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More than 860 exposure sites in Victoria
By Ashleigh McMillan
The number of exposure sites listed across Victoria rose to 868 earlier this morning, with new tier-2 sites of concern in the regional towns of Kyabram and Echuca.
New exposure sites were listed overnight in Port Melbourne, Hoppers Crossing, Yarraville, Geelong, Tarneit, Sunshine, Vermont South and also Mooroopna (near Shepparton in the state’s north).
The new tier-1 exposure sites include:
- The Sir Ian McLennan Centre in Mooroopna from August 13 from 12am to August 19 at 11.59pm; and
- Borgcraft in Altona between 5.30am and 4pm on both Tuesday, August 23 and Wednesday, August 24.
The Aldi in Echuca was also listed as a tier-2 exposure site for August 20 between 5.10pm and 5.55pm.
Australia condemns Kabul attacks
By Anthony Galloway
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said her government condemns “utterly the terrorist attack at Kabul airport”.
“Our deepest sympathies go to all affected including US personnel and Afghan civilians,” she wrote on Twitter.
“All Australian personnel are safe.”
Biden vows retaliation for Afghanistan attacks
By Chris Zappone
Speaking at the White House for the first time since the terror attacks in Kabul, US President Joe Biden vowed retaliation.
“We will not forgive,” he said during a national address.
“Will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.
“I will defend our interest and our people with every measure at my command.”
US President Joe Biden speaks about the bombings at Kabil airport that killed at least 12 American service members. Credit:AP
The President said the 12 troops who died were “heroes” who had participated in a “dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others”.
“The situation on the ground is still evolving and I’m constantly being updated,” he said.
“These American service members who gave their lives. That is an overused word, but it is totally appropriate here. [They are] heroes, heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous selfless mission to save the lives of others.”
Watch: US President addresses the media
By Broede Carmody
American President Joe Biden has just finished addressing the media after 12 US troops were killed in Afghanistan.
We’ll have the playback version with you shortly.
‘Not a set and forget’: NSW minister on future freedoms
By Sarah McPhee
NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, who is part of Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s crisis cabinet, says the decision to ease outdoor gathering rules for fully vaccinated adults in mid-September is “not a set and forget”.
“I can understand the frustrations but until we get to that 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates, we’ve got to make sure that we keep a lid on things,” he told 2GB radio this morning.
“I am very, very confident that October is going to be a much, much better month, than the struggles that we’re going to have in September.”
NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello. Credit:Rhett Wyman
Mr Dominello said when the 70 per cent fully vaccinated target nears – it is currently 33.79 per cent of people aged 16 and over in NSW – then the government “can revisit a whole lot of other things such as haircuts, outdoor dining”.
“These are things that we’ll be looking at in the months ahead, how we can embrace our outdoor lifestyle and that way have more freedoms,” he said.
As the minister responsible for Service NSW, he also apologised for the troubles people have faced trying to access the website for the new authorised worker permits.
From tomorrow, authorised workers from the Sydney local government areas of concern must carry a permit from Service NSW declaring that they are an authorised worker and cannot work from home.
Anyone entering an LGA of concern for work purposes must also carry a worker permit.
Mr Dominello said 180,000 people had registered and of the 13,000 to provide feedback, the response was a “thumbs up” of 92 per cent.
“That’s not great, room for improvement,” he said.
“We’re doing things in a rush during COVID. We get health orders literally written overnight and then we have to go back and operationalise it.
“What normally takes months and months and months to do inside a government, we’re having to turn around in literally days if not weeks. I apologise unreservedly.”
Voters back Labor premiers over Berejiklian and PM on outbreak response
By David Crowe
Labor premiers hold a clear lead over Prime Minister Scott Morrison in support from voters on the response to recent outbreaks, highlighting the power of the states in a national cabinet debate on lockdowns.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is backed by 52 per cent of voters nationwide and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is backed by 51 per cent when Australians are asked about the way major leaders have responded to outbreaks in recent weeks.
Voters are backing the Labor premiers’ handling of the pandemic response in recent outbreaks over the NSW Premier and the Prime Minister.Credit:Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
That compares to only 26 per cent of respondents saying NSW Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian responded well or very well to the outbreaks, while 38 per cent said the same for Mr Morrison.
The findings are part of a new survey that reveals strong concerns nationwide with Ms Berejiklian’s handling of the NSW outbreak, with 39 per cent saying her restrictions were too light and 40 per cent saying the recent lockdown measures are enough but should have come sooner.
Australia’s Afghanistan evacuation mission halted
By Anthony Galloway
The Australian evacuation mission in Afghanistan has been suspended, Government sources have confirmed, following the deadly explosion outside Kabul airport overnight.
It is unclear whether rescue flights will resume before the August 31 deadline the Taliban set to end evacuations.
The Australian military’s Joint Operation Command said it was “aware of reports of an explosion at Kabul Airport”.
“All ADF personnel supporting the Afghanistan evacuation are safe,” the JOC said on Twitter.
NSW to trial the reopening of industries for fully vaccinated people
By Lucy Cormack and Alexandra Smith
The NSW government will soon trial reopening one-on-one industries such as hairdressing for fully vaccinated people to prepare for the easing of most restrictions once inoculation rates reach 70 per cent in mid-October.
Small-scale trials of service industries where both parties are vaccinated will begin in the coming weeks and act as a litmus test for other sectors like hospitality, which could then reopen with capacity limits within two months.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian addresses the media on Thursday.Credit:Janie Barrett
The trials will build on freedoms to kick-in across NSW next month, allowing outdoor gatherings of up to five people in non-COVID hotspots and an extra hour of outdoor recreation for households in hotspots.
The government is working on a reopening date of October 18.
Read the full story here.
Victorian Premier says rule-breakers lengthen lockdown; cases hit 11-month high
By Michael Fowler and Roy Ward
Premier Daniel Andrews has warned strict lockdown measures will stay in place as long as Victorians continue to visit friends and family and wait days to get tested for coronavirus.
Mr Andrews’ stern message, directed particularly at young Victorians, came on Thursday as fully vaccinated people in NSW were promised outdoor gatherings with up to four friends by September 13, even though the state hit a record 1029 new COVID-19 cases.
Australia Defence Force troops are doorknocking Shepparton residents asked to self-isolate.Credit:Justin McManus
“The longer people break the rules, the longer these rules will be on,” Mr Andrews said.
While 80 new locally acquired cases were recorded in Victoria yesterday, Chief Health Officer Sutton said it was too early to discuss whether the state’s lockdown would continue in its current form beyond its slated end date towards the end of next week.
It’s also still uncertain if schools in Victoria will return to face-to-face learning before public school holidays begin on September 18.
US troops among dozens killed in Kabul airport attack, officials say
By Matthew Knott
Dozens of people, including at least 12 US soldiers, are dead after two suicide bombers set off explosives outside the international airport in Kabul, plunging the US-led withdrawal effort into chaos.
The deadly attacks, which the US has attributed to terrorist group ISIS-K, came just days before the scheduled withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan. The violence will likely imperil efforts to evacuate as many people as possible before US President Joe Biden’s August 31 departure deadline.
Smoke rises from an explosion outside Kabul airport on Thursday.Credit:AP
General Kenneth McKenzie, who leads the US Central Command, said that 12 US service-members had died in the attacks and 15 were injured.
Read the full story here.
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2021-08-26 21:43:12Z
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