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Key events
Too soon to end mandatory Covid isolation, AMA Victoria says
AAP reports the head of the Australian Medical Association’s Victorian branch has warned the scrapping of Covid isolation requirements has come too soon after a string of major events that could lead to a spike in infections.
Roderick McRae has likened the government’s decision to a game of pass the parcel, in which another layer of restrictions was removed despite the pandemic continuing.
He has also backed calls for the release of the health advice that led to the decision, telling ABC TV:
We need to have full transparency [about] how these decisions were made, because they’re purely a social call.
Dr McRae said any spike in Covid-19 infection rates from large events such as the AFL grand final and the Melbourne Royal Show would take weeks to show up.
But Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar welcomed the decision, which he said was made after balancing various factors.
Public consultation begins on changing controversial law on electricity from burning native forest wood
Public consultation has begun to consider whether a controversial law classifying electricity from burning native forest wood waste as renewable energy should be amended.
The use of wood left over from logging for power generation is opposed by conservation groups, which say it is an incentive to keep felling native forests.
The Australian Greens have been calling on the government to reverse the Tony Abbott-era change to the law that allowed it to be classified as renewable energy.
A discussion paper was released on Friday and comes after a Senate committee recommended the government look at changing the law.
The Greens forest spokesperson, Janet Rice, said burning native forest wood was a disaster for the environment.
She said the process was an opportunity to reverse the Abbott-era change to the law which Labor opposed at the time.
Rice said:
The evidence heard by the Senate committee made clear that native forest biomass should not be classified as renewable energy.
If the means used to generate energy results in harm to threatened forest ecosystems and more carbon being emitted than coal, it simply cannot be classed as renewable or clean.
Cockroach thought extinct for 80 years rediscovered on Lord Howe Island
If this isn’t good news I don’t know what is! Rats: 0, cockroaches: 1.
A large wingless wood-eating cockroach, unique to Australia’s Lord Howe Island and thought extinct for more than 80 years, has been rediscovered, AAP reports.
The University of Sydney biology student Maxim Adams made the find in July at North Bay, a secluded sandy beach only accessible by foot or water.
Working with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment senior scientist Nicholas Carlile, the pair found families of Panesthia lata under a banyan tree.
“For the first 10 seconds or so I thought, ‘No, it can’t be’,” Adams said. “I mean, I lifted the first rock under this huge banyan tree, and there it was.”
The cockroach was once widespread across the Lord Howe archipelago but was thought to have become extinct following the arrival of rats on the island in 1918.
The Lord Howe Island board chair, Atticus Fleming, said:
The survival is great news, as it has been more than 80 years since it was last seen.
These cockroaches are almost like our very own version of Darwin’s finches, separated on little islands over thousands or millions of years developing their own unique genetics.
Thousands of students hit with historical debts after computer glitch
More than 10,000 vocational education and training students have been hit with historical debts after a computer glitch, AAP is reporting.
A system failure resulted in government loans, worth a total of $24.2m, becoming “stuck” in the student payment system, officials say.
Most are for amounts under $2,000, but about 3% of students have debts of more than $10,000.
The loans became repayable when the beneficiary’s income reached a set threshold, however they were only transferred to Australian Taxation Office accounts after a recent IT update.
More than 90% of the loans relate to study in 2017, with a total of 10,252 students impacted.
The skills minister, Brendan O’Connor, says:
I have been made aware that a number of historical student loans have unexpectedly been applied to students’ ATO profiles.
The previous Coalition government had student loans held up in its systems for several years after the relevant study was undertaken and we are still discovering and fixing instances of carelessness and incompetence.
I am determined to get to the bottom of what happened in this situation.
An epidemiologist’s view on dropping Covid isolation requirements
There has been a lot of discussion in the past 24 hours about the decision to drop isolation mandates – if we are ready, if it is safe and if it will make our cases go up.
I think by now you all know Catherine Bennett – the chair in epidemiology at Deakin University – so I will offer no introduction.
In her piece this afternoon she writes about how Covid is here to stay – which means we have to find sustainable ways to manage it:
First 10 pound British backpackers fly in to South Australia
The South Australian government says the first backpackers have arrived on heavily subsidised flights to begin working holidays, AAP reports:
The first of 200 British backpackers to take up the offer of cheap flights have arrived in Adelaide for working holidays.
The tourists were offered 10 pound or $17 flights to help fill workforce shortages in SA’s tourism sector.
The tourism minister, Zoe Bettison, says the backpacker market is an important part of the state’s visitor economy.
“They travel and experience what’s on offer, and they make a valuable contribution to the workforce bringing passion and vibrancy to sectors like hospitality,” she says.
The backpackers have already been connected with potential employers through a series of welcome functions.
Bettison says a number of the new arrivals have already secured positions, working as tour guides, bar attendants and hotel concierges.
Victorian Greens announce plan to build 200,000 affordable and public homes
Big banks and developers would foot the bill for a dramatic boost to Victoria’s affordable and public housing stocks under a Greens state election pitch, AAP reports.
The Victorian Greens leader, Samantha Ratnam, unveiled the party’s policy platform for the November poll in a speech to MPs, candidates, organisers and volunteers in Collingwood on Saturday.
The platform centrepiece includes a new plan to build 200,000 affordable and public homes over the next 20 years to ease cost pressures, reduce homelessness and create jobs.
Read more here:
Josh Butler
Anti-racism protesters picket CPAC conference in Sydney
A group of around 100 protesters from anti-racism groups have picketed the CPAC conservative political conference in Sydney, chanting slogans critical of attendees and at one point attempting to gain entry to the International Convention Centre venue.
Progressive groups had planned protests of the event on Facebook, calling for supporters to picket the appearance of the former prime minister Tony Abbott, British politician Nigel Farage and conservative media personalities.
Around 1pm, during CPAC’s lunch break, a few dozen protesters assembled outside the venue with loudhailers and banners, accusing supporters of the event of being “far-right”.
“We must silence Sky News,” one protester told the group. Ironically, the only media covering their protest (besides your correspondent watching from afar) was a Sky News reporter, who sought to interview some protesters before the rally began.
A large police presence formed protective lines between the group and the entrance to the ICC building. At one stage, a protest leader led the group to run toward one of the doors of the venue, but police rushed to block the entrance.
CPAC attendees inside jeered the protesters, waving and taking photos. One attendee stuck up their middle finger at the crowd.
Man shot dead by police at Queensland’s Airlie Beach
Queensland police officers have fatally shot a man who allegedly advanced on them while armed with a knife, AAP reports:
Police fired four to five shots, killing a man who threatened officers with a knife at Queensland’s Airlie Beach.
Investigators say the 24-year-old approached two foot-patrol police on Shute Harbour Road early on Saturday morning.
It’s alleged the man was brandishing a four- to five-centimetre black-handled knife as he advanced towards the officers, who drew their weapons and gave some verbal commands.
Supt Graeme Paine said officers fired when the man continued to advance and he was fatally injured from the shots.
Paine said the officers involved were well-trained to identify and respond to different threats.
“The officers have done that. They do go through a process, even when it’s a split-second thing,” he told reporters on Saturday. “The officers do make an assessment and act based on that assessment.”
Paine said police were reviewing CCTV footage of the incident and speaking with several witnesses.
They were investigating if the man had been involved in other incidents earlier in the night and why he was carrying a knife in such a busy public area.
The man had been working in Townsville but was from Western Australia.
Paine said police were also investigating why the man approached police, and a forensic examination of the scene was under way.
“It’s a tragic circumstance for the family of the young man and also for the officers involved,” he said.
The shooting will be investigated by the ethical standards command with oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Man dies after being arrested following roadside drug test
A 25-year-old man has died in NSW police custody following a random roadside drug test, AAP reports:
A man has died a short time after allegedly returning a positive reading on a random roadside drug test and being arrested in south-west NSW.
The man, 25, was taken to Cootamundra police station after allegedly returning a positive reading for a prohibited drug on Friday about 6.40pm.
He had been pulled over in a Honda Civic in the small town of Stockinbingal, in the south west slopes region.
He was arrested and taken to Cootamundra police station, where a short time later concerns for the man’s health led to paramedics being called.
The man was taken to Cootamundra hospital where he was unable to be revived.
The circumstances of the incident will be investigated by a critical incident team from Murrumbidgee police district, which will be independently scrutinised.
Random drug testing in NSW tests for the presence of cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamine and ecstasy, and requires secondary analysis after a first test.
Ukraine seeks Australia’s help to build support in Asia Pacific region
The Ukrainian government has asked Australia to help it expand a coalition of countries against Russian occupation, AAP and Reuters report:
The Ukrainian government has called for Australia to help build support in the Pacific as it looks for more international aid to repel Russia’s move to annex parts of the country.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, says officials have asked their Australian counterparts to help expand a coalition of countries opposed to Russia’s aggression.
He told ABC TV on Saturday:
I believe we will repel the Russians, I believe we will restore our sovereignty … it all now depends on our friends, including Australia, if we can get enough weapons and equipment to be able to evict the Russians from Ukraine.
His comments follow the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, proclaiming his country’s annexation of a swathe of occupied Ukrainian territory after a series of referendums dismissed as shams by western nations.
The announcement of Russian rule over more than 15% of Ukraine – the biggest annexation in Europe since the second world war – has been roundly rejected as illegal, with the US, Britain and Canada all announcing new sanctions.
Myroshnychenko says it is vital for the international community to stay united in opposing the Russian occupation and for its support to help expand the list of countries backing Ukraine’s fight.
Ukrainian government has asked the Australian government to help us in the Pacific, and here in south-east Asia as well, in engaging with the partners in the region, because we need to have a big coalition supporting Ukraine in our fight for freedom and democracy.
China, India and several other nations abstained from voting on a UN security council resolution, introduced by the US, condemning Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine.
Myroshnychenko says it is important for allies such as Australia to continue sending weapons and other equipment to enable Ukraine troops to defend the country following Russia’s annexation move.
“For Ukrainians, nothing changes. We are there on a mission to liberate Ukraine, to evict the Russians from Ukraine and restore our sovereignty,” he says.
Ukraine previously asked for further Bushmaster vehicles, artillery and access to Hawkei protected light vehicles from Australia.
The government has said it continues to work with Ukraine by providing support to enable it to end the conflict.
‘World-leading’ frog facility opens at Melbourne Zoo to help save species
The Victorian and federal governments have launched a new “world-leading” frog-breeding facility at Melbourne Zoo.
The Amphibian Bushfire Recovery Centre houses breeding habitats for the spotted tree frog, Watson’s tree frog and the southern giant burrowing frog.
It is hoped the new facility will boost the populations of each species, which range from vulnerable to critically endangered under national environmental laws.
All have suffered dramatic drops in their wild populations made worse by the black summer bushfires in 2019-20.
The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, says the new facility will be a “lifeline” for some of Victoria’s most endangered frogs:
In recent years, our frogs have had an extremely tough time, fighting the impacts of disease and the devastating impacts of the black summer bushfires.
The recovery centre is the first dedicated disease-controlled amphibian facility in Australia.
It will allow for long-term management of the species through a biologically sealed and temperature-controlled area to protect populations from disease.
The breeding and research program aims to increase understanding about the frogs to improve conservation methods, control threats to the species and ultimately allow for their return to their natural habitat.
In a speech to the CPAC conservative conference in Sydney, former PM Tony Abbott described Australia’s response to COVID as “prison island” and claimed the Indigenous voice to parliament would “institutionalise discrimination” pic.twitter.com/6AXGytm441
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) October 1, 2022
Covid turned Australia into a ‘prison island’, Tony Abbott tells CPAC
Josh Butler
The former prime minister Tony Abbott has described Australia as “prison island” in discussing the nation’s approach to Covid and lockdowns.
In a speech to the CPAC conservative political conference in Sydney, Abbott called on the Liberal party to be the “patriot party”. It came shortly after a panel, featuring the former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, described some of the current Coalition as “bed wetters”.
Entering to a standing ovation and cheers – one woman yelling “we love you Tony” – Abbott delivered the main keynote speech of the conference’s first day. In a wide-ranging address, Abbott described Labor’s proposed anti-corruption commission as a “star chamber”, opposed the Indigenous voice to parliament, and claimed Australia becoming a republic would be cultural “vandalism”.
In a preceding panel with the former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker, Abbott claimed the voice to parliament would “institutionalise discrimination”.
The former PM joked that he was a “staunch monarchist and climate sceptic”. He spoke several times of the Covid pandemic, describing government interventions as “virus hysteria” based on a “neurotic fear of death” and “treating normal life as a health hazard”.
Abbott said lockdowns had put people “under virtual house arrest”. He said Australia’s response had made the country a “prison island”. Abbott also criticised the “climate cult” and said he didn’t understand “gender fluidity”.
Deves, who failed in a bid to win back Abbott’s former seat of Warringah at the May election, joined a panel earlier in the day – a live episode of the Sky News Outsiders talk program featuring the conservative media personalities Rowan Dean, Rita Panahi and James Morrow.
Deves, who attracted huge controversy for her opposition to transgender women participating in female sports, alleged she’d been silenced by the Liberal party and the media during the election. Dean claimed if Deves had been able to talk publicly, the Coalition would have won the election.
Deves recorded a worse primary vote in 2022 than Abbott did in 2019, as Zali Steggall increased her margin.
In the panel, Deves described gender-affirming medical procedures as “experimenting”.
The Sky News hosts claimed many in the Liberal party were “bed wetters”, criticising the support expressed for the voice to parliament by shadow Indigenous affairs minister, Julian Leeser.
NSW at greater risk of grass fires as official bushfire season commences
Communities in NSW are being warned of a greater risk of grass fires as the official bushfire season commences.
Record-breaking rainfall has triggered rapid vegetation growth and more rain predicted for spring will bring added risk.
The state’s emergency services minister, Steph Cooke, said while the focus remained on flooding around the state, it was important communities also prepared for bush and grass fires.
Cooke said:
The rain has triggered rapid vegetation growth which is going to become a threat as it dries out. All it takes is a few days of hot, dry and windy weather for fire conditions to deteriorate.
Grass fires move at three times the speed of a bushfire which is why communities need to be aware of the risks and ready to respond.
The Rural Fire Service commissioner, Rob Rogers, said people living in or travelling to fire-prone communities should have a fire survival plan.
Rogers said:
Recent rain has led to good grass and crop growth across the state especially in western areas of NSW and we have already seen more than 1,000 grass fires across the state since July.
Western Australia’s plastic cup ban comes into force
Good morning everyone.
In Western Australia today a ban has commenced on the sale or supply of single-use cups for cold drinks.
The state’s environment minister, Reece Whitby, says the ban will stop up to 181m cups from going into landfill and litter each year.
In an Australian first, McDonald’s is replacing about 17.5m plastic cold beverage cups and lids in McCafés across WA with fibre and paper cups.
The ban on single-use cold drink cups brings to an end the first stage of the state’s plan to reduce plastic pollution, which Whitby described as “nation-leading”:
This is another positive step in reducing our impact on the environment, which has the public’s overwhelming support.
Nine items have been phased out as part of WA’s “Plan for Plastics” first stage since July, including plates, cutlery, drink stirrers, drinking straws, thick plastic bags, expanded polystyrene food containers, helium balloon releases and unlidded containers.
Whitby says people who require single-use plastic items to maintain their quality of life, such as those in the disability, aged care and health sectors, will be ensured a continued supply.
Consultation will now commence for stage two of the plastics ban.
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