During a television interview today, Mr Dutton labelled his Labor shadow Senator Kristina Keneally “unhinged” and a “failed premier”.
Meanwhile, aged care facility Newmarch House in Sydney has recorded another death involving a resident who contracted coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 12.
Anglicare, which operates the facility, has defended its handling of the crisis, as loved ones of residents locked down inside maintain a vigil at the front gate.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison this morning said the country is “not too far” from restrictions being relaxed, saying downloading the COVIDsafe app is Australia’s “ticket” to more feeedom.
“I would ask for millions and millions and millions more to download the app,” the Prime Minister said. “This is an important protection for a COVIDsafe Australia.
“I would liken it to the fact that if you want to go outside when the sun is shining, you have to put sunscreen on. This is the same thing.”
READ MORE: Follow the latest virus news
Australia has now recorded 6745 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 3016 in New South Wales, 1354 in Victoria, 1034 in Queensland, 438 in South Australia, 551 in Western Australia, 218 in Tasmania, 106 in the Australian Capital Territory and 28 in the Northern Territory.
A total of 90 deaths have been recorded nationally.
Live Updates
Labor's spokeswoman for Home Affairs, Senator Kristina Keneally, has responded to Peter Dutton's explosive attack.
A childcare centre in Melbourne will shut down for the rest of the week after recording a presumed positive case of coronavirus.
The Learning Sanctuary in the suburb of Yarraville sent a text message to parents earlier this afternoon asking them to “urgently arrange” to collect their children.
"While we apologise for any inconvenience, the safety of our children, families and team members continues to remain our number one priority," the centre said.
Extensive cleaning of the facility will now take place while managers await the final result of the presumed positive test.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has launched an extraordinary attack on his Labor counterpart, describing her as “unhinged”.
Senator Kristina Keneally, Labor’s spokeswoman on Home Affairs, has been highly critical of the Ruby Princess debacle, in which more than 2000 cruise ship passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney and spread coronavirus throughout Australia.
Questions have been raised about why none of the passengers were quarantined but allowed to freely move about.
An inquiry is now under way and New South Wales Police are investigating. Hundreds of cases of coronavirus are linked to the shop, as well as more than 20 deaths.
Mr Dutton was on ABC News this afternoon and asked about Senator Keneally’s claim that there are “too many cooks in the kitchen” when it comes to border controls.
“Kristina Keneally was a New South Wales premier – a failed premier, but a premier at one point,” Mr Dutton began.
“She never saw fit to change any of these arrangements – they are long-standing arrangements.
“Kristina Keneally's frankly unhinged attacks on the Border Force uniformed officers have been quite remarkable and regrettable.”
Rather than Australian Border Force, Mr Dutton seemed to indicate sole responsibility for the debacle rested with NSW Health.
“I think an individual or others have made a mistake here in New South Wales Health… and it has been well documented, it was a decision that relied on information from the ship.
“All that is under investigation at the moment.”
Mr Dutton accused Senator Keneally of having an “obsession with Border Force”.
“We don't employ doctors and nurses in Australian Border Force.
"Our officers who work at the frontline, the people they see when they come and go from our international airports or if they are coming on or off a cruise ship, they are officers that are looking for those people that shouldn't be in our country because of criminal histories, because they are terrorists because they have a forged document – that is their role.
“We are happy to look at sensible proposals, but at the moment this sort of unhinged attacks by Kristina Keneally, I just don't think help anybody at all, let alone the officers of the Australian Border Force or frankly the great work that New South Wales Health does under enormous pressure in this current environment.”
Senator Keneally has raised numerous and repeated questions about Border Force’s involvement in the Ruby Princess matter but hasn’t specifically attacked individual officers.
But Mr Dutton insisted she had by criticising the agency as a whole.
“(Her attack) is on individuals because individuals have made those decisions and her attacks on individuals are completely inappropriate.”
In tragic news, another resident at Newmarch House in Sydney has died from coronavirus.
The embattled aged care facility in Caddens in the city's west is at the centre of a serious COVID-19 outbreak, with almost 60 residents and staff testing positive.
Another person died today, Anglicare, the home's operator, has confirmed. It brings the death toll to 12.
"This is a terrible situation and a challenge for us, our staff, but especially for our residents and their families," Anglicare said.
Fresh from securing half-a-million coronavirus testing kits from a business contact in China, billionaire mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has weight in on the diplomat brawl that’s brewing.
Australia’s push for an independent international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 and China’s handling of the pandemic have created unease with Beijing.
That, coupled with US President Donald Trump’s criticism of China and the World Health Organisation have eroded Canberra’s relationship with the Asian superpower.
In an interview with ABC News, Mr Forrest said he understood the push for an inquiry and was confident that “China will absolutely be open and transparent about this, when it does come”.
But he believes the inquiry should be delayed so it’s not seen as being politically motivated.
“I say this – holding the inquiry while we’re in the middle of a COVID-19 crisis, one of the worst crises many countries have seen since World War II, (could) become a political football,” Mr Forrest said.
“I’d hold it after the US election. There’s people camped up in the White House and people who would like to move into the White House. (The Trump Administration) would like to stay there but they shouldn’t use COVID-19 to keep them there.”
Mr Forrest also revealed that he has received an official exemption that means he doesn’t have to enter mandatory quarantine for 14 days while travelling.
“I very much intend to stay at home for 14 days regardless. I miss the place. But, no, I'm characterised as an essential health worker.
“We've been able to fly in to Australia and commission what is probably, on a per capita basis, putting Australia in the most advanced place it possibly can be.
“If you don't have a vaccine, your only other scientific way out of a pandemic is to test. Australia can now test and that's why we've been moving around the country with an expert team making sure it happens.”
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly is speaking to the media in Canberra and has revealed that May 11 is the day when social distancing restrictions will be reconsidered.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke about the road back from the unprecedented lockdown measures and encouraged Australians to remain patient, vigilant and disciplined.
Professor Kelly echoed that advice and said three things need to be achieved before that May 11 deadline – more testing, sustained low numbers of new cases and the capability to deal with outbreaks.
On testing, that effort received a significant boost today thanks to billionaire mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, whose charitable foundation purchased 500,000 new test kits.
“We're on a countdown to lifting some of those restrictions and so that laboratory testing component of the case finding ability will be a very important precedent to be able to lift those restrictions,” Professor Kelly said.
“As will indeed the low case numbers, as we're continuing to see, with under 20 again in the last 24 hours.”
And on the COVIDsafe app, which will dramatically expand contact tracing efforts, Professor Kelly said 10 per cent of people have now downloaded it.
Mr Morrison’s benchmark for uptake of the app is 40 per cent, so still a way to go.
The operators of a Sydney aged care home at the centre of a serious coronavirus outbreak is bracing for more deaths.
Four elderly residents of Newmarch House in Caddens in the city’s west died yesterday after contracting COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 11.
The facility, owned by Anglicare, is battling to control an outbreak of the virus, with almost 60 staff and residents testing positive.
“We were warned on the weekend to expect a number of very difficult days this week, with residents passing, so we do anticipate more deaths,” Grant Millard, Anglicare Sydney chief executive officer, told ABC news.
Loved ones of those stuck inside the locked-down facility are furious.
Many are maintaining a vigil outside the property, unable to see their relatives in person, amid an increasingly horrific situation.
Anthony Bowe’s mother is a Newmarch House resident and slammed Anglicare’s handling of the crisis.
Mr Bowe told Channel 9 that he had had “no contact” with operators and holds serious fears about that the quality of care being offered to his mum.
"There's been no opportunity for us to plan throughout the stages," Mr Bowe said.
"At the moment it's pretty much, wait until they've got an hour to live and then we'll give you a call. The lack of urgency has just been breathtaking.”
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government is working closely with state health authorities.
“This has been, as we have always warned, an example that aged care facilities and the frail aged are our most vulnerable Australians,” Mr Hunt said.
“In all of our expectations, we had feared that because of the silent nature of the virus it could creep through into numerous aged care homes.
“As it is, we've had two significant outbreaks, which is so far below our best-case expectation that I say a prayer of thanks virtually every day. But each one of these is, nevertheless, an agonising outbreak, and for the families involved.”
The outbreak at Newmarch House began when a sick employee worked for six days while unknowingly infected with coronavirus.
The majority of current cases relate to elderly residents.
Anglicare has defended its response, with Mr Mallard insisting loved ones are being regularly updated.
“Since the outbreak on Easter Sunday, we have made sure to send daily emails to families of our residents at Newmarch House. “And for every one of our residents who are sadly COVID-19 positive, we are in regular phone contact, at least once a day, with that resident’s designated representative – the person responsible.”
West Australian Health Minister Roger Cook has confirmed one new case of coronavirus in the state in the past day.
A 13-year-old Perth girl who had travelled overseas was diagnosed with COVID-19, Mr Cook told reporters.
“There were five more recoveries overnight, so 500 people have now recovered in total, leaving us with just 43 active cases,” Mr Cook said.
Health authorities have to date conducted almost 36,000 tests, he said.
This morning, a flight from Johannesburg touched down in Perth with 256 Australians on board.
Those people underwent health checks and are now being transported to either Rottnest Island or a city hotel for mandatory quarantine for the next 14 days.
“Rottnest is the preferred location for these passengers to isolate as we understand that many of them are young families that were on the flight and obviously that's a better location for them than small hotel rooms,” Mr Cook said.
“Any passengers presenting with complex health needs or those who are unwell will go to the (city hotel) to ensure they are close to appropriate medical facilities should they need it.
“No passengers will be permitted to return home or take an onward journey without police exemption.”
Calls to mental health, domestic violence and crisis hotlines have increased in Australia by tens of thousands during the coronavirus pandemic with reports some people are “not feeling safe” in their homes.
The Federal Government is also concerned the number of people accessing Medicare-funded mental health services such as psychologists and psychiatrists has declined.
Christine Morgan, National Mental Health Commission chief executive and national suicide prevention adviser to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, announced the impacts at a press conference in Canberra today, noting the vast majority of people have found themselves in a “pressure cooker” situation.
She pointed to graphs showing a rise in answered phone calls and online chat conversations to Beyond Blue throughout March when COVID-19 lockdown measures and significant job losses were announced.
Ms Morgan said it was a 40 per cent increase in contact made to the anxiety, depression and suicide prevention organisation compared this time last year.
“What we are seeing with respect to those calls is an increase in the distress levels and an increase in the anxiety levels and in the complexity of what people are feeling,” she said.
There have been no new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the ACT in the past 24 hours. The ACT’s total is still 106.
A total of 101 cases have recovered from COVID-19 and have been released from self-isolation.
There are currently no COVID-19 patients in Canberra hospitals.
The ACT has recorded three deaths.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS93b3JsZC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy9hdXN0cmFsaWEvY29yb25hdmlydXMtYXVzdHJhbGlhLWxpdmUtdXBkYXRlcy9saXZlLWNvdmVyYWdlLzE1NTllZmJmZTVlMDQxMTQ0ZWQzOTU5ZTRjMThjY2I10gGJAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3MuY29tLmF1L3dvcmxkL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzL2F1c3RyYWxpYS9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1hdXN0cmFsaWEtbGl2ZS11cGRhdGVzL2xpdmUtY292ZXJhZ2UvMTU1OWVmYmZlNWUwNDExNDRlZDM5NTllNGMxOGNjYjUvYW1w?oc=5
2020-04-29 07:27:55Z
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