5.23pm EST
17:23
Victoria extends pandemic pay for healthcare workers
EXCLUSIVE: Victoria will extend payments that aim to encourage frontline healthcare workers to undertake risky shifts with Covid patients, as the state’s hospitals remain under a code brown declaration.
The Andrews government has faced calls from hospital and paramedics bodies to extend the surge payment, introduced in October, that was due to expire next Thursday. Guardian Australia has confirmed the surge allowance for hospital workers and paramedics will be extended until March 31. The payments equate to an additional $60 per shift for public hospital and Ambulance Victoria workers.
The state’s premier, Daniel Andrews, on Wednesday said Victoria was on a “more optimistic trajectory” but stressed there continued to be significant pressure on the health system.
A Department of Health spokesperson said Victoria’s health workforce had “risen to the challenge” during the pandemic:
We’ve backed our hard working health workforce with funding for more wellbeing support, investment in more training and the extension of the surge allowance which was provided last year.
5.16pm EST
17:16
NZ announces staged border reopening
New Zealand has announced it will reopen its border to visitors in stages, after its earlier plans to do so were derailed by Omicron. The country’s borders have been closed, apart from a short-lived travel bubble with Australia, for nearly two years.
“With Omicron’s arrival, we pushed that change in border settings out – to give ourselves the chance to roll out boosters – a chance most other countries never had,” prime minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday.
With our community better protected we must turn to the importance of reconnection. Families and friends need to reunite. Our businesses need skills to grow. Exporters need to travel to make new connections.
Fully vaccinated New Zealanders and other eligible travellers from Australia will be able to enter New Zealand without staying in quarantine, known as MIQ, from Sunday 27 February. Two weeks later, they can come from all other countries.
From 12 April, 5000 international students, and other eligible temporary visa holders will be allowed to enter.
Sometime before July, the border opens to Australians and other travellers who do not require a visa to enter New Zealand.
All other international visitors will be allowed to enter New Zealand from October.
Vaccinated travellers will be allowed to self-isolate for 10 days, while all non-vaccinated travellers will still be required to enter MIQ.
4.33pm EST
16:33
Andrew Forrest has launched criminal proceedings against Facebook alleging the tech giant breached federal anti-money laundering laws by not cracking down sufficiently on scam ads that used his image.
The action in the Western Australia magistrates court is the first time Facebook has faced criminal charges anywhere in the world, the mining billionaire said on Thursday.
The charges allege Facebook was criminally reckless by not taking sufficient steps to stop criminals from using its social media platform to send scam advertisements that aimed to defraud Australian users.
It is alleged the scam advertisements – which used Forrest’s image and purported to promote cryptocurrency investment schemes – have appeared on Facebook since March 2019.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
at 5.11pm EST
