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Perth stripped of fifth Ashes Test
By Michaela Whitbourn
Cricket Australia has confirmed that Perth will be stripped of the fifth Ashes Test in mid-January owing to border restrictions in Western Australia.
Daniel Brettig, chief cricket writer at The Age, foreshadowed the decision earlier today. Read his breaking story on Cricket Australia’s announcement here.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said: “We did everything we could in partnership with the WA Government and WA Cricket to make it work under the current border and health arrangements, but unfortunately this was not possible.
“We are particularly disappointed for Western Australian cricket fans who were so looking forward to seeing the first ever Ashes Test at the new stadium.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the WA Government, Perth Stadium and WA Cricket to hold upcoming BBL matches and the ... [One Day International Australia] v New Zealand in Perth and thank them for their continued support.”
WA Premier Mark McGowan has said the state’s borders will remain largely shut until 90 per cent of residents aged 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which is not expected to happen until late January or early February.
New Zealand records 135 new cases of COVID-19
By Michaela Whitbourn
New Zealand has recorded 135 new cases of COVID-19, including 125 in Auckland.
“There are 76 cases in hospital. Of these, seven are in an intensive care or high dependency unit,” NZ’s Ministry of Health said.
“Of the 475 hospitalised cases in the current outbreak, 93% (443) are not fully immunised.
“For the purposes of this data, fully immunised means they received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 7 days before being reported as a case.”
US to announce diplomatic boycott on Beijing Winter Olympics
By Matthew Knott and Eryk Bagshaw
The Biden administration is expected to announce a US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games this week, a move that will anger the Chinese government and increase the pressure on democracies such as Australia to implement similar boycotts.
Multiple US media outlets, including CNN, reported that the White House is preparing to announce that no American officials will attend the Games next year to protest against human rights violations in China.
President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to announce a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics this week.Credit:AP
A diplomatic boycott is seen as a compromise position that allows nations to send a message to China while still allowing their athletes to compete in the Games.
Biden confirmed last month that his administration was considering a diplomatic boycott, a move also being weighed up by the Australian government. “We’re considering those matters at the moment and working through those issues,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.
Listen: Federal budget claws back $8 billion – but there’s a catch
By Bianca Hall
A surge in income and company tax collection, as well as lower-than-expected unemployment rates, are helping the federal budget recover from the COVID-19 recession.
New Finance Department data shows the budget deficit to the end of October was $7.9 billion better than forecast.
But the budget is still on track to show a deficit between $80 billion and $90 billion, meaning whoever wins the coming federal election will also inherit some tough budget repair decisions.
It comes as Labor officially kick-started its election campaign on the weekend, releasing key policies on TAFE and renewable energy, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison campaigned at breakneck speed at the Bathurst 1000.
Today on our podcast, Please Explain, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright joins Bianca Hall to discuss how the budget bottom line could influence the looming election.
Queensland brings forward border reopening to 1am on Monday, December 13
By Stuart Layt
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the state will reopen to fully vaccinated travellers at 1am on Monday next week without the need for quarantine.
Under Queensland’s road map to reopening the state, borders were set to reopen when 80 per cent of residents aged 16 and up were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or on December 17, whichever was earlier.
Ms Palaszczuk said that milestone would be reached this week, with the state sitting at a 78.67 full vaccination rate. Just over 87 per cent of residents had received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Credit:Matt Dennien
“We can’t predict exactly when [the 80 per cent milestone will be reached], but we know it’s going to be this week,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“We will be bringing forward the opening date of our borders from December 17 to 1am Monday the 13th.
“Queensland borders will reopen, especially to those hot spots of NSW and Victoria and ACT. So, fully vaccinated travellers from interstate hot spots can arrive by road or air. We do expect it to be very busy.
“You must have a negative COVID test in the previous 72 hours. So, please, you’ve got this date now so you can go and start organising that test. No quarantine is required if you are fully vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must arrive by air only and hotel quarantine for 14 days.
“There are two important changes I just want to mention. First is that you will no longer have to wait the two weeks after your second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. The national guidelines say one week is enough. So, we will adopt the national guidelines.
“And secondly, all arrivals from domestic hot spots must get another COVID test on day 5 when they get here. And there’ll be penalties applying if you don’t do that.”
There were no new community cases of COVID-19 recorded in the state on Monday, with three cases in hotel quarantine, two from interstate, and one from overseas.
Watch: Queensland Premier provides update on border reopening
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk provided an update on the state’s border and vaccination rates at about 2pm AEDT (3pm in Sydney and Melbourne).
You can watch the playback clip here.
Major disruptions to buses in Sydney’s inner west ahead of train driver, teacher strikes
By Sarah McPhee
Rolling strike action in NSW will reach a crescendo on Tuesday when bus drivers in parts of Sydney, train drivers across the state and teachers all walk off the job.
Inner west commuters faced major disruption on Monday as 60 bus routes were impacted by 24-hour industrial action taken by around 1200 drivers and members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and Transport Workers’ Union NSW.
Union member bus drivers stopped work for 24 hours in Sydney’s inner west region on Monday, with a further strike in the south-west on Tuesday. Credit:Dean Sewell
Inner west light rail replacement bus services, in lieu of the fleet of decommissioned cracked trams, were not impacted.
Similar action will follow on Tuesday with a 24-hour strike by about 300 drivers in south-west Sydney, at the Smithfield and West Hoxton depots in region three of the network.
Putin hopes WHO will approve Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine soon
By Marta Pascual Juanola
Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will receive World Health Organisation approval soon, opening the doors to free travel to about 200 million people immunised with the jab.
During a video call on Sunday with Francesco Rocca, the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Putin said the move was essential to boost global supply, particularly to countries in need.
Russian President Vladimir Putin.Credit:AP
“We intend to expand such assistance,” Putin said.
The WHO has been reviewing data about Sputnik V as part of its approval process, paving the way for the jab to be included into the COVAX program, which delivers COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world based on need.
Putin’s comments come after Russia faced its deadliest and largest coronavirus surge in recent months, which saw infections and deaths climb to new heights. More than 281,000 people have succumbed to the virus in the country to date, the largest death toll in Europe.
Russia was the first country in the world to authorise a coronavirus vaccine, launching Sputnik V in August 2020, but uptake has been slow.
Putin has remained adamant vaccinations should remain voluntary, and on Sunday said health authorities were using “persuasion and not pressure” to promote their uptake.
They were also dispelling “prejudices and myths driving the aversion to vaccination” he said.
Putin himself was immunised with Sputnik V in autumn, and last month received a booster shot of Sputnik Light and an experimental nasal version of the vaccine.
The Gamaleya Institute, the developer of the vaccine, has announced it will immediately start working on adapting the shot to counter the new Omicron strain of the virus, adding current versions of the jab should still offer protection against the variant.
The vaccine woes come at a politically challenging time for Putin, marred by low approval ratings and growing tension at the Ukraine border.
Russia is planning to station 175,000 troops near Ukraine by early next year, sparking fear amid Western officials it could be a prelude to an invasion.
With AP
Retailers brace for spike in abuse from customers during festive season
By Marta Pascual Juanola
The retail industry is bracing for a spike in violent behaviour from customers towards staff this festive season, as employees are confronted with the reality of enforcing COVID rules.
A recent survey by the retail workers’ union found 59 per cent of frontline staff experienced some form of violence during the pandemic, with young workers, women and people from non-English speaking backgrounds bearing the brunt of the abuse.
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association national secretary Jared Dwyer said employees had been followed after work and had objects thrown at them by angry customers. They were worried the number of violent incidents was on the rise as more customers flocked to the shops for Christmas.
“The levels of customer abuse are unsatisfactory to begin with, but then when you put the pressures of the pandemic over the top, in every jurisdiction with which we surveyed, we saw an increase in customer abuse,” he told ABC’s RN Breakfast today.
“We just need to do better. We are trying to ensure that the community understands that retail workers are there to do their job.”
Mr Dwyer said the enforcement of vaccine mandates had led to an increase in abuse and added it was unfair to put the onus of enforcing the rules on retail workers.
“It is actually not the retail workers job to enforce those public health guidelines. Those requirements are in place and have been put in place by government and health authorities. They are not there to be enforced by shop assistants.” he said.
The increase in violent incidents comes after Melbourne’s Dymocks bookstore was forced to hire security guards to guard its main entrance after three employees were attacked in one day by customers refusing to follow Victoria’s COVID-19 rules.
Security camera footage of one of the incidents captured the moment a shopper who allegedly refused to check into the shop using a QR code pushed an employee who had been checking customers’ vaccination status down an escalator, causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness.
In a separate incident caught on CCTV at a Victoria’s Secret store, a maskless customer could be seen throwing underwear and spitting at an employee after being asked to put a face mask on.
Mr Dwyer urged customers to remember employees are just doing their job.
“It’s all about respect. These retail workers could be your neighbour’s son or daughter, it could be your friend’s mother or father,” he said.
South Australians will have a ‘pretty normal Christmas’, premier says
By Michaela Whitbourn
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall says the state should be able to enjoy “a pretty normal Christmas”, but he also noted there were unanswered questions about the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
“The first thing is the transmissibility, and we are getting information to show this is highly transmissible,” Mr Marshall said at a press conference earlier today.
“The second is what the effectiveness of the existing vaccines are, and we do not have information and we’re still days away from getting that information.”
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Mr Marshall said “the third thing is the severity of the symptoms. There is some anecdotal information that suggests in the early days that there is a lower level of severity of the symptoms.”
He said that as soon as his government became aware of this variant, they increased the quarantine requirement for overseas arrivals from seven days to 14 days.
SA Health has yet to release today’s COVID-19 case numbers but yesterday the state recorded six new cases of the virus, two of which were acquired locally, two of which were interstate acquired, one of which was acquired overseas and one was under investigation.
Mr Marshall reiterated that the state was moving into a suppression rather than elimination phase and people should expect there to be new COVID-19 cases every day.
He said “we can really enjoy a pretty normal Christmas in South Australia” this year, apart from travel to and from Western Australia.
“I’m hopeful that the rest of the country will be opened up this Christmas.”
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2021-12-06 05:47:23Z
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