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Victorian dole applications soar as more than half of renters struggle to stay afloat
By Rachael Dexter
The number of Victorians applying for unemployment benefits has soared since the beginning of the state’s fourth lockdown as data reveals more than half of Victorian tenants are scrimping to pay rent.
Services Australia data shows a 62 per cent jump in Victorian applications for JobSeeker and Youth Allowance in the fortnight in which the statewide lockdown began compared to the two weeks prior.
There were 9937 applications for the dole between May 22 and June 3 (the lockdown came into effect on May 27), up by 3812 on the previous fortnight when 6125 claims were lodged.
Merlino says another ‘Howard Springs’ type facility is needed in Victoria
By Abbir Dib
Acting Premier James Merlino says strong hotel quarantine measures are in place to prevent another outbreak but he still sees a need for a purpose-built quarantine facility in Victoria.
“We’re doing everything we can, we are testing the staff every day, there has been lots of work on airflow and air purifiers. We have locked the windows to make sure they do not generate pressure,” he said.
Mr Merlino says while he is confident in these procedures, an alternative quarantine site in Victoria is needed.
“It would be nice to have something that is custom-built... We need to see across our country Howard Springs type facilities, a purpose-built, alternative quarantine,” he said.
Professor Allen Cheng also announced more than 1900 people are expected to be released from quarantine on Sunday after returning negative tests at the end of their isolation period.
Singapore GP cancelation not relevant to us: Pakula
By Roy Ward
Mr Pakula also dismissed concerns the Australian F1 Grand Prix could be cancelled for a second-straight year after a COVID-19 forced Singapore to cancel its race.
This year’s Australian Grand Prix is scheduled for November 21 at Albert Park.
Minister Martin Pakula.Credit:Simon Schluter
“I won’t give you that update, I will say the Singapore decision is the Singapore decision and it is not relevant to the discussions we are having,” Mr Pakula said.
“The corporation is in ongoing discussions between my department, health, CQV and [those talks] are very complex, very delicate, I do not propose to have those in the public domain.“
There remains a number of issues to sort out regarding the quarantine teams and drivers will need to undertake to enter Australia along with other issues which need to be negotiated between F1 and state authorities.
Mr Pakula said you couldn’t compare the challenges of planning the Grand Prix with hosting a domestic event like the AFL Grand Final.
“The grand final is a couple of months before the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix presents incredibly difficult challenges and different challenges,” Mr Pakula said.
“The grand final is a domestic crowd with domestic competitors, the Grand Prix is overwhelmingly international competitors, so comparing those two things is not particularly helpful, but I do not think the grand final has anything that might relate to it because they are very different challenges.”
Pakula says AFL grand final will be at MCG
By Roy Ward
Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula has adamant the current lockdown and further restrictions won’t stop the AFL grand final returning to the MCG in October.
COVID-19 outbreaks in Victoria last year forced the AFL grand final to be played in Brisbane for the first time while a sell-out crowd watched the annual Dreamtime game between Essendon and Richmond at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday night.
Essendon’s Andrew Phillips takes a mark on Saturday night.Credit:Getty Images
That fuelled speculation WA could make another bid for this year’s AFL decider if Victoria was still facing restrictions later in the year.
“I have absolute confidence that the grand final by the MCG,” Mr Pakula said.
“It is very easy to forget that it is only just over one month ago that we had almost 80,000 at the MCG for the Anzac Day clash.
“I speak to the AFL most days, the fact that the West Australian stadium or WA government would like the grand final is not news, it is pretty obvious that they would, anyone would want it.
“But the fact is one of the reasons we are doing what we’re doing now, running this into ground and snuffing it out, is that there are a lot of incredibly important stuff happening in the second half of the year.
“We have school holidays in a few weeks away, AFL grand final, Melbourne Cup, Boxing Day Test, we want all of those things to happen in Melbourne.
“We want to be back in the situation we were, just a couple of weeks ago, where we had large crowds, full restaurants, business trading profitably and we are going to try to get back to the position as soon as we possibly can.”
Merlino expects ‘easing’ of restrictions but health advice to follow
By Abbir Dib
UPDATED: When asked about coming out of lockdown based on lower case numbers, Mr Merlino said the situation is different this time around.
“We know that the Delta variant is 50 per cent more infectious than what we were dealing with last year” he said.
“The last thing we want to see is this variant of the virus getting out, and becoming uncontrollable.“
Mr Merlino said public health advice will determine when restrictions are lifted.
“My expectation is that by the end of this period will be in a position to have a further easing of restrictions and regional Victoria” he said.
Mr Merlino said only public health advice will determine when restrictions are lifted.
“Politics is not going to defeat this virus, commenters are not going to defeat this virus, the only thing that is going to defeat this virus is modelling public health advice,” he said.
Two more cases found at Maidstone aged care residence
By Kate Lahey
Two more COVID-19 cases have been found at a Maidstone aged care residence.
Aged care provider Arcare released a statement on Sunday saying anyone who worked at the facility on Saturday should immediately get tested and isolate.
“One [new case] is a 79-year-old resident who lives in close proximity to the first two residents diagnosed. The second is an agency Registered Nurse (RN) who last worked at the residence yesterday,” Arcare chief executive Colin Singh said.
“The resident, who has had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, is asymptomatic but will be transferred to hospital for public health reasons,” he said.
He added the nurse had also received the first dose of a vaccine.
Discussions continue on more vaccines for Victoria
By Abbir Dib
Mr Merlino says the vaccine rollout is undoubtedly a race.
“At the moment, we’ve got about 2 to 3 per cent of our population fully vaccinated and around 20 per cent of our population have received one vaccination,” he said.
“There’s been some very good discussions with the federal government in terms of additional vaccines for our state site, but we also agree with the AMA (Australian Medical Association) that our GPs can do double what they’re doing right now.
“Our path through this pandemic is via a successful rollout of the Commonwealth vaccination program and secondly, alternative quarantine, we’ll get that built as quickly as we possibly can.”
One of two new cases connected to Delta strain
By Roy Ward
Professor Cheng said one of the new cases connected to the Delta strain outbreak visited Thornbury Market.
Patrons who visited the Psarakos Market from 10.30am to 11.30am on June 1 have been asked to get tested.
“That is linked to one of the two new cases from yesterday,” Professor Cheng said.
“It is a pretty precautionary one because we think the symptoms were on the edge of happening but they are both tier two sites so if you’ve been at either of those, please get tested and isolate.”
Professor Cheng said authorities were still looking for the source of the Delta strain outbreak.
“We are still continuing to look at all possibilities, particularly, as you say, I think the Wollert case is now going back quite some time now so I think any hidden transmission from that is probably less likely,” he said.
No new cases in Whittlesea today
By Abbir Dib
Deputy chief health officer Professor Allen Cheng says the City of Whittlesea has no new cases and the total there is still 29.
There’s one new case associated with an outbreak at a Port Melbourne finance company and that person has been isolating for the duration of their infectious period.
“The Port Melbourne workplace outbreak has 30 cases now, that’s five more than yesterday that now have been linked through genomic investigation,” Professor Cheng said.
The aged care outbreak remains at six cases.
He said 98 per cent of primary close contacts associated with the primary school outbreak have returned a negative test and will continue to quarantine.
227 Collins Street in the CBD has been listed as a tier-one exposure site on four separate days.
“Public health teams are focusing on a network of small businesses on level four and five. One business in this building was previously listed as an exposure site ... this has now been expanded,” Professor Cheng said.
80,000 travel vouchers to be released, Alpine operators receive extra support
By Kate Lahey
Another 80,000 travel vouchers worth $200 each will be available to Victorians to use in regional areas once they are allowed to, under a new state government business recovery package.
The package, worth $32 million in total, will also provide regional tourism businesses with grant “top ups” of up to $4500, or up to $15,000 for Alpine businesses to help them offer a COVID-safe ski season.
A wintry blast brought snow to the Alps including Mt Hotham earlier in May.Credit:Chris Hocking
Acting Premier James Merlino and Tourism minister Martin Pakula are announcing the package at a press conference in Melbourne. No dates have been set yet for the release of the vouchers.
“When the government announced that after next weekend there would still be a period when Melburnians would not be able to travel to regional Victoria, we indicated there would be a specific announcement in regards to tourism support,” Mr Pakula said.
Mr Pakula said the travel vouchers had been incredibly popular.
“Well over $100 million has been spent in regional Victoria as a consequence of those vouchers, and they remain incredibly popular, so they will be another round of them.”
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2021-06-06 03:07:11Z
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