Pandemic declaration to end in Victoria
Benita Kolovos
It’s official – the Covid pandemic is ending in Victoria. Kind of.
Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, on Friday has confirmed the state’s pandemic declaration will end at 11.59pm on 12 October. This is in line with national cabinet’s decision to end Covid-19 isolation from October 14.
Andrews said in a statement:
Victorians have done an amazing job over the last three years – and this new framework will give people the choice to do what is right for them and their community following the unanimous decision taken at national cabinet.
We’re making sure there are still requirements in place to protect our dedicated healthcare workers and vulnerable Victorians in high-risk settings like aged care, disability settings and hospitals
Victorians will no longer be required to isolate after testing positive to Covid-19 but isolation is strongly recommended. Some healthcare workers, aged care and disability care workers will continue to be required to isolate if they test positive to Covid-19 and will be financially supported by the government to do so.
The department of health will also issue directions to ensure healthcare workers are vaccinated against Covid-19. These directions – which are already used each year to require healthcare staff to be vaccinated against the flu – will allow for vaccination requirements in public, denominational and private hospitals, as well as public sector aged care facilities, day procedure centres and throughout ambulance service.
Powers also exist under OH&S laws to require vaccinations for people in workplaces.
Key events
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Treasurer and prime minister rule out changes to stage-three tax cuts
Despite speculation the government could be considering scrapping the stage-three tax cuts in its upcoming October budget, Albanese and Chalmers, in respective press conferences in Sydney and Brisbane, say the government hasn’t changed its position and will be supporting those cuts.
Just circling back to Albanese’s presser, here’s what the prime minister had to say.
Reporter:
The Opposition has accused you of going missing on the issue of tax cuts this week. Could you clarify once and for all whether you plan on seeking to amend the stage-three tax cuts?
Albanese:
The Government hasn’t changed our position… and I’ve been out and about this week. This weekend, I’ll be in Western Australia. I’m here in western Sydney today. It appears that the Opposition haven’t got quite the memo. They’re still looking for areas of disagreement, of playing the old politics.
What we’ve been about is development, there’s been meetings obviously this week about ERC and our processes. We’ll continue to get on with making sure that we deliver a budget that is responsible, that acknowledges the pressures that are on.
Reporter:
Is that a guarantee there will be no changes to the stage-three tax cuts?
Albanese:
That is exactly what I have said is that the Government has not changed our position.
Second Sydney United fan banned for life
Emma Kemp
Football Australia has handed a life ban to a second Sydney United 58 fan who was caught performing “a fascist salute or similar gesture” during their Australia Cup final loss to Macarthur FC last Saturday night.
National Premier Leagues NSW side United were the first second-tier outfit to reach the knockout competition’s decider, but the achievement was overshadowed by the behaviour of a section of supporters, who performed Nazi salutes and chanted songs with fascist links. Some also booed through the Welcome to Country.
It comes two days after FA gave a life ban to another fan for the same offence. Both are now banned from attending any matches sanctioned by FA, including NPL, A-Leagues, Australia Cup and national team matches.
“The ban is effective immediately,” the governing body said in a statement. “As with the first ban issued by Football Australia on Wednesday, the conduct in question relates to a fascist salute or similar gesture conducted during the match and captured on the host broadcast.”
FA also expects to receive submissions from United on Friday in relation to a show-cause notice issued because of crowd behaviour during the Cup final.
Pandemic declaration to end in Victoria
Benita Kolovos
It’s official – the Covid pandemic is ending in Victoria. Kind of.
Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, on Friday has confirmed the state’s pandemic declaration will end at 11.59pm on 12 October. This is in line with national cabinet’s decision to end Covid-19 isolation from October 14.
Andrews said in a statement:
Victorians have done an amazing job over the last three years – and this new framework will give people the choice to do what is right for them and their community following the unanimous decision taken at national cabinet.
We’re making sure there are still requirements in place to protect our dedicated healthcare workers and vulnerable Victorians in high-risk settings like aged care, disability settings and hospitals
Victorians will no longer be required to isolate after testing positive to Covid-19 but isolation is strongly recommended. Some healthcare workers, aged care and disability care workers will continue to be required to isolate if they test positive to Covid-19 and will be financially supported by the government to do so.
The department of health will also issue directions to ensure healthcare workers are vaccinated against Covid-19. These directions – which are already used each year to require healthcare staff to be vaccinated against the flu – will allow for vaccination requirements in public, denominational and private hospitals, as well as public sector aged care facilities, day procedure centres and throughout ambulance service.
Powers also exist under OH&S laws to require vaccinations for people in workplaces.
‘We don’t need more development on flood plains’: Albanese
We’re going back to Albanese in Sydney where the prime minister is holding a media conference after delivering his speech.
He’s fielded a question about the Warragamba Dam.
Reporter:
Premier Perrottet said that he wants to raise it and says that it is a critical state infrastructure project.
Do you consider that a waste of money if developments don’t start in the first place?
Albanese:
Quite clearly, we don’t need more development on the flood plains or indeed, in flood plains in general. It makes no sense to do that. With regard to an economic case, that needs to be made.
Melbourne rain leaves two people stranded on car roof
We’ve been bringing you news about the wild weather lashing the east of the state. In Melbourne, flash flooding has left two people stranded on the roof of their car under the York Street bridge in South Melbourne.
Treasurer thanks retiring APRA chair on behalf of government and community
And on Wayne Byres stepping down as chair of the Australian regulation prudential authority (APRA), Chalmers said:
I’ve had the opportunity this morning to meet with Wayne Byres, the outgoing chair of the Australian regulation prudential authority. I had the opportunity to thank Wayne for a remarkably long period of dedicated service to the nation as chair of APRA and before that as well.
That’s not an easy job, being the chair of APRA, given what the financial system has been through the last couple of decades. But he’s done a really quite remarkable job. We’re very grateful to Wayne Byres for the contribution that he has made over a long period of time now. He’s been supported and appointed by governments of both political persuasion, and he’s decided to move on and to do other things.
I really wish him well. And I’m glad I got the opportunity today to thank him. On behalf of myself, but on behalf of the government and on behalf of the broader Australian community as well, for all of that effort and all of that dedication and diligence that he has provided regulating our financial system.
‘Every Australian heart goes out to the parents’ in Thailand: Treasurer
I mentioned in that first post Chalmers had paid tribute to the shooting and stabbing in Thailand. These were his words:
Can I say about that horrific tragedy in Thailand, how heartbreaking, how heart-wrenching it is to think all of those little kids dropped off at childcare that day who won’t be going home – I think that every Australian heart goes out to the parents, the families and the communities impacted by what is really an unspeakable and unfathomable tragedy. And I know that that community and those families will be going through a horrific time as they contemplate the loss, the thieving of those little souls, and what that means for those who’ve survived it.
Treasurer says government hasn’t changed its position on stage-three tax cuts
Chalmers is asked:
Can you categorically state you may scale back or change those stage-three tax cuts?
Treasurer:
I’ve been clear throughout the course of the week. We haven’t changed our position on those tax cuts. What I’ve tried to do is to level with the Australian people about the complex combination of challenges that we confront as we put the finishing touches on the budget. And no responsible government can ignore the fact that the risks to the global economy are rising rather than decreasing, the pressures on the budget in a persistent structural way are growing rather than dissipating, and the pressure on household budgets from interest rates is putting on more, not less, pressure.
Treasurer says the ‘world economy is a dangerous place right now’
The treasurer Jim Chalmers has begun speaking in Brisbane at an investor event.
He begins his speech acknowledging the tragedy in Thailand and thanks Wayne Byres as he steps down as chair of the Australian regulation prudential authority.
He moves onto saying there have been “two important developments overnight” as the government finalises its budget to be delivered later this month.
Overnight, the IMF managing director has pointed out that the risks of a global recession are intensifying. She has warned against the ongoing damage that would be done by a prolonged recession around the world. We share the IMF managing director’s concerns about the deteriorating global economy. The global economy has deteriorated significantly even over the course of the last few weeks. And that’s been reflected in the increasingly concerned and concerning commentary from the IMF managing director overnight. The world economy is a dangerous place right now. The storm clouds are gathering in the global economy. And no response government could ignore that as they finalise a budget.
This morning as well, the Reserve Bank has put out their financial stability report and, in doing so, they have made what I think is an obvious point – and that is that the higher interest rates go, the more they will sting ordinary Australians. Some Australians have a buffer in their personal finances, but many don’t. And so, six consecutive interest rate rises in six months – which began before the election and continued after the election in expected-but-still-difficult ways will, and is, having an impact on the finances of ordinary Australians.
The backdrop for the budget that I hand down in less than three weeks’ time will be high inflation and rising interest rates, a deteriorating global economy, and persistent structural pressures on the budget which will not be compensated for by higher commodity prices. And in this environment of high and rising inflation, difficult global economic conditions, and persistent spending pressures, we will put a premium on what is responsible and affordable and sustainable, and best targeted to this complex combination of economic conditions that we confront.
Tamsin Rose
Albanese said he was approaching the upcoming budget “responsibly and methodically” and was willing to make difficult decisions that take into account global and domestic challenges.
He said:
Our priority is an economy that works for people, not the other way around and this is why my colleagues and I are approaching the upcoming budget responsibly and methodically, taking full account of the increasingly uncertain global economic outlook and recognising the long-term fiscal pressures of funding vital programs… as well as the growing costs of servicing a record national debt, when interest rates are rising.
We will make sure we do what we can to help families with their cost of living in a way that doesn’t push up inflation or add pressure to demand. We are prepared to make difficult decisions, to get Australia through hard times and to ensure our fiscal policy provides a sustainable path forward in the immediate circumstances, as well as the longer term.
