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The day in review
By Michaela Whitbourn and Broede Carmody
Good evening and thank you for reading our live coverage of the day’s events. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you need to know.
Tim Paine has quit as Australian Test captain following media reporting on a historical Cricket Australia investigation into sexting allegations against him. Cricket Australia investigated sexually explicit texts and an image Paine sent a female Cricket Tasmania employee before the 2017/18 Ashes series. “At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation ... which I fully participated in and openly participated in,” Paine said today as he announced he was stepping down as captain. “That investigation and a Cricket Tasmania HR investigation at the same time found that there had been no breach of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct. Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time and still do today.”
Tim Paine has resigned as Australian Test captain.Credit:Nine News
- Paine described the messages today as “a text exchange with a then-colleague”. “On reflection, my actions in 2017 do not meet the standard of an Australian cricket captain, or the wider community,” Paine said. “I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. I’m sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport.”
- An emotional Paine said he would “remain a committed member of the Australian cricket team, and look forward with anticipation to what is a huge Ashes to us”. He said that “I spoke to my wife and family at the time [of the investigation] and am enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support. We thought this incident was behind us and that I could focus entirely on the team, as I have done for the last three or four years. However, I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public.”
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall.Credit:Getty
- South Australia’s borders will reopen to the fully vaccinated from Tuesday next week, as long as travellers are coming from areas with vaccination rates higher than 80 per cent. By SA’s count, that means people from every NSW and Victorian local government area except Byron Bay. However, people from coronavirus hot spots (that is, Victoria, NSW and the ACT) will need to have a coronavirus test 72 hours before travelling into the state and must undergo a daily symptoms check via a mobile app. In addition, those from local government areas with vaccination rates between 80 and 90 per cent double-dose will need to get a second coronavirus test within 24 hours of arriving in SA, a third test on day six, and a fourth on day 13.
- A raft of coronavirus restrictions eased in Victoria from 11.59pm last night. Kate Rose has prepared this handy guide to the new rules in Victoria. It is important to note that you must be fully vaccinated to attend a number of venues in the state, including pubs, bars and restaurants if you are eating or drinking on the premises, and personal and beauty services, such as hairdressers or waxing salons.
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced changes to Victoria’s COVID-19 restrictions yesterday.Credit:Scott McNaughton
Victoria has recorded 1273 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths. That’s up from yesterday’s total of 1007 cases. There are 330 coronavirus patients in Victorian hospitals. Of those, 57 active cases are in intensive care. Thirty people are on a ventilator. On the vaccination front, 88 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and up are fully vaccinated against the virus.
The former foster-mother of William Tyrrell leaves her home in Sydney on Thursday.Credit:Kate Geraghty
- NSW Police are continuing their search for the remains of William Tyrrell, who disappeared aged three from his foster-grandmother’s home in the Mid North Coast town of Kendall in 2014. Police have indicated that William’s former foster-mother is the sole person of interest in the matter, but William’s remains have not been found to date and no charges have been laid. Sally Rawsthorne reports that police have today turned their attention to a local creek in Kendall and have sent a scrap of blue fabric for testing. Read more here.
- Natassia Chrysanthos reports that NSW has recorded 216 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths, including unvaccinated men in their 50s and 60s. The third death was an Albury man in his 80s who had received one vaccine dose. There are 196 people in the state’s hospitals with the virus, 28 of whom require intensive care. Of the state’s population aged 16 and over, 91.5 per cent of people are fully vaccinated and 94.3 per cent have had one dose. In the 12- to 15-year-old age group, 74.6 per cent of people are fully vaccinated and 80.8 per cent have had their first dose.
NSW Health’s sewage surveillance program has also detected virus fragments in Denman, West Wyalong and Coonabarabran, where there are currently no known or recent cases. Forty coronavirus cases were recorded in the Hunter New England local health district. There were 38 cases in south-west Sydney, 32 in western Sydney, 21 in south-eastern Sydney, 11 in northern Sydney and 25 in the Sydney local health district. Murrumbidgee local health district recorded 13 cases, western NSW recorded 10 cases and there were nine cases in the Nepean Blue Mountains district. There were a handful of new cases in the Central Coast, southern NSW, northern NSW, the Mid North Coast and Illawarra Shoalhaven region.
The Northern Territory’s Chief Minister Michael GunnerCredit:Alex Ellinghausen
A cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Northern Territory has increased by two, after zero cases were recorded yesterday. The new cases are a 33-year-old fully vaccinated health worker who was a contact of an existing case and a 59-year-old Aboriginal woman. It brings the total number of locally acquired cases in this cluster to 21. A further two active cases were acquired interstate and two active cases in the Top End were acquired overseas (a total of 25 cases).
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Credit:Matt Dennien
Queensland has recorded another day of no new community cases of COVID-19 ahead of another weekend vaccination push, Stuart Layt reports. Of the state’s population aged 16 and up, 72.09 per cent are fully vaccinated and 83.62 per cent have received a first dose. The state is preparing to administer more vaccine doses at pop-up clinics over the weekend as part of a push to get the state to the 80 per cent double-dose milestone. At this point, travellers will be allowed in from other parts of Australia without having to quarantine. Travellers will still have to be fully vaccinated themselves, and will have to have a negative COVID-19 test.
There are three people in hospital in the ACT with COVID-19.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The ACT has recorded 17 new cases of COVID-19 and three people are in hospital. Of the three people hospitalised with the virus, one is in intensive care and on a ventilator. There have been no further deaths. Vaccination rates continue to rise: 97 per cent of Canberrans aged 12 and up are now fully vaccinated against the virus.
New Zealand Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern.Credit:AP
New Zealand has recorded 198 new cases of COVID-19, but no further deaths. “There are 76 cases in hospital,” NZ’s Ministry of Health said. “Of these, six are in an intensive care or high dependency unit. “Of the 6,532 cases in the current outbreak, 89% (5,839) are not fully immunised. Of the 365 hospitalised cases in the current outbreak, 95% (347) are not fully immunised.” To date, 82 per cent of the New Zealand population has been fully vaccinated against the virus while 91 per cent are partially vaccinated.
We’ll have more live coverage for you from Monday.
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Victorian MP disputes claim his daughter started violent altercation
By Marta Pascual Juanola
Victorian MP Andy Meddick, whose daughter was allegedly assaulted overnight in Fitzroy, has disputed a statement of what happened issued by police.
Mr Meddick, one of three crossbenchers who negotiated the proposed pandemic bill with the Andrews government, said claims his daughter started the altercation were untrue.
Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne, Mr Meddick said Kielan had been struggling to deal with the threats and abuse directed at his family as a result of the heated bill debate.
Andy Meddick of the Animal Justice party.
She had gone for a walk to clear her head last night when she stumbled upon an anti-COVID vaccination sign and decided to cover it with spray paint, he said.
Mr Meddick said she was approached from behind by a stranger who started hurling abuse at her. When the stranger started to chase her she threw the spray can at them.
“Any single person who has been chased and fears for their life and they’ve got something in their hands, they’re going to throw it back which is exactly what Kielan did,” Mr Meddick said.
“The person has picked it up, gotten closer and thrown it at force into the back of her head.”
Mr Meddick said just days earlier a recent image of him and his daughter had been widely distributed on Twitter alongside disparaging comments about Kielan, prompting her to believe she had been targeted.
He said Keilan was struggling to deal with the aftermath of the assault and had been left distraught.
Under the proposed pandemic legislation, the Victorian premier and health minister of the day would be responsible for declaring a pandemic and issuing health orders, not the chief health officer (as is currently the case in Victoria).
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has said the legislation would be an improvement, and more transparent, than existing state-of-emergency laws in place in other jurisdictions such as NSW. Others have concerns that the bill gives too much power to politicians.
Police find blue fabric and pump creek in hunt for William Tyrrell’s remains
By Sally Rawsthorne
NSW Police hunting for evidence in the search for missing boy William Tyrrell’s remains have sent a square of blue material for testing.
While scouring bushland around a kilometre from the Mid North Coast home from where the little boy vanished in 2014, officers found a small piece of fabric in the area that police have been searching since Monday.
Police pump the creek on the fifth day of the searchCredit:NSW Police Media
The fabric was placed in an evidence bag and sent for forensic testing, which is likely to take several weeks.
The latest search for William began this week as police investigate the boy’s foster-mother as the sole person of interest in the matter.
William disappeared aged three from his foster-grandmother’s home in Kendall. Nobody has been charged to date over his disappearance.
Police on Friday were pumping water from a nearby creek, despite inclement weather in Kendall that threatens to halt the search in the coming days.
If William’s body had been in that area, hydrologist Professor Jon Olley has concluded that his remains – either bones or a scrap of clothing – could have only washed into a nearby tributary on private land.
Staff shortages at major retailers worsen ahead of Christmas
By Dominic Powell
Staff shortages at some of Australia’s largest retailers could threaten trade over the festive season as a dearth of travellers and international students puts pressure on Australia’s labour market.
Major businesses including Kmart, Officeworks, Kathmandu and Adairs have all admitted they are stretching to fill positions both in-store and in warehouses, with thousands of positions still unfilled just weeks away from the all-important Christmas period.
Kmart is one of the retailers who has said it is struggling to find enough staff to work over Christmas.Credit:James Davies
A spokesperson for Kmart confirmed to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the chain was, for the first time, short on staff coming into Christmas. The business has opened 73 new sites in the country since last year and is seeking more than 5000 casual staff to run them.
“This year we have had challenges filling casual Christmas roles in our stores. We still have over 2500 positions in 179 of our stores that we are looking to fill in the next three weeks,” the spokesperson said.
Similarly, Alex Staley, Officeworks’ general manager of people, said the hiring market was currently challenging, and while the office supplies seller wasn’t dramatically short on staff, it was feeling the pressure.
Commonwealth delivers millions to states for quarantine facilities
By Katina Curtis
The Commonwealth has handed over $218 million combined to Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland to get work started on their dedicated quarantine facilities.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham issued a statement on Friday evening that he had approved the release of the funding “to support construction of Centres for National Resilience in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth” from the pool of money he can advance funding from for pandemic-related needs.
The money will be used to meet early-stage contractual milestone payments for the construction.
The federal government is funding 1000-bed purpose-built quarantine centres at Mickleham in Victoria, Bullsbrook in WA, and Pinkenba in Queensland.
Most Australian states likely to ditch QR codes in the future: infectious diseases expert
By Marta Pascual Juanola
University of NSW infectious diseases expert Holly Seale says most Australian jurisdictions will likely ditch QR codes to track COVID-19 cases as the country moves into a new management phase of the pandemic.
NSW has already indicated it will abandon mandatory QR check-ins in low-risk venues such as shopping centres and cafes in coming weeks if coronavirus cases continue to fall.
Associate professor Seal said it was becoming harder to justify the use of the check-in system to the public as states achieved high vaccination rates.
“I think we’ll all shift into the next phase and I think that certainly will be around moving away from a QR system to focusing more on continuing to promote vaccination,” she told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
“I’ve been hearing about a little bit of anger and frustration about having to show this ID every time you go to different venues and so without some clear communication around why we are still doing it, people are going to stop wanting to be as active about showing the ID.”
Associate professor Seal said the next challenge would be to find a way to track COVID-19 infections once international borders fully reopened to overseas travellers next year.
NSW woman avoids jail after hiding in truck to avoid WA border rules
By Hamish Hastie
A 52-year-old NSW woman who hid in a truck to cross the Western Australian border has avoided jail time after being handed a suspended sentence.
The woman was charged with three counts of failing to comply with a direction after she concealed herself in the cabin of a truck being driven across the Eucla border from NSW on November 3.
WA Police said the woman did not declare her presence in the state to police.Credit:Justin Rake
WA Police said the woman did not declare her presence in WA to police, did not have an approved G2G pass and would not have met the strict criteria needed to enter the state, which was deemed ‘extreme risk’ at the time.
The woman received two months’ prison, suspended for 12 months.
Another man who travelled from Queensland to WA in September and breached self-quarantine directions has been fined $4000.
The 29-year-old man was charged with three counts of failing to comply with a direction after police found he breached his quarantine requirements several times.
Police said the man failed to present for his 48-hour test and travelled from his quarantine address in Derby in the state’s north-west to Broome and Geraldton.
New Zealand records 198 new cases of COVID-19
By Michaela Whitbourn
New Zealand has recorded 198 new cases of COVID-19, but no further deaths.
“There are 76 cases in hospital,” NZ’s Ministry of Health said. “Of these, six are in an intensive care or high dependency unit.
“Of the 6,532 cases in the current outbreak, 89% (5,839) are not fully immunised. Of the 365 hospitalised cases in the current outbreak, 95% (347) are not fully immunised.”
To date, 82 per cent of the New Zealand population has been fully vaccinated against the virus while 91 per cent are partially vaccinated.
At least 15 cases of foodborne illness in NSW linked to SA oysters
By Sarah McPhee
An outbreak of bacterial infections in NSW, commonly resulting in gastro, has been linked to the consumption of raw Pacific oysters from Coffin Bay in South Australia.
In a public health alert issued this afternoon, NSW Health said it was aware of at least 15 people who have been diagnosed with Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in the state this month.
The oyster production areas of Coffin Bay were closed by South Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions earlier this week as a precautionary measure, due to a “recent rise in Vibrio parahaemolyticus cases”.
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacteria naturally present in coastal and estuarine waters. Foodborne illness caused by the bacterium has been linked to fish, raw and partially cooked shellfish and crustaceans.
Symptoms of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection include abdominal cramps, watery and occasionally bloody diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, fever and/or headache, and usually occur within 24 hours of eating contaminated food.
“Most people recover with rest and fluids and symptoms are mild to moderate lasting around three days, but can be up to 12 days. Some people may require hospitalisation, especially in people with immunosuppression, such as those receiving cancer treatment,” NSW Health said.
SA Health last Friday said it had been notified of 36 cases since September 2021, compared to none the previous year and eight cases in 2019.
FSANZ said in addition to SA and NSW, cases had been detected in Queensland, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and people had reported consuming raw Pacific oysters that were fresh or previously frozen.
“Trace back activities have identified oyster production areas in Coffin Bay as the source of the oysters consumed by the cases. The cause of the contamination is still under investigation,” the statutory authority said.
Keira Glasgow, an epidemiologist and the acting director of NSW Health’s enteric - relating to the intestines - investigation branch urged people across NSW to stop consuming oysters from the region at this time.
“The best way to prevent the infection at this moment is to not consume Pacific oysters from the Coffin Bay region of South Australia, until the cause is identified and controlled,” she said.
NSW oysters are not involved in the current outbreak and the state’s health department said they can continue to be consumed with confidence.
Tim Paine says Cricket Australia investigation exonerated him
By Michaela Whitbourn
Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine says he was exonerated by an investigation by Cricket Australia into sexting allegations involving a former female colleague at Cricket Tasmania in 2017, but he deeply regrets the incident.
“Nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then colleague. At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation ... which I fully participated in and openly participated in.
“That investigation and a Cricket Tasmania HR investigation at the same time found that there had been no breach of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct. Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time and still do today.”
Paine said he was “deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. I’m sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport.
“And I believe that it is the right decision for me to stand down as captain, effective immediately. I do not want this to become an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes Series.”
An emotional Paine said he would “remain a committed member of the Australian cricket team, and look forward with anticipation to what is a huge Ashes to us”.
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2021-11-19 07:21:00Z
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