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NSW Deputy Premier shuts down regional ‘day trips’
By Sarah McPhee
NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole has shut down any speculation that day trips from Sydney to regional areas will be allowed when the state’s reopening begins on Monday.
An ABC report emerged last night that a spokesperson from Mr Toole’s office had said such travel for fully vaccinated people excluded holidays, but permitted activities included attending attractions such as wineries.
Mr Toole told ABC’s Radio National this morning that under the current rules, visits to family members have been allowed for compassionate care reasons such as vulnerable people.
But he said visits for holidays or recreation have not been given the green light.
“Day trips to wineries are not allowed and they will not be allowed. That won’t be occurring,” Mr Toole said.
“People can’t be having recreational trips and they will not be allowed to go out [from greater Sydney to the regions] and have a holiday.
“It will be very well spelled out shortly so that people don’t start planning a day trip and going out into the regions.”
The Deputy Premier said it was raised last night after someone “pointed out the loophole” and he has asked Health Minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Health and legal about it “so there is no confusion”.
Mr Toole said further clarification will be provided this morning.
From October 11, Sydneysiders can travel within greater Sydney which includes the Central Coast, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Blue Mountains.
Under the road map, holiday travel between greater Sydney and regional local government areas is not permitted until the Monday after the state reaches 80 per cent full vaccination. This target is expected to be reached later in October.
Another national record as Victoria records 1838 new cases of COVID-19
By Broede Carmody
Victoria’s daily coronavirus numbers are in.
The state has recorded 1838 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and five deaths. That’s Victoria’s second national record for daily cases in a single week (there were 1763 cases reported on Tuesday).
The Department of Health has not said how many cases are linked to known outbreaks or how many people were already isolating when they tested positive.
Zero cases were detected in hotel quarantine.
There are now 16,823 active cases of coronavirus across the state.
Today’s numbers are off the back of yesterday’s record 77,554 coronavirus tests.
Former police chief to review Victoria’s emergency call operator
By Paul Sakkal
Former Victorian police chief Graham Ashton will conduct a review into the state’s emergency call centre operator, which has been keeping triple-zero callers on hold due to the extraordinary level of demand for emergency support.
The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) has been beset by staffing issues and glitches to its operating system since late last year. The problems have coincided with an unseen volume of triple-zero callers, driven partly by the amount of Victorians who deferred care during lockdowns and ended up exacerbating their ailments.
Late last month, calls to triple-zero reached levels not seen since the 2016 thunderstorm asthma event and some people were placed on hold for 13 minutes – much longer than the target time of five seconds.
Mr Ashton, who left the police force in 2020, will review ESTA’s functions and capabilities and report to the government with any recommendations by early next year.
Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said emergency call takers “have done their absolute best throughout unprecedented demand from the pandemic – but we want to see where things can be improved”.
ESTA is investigating the case of a three-year-girl who died from a cardiac arrest near Bendigo late last month after the family’s triple-zero call was placed on hold for a minute and 41 seconds.
‘Not the case’ that NSW CHO doesn’t endorse new road map: Deputy Premier
By Broede Carmody
NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole has rejected any suggestion his state’s Chief Health Officer doesn’t support the amended road map out of lockdown.
As previously reported, Premier Dominic Perrottet has confirmed some elements of the NSW plan will be fast-tracked now that the state has exceeded its 70 per cent double-dose target. For example, from Monday, 10 fully vaccinated visitors will be allowed in the home (up from the five originally promised).
NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Mr Toole appeared on Sunrise earlier and it was put to him that Dr Chant did not endorse all of the recent changes. You may recall that Dr Chant was not at yesterday’s press conference.
Here’s what the Deputy Premier had to say in response:
No, that’s not the case.
I had a crisis cabinet the day before and Kerry Chant was in the meeting. We don’t make decisions without the support of NSW Health or Dr Kerry Chant.
I think it’s important we get the balance right between keeping peopling safe but also opening up the economy.
[The new plan] was endorsed by Kerry Chant and NSW Health and it’s a delicate balance, but ... I know the people are looking forward to Monday.
Andrews government knew three years ago about problems at centre of corruption probe
By Nick McKenzie, Paul Sakkal and Sumeyya Ilanbey
Key figures in the Andrews government were warned in 2018 that a taxpayer-funded grants scheme now at the centre of a corruption probe was being maladministered by ALP-aligned figures.
But the government sought to manage the concerns internally, according to sources and records obtained by this masthead.
Former minister Adem Somyurek is at the centre of the IBAC probe.Credit:Eddie Jim
The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission now intends to hold public hearings into “allegations that public money intended to fund community associations was misused for party‐political work or other improper purposes”.
The hearings, to begin next week, are part of a probe into whether Labor MPs and Victorian public officials aligned with the ALP engaged in “corrupt conduct” by using public money or taxpayer-funded ministerial and electorate staff to improperly engage in political activities, including branch stacking.
Read the full story here.
Epidemiologist has some concerns about Sydney’s latest road map
By Broede Carmody
Canadian epidemiologist Nancy Baxter, who is currently the head of Melbourne University’s School of Population and Global Health, was speaking on Seven’s Sunrise a short while ago.
She flagged some concerns about NSW’s updated road map. She said doubling the number of vaccinated people allowed to gather in a home from Monday had the potential to cause superspreader events (five people in your house is basically a couple of people over for wine, she said, while 10 is “a party”).
“We have got to open up, but we have to open up safely,” she said.
“And safely might mean being a little slower for a couple of weeks. We will save lives depending on how quickly or slowly we go for the next few weeks, and I don’t know if this rhetoric of economy versus lives makes sense when these are lives that could be saved.
“We could open up and have increased freedoms, just maybe not as many as they are talking about.”
Childcare centres, bakery among Victoria’s latest exposure sites
By Ashleigh McMillan
Two childcare centres, a Geelong arena used by school students and a popular coastal bakery have been listed as Victoria’s latest tier-1 exposure sites overnight.
Nido Early School at Airport West, in Melbourne’s north-west suburbs, was visited by a person with COVID-19 on October 4, meaning children, staff and parents will need to get tested as soon as possible and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
Gippsland’s Drouin Primary Early Learning Centre, 90 kilometres east of Melbourne, has also been listed as a tier-1 exposure site for October 4.
Additional regional Victorian exposure sites include the RMIT Hanger at Bendigo Airport on October 4 and Seda College Geelong’s multi-use space at Geelong Arena for the same day.
Rolling Pin Pies & Cakes bakery at Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, south-west of Melbourne, was listed as a tier-1 exposure site on October 2.
Three NSW schools closed after COVID cases
By Sarah McPhee
A school in Tamworth and two schools in NSW’s far west, near the Victorian border, have closed after positive COVID-19 cases in their school communities.
NSW Education said Hillvue Public School in NSW’s north east, Coomealla High School in Dareton and nearby Buronga Public School will be closed until further notice for cleaning and contact tracing.
“All staff and students are asked to self-isolate and follow the NSW Health advice and protocols,” the department said in a statement issued this morning.
Term four began for NSW public schools on Tuesday.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet yesterday announced all students would return to face-to-face learning across the state by October 25.
Kindergarten, year 1 and year 12 students are back on October 18.
Victoria wants international students before 2022
By Ashleigh McMillan
International students could start returning to Victoria before the end of this year in a new plan floated by the state government.
Around 120 students will be able to return to the state each week in the first stage of the Andrews government scheme, with priority given to health and medical degrees which have a practical component, as well as those undertaking postgraduate research.
Students entering Victoria as part of the scheme will be in addition to the state’s existing overseas arrivals cap, meaning they will not take the place of returning citizens. Victorian universities will provide the funding for the extra quarantine places, with students required to pay for their flight into Melbourne.
Around 47,000 students are currently enrolled with Victorian education providers but remain overseas due to closed borders.
Large-scale international student arrivals, not expected until next will, will include students enrolled in TAFE, secondary schools, private education providers and English language classes.
The Victorian government has submitted its two-stage plan to the Commonwealth for approval.
Professor Duncan Maskell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, said the university sector was looking forward to the federal government “reviewing and approving the plan as soon as possible”.
Victoria’s Higher Education Minister Gayle Tierney said she was excited to soon welcome back a “valued part of our community”.
Businesses set to open, but Service NSW vaccine passport not ready
By Lucy Carroll and Mary Ward
As Sydney’s retail stores, restaurants and gyms prepare to open to the public after months of lockdown, it remains unclear when the integrated Service NSW vaccine certificate will be made available to residents across the state.
Last month, Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello conceded the integrated passport app would not be ready when the state reopens, but a two-week pilot program with up to 500 people in regional NSW would commence on October 6.
However, a Service NSW spokesperson on Thursday said that, while the pilot had started, it was only “being tested internally, primarily amongst Service NSW staff” and external participants will be invited to join the pilot in the coming days.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet fast-tracked multiple aspects of the statewide three-stage plan yesterday, with the number of fully vaccinated people allowed at household gatherings, weddings and funerals in NSW on Monday to be double what was initially promised. Indoor swimming pools are also set to open and pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will be allowed to reopen to fully vaccinated customers as promised.
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2021-10-07 22:00:42Z
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