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Victorian government will have more to say on aged care facility later today: Shorten
By Nick Bonyhady
Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten has told reporters at Parliament that he has no further information to share about the age or condition of the residents at Arcare who he says have contracted COVID-19.
“Apparently, one maybe two residents may have tested positive, I’m sure the Victorian health authorities will have more to say today about that,” he said.
Former opposition leader Bill Shorten.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“The management of the facility are making sure that everyone’s getting their second vaccinations today, and for those workers who haven’t had their first vaccination, that’ll be happening. Perhaps the resident will be discharged into a hospital facility, so as to avoid any further potential spread of the virus in the facility.”
Mr Shorten, who is the local federal MP for those who live at the facility, said he believes staff are doing everything they can under the circumstances.
“They’ve got a very dedicated staff, but I’m sure this will be a period of some anxiety now for family, loved ones in the workforce there.”
He said the outbreak likely would not have happened and families would not be as worried if the federal government’s vaccine rollout had been fast enough to give everyone at Arcare two doses.
“I’m accusing the Morison government of appalling negligence. I think it is not acceptable that we’re many months into the discovery and the development of vaccines and Australians are at the back of the queue.”
Victoria’s COVID-19 outbreak by the numbers
By Broede Carmody
While we wait for Victoria’s daily coronavirus numbers to drop, let’s look at the state of play.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer says there are now 23 cases linked to the City of Whittlesea outbreak, 17 in the Port Melbourne outbreak and one at the Arcare Maidstone aged care home.
That means there are currently 41 locally-acquired cases in Victoria.
Of all the cases that have been identified so far, the one at Arcare is the mystery case. Authorities are extremely concerned about this case given hundreds of elderly Victorians died last year after coronavirus found its way into the aged care system.
Australian cricketers leave Sydney hotel quarantine
By Daniella White
Meanwhile in Sydney, a group of Australian cricketers who fled the COVID-19 crisis in India have left hotel quarantine.
Almost 40 players, support staff and broadcasters arrived in Australia two weeks ago after returning via the Maldives on a charter flight.
Australian cricketers leaving quarantine. Credit:Nine
The group had been in India for the Indian Premier League which was postponed in early May after a number of people within the competition tested positive for COVID-19.
Cricket stars including Ricky Ponting, Dave Warner and Steve Smith are among the group to have left quarantine.
The players left India on May 6 and remained in the Maldives until the federal government lifted its travel ban, arriving in Sydney on May 17.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time that the players had not taken the place of any Australians trying to return to the country because their arrivals were not included in NSW’s travel cap.
Two possible cases at Melbourne aged care home: Shorten
By Nick Bonyhady
Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten says that one and possibly two aged care residents at the Arcare Maidstone nursing home in Victoria have contracted coronavirus after a staff member previously returned a positive test.
“Worryingly both the staff member who recorded positive but one resident, possibly two… appears to have contracted COVID,” Mr Shorten said on ABC TV.
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have not yet confirmed that claim.
But Mr Shorten said the cases underlined why two doses were essential because the residents and worker had already received their first doses of the vaccine.
“The staff are working very hard in Arcare in Maidstone in Hampstead Road,” Mr Shorten said. “They are doing a great job.”
‘Entirely reasonable’ for Labor to attack Government’s handling of COVID-19: Chalmers
By Broede Carmody
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers has defended his party’s right – at a state and federal level – to criticise the Morrison government off the back of Victoria’s seven-day lockdown.
“I think that the workers and small businesses of Victoria should be front and centre,” Mr Chalmers said earlier this morning on the Today show. “And that’s why it is a problem, you know, the failures on vaccinations and quarantine and all the rest of it.
Labor’s Jim Chalmers.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“Victorians aren’t asking for too much from their federal government. They’re asking Scott Morrison for some compassion and some competence and they’re getting neither of those things and I think it’s entirely reasonable for the state government and for us to point that out.”
The Victorian and Morrison governments are currently locked in a war of words over who should provide support for businesses and workers affected by the state’s shutdown.
Morrison government trying to discourage ‘short lockdowns’: Pallas
By Nick Bonyhady
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has accused the federal government of withholding money to support his state’s workers as part of an undisclosed plan to discourage states from using lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The incendiary comments on ABC Radio this morning are another escalation of the Victorian government’s verbal stoush with the Morrison government, which has insisted that its historical support to the state through JobKeeper and a handful of remaining emergency payments to people directly affected by the coronavirus are enough.
Tim Pallas lashed the Federal government for its lack of response to Victoria’s lockdown.Credit:Paul Jeffers
“If the Commonwealth are saying if you put in place short lockdowns then the Commonwealth won’t be the partner, then effectively what they’re trying to do is encourage states to deny the challenge that confronts them and basically allow the virus to work its way through the community,” Mr Pallas said.
“Remember it was the federal treasurer who was wandering around in breathless tones only months ago saying, ‘It’s too hard, open up the economy,’ even though the virus was spreading throughout the community,” Mr Pallas said.
He dismissed the criticism we brought you earlier from restaurateur Chris Lucas, who runs establishments such as Chin Chin, saying the Victorian government’s $250 million fund to help businesses was more than the federal government had offered.
Daley’s tilt at NSW Labor leadership opposed by Asian-Australian party members
By Alexandra Smith
Asian-Australian members of NSW Labor are warning a return to Maroubra MP Michael Daley as party leader would damage relations with multicultural communities, insisting he does not understand the gravity of comments he made about “Asians with PhDs”.
A group of Asian Australians including Labor councillors, elected party officials and rank-and-file members have signed a joint statement opposing Mr Daley’s plans to nominate as party leader after Jodi McKay’s resignation.
Former NSW Labor leader Michael Daley says he made mistakes but will never repeat them.Credit:James Alcock
Mr Daley confirmed on Sunday he would nominate for party leader, paving the way for a membership ballot against Kogarah MP Chris Minns, who will nominate on Monday.
Read our latest coverage of NSW Labor’s leadership rumblings here.
Victorian Treasurer doubles-down on federal row over worker support
By David Estcourt
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has refused to back down from a growing row with the federal government over worker support during Victoria’s lockdown, arguing Canberra supported the shutdown and the recent outbreak came from another state.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison rebuffed pleas from the state government on Sunday, saying Canberra would not be extending additional income support to Victorians – as was the case with Western Australia and Queensland during their lockdowns earlier in the year.
But Mr Pallas claims Victoria is in a unique situation and therefore the Commonwealth should be extending payments to people out of work due to the seven-day lockdown.
“I think the first point to make is Victorians didn’t deserve this,” Mr Pallas told radio station 3AW.
“They received this out of a breach of quarantine protocol in South Australia. [The federal government] could very quickly provide relief. The fact that they’re not doing that really does worry me because you’ll recall, the Prime Minister did in fact say that it was an appropriate course of action that we locked down.”
Listen to the full interview below.
More than 270 Victorian exposure sites
By David Estcourt and Broede Carmody
The Victorian health department’s list of exposure sites has swelled to more than 270 locations with bus lines, display homes and shops at Chadstone among the dozens added over the weekend.
There are dozens of new exposure sites in the suburb at the heart of the Greater Melbourne outbreak, Epping, and, worryingly, aged care facility Arcare Maidstone was added and is now in lockdown.
Additional outlets at Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre have been listed as exposure sites. Credit:Joe Armao
A pub in the beachside suburb of Brighton, and a cafe in nearby Elwood, were also named as exposure sites. Clothing outlet Zimmermann and Breadtop at Chadstone shopping centre were also added to the list of possible areas of concern.
In total, authorities added almost 100 new venues and times to their list of exposure sites on Sunday. Five new cases were detected in the community, with the total number of cases in the Greater Melbourne cluster now numbering in the dozens.
We’ll bring you this morning’s case numbers as soon as they land.
‘Almost childish’: Restaurant owner slams state and federal funding feud
By Broede Carmody
Another major thread with Victoria’s lockdown this morning is the stoush between the state and federal governments over the question of financial support.
The Morrison government has rebuffed a plea from Victoria to help provide financial assistance for workers and small businesses affected by the state’s seven-day lockdown. Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino has described the knockback as “disgraceful”. The feds, meanwhile, have called on Victoria to take full responsibility.
Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino. Credit:Paul Jeffers
Chris Lucas, the chief executive behind well-known restaurants such as Chin Chin, was scathing of the Victorian government this morning.
“We’re now facing our fourth lockdown and it’s very, very devastating,” he told the Today show. “The mental harm and the economic consequences to this state are enormous.
“In fact, we’ve got to ask ourselves: why is this happening again and again? Why is it that the state government constantly reaches out for the lockdown mechanism when states like NSW are able to quarantine properly, are able to cordon off small suburbs or areas of the city?”
Mr Lucas urged the state government not to attack its federal counterpart and instead focus on “the real issues”.
“Their behaviour yesterday, it’s almost childish,” he said. “This government seems to be addicted to deflecting the blame.”
Victorian Treasury costings forecast a seven-day lockdown will cost businesses $700 million. Some business estimates put that cost at $1 billion.
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2021-05-30 22:59:29Z
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