 cases of Covid-19 with median age of 48 – as it happened

Posted on by

New South Wales on the brink of new restrictions with only essential services to remain open as department store Myer stands down 10,000 staff and closes all its stores from Sunday. This blog is now closed

With that, we’ll be leaving the blog for tonight. We’ll be back tomorrow to pick it all up again.

Today:

Voting has just closed in Queensland for 77 local councils, and two byelections for state parliament.

But the results may not be known for some time, given over 570,000 people applied for postal votes due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, overall turnout is expected to be very low, which could speed the physical vote counting process.

Continue reading...

One day we will tell stories of the virus, a time when we held our breath passing people in the street | David Marr

Posted on by

Coronavirus has us all waiting. We have so little idea when and where this story will take us. Its arc is a mystery

I’ve been on to my solicitor to draft a certificate setting out why I should be saved when the Great Triage comes.

I can’t think of a single reason off the top of my head but he’ll come up with something. He’s good. He’s expensive. I want the document on me when I’m wheeled into ICU.

Continue reading...

Australians trapped in India’s coronavirus lockdown fear running out of food and water

Posted on by

Thousands of Australians caught up in India’s sweeping lockdown are pleading for government help to get home

Thousands of Australians caught by India’s dramatic nationwide shutdown say they face running out of food and water or being evicted from accommodation, as 1.3 billion people across world’s second-most populous nation are ordered to stay indoors.

One state leader, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, warned if the lockdown was not obeyed, he would order police to shoot-on-sight those who went outside.

Continue reading...

After the coronavirus, Australia and the world can never be the same again | Katharine Murphy

Posted on by

In a deeply ingrained reflex, Australians have looked to government in this crisis. Will it prove its worth?

We are all off balance. From the moment I open my eyes in the morning, I feel the discomfiting sensation of being suspended between the set of propositions that existed before the pandemic and the set of propositions that exist now.

I suspect everybody is encountering this out of kilter sensation frequently in normal life. Thousands and thousands of Australians were employed last week but aren’t today. Businesses have gone bust, or teeter on the brink. Kids are not at school. Socialising is curtailed. Unless you are young and sanguine enough to believe coronavirus is either a beat-up or a “boomer remover” and therefore it’s business as usual, you are either ill or deeply anxious about getting ill and infecting others.

Continue reading...

Snowy Hydro 2.0 will cost more and deliver less than promised, 30 experts say

Posted on by

Group calls for independent review of project it says would permanently damage Kosciuszko national park

Engineers, economists, energy specialists and environmentalists are calling for a final decision on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project to be delayed to allow an independent review, claiming it will cost far more and deliver far less than has been promised.

The group of 30 said the 2,000-megawatt pumped hydro storage project in the Snowy Mountains would permanently damage the Kosciuszko national park.

Continue reading...

Record rise in Italy Covid-19 death toll, Irish PM says stay home for two weeks – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is closed. Please follow live coverage on our new blog here

I’m handing over to the team in Australia now. Thanks so much for joining me. Here are the developments in the global coronavirus outbreak this evening:

After many delays, and then a series of tweets earlier today, US President Donald Trump is invoking the Defense Production Act to compel General Motors to built ventilators for hospitals, he announced at the White House’s daily coronavirus briefing.

The Defense Production Act gives the president powers to direct domestic industrial production to provide essential materials and goods needed in a national security crisis. It allows the president to require businesses and corporations to prioritize and accept contracts for required materials and services.

Related: Coronavirus US live: Trump signs $2.2tn stimulus bill after invoking Defense Production Act

Continue reading...

Scott Morrison announces forced quarantine for all Australian arrivals – video

Posted on by

Australian prime minister has announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals into the country from midnight on Saturday. Morrison also said Australian Defence Force personnel would assist state and local authorities in policing those who will are already isolating at home

Continue reading...

Great Barrier Reef’s latest bleaching confirmed by marine park authority

Posted on by

Severity of damage has increased, with areas spared in previous years experiencing moderate or severe bleaching

The government agency responsible for the Great Barrier Reef has confirmed the natural landmark has suffered a third mass coral bleaching episode in five years, describing the damage as “very widespread”.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said the assessment was based on information from in-water and aerial observations, and built on the best available science and technology to understand current conditions.

Continue reading...

NSW Port Authority warned in January of ‘gaping hole’ in coronavirus biosecurity checks

Posted on by

Maritime union said the requirement for ships to ‘self-declare’ illness was ‘woefully inadequate’ 50 days before Ruby Princess allowed to offload sick passengers in Sydney

The New South Wales Port Authority ignored warnings in January of the need for tighter biosecurity checks, the Maritime Union of Australia says.

In an email seen by Guardian Australia, MUA secretary Paul Garrett warned the NSW Port Authority chief executive, Philip Holliday, that ship captains could not be relied upon to self-disclose illnesses on board.

Continue reading...

Christchurch gunman pleads guilty to New Zealand mosque attacks that killed 51

Posted on by

Sudden change of plea by Australian attacker accused of killing dozens of worshippers comes as a shock to victims’ families

The Australian man charged with murdering 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has suddenly changed his plea to admit all charges at a hastily arranged court appearance.

On 15 March last year, a man dressed in military fatigues and armed with several automatic weapons shot dead 51 worshippers at Al Noor and Linwood mosques in inner-city Christchurch. Forty-nine people were also injured in the attacks, which were livestreamed on the internet.

Continue reading...

Julian Assange denied bail in UK after claiming ‘high risk’ of catching coronavirus

Posted on by

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser refused Assange’s release from Belmarsh Prison in London believing he still poses a flight risk

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s application for bail to avoid contracting the novel coronavirus has been denied by a British judge.

Assange was denied bail after arguing that his release from a UK prison would mitigate his “high risk” of catching coronavirus.

Continue reading...

Finger-pointing over the Ruby Princess debacle won’t help solve coronavirus crisis

Posted on by

It will take a full inquiry to determine what really happened, but clearly Australia’s protocols for assessing disease risk were inadequate

There is nothing more unedifying than different levels of government finger-pointing during a crisis.

In the aftermath of the bushfires, there was sniping via the media as the prime minister’s office blamed the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, for refusing offers of defence help.

Continue reading...

Great Barrier Reef suffers third mass coral bleaching event in five years

Posted on by

Renowned scientist Terry Hughes says huge swathes of reef have been affected in a ‘severe’ situation

The Great Barrier Reef has experienced a third mass coral bleaching event in five years, according to the scientist carrying out aerial surveys over hundreds of individual reefs.

With three days of a nine-day survey to go, Prof Terry Hughes told Guardian Australia: “We know this is a mass bleaching event and it’s a severe one.”

Continue reading...