Health News at Your Fingertips

Local ABC journalist Tobi Loftus has tweets that all four main stages at Splendour in the Grass will be cancelled today:

We have reached out for confirmation, and will bring you the latest as it comes.

Screening at airports will be ramped up in a bid to stop foot-and-mouth disease from coming to Australia, AAP reports.

Speaking from Brisbane, the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, announced the strengthened biosecurity measures, saying he had directed his department to investigate other control options.

Response zones could be established at airports as soon as today, where travellers would be directed by biosecurity officers to comply with measures, including removing their shoes or walking over sanitation mats.

It would be the first time the powers under the Biosecurity Act would be used in Australia, Senator Watt said.

I’ve directed my department to step up its visibility at the border and step up the number of inquiries of passengers, particularly in baggage halls, and that should be starting to occur right now.

Our agriculture industry is at stake and it’s vital that we continue to work together to ensure Australia is foot and mouth disease free.

Viral fragments of foot-and-mouth disease were detected in pork products at a Melbourne retailer.

But Australia remains free of the disease, as the live virus hasn’t been detected.

Watt rejected calls from the opposition to ban flights from Indonesia.

Paul Karp

Greens want integrity commission remit broadened

The Greens have responded to confirmation that Labor’s national integrity commission bill will include contracted private service providers, which the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, revealed for the first time publicly today.

The Greens justice spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said:

This is a useful first step but it does not answer the question about how far the new commission’s jurisdiction needs to extend. There are countless third parties, especially corporations, who can gain enormous financial advantages from the commonwealth government through policy or legislative changes rather than just through contracts.

Right now fossil fuel corporations and mining multinationals are opposing efforts to remove more than $10bn in annual fossil fuel subsidies. The potential for these organisations to seek to corruptly retain or extend these benefits is real and these kind of relationships must be in the new commission’s remit.

There were 4,374 new Covid-19 cases in South Australia the last reporting period, and seven deaths. There are 358 people in hospital in the state and 12 are in intensive care.

Rescue teams have recovered the body of a man who had been swept away in flood waters in Queensland’s South Burnett region on Friday morning, AAP reports.

Queensland police say they have yet to identify the man, who was reportedly in a car that was washed away outside of Brooklands, north-west of Brisbane, at about 5.30am.

Beaches are closed and there have been multiple reports of cars in flood water as a powerful offshore weather system moves south along Australia’s east coast.

Flash flooding has been affecting areas of the South Burnett region and drivers are being urged to stay off the roads.

Emergency crews responded to two separate incidents when drivers found themselves in trouble in the region.

A woman was assessed at the scene and didn’t need to be taken to hospital after an incident on the Bunya Highway near Kingaroy early on Friday morning.

Two people in their 50s also avoided injury when a car entered flood waters on Kumbia Road in Brooklands.

The local school in Nanango will be closed on Friday, Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said.

Musicians send ‘dry sock energy’ to Splendour festival-goers

Musicians are taking to social media to tell fans they will still be playing at Splendour in the Grass despite the chaos being caused by torrential rain and staff shortages.

Melbourne indie rock bank the Rolling Blackouts C.F had this message for fans ahead of their performance this evening:

Class action filed against NSW police over music festival strip searches

Michael McGowan

A class action lawsuit against the state of New South Wales over what lawyers allege were a series of illegal strip searches by police at music festivals has been lodged in the state’s supreme court.

In a statement of claim filed on Friday lawyers for the plaintiffs allege the police carried out a series of “unlawful acts” during searches conducted at music festivals, including “assault, battery and false imprisonment”.

Group members also allege that some people who were searched – including minors – were directed by police to lift or remove items of clothing, lift their breasts or genitals, or strip naked and squat and cough so officers could visually inspect body cavities.

Women were ordered to remove sanitary products so they too could be inspected. Group members are seeking damages, aggravated damages and exemplary damages from the state. This could be in the order of tens of thousands of dollars for those subjected to particularly invasive or distressing searches.

The lawsuit, launched by Slater and Gordon and the Redfern Legal Centre, has been years in the making. The Guardian first revealed plans for the action in May 2020.

It followed an inquiry by the NSW police watchdog which cast doubt on the legality of strip search powers used in the state.

The inquiry heard heard evidence a 16-year-old girl was fearful and in tears after she was forced to strip naked and squat in front of a police officer who then “looked underneath” her at the Splendour in the Grass festival in 2018.

But in the absence of parliamentary reform, lawyers decided to launch the case to challenge the use of the powers.

The lead plaintiff, Raya Meredith, alleges that she was also strip searched by police at the 2018 Splendour in the Grass festival. The search, which the lawsuit claims took about 30 minutes, did not locate any drugs. The statement of claim said a male officer entered the room while she was still undressed.

She said in a statement:

What police did to me was wrong.

I don’t want what I went through to happen to anyone else. I’ve heard all sorts of stories about minors being searched and people being inappropriately searched – made to bend over and cough and things like that. These practices are unlawful, they need to stop and those responsible for allowing it to happen should be held to account.

Splendour in the Grass: people sleep in cars waiting to enter festival

We’ve been keeping you up to date about the situation at Splendour in the Grass where festival-goers are experiencing extremely muddy and wet conditions due to an east coast low.

My colleague Sian Cain brings you the full story below, including personal testimony from Miles Herbert, a Guardian Australia audio producer, who shares his experience in the car standstill attendees experienced last night:

There were literally cars breaking down, running out of fuel, people pulling over on the side of the road because their car’s battery has died.

Tow trucks were coming in and pulling cars out of the queue, and people were peeing on the side of the road. Truly horrible, literally the whole night.

As we were driving into the venue, to our left and right there were people who had just been like, ‘Fuck this, I can’t wait any longer’ and had pulled off to sleep in their cars. So I think that’s what opened things up for us.

Albanese government doubles foreign investment fees

Paul Karp

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also spoke about the Albanese government’s first meeting with the state and territory treasurers since it was elected in May.

Chalmers said treasurers were looking for a “new approach” and had demonstrated “terrific spirit” at the meeting on Friday morning, with treasurers from “both sides of the political fence looking for solutions not for conflict”.

Chalmers announced that the fees and penalties for foreign investors will be doubled, raking in an extra $455m over four years.

Earlier, in a statement, Chalmers said:

Australia welcomes foreign investment that is in Australia’s interests. Foreign investment application fees ensure the cost of administering the foreign investment framework is not borne by Australians, and penalties encourage compliance with our rules.

Australia continues to be an attractive place for investment. We have a lot to offer global investors including strong institutions, transparent regulations and a highly-skilled workforce. We welcome foreign investment in Australia because it plays a crucial role in Australia’s economic success and will continue to be important into the future.

Foreign investment fees will continue to make up only a small proportion of total foreign direct investment.

Decisions like this are made necessary by the state of the budget we have inherited from our predecessors.

Agriculture minister warns against foot-and-mouth disease ‘scaremongering’

Paul Karp

The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, has warned against “scaremongering” on foot-and-mouth disease at a press conference in Brisbane.

Watt said:

Despite what some might be hearing or saying Australia remains foot-and-mouth free and Australian meat products are safe to eat. We continue to enjoys the safest meat and dairy products in the world. Important we remain calm and work collaboratively … scaremongering and fanning the flames of genuine concern does nothing to help our $80bn agriculture industry remain strong, and retain its strong international reputation.

Watt also said Australia’s defences were “built up over many decades” but blamed the Coalition for “having allowed that wall to decay”. He gave the example of white spot disease, which entered Australia “under the last government”.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said he had “a very high level of confidence in the minister’s efforts and industry’s effort to keep the challenge at bay”, saying they were “working around the clock to ensure Australia does the best we can” to keep foot-and-mouth disease out.

Asked if a support package would be given if foot-and-mouth disease does enter Australia, Chalmers said the government recognises livestock is a “really crucial industry for Australia” as a source of employment and food. Within the “bounds of responsible economic management” the cabinet would consider anything Watt asks for.

Foreign investment fees and penalties increased

Foreign investment application fees will double and penalties will be increased in a move that will add $455m to the budget’s bottom line, AAP reports.

The new fees range from $4,000 on investments valued at less than $75,000, to more than $1m for residential investments over $40m and commercial ones over $2bn.

While foreign investment in the nation’s interest is welcomed, application fees ensure the cost of administering the foreign investment framework is not borne by Australians, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said:

We welcome foreign investment in Australia because it plays a crucial role in Australia’s economic success and will continue to be important into the future.

We will always put Australian interests first. That means ensuring Australians benefit from foreign investment in Australia.

Chalmers said the increase, a policy that Labor took to the election, was necessary due to the state of the budget.

Residential properties up to $2m will have an additional fee of about 1.3%, while the maximum fee for commercial investments over $50m will generally sit at less than 0.1% of the transaction value.

This drops to an increase of less than 0.03% for large commercial investments, which make up the majority of foreign investment in Australia.

The new fees will come into effect from 29 July.

There were 9,023 new cases in Queensland in the last reporting period and 10 deaths. There are 1,050 people in hospital in the state with 26 in intensive care.

Possibilities of bilateral cooperation ‘really powerful’ – Kennedy

Caroline Kennedy was also asked about the length of time that’s elapsed since Australia had an ambassador from the US.

Q: “It’s been 549 days since the last time there was an American Ambassador to Australia. At that time, some people wondered whether the relationship had been downgraded, maybe it didn’t matter to the US. What do you say to people who have had that concern?”

Kennedy said it was “not true” that the Australia-US relationship had been downgraded.

I wish you could have been with me in DC. The sense of excitement about all the possibilities for bilateral cooperation is really powerful.

I think everybody feels that it’s unfortunate that it’s taken so long to confirm ambassadors but all my predecessors I’ve consulted with including Ambassador Culvahouse who have all given me great advice, and, you know, between Covid and all of that, I think it’s been a lot of that, but we’ve also seen that people can work remotely and I think that there’s been a lot of work ongoing, even though there hasn’t been an ambassador. So now we’ll see if having an ambassador makes a difference. I hope that I can tell you that it does.

US and Australia cooperation will have ‘big impact’ in the Pacific, new ambassador says

Circling back to the new US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, and her media conference following her arrival in Australia. Kennedy acknowledged that the US had stepped back from the Pacific region over recent years and said she was glad the US was once again refocusing its efforts.

I know there’s a lot of work to do in the Pacific … after an absence of many years in terms of the US engagement.

Kennedy highlighted the personal significance the Pacific region has for her because of links with her father John F Kennedy:

It’s certainly a big focus now, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to visit. Certainly, for me personally, it has great significance, since my father served in the Pacific and was rescued by two Solomon Islanders and an Australian coast watcher.

This is a critical area in the region, and I think the U.S. needs to do more. We’re putting our embassies back in and the Peace Corps coming, and USAID is coming back and we’re coming back. We haven’t been there for a while, but I think that, that that is all tremendously positive, and I think the U.S. and Australia working together will make a big impact.

Splendour in the Grass photographs

Heavy rain soaked the Splendour in the Grass campsite last night, making muddy conditions for campers. Organisers announced earlier this morning they are no longer accepting any more campers or vehicles.

Festival goer Maddie Denham, who is one of the attendees still at the site, shared these images with Guardian Australia showing the conditions.

Donna Lu

Huntsman telescope launched to hunt for ultra-faint galaxies

A new telescope, called the Huntsman telescope, has been launched at Siding Spring Observatory in Coonabarabran, NSW.

Inspired by the Dragonfly telescope in the US, the Huntsman is the only telescope of its kind in the southern hemisphere and is designed to hunt for ultra-faint galaxies.

The telescope was unveiled by Macquarie University and supported by Canon Australia, who provided an array of 10 super-telephoto lenses that power the telescope.

The telescope’s principal researcher, Dr Lee Spitler, of Macquarie University, said in a statement:

The Huntsman telescope is pioneering the way in which we view our southern skies by capturing images of the faintest galaxy structures that conventional telescopes simply couldn’t.

The ability to [see] the faintest and smallest galaxies in the universe will help us understand the potential fate of the Milky Way in the far distant future.

Researchers believe the telescope will shed light on galaxy formation and evolution – how galaxies form, how they grow, and what happens when they collide.

Spitler said the telescope would help scientists understand what might happen if our galaxy – the Milky Way – collided with the neighbouring Andromeda galaxy, which is predicted to occur in 4.5bn years.

Melissa Davey

Australian birthrate falls to lowest in over a decade

Australia has seen its lowest birthrate in more than a decade but stillborn rates have remained stubborn, based on the latest mothers and babies data.

In 2020, there were 295,796 babies born to 291,712 mothers. This represents a fall from 66 women per 1,000 giving birth in 2007 to 56 per 1,000 in 2020, according to the Australia’s mothers and babies report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], published today.