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Watch live: NSW Labor leadership contender’s press conference
NSW Labor leadership contender Chris Minns will address the media at 2pm.
The Member for Kogarah will speak from his electorate at Sans Souci (near the airport for those outside of Sydney).
The party’s leadership is up for grabs after Jodi McKay resigned on Friday following her party’s poor showing at the Upper Hunter by-election the previous weekend.
MP’s vaccine Facebook post takes off
By Rachel Clun
Like many politicians have been doing, Labor MP Julian Hill shared a photo of his post-COVID vaccine glow. Except unlike other politicians, the member for Bruce’s post was swamped with negative reactions.
A normal post from the Victorian MP, who has 55,000 followers on Facebook, will receive a few hundred reactions and dozens of comments. But his vaccination post from May 28 has nearly 9000 reactions and more than 13,000 comments.
The post had the most engagement of any Australian politicians that day, according to a Twitter bot tracking political social media accounts.
Mr Hill said while the numbers were huge, he wasn’t particularly surprised at the reaction. Last weekend he announced via a postcard drop that he would be at a fruit stall on the weekend and meeting constituents. He was tipped off that the event had been picked up by anti-vax groups.
“It was really important to stand there and listen,” he told this masthead, adding while some were fervently anti-vaccine, a number were sensible people who were hesitant.
He said the huge reaction on Facebook showed the government had not done enough to advertise its vaccine rollout.
“In the absence of a properly funded public health campaign that’s proactive in combatting disinformation, then batshit crazy, dangerous stuff like this will spread,” he said.
Today’s headlines at a glance
By Broede Carmody
Good afternoon and thanks for reading our live coverage. I’m Broede Carmody and I’m signing off for the day. My colleague Josh Dye will bring you the latest news and analysis into the early evening.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:
- Victoria has recorded 11 new cases of coronavirus in the community. Four aged care homes are in lockdown and three aged care workers and one resident have tested positive to COVID-19. The situation in aged care facilities is being described as “incredibly serious” given more than 600 aged care residents died in Victoria during the 2020 coronavirus outbreaks.
- In NSW, we’re expecting Labor’s former transport spokesman Chris Minns to hold a press conference at 2pm in regards to his leadership ambitions. Former opposition leader Michael Daley has already put up his hand to replace Jodi McKay.
- And New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she and PM Scott Morrison are on the same page when it comes to their approach to China. New Zealand has previously been criticised for its comparatively softer diplomatic approach.
‘Too early’ to speculate about return of weddings and other events in Victoria
By David Estcourt
It’s too early for the Victorian government to speculate about whether events such as weddings will be able to go-ahead, says Acting Premier James Merlino.
Victoria’s current “circuit-breaker” lockdown is due to end on Friday. However, the government hasn’t ruled out extending the lockdown and has said things might get worse before they get better.
“I appreciate the question and for couples planning a wedding I know that they’d be sitting on every word that is being said at these conferences but it’s just too early for me to provide advice,” Mr Merlino said.
“I think that would be completely unfair on anyone planning something special in the coming days. We’re running neck and neck with this outbreak right now.”
Melburnians seeking to get married, or bury a loved one, have had to put many plans on hold when the city went into lockdown four days ago.
Morrison and Ardern answer blunt questions on China relations
By Nick Bonyhady
China looms large over the Australia-New Zealand relationship at the moment, and this press conference is no different.
Here’s what Prime Minister Scott Morrison had to say after a blunt question from Radio New Zealand asking about the likelihood of armed conflict with China:
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Otago on Monday morning. Credit:Getty
“The world has been characterised by increased strategic competition between the United States and China. That is a self evident fact, but I would say that our shared view would be that such strategic competition doesn’t need to lead to increased likelihood of conflict, or other pressures, whether they be coercion of any nature or interference. That is not necessary. What we both pursue through the many ways we work together is a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Not to be outdone, an Australian reporter from Sydney-based tabloid The Daily Telegraph asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about whether New Zealand, which has not criticised China on issues such as human rights as loudly as Australia, is at risk of losing its access to an intelligence sharing arrangement called “Five Eyes” with other Western nations.
“So the short answer to your question would be, no,” Ms Ardern said.
“And you’ll see that Australia and New Zealand has broadly been positioned in exactly the same place on these issues consistently. So I really push back on any suggestion that we are not taking a strong stance on these incredibly important issues.”
‘Massively risky’ to have staff working across multiple aged care facilities: CHO
By Simone Fox Koob
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says it is “massively risky” to have staff working across multiple aged care facilities and it should be minimised as much as possible.
Asked how he felt about workers being allowed to work across multiple sites in federally-run facilities, he said:
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.Credit:Jason South
“It is a question for the Commonwealth, it is a Commonwealth workforce. As has been stated, the minister has said that in the public sector, the Victorian public sector, aged care, there has been both financial support and a policy setting that has effectively prohibited work across multiple aged care sites. That is entirely appropriate. It is massively risky to move across different settings.”
Professor Sutton urged all those working in aged care to get vaccinated.
“The greatest protection you can give to those under your charge, under your care, and I know you care for them, is to get vaccinated, to be fully vaccinated,” he said.
“That would be the greatest protection you could provide to those you are caring for in whatever setting.”
Three of today’s 11 new cases in Victoria are linked to aged care: Health Minister
By Simone Fox Koob
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says three of today’s 11 new cases relate to outbreaks in the private residential aged care sector.
The first is the son of the staff member at Arcare Maidstone who tested positive on the weekend. He does not work at the facility.
Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley. Credit:Simon Schluter
The second is a staff member at the same facility who worked alongside the initial case. She was not vaccinated and also worked at another aged care facility, the Bluecross Sunshine aged care centre on May 26, 27 and 28. That facility is now in lockdown.
The third case is a woman in her 90s who is a resident at the Arcare Maidstone facility in the unit where the positive staff member worked. The resident is asymptomatic and is being taken to hospital.
“Our thoughts are clearly with the residents, with the workforce and communities, and families they are all a part of,” Mr Foley said.
“The fact this outbreak has crept into a number of private residential aged care facilities is obviously a very great concern to the Victorian government. It’s a very great concern to all Victorians and the Commonwealth government.”
COVID testing commander Jeroen Weimar said that 69 of the 70 staff at Arcare Maidstone aged care facility have returned negative tests.
Of the 76 residents, only one tested positive and the other 75 have tested negative.
“We have ongoing a lot of work to do at the Arcare Maidstone and the Blue Cross Sunshine where there is a staff member who overlaps between those locations,” Mr Weimar said.
Morrison and Ardern discussed Australia’s deportation policy
By Nick Bonyhady
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern kicks off her joint press conference with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
She lays out a pretty broad agenda that the two covered in their meetings, from border controls to the vaccine rollout in the Pacific.
PM Scott Morrison and his NZ counterpart Jacinda Ardern at a wreath laying ceremony in Otago this morning.Credit:Getty
“We discussed everything from climate change to trade and security issues,” Ms Ardern said.
“We also discussed Australia’s deportation policy and opportunities for people who move across the Tasman to access a pathway to citizenship. A concern and an opportunity that we have highlighted consistently for a number of years. As with any family, we will have our disagreements from time to time but those disagreements are still undertaken in the spirit of openness and ultimately friendship.”
Ms Ardern’s statement about deportations is a reference to Australia’s practice of cancelling the citizenship of people who commit serious crimes here if they are a citizen of another country, such as New Zealand, even if they have not lived there for decades.
That’s a sore point in the relationship, as National Affairs Editor Rob Harris, who is in New Zealand travelling with the PM, has reported.
Six more cases in Victoria; situation may get worse: Acting Premier
By David Estcourt
There are a further six locally acquired cases, in addition to the five reported this morning, that came through after the late night cut-off on Sunday night, says Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino.
This means that, in addition to the five cases reported earlier this morning, there were 11 new cases of coronavirus detected in the community yesterday. Mr Merlino says public health teams are currently interviewing the new positive cases and contract tracing is underway.
Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino. Credit:Paul Jeffers
“There are a significant number of further exposure sites linked to the positive cases that have been published online overnight, and this morning, including a number of tier one sites,” he said.
The Acting Premier said so far 4200 close contacts have been identified and the situation may get worse before it gets better.
“The challenge ahead of us is a very significant one,” he said. “In the past 24 hours we’ve identified many more points of concern.
“In addition to the very worrying cases in our private aged care, we’re also very concerned about the number of other high-risk exposure sites, and we’re seeing a small number of cases infecting a large number of contacts.”
Mr Merlino said the next few days were critical and didn’t rule out having to extend Victoria’s seven day lockdown.
Watch: PM addresses media in NZ; Victoria’s COVID-19 update
By Broede Carmody
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to speak to the media with his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern from midday AEST.
And for those who are closely watching the developments in Victoria, the state government is due to hold a COVID-19 update from 12.15pm.
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2021-05-31 03:58:16Z
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