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Search widens for young girl missing in WA’s north
By Heather McNeill and Peter de Kruijff
The little girl at the centre of a frantic search in Western Australia’s remote north has been described as a bubbly and happy child, as fears grow she may have been abducted from her family’s tent.
The close-knit community of Carnarvon, a coastal fishing and farming town 890 kilometres north of Perth, is reeling after four-year-old Cleo Smith disappeared in the middle of the night while camping at Quobba Blowholes, a popular weekend spot 75 kilometres north of the township.
Cleo Smith, 4, is missing in Western Australia’s remote north. Credit:Peter de Kruijff
Mid West-Gascoyne Inspector Jon Munday said Cleo was last seen by her mother at 1.30am on Saturday sleeping inside the family tent, but when she and her partner woke at 6.30am the little girl and her sleeping bag were gone.
“We still hold grave concerns for the safety of Cleo and our main priority is to locate her and return her to her family,” he said.
Read the full story here.
ACT hits 80 per cent double-dose target for over 12s
By Nick Bonyhady
The ACT has become the first Australian jurisdiction to fully vaccinate 80 per cent of people aged 12 and over, a marker that comes with a range of freedoms including an impending end to outdoor masks and travel restrictions from Sydney.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has predicted that the nation’s capital will have close to 99 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated in November.
“With high vaccination rates and stable average case numbers over the last couple of weeks, the government will further ease restrictions from October 29,” he said.
The territory will reopen in-person non-essential retail on Friday, which is earlier than planned. Capacity limits will still apply.
Residents will also be allowed to go outside without wearing a mask from October 29. And from November 1, the territory government plans to remove NSW as a “COVID-affected area”.
“This means that ACT residents will not have quarantine when they return to the territory from any part of NSW – including Greater Sydney,” Mr Barr and Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said in a statement.
More restrictions will likely be eased in late November or early December, the pair said, as a greater proportion of younger Canberrans are vaccinated.
Curtain call for Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins
By Nick Bonyhady
In case you missed it, Emma Watkins has announced she is leaving The Wiggles after 11 years.
Watkins, best known as the Yellow Wiggle, says she wants to spend more time on the research she has been pursuing through her PhD. She has been exploring ways to make music and dance videos more accessible to the Deaf community.
The 32-year-old, who grew up with the Wiggles as a child before coming to know the performers as adults, colleagues and mentors, said she was very grateful to have been a Wiggle and will miss the popular children’s entertainment group.
“I am so grateful to the fans and I have received so many message this morning which I didn’t realise would happen,” she told Nine’s Today show.
She teared up as co-host Allison Langdon praised her for inspiring young girls around the country.
“I am incredibly grateful for the Wiggles for giving me an opportunity.
“We had such an amazing time on tour and learning from the OG [original] Wiggles. I am about to finish a PhD and the research is really important for me to bring to the community. Hopefully really soon … that is really where this has come from.”
Ms Watkins will leave the Wiggles at the end of the year and be replaced by 16-year-old dancer Tsehay Hawkins.
The Wiggles were formed in Sydney in 1991. The group has gone through various iterations, toured all over the world and been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Four deaths in NSW; CHO says impact of vaccination being seen in hospitals
By Mary Ward
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has given some details about the four COVID-19 deaths recorded in the state today.
Three of the people who died from COVID-19 were in their 60s and one was in their 80s. One was from Sydney’s northern beaches, another was from the city’s south-west, one was from the inner city and the fourth person was from Wollongong.
Two of the people were not vaccinated, one had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and one person had recently received their second dose.
Asked about the situation in the state’s hospitals – where the number of COVID-19 patients has dropped below 600 for the first time since August 23 – Dr Chant said “the numbers speak for themselves” in intensive care units.
“But this does not mean they have much of a breather: we also have business as usual,” she warned. “It is the responsibility of all of us to do all that we can – get vaccinated, continue to follow the public health advice – to make sure that our ICUs have as few as possible people with COVID in them as we open up over this Christmas-New Year period.”
Dr Chant said there were three children in intensive care – two aged under nine and one person in their teens – although she would need to clarify the circumstances of their hospitalisation as children hospitalised with COVID-19 often had other severe health conditions.
She said the state was “already seeing the effect of the vaccine” on transmission, hospitalisations and intensive care presentations.
“But it can’t work alone; everyone is still going to have to act responsibly.”
NSW should aim for 95 per cent vaccination rate: CHO
By Mary Ward
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has urged her state to aim higher when it comes to its vaccination coverage.
Earlier this year, Dr Chant suggested NSW could reach 92 per cent coverage of its 16 and over population. Figures today show the state has now reached 92.1 per cent first-dose coverage of that age group.
“Ninety-two per cent [is] a great achievement, but let’s get higher,” she said, urging people to assist anyone in their life who may have difficulty attending a vaccination appointment or making a booking.
“Let’s try and aim for 95 per cent. Our colleagues in ACT have gone beyond that.”
The Chief Health Officer said, while 74.8 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 had received a first dose of the vaccine, take-up was “slowing a little bit”.
“It is one additional layer of protection as schools go back,” she added.
As reported earlier this morning, NSW has reported 273 new cases on Tuesday from 90,597 tests.
Dr Chant thanked people for continuing to come forward for testing, reminding the public that even people who were fully vaccinated should still come forward for a test if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Nationals Senator vows to cross floor over net zero
By Nick Bonyhady
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has declared he will cross the floor to vote against any Government attempts to legislate a net zero target by 2050.
“Absolutely,” Senator Canavan told reporters in Canberra when asked if he would vote against the Coalition if it moved to make carbon neutrality by 2050 law.
Queensland Senator Matt Canavan.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Whether that move would make any difference depends on how Labor and the crossbench approach the issue. Labor has long been committed to net zero by the middle of the century.
The Queensland Senator’s threat may also be an idle one if the Government decides not to pursue legislating any target it settles on, as seems likely from the Prime Minister’s approach so far.
While speaking to reporters, Senator Canavan disputed claims that the Nationals had been shown any Government modelling on the impact of a net zero target, saying there had instead only been a few graphs with no clear underlying assumptions.
“It’s not the results that are important, because you can get any result you want … what you need is the assumptions and the inputs that have gone to generate that result,” he said.
That modelling has not been released publicly and Senator Canavan said it should be. But he admitted it would not shift his opposition to net zero, which is based on his view that a net zero target is unnecessary and will damage Australia’s economy.
‘Important day’ in NSW’s history: women’s refuge funding unveiled
By Sarah McPhee
The NSW government has announced almost $500 million in spending on extra refuges for women and children fleeing their homes.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the additional 75 refuges, with “wraparound services”, will be provided in locations where there is most need.
He said it was an “important day” and the funding, within the state government’s COVID-19 economic recovery package, was the largest for victim-survivors in the state’s history.
“I’m very pleased to say, in putting together this package, we know we’ll make a real difference,” he said.
“These are big numbers but more importantly they will have real impact on women and children across the state.
“Advocacy outside government is crucial, the public service doesn’t always have all the solutions.”
Victoria records 1749 new cases of COVID-19, 11 deaths
By Broede Carmody
Victoria’s daily coronavirus numbers are in.
The state has recorded 1749 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths.
Today’s tally is down from yesterday’s 1903 cases.
Zero cases were detected in hotel quarantine.
There are now 22,476 active cases of coronavirus across the state.
Today’s numbers are off the back of yesterday’s 68,702 coronavirus tests.
NSW records 273 new local COVID-19 cases, four deaths
By Sarah McPhee
NSW has reported 273 new local cases of COVID-19 and four deaths.
There were 90,597 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
A total of 589 patients are in NSW hospitals with COVID-19 and 128 of those people are in intensive care.
Of the population aged 16 and over, 92.1 per cent have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 80.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.
For the state’s 12- to 15-year-olds, 74.8 per cent have had one dose and 35.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Watch: NSW Premier’s press conference
By Broede Carmody
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor, Treasurer Matt Kean and Attorney General Mark Speakman are due to hold a press conference at 9am AEDT.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant will also provide a NSW Health update.
Watch live below.
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2021-10-18 23:27:36Z
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