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Summary
- The federal government is considering giving householders cash grants for home renovations, under a multi-billion dollar stimulus package.
- Coronavirus restrictions are easing across Australia today, with cafes reopening in Victoria. Queensland has lifted its ban on travel within the state, but its borders remain closed.
- NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she will make an announcement about reopening gyms and dance studios 'this week'.
- More than 100 students and teachers in Melbourne are in self-isolation as authorities scramble to track the source of a coronavirus outbreak that has infected 13 people from two households in the city's north-west.
- Fears are growing that the massive Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the United States amid this pandemic will lead to a surge in new cases and more deaths in the country, which is already by far the worst hit.
Cash grants for home renovations part of tradie rescue package
The federal government is considering giving householders cash grants for home renovations, under a multi-billion dollar stimulus package.
Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB this morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said talks were under way about how the revive residential building sector.
A huge cash boost for home renovations could help revive the residential construction industry.Credit:James Brickwood
The measure will be considered by a cabinet expenditure review committee meeting this week. But there would be limits on the type of renovations that could be undertaken under the plan, which could be worth up to $4 billion.
Mr Morrison acknowledged safeguards would need to be put in place to ensure the safety of builders and that the money is distributed correctly.
"You’ve gotta try and avoid the rorting and people taking advantage of it. Even though Australians have been amazing during this crisis, there’s still those that will do the wrong things," he said.
"We want to make sure that whatever we do in this space … we want to make sure the work goes locally."
The Prime Minister also confirmed the federal government would hand $1.75 billion in funding to the NSW government to bring forward the construction start date to this year for the Western Sydney Airport metro rail line service.
"We will start it this year," he told program host Ben Fordham. "A big part of coming out of the COVID-19 crisis is our infrastructure spending."
with AAP
Latest updates
House values fall in Sydney and Melbourne through May
As we wait to hear from the Prime Minister, our senior economics correspondent Shane Wright tells us that Sydney and Melbourne have led the first drop in national house prices.
House values in Sydney fell by 0.6 per cent last month while in Melbourne they dropped by 1.1 per cent, according to fresh CoreLogic data.
House prices could fall further later this year.Credit:Arsineh Houspian
The value of units in both cities also dropped, down by 0.1 per cent in Sydney and by 0.6 per cent in Melbourne.
Nationally, dwelling values were down by 0.4 per cent although there were some outliers including Canberra, where they lifted by 0.5 per cent, in Hobart by 0.8 per cent.
CoreLogic's head of research Tim Lawless said momentum had come out of the market, cautioning that prices might come under pressure later in the year.
"Eventually, government stimulus will wind back and borrower repayment holidays will expire," he said.
"In the absence of these policies, housing values could come under some additional downwards pressure if economic conditions haven't picked up towards the end of the year."
WATCH LIVE: Prime Minister's press conference
We have dual press conferences this morning, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaking in Sydney about a boost for the construction industry.
Earlier this morning, Mr Morrison confirmed the federal government is considering giving out cash grants for home renovations to provide local tradies with jobs. You can watch the Prime Minister's press conference, which is due to start at 11am, below:
WATCH: Queensland Premier's press conference
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is due to hold a press conference about 10am outside Quicksilver Cruises at Cairns Marina. You can watch the press conference live below:
Spain to extend lockdown for a 'final time'
Spain's Prime Minister says the country needs 15 more days of lockdown until June 21 "to finish with the pandemic once and for all", and has asked Parliament to approve a final two-week extension to the country's stay home rule.
"We have almost set out what we set out to do," Pedro Sanchez told a press conference on Sunday, as he expressed relief that the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Spain, one of the nations hardest-hit by the virus, had fallen dramatically.
From June 21 a national state of emergency will end and with it the lockdown, allowing citizens to move freely in their regions. From July 1, citizens will be able to move throughout the country.
Spain's death toll rose by four on Saturday to 27,125, the health ministry said, while the number of COVID-19 infections rose by 271 to 239,228.
Spain imposed a state of emergency on March 14 which involved a strict lockdown under which people could only leave their homes to buy food, seek medical care or for jobs where they could not work from home. Children were initially confined inside all day. Restrictions are being gradually eased.
Despite opposition to the most recent lockdown extension from parties on the right and demonstrations across Spain, Sanchez has struck a deal with a Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) which should guarantee his minority government secures enough support to extend the lockdown.
Reuters
Belgian prince ill after 'illegal' party
Belgium's prince Joachim has tested positive for coronavirus after attending a party in the Spanish city of Cordoba that allegedly broke lockdown rules.
Joachim, who is a nephew of Belgium's King Philippe and is 10th in line to the throne, travelled to Spain from Belgium on a commercial flight on May 24 for an internship.
He attended a gathering with 26 other people and now must quarantine himself in Spain after testing positive for COVID-19.
Belgian media say the 28-year-old prince has been in a long-term relationship with Spanish citizen Victoria Ortiz Martinez-Sagrera.
Spanish police said they had launched an investigation into the incident and those who breached restrictions could face fines of between 600 and 10,000 euros.
AAP, Reuters
People more important than economy: Pope Francis
Keeping with overseas news for a moment, where Pope Francis cheerfully greeted people in St Peter's Square on Sunday as he resumed his practice of speaking to the faithful there for the first time since Italy's coronavirus lockdown began in March.
"Today the square is open, we can return to it with pleasure," Francis said.
Instead of the tens of thousands of people who might have turned out on a similarly brilliantly sunny day like in pre-pandemic times, only a few hundred came to the square on Sunday, standing well apart from others or in small family groups.
He prayed that no one in the world would lack medical assistance, especially due to economic priorities.
"Persons are more important than the economy," Francis said.
Noting it was the first time he could greet people in the square for weeks, Francis said that "one doesn't emerge from a crisis the same. You either come out better or you come out worse".
He said he'd be back to greet them next Sunday in the same place at noon, smiling and pointing down to the vast square far below his studio window.
Half a million infected in Brazil
We have new figures from Brazil, and they paint a grim picture this morning.
Another 480 people have died from coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Brazil. It brings the country's death toll to 29,314 – the fourth-highest in the global pandemic after the United States, Britain and Italy.
Brazil registered 16,409 new cases on Sunday, raising the total number of infected cases to 514,849 in the second-worst outbreak of COVID-19 in the world after the United States, the health ministry said.
Relatives help a funeral worker, wearing protective gear, remove a body from a home in Manaus, Brazil.Credit:AP
Latin America is without question the new epicentre of coronavirus, representing about 40 per cent of daily deaths globally now.
The statistics are chilling: Brazil has more cases than any country except the US and some models forecast that deaths, currently at 25,000, could more than quadruple in coming months. Mexico had its largest single increase in cases and deaths last week and a top health official said about 30,000 people may die. Peru, Chile and Colombia have all set daily records in the past week.
Reuters, Bloomberg
NSW Premier flags announcement on gyms 'this week'
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says an announcement is imminent about restrictions surrounding gyms and dance studios in NSW.
Further restrictions have been eased in NSW today, but gyms and dance studios remain closed.
"We're working through the list," Ms Berejiklian told Sydney radio station 2GB this morning. "Can I be so bold as to suggest that we will be saying something publically about that this week."
"There's two things that we want to say something about in the near future and that's children’s community sport, but also gyms and dance studios and the like."
As the Herald reported yesterday, the NSW government is under increasing pressure from the fitness industry to reopen the state's 1500 gyms, with the peak fitness body calling it "totally illogical" for gyms to remain closed while restaurants, bars and beauty salons are permitted to reopen.
Fitness Australia chief executive Barry Elvish said every other state in Australia had either reopened gyms or set a date to relax restrictions.
In Victoria, gyms are slated to reopen on June 22.
More than 100 Melbourne students, teachers in self-isolation
By Rachael Dexter
More than 100 students and teachers in Melbourne are in self-isolation this morning, after children at two schools contracted COVID-19 last week.
Keilor Downs Secondary College in Melbourne's north-west was closed for cleaning last Friday after a student tested positive, while Holy Eucharist Primary School was also cleaned over the weekend after a child contracted the virus. Both schools reopened this morning.
A handful of students from two other schools – Taylors Lakes and St Albans secondary colleges – are also self-isolating after sharing a classroom with the infected Keilor Downs student.
Brimbank Council mayor Georgina Papafotiou says at least one of the schools, which she declined to name, should not have reopened today "until we find out if there have been any other students affected by it".
Speaking on radio station 3AW a short time ago, the mayor was asked if she, as a former teacher, would feel comfortable turning up to work today.
"Personally, probably not," she said.
Despite her concerns about the school, Cr Papafotiou said she felt comfortable visiting shops in the Keilor Downs area.
She asked local parents to "keep reminding your children of social distancing".
The Keilor Downs student is among 13 positive cases linked to one extended family. At this stage, it is not known how the family was first infected.
No new cases in Queensland
By Matt Dennien
Queensland is celebrating another day of zero coronavirus cases as restrictions continue to ease across the state.
Premier Annastacia Palaczczuk said the borders will stay closed despite just five active COVID-19 cases throughout Queensland with a review in two weeks.
The state's total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak began stands at 1058, from more than 197,000 tests.
More than 1000 patients have recovered.
Seven Queenslanders with COVID-19 have now died, following the death of 30-year-old man Nathan Turner who tested positive for the virus after his death in the small central Queensland mining town of Blackwater.
From midday, Queenslanders will be able to congregate in groups of 20 in pubs, gyms and even travel intrastate, but the borders remain closed.
The state brought forward the next easing of restrictions by almost two weeks after zero new cases were announced for the third straight day on Sunday.
The changes include 20 spectators being allowed to attend community sporting fields.
with AAP
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