Health News at Your Fingertips

A Queensland police spokeswoman has just fronted media to give an update on this Brisbane siege situation.

For “operation reasons” Acting Inspector Michelle Piket couldn’t answer many of the questions but the general gist was that the situation is ongoing, no one has been injured so far, and police are still trying to achieve a peaceful outcome.

Police attended an incident early yesterday morning, and as a result specialist police have been engaged, and are currently on scene…

Police are hoping for a peaceful resolution and a safe outcome for all and we are currently working towards achieving that as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

There has been unconfirmed reports of a series of large loud bangs in the area. This is unrelated to this matter and speculation around this isn’t helpful in us achieving a suitable outcome.

She couldn’t confirm if the armed man had been cooperating with police if other people were still being held inside the home, or give an estimate of how much longer the situation might go on for.

The siege has now been going on for over 24 hours.

Just back to comments from Gladys Berejiklian and her “penalties” v “incentives” debate on encouraging people to get vaccinated.

The NSW premier says she hasn’t decided whether to enforce it with a public health order.

I have overwhelming confidence that sufficient numbers of people who work in our quarantine system or have the potential to work in the quarantine system will be vaccinated.

While those who decline a vaccine won’t be punished, Berejiklian conceded they may be overlooked for ongoing employment in the hotel quarantine system. She would “watch and see” before deciding on whether to mandate hotel quarantine worker vaccination in a public health order.

These are the men and women who are on the frontline every day protecting the rest of us and I think it’s only fair that people who are in that situation are offered the vaccines first…

My strong preference is that people who have the vaccine are the ones who work in the quarantine system – there are thousands of people from whom we can make sure that’s the case.

That allows us to move forward and reduce the risk for everybody.

So a few of these “Facebook Top Ten” lists are published each day, but since the platform banned all traditional news content on the site it’s interesting to see what has risen to fill the void.

In this case, it seems to be news adjacent satire pages.

Back to the South Australia Icac situation, Premier Steven Marshall is speaking now.

Backbencher Fraser Ellis suspended his membership of the Liberal party while he is investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog, pushing the party into a minority government.

Marshall would not comment on the investigation today:

I’m not going to comment on the charges. His made it clear that he will be suspending his membership of the Liberal party. He is not a member of the Liberal party. I’m just getting on with the important jobs that are in front of us at the moment.

The premier said Ellis would not be nominated as a Liberal candidate in the next election.

You can’t be a candidate if you aren’t a member of the party and Fraser Ellis isn’t a member. He is suspended, he suspended his membership.

An update on the siege situation at a home in southern Brisbane.

Police have denied that shots have been fired at the incident, which involves an armed man, a woman and possibly a boy.

Cracks and bangs were heard in the area on Friday morning with some media reporting the sounds as possible gunshots.

Police told AAP those news reports of shots being fired are incorrect.

A series of loud noises heard in the area are from an unknown origin and are not related to this incident.

The standoff began about 11am on Thursday at a house near the Banoon train station at Sunnybank.

The armed man is understood to be related to the woman he’s holding but police won’t confirm reports he’s also holding a five-year-old boy.

The man is known to police and they have visited the home before.

We have been speaking a fair bit today about these text messages that allegedly show a Liberal staffer talking to Brittany Higgins after she was allegedly raped inside a ministerial office, discussing how he would help her and speak to another staffer from the prime minister’s office about the situation.

These texts are important as the prime minister has repeatedly stated that no one from his office was aware of the alleged rape until earlier this week. After this report, Morrison remained firm that he knew nothing about the allegations, and was told that everyone in his office was also unaware. He said there would be an inquiry into exactly who knew what and when.

This was reported by News.com.au politician editor Samantha Maiden, and have not been independently verified by Guardian Australia. She published screenshots of the text conversation on Twitter this morning.

Flags in NSW are being flown at half-mast to honour Cobar mayor, Lilliane Brady, who is being farewelled with a state funeral in her central western town, reports the AAP.

Brady, the town’s beloved and feisty matriarch, was the state’s longest-serving female mayor when she died earlier this month at the age of 90.

She was renowned for her no nonsense approach and dogged fundraising for those in her 4,000 strong community, as well as a contempt for bureaucracy during her nearly 23 years as mayor.

She sat on the local council for 40 years and planned to retire in September.

Her funeral service will take place at Drummond park in Cobar today.

Hostage negotiators were on Friday morning continuing efforts to persuade an armed man holed up in a Brisbane property since Thursday morning to surrender.

Police say the standoff at the property, near Banoon train station in Sunnybank, started about 11am on Thursday.

They won’t confirm media reports the man is holding a five-year-old child hostage but said on Thursday evening there were a number of people still in the home.

The man is known to police and officers have visited the location before.

“Police are concentrating on coming to a peaceful resolution to the incident,” acting inspector Mick Ackery said. “Specialist police are making all attempts to engage with the person in the house.”

You can read the full report below:

Victoria’s health minister, Martin Foley, seems pretty confident that theses three news cases pose no infection threat to the public.

The three cases are from the same family. Two parents and a child. Two members of that family were previous residents of level three at the Holiday Inn at Tullamarine airport and were primary contacts for that particular outbreak.

One member of the household, who was not at the Holiday Inn, was considered a secondary contact and had been isolating from other family members. All three had negative tests – multiple negative tests between the 10th and 12th of February. All have been quarantining at home during their infectious periods.