It's been two weeks since National Cabinet last met to discuss how Australia has been navigating the coronavirus pandemic.
A lot has happened in that time. Restrictions have eased, recoveries have increased, clusters have emerged and, sadly, more Australians have died from COVID-19.
So, there was no doubt going to be plenty of discussion and decisions made.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy provided an update on what is next in Australia's recovery process.
Missed the press conference? Here's a breakdown of the key points.
'COAG is no more'
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has been meeting since 1992.
Today, the Prime Minister announced it would be scrapped and replaced by the National Cabinet.
Mr Morrison said the new format would promote more regular and simplified communication between state and territory leaders.
"We want to streamline those endless meetings so we can bring it back to one focus: creating jobs out of the back of this crisis," Mr Morrison said.
"We think that will ensure Australians get better government, more focused government, at a state and federal level."
The PM said the new National Cabinet system will have a "job-making agenda" with a series of subcommittees focusing on certain areas.
"The National Cabinet will continue to work with a laser-like mission focus on creating jobs as we come out of the COVID crisis and we work into the years into the future," he said.
"Important task forces will continue that previously worked to COAG in important national agenda issues.
"The final details of which ministerial groups are set in this area, as I said, the consolidation that takes place in the other areas, that will come in time. But we've agreed on the new structure."
The National Cabinet will continue to meet fortnightly during the coronavirus response period and will meet monthly after that. But it will not necessarily be face-to-face, with the PM citing the success of tele-meetings so far.
"When these groups get together, there's a lot of theatre, a lot of people in the room," he said.
"That can, I think, restrict the genuine reform discussions that you have to have.
"Having the groups operate like a fair-dinkum cabinet has been really important."
The National Cabinet is expected to meet in person twice a year.
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Millions committed to hospitals
The National Cabinet also committed more funding to hospitals and healthcare workers.
Mr Morrison said it agreed to a multi-billion-dollar five-year national health reform agreement.
The Commonwealth will invest an estimated $131.4 billion for a "demand-driven public hospital funding model" aimed at improving health outcomes for Australians and ensuring the sustainability of health systems.
"All states and territories have now signed on to that agreement as of today," Mr Morrison said.
"There is also, as part of our agreement, a funding guarantee to all states and territories to ensure no jurisdiction is left worse off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and guarantees the Commonwealth's funding contribution for public hospitals over the next five years."
Restrictions have been tough but essential
While the pandemic has hurt many people and businesses economically, Mr Morrison said the government had been justified in imposing tough restrictions.
He said that the National Cabinet's three-step plan to balance the health and economic impacts of the pandemic was working.
"The risk remains great, and always has been," he said.
"Australia's success can lead some to think that perhaps the risk was never there in the first place, but that is not true.
"We only need to look at countries as sophisticated as ours, as developed as ours, with health systems as strong as ours, who have death rates 100 times of what has occurred in Australia.
"So, we would be foolish to think that we were immune or that we are immune."
With fewer than 500 active cases in Australia at the moment and only two people are on ventilators, and Mr Morrison said there was no expectation to get down to zero cases before things started reopening.
"Eradication? Elimination? These are not the goals that we have," he said.
"If it's achieved as a by-product, then well and good.
"But the fact that a case or a group of cases may present is not something that should restrict moving ahead and getting progress on implementing the three-step plan, and bringing Australia's economy back to a COVID-safe environment in which jobs can be restored and livelihoods can be restored."
State border closures aren't up to the Federal Government
Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia all have various border restrictions in place for non-essential travellers.
The Prime Minister said National Cabinet had a "very candid discussion" about border closures at today's meeting.
He said National Cabinet never made the decision to implement state border closures, but interstate travel was not expected to be on the cards until July anyway.
"We don't agree on everything. No-one does. It would be a bit weird if they did in a democracy," Mr Morrison said.
"We have to bear in mind that in the vast majority of cases, the states and territories have worked very well with the Commonwealth on these issues and I remain optimistic common sense will prevail on the timetable National Cabinet has set out."
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Still unsure on face masks?
Professor Murphy said broadly, the advice had not changed and people do not have to wear a mask.
But there was no reason you cannot wear one, particularly if you need to travel on public transport.
"The [Australian Health Protection Principal Committee] has recognised in a public transport situation people may choose to wear masks when up close to other people," he said.
"We recognise that is not an unreasonable thing to do.
"We are not recommending [masks] in the community because of low transmission but we warn that's not a complete protection."
Professor Murphy said as restrictions ease, it was crucial that Australians were still careful.
"If I can make one plea to everybody as we get back to normal life, just remember the simple principles, please keep practising the social distancing," he said.
"Please get tested if you are unwell and stay home and practice the hygiene and distancing measures we talked about."
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2020-05-29 09:14:32Z
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