Health News at Your Fingertips

Here’s Andrew Stafford’s lovely, sad, nostalgic and beautiful piece on the Warumpi Band. Chuck My Island Home on the old ghettoblaster and have a read. “We just wanted to give our music to everybody”:

I suspect the comedian Adam Spencer isn’t being entirely complimentary of the United Australia party MP Craig Kelly here …

Thousands apparently at the Adelaide protest. Which is, on one measure, even more ridiculous than the other “freedom” rallies. Covid-free South Australia has barely been locked down, and is in the weird situation where it’ll open its borders next week and let Covid in …

Here are some more details about the ongoing search for William Tyrrell. Police have only searched a small fraction of the area near Kendall in NSW where they are hoping to find his remains, and it could take another nine weeks to cover the whole area. Catch up here:

Here’s a great, nuanced read from Myke Barlett on arguing with anti-vaxxers.

I have given up on the idea that facts alone will change a zealot’s mind. Just as I have abandoned any notion that being a good, decent and intelligent person will immunise you against conspiracist paranoia.

Wrap your noggin around the whole thing here:

Allegra Spender – fashion designer Carla Zampatti’s daughter – will challenge Liberal MP Dave Sharma in Wentworth. She wants more action on climate change, including a 2030 target of at least a 50% reduction in emissions.

Spender worked with her mother before becoming chief executive officer of the Australian Business and Community Network.

Read all about it here:

Severe weather will hit parts of NSW tomorrow. Thunderstorms, hail, strong winds and heavy rain are expected across the Blue Mountains and the north-east of the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued flood watches for the Upper Macintyre, Gwydir, Peel, Castlereagh, Belubula, and Macquarie to Bathurst.

The NSW State Emergency Service has called on people to be prepared, and not to drive, walk or ride through flood waters on roads.

Lots of great observations and colour from Stephanie Convery in Melbourne below.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters have also gathered in Sydney to march through the CBD. People are waving Australian flags, there are a few United Australia party signs, and they’ve been singing the national anthem. The UAP MP Craig Kelly has addressed the crowd, claiming Australians are living in a “prison camp”.

(Organisers claim there are more than 100,000 people protesting, but that number hasn’t been verified.)

The ABC reports about 2,000 people are protesting in Adelaide. “Freedom” rallies are also being held in other capital cities.

A child under 10 has become Australia’s youngest person to die with Covid. The Victorian child had “other serious comorbidities”, AAP reports.

Before that death, a 15-year-old from Sydney was the youngest known person to die with Covid – although the virus was not the cause of his death. Osama Suduh was also being treated for pneumococcal meningitis.

Some more from the NT, which has just ended its mask mandate – with some exceptions. Masks are still required in Katherine and Robinson River.

The NT outbreak has grown to 21 cases, and there are concerns it has spread into more Indigenous communities. There are also concerns about a positive result in wastewater in the Marlow Lagoon catchment.

Meanwhile, police have been handing out fines to people for breaching the health orders.

Read more about the fears for those Indigenous communities here:

One new Covid case has been recorded in the Northern Territory overnight, the chief minister, Michael Gunner, says.

The 31-year-old woman was in quarantine when she tested positive, so there are no new exposure sites at this point.