Health News at Your Fingertips

The government has announced that ‘biosecurity response zones” will be established at international airports, as part of their response to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

The measures were announced in a statement released this afternoon, and are part of the government’s response to the disease, which has been spreading in Indonesia.

Agriculture minister Murray Watt said the new zones were being established in response to reports that some travellers arriving from Indonesia were “not doing the right thing”.

These zones strengthen the ability of biosecurity officers to direct passengers to use foot mats and other biosecurity control measures such as the cleaning of shoes.

We have wasted no time in getting on top of this issue and have been consistently ramping up measures at our airports and mail centres around the country.

Officials told to draft statement on boat interception ‘within 15 minutes’

Paul Karp

In his report, the home affairs department secretary Michael Pezzullo said the caretaker conventions do not have the force of law, and therefore it was “for the responsible minister” to assess the public interest in making the announcement. Pezzullo also reveals the Australian Border Force was requested to put the announcement on blast, but it declined.

Pezzullo said:

The apolitical character of the public service was preserved in this instance by the refusal on the part of departmental officials to amplify the public statement by sending it directly to journalists and to post it on social media.

The transparency and deterrence effect was already available from the original public statement.

Any domestic amplification was judged by officials to be primarily for political purposes. Accordingly, they declined the relevant requests.”

Further in the report, we discover:

The detailed chronology of events indicates there was pressure placed on officials to release a public statement regarding the interception of SIEV 915 prior to the conclusion of the operational activity. The pressure was exacerbated by the direction to draft and publish the statement within 15 minutes.

Labor releases report on ‘disgraceful, shameful’ politicisation of election day boat arrival

Paul Karp

The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has released a report by the department’s secretary, Michael Pezzullo, into the Morrison government’s decision to direct the public service to announce the arrival of an asylum seeker boat (SIEV 915) on election day.

O’Neil said:

The former government had a duty to protect Australia. Instead, they sabotaged the protocols that protect Operation Sovereign Borders for political gain. Their actions undermined the integrity of this complex operation, making it more difficult and dangerous.

The report found uniformed border force and defence force members, and public servants, acted with integrity and at the highest standards at all times. They should be commended for doing so.

The profound compromise of a military-led operation is without precedent in Australia’s history. It was disgraceful, shameful, and characteristic of a national government which frequently pursued political interests above the national interest. That is something the Albanese government will never do.

Daniel Andrews’ Ibac testimony to remain private

Adeshola Ore

Victoria’s corruption watchdog says it will not release the full transcript of premier Daniel Andrews’ private testimony given at a parliamentary integrity hearing following a scathing report handed down this week.

The investigation – carried out by the state’s ombudsman and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac) – uncovered widespread misuse of taxpayer resources for political purposes and a “catalogue” of unethical behaviour in the Victorian branch of the Labor party.

Andrews fronted a private hearing as part of the investigation but his full testimony was not made public. Ibac commissioner Robert Redlich on Wednesday said he would consider releasing it.

But in a statement on Friday, Ibac said it would not release any further private hearing transcripts from the investigation, titled Operation Watts.

“Evidence given during private examinations considered relevant to the performance of IBAC’s functions is contained in the Operation Watts Special report,” the statement said.

IBAC is not otherwise able to publish private examination transcripts of witnesses because the IBAC Act restricts the way in which information can be disclosed.

The report found Andrews was aware of widespread branch stacking – the recruiting of non-genuine members – over the previous few decades and that people had paid for the memberships of others over a long period. But he said he had no personal knowledge of or involvement in the practice.

Discussion over post-pandemic work arrangements needed, Marles says

Sticking with conversations about working from home, earlier today defence minister Richard Marles said unions wanting to enshrine flexible work arrangements was “understandable”.

Marles gave little else away at a press conference this morning, but appears to be supporting a move towards cementing flexible work as part of future agreements:

[It’s a discussion] we’re all having in the aftermath of the pandemic about the way in which we work, particularly given so many people have worked from home over the last few years.

We’re not looking at changing the system now, but I think what we need to do is – in a way – see where the new normal rests as we emerge from the pandemic.

I think questions about how we work and whether we work at home are going to be ones that end up being thrashed out. It’s an important conversation to be had.

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 63 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 891
• In hospital: 152 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

• Deaths: 15
• Cases: 18,669
• In hospital: 2,202 (with 55 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 523
• In hospital: 81 (with 3 person in ICU)

Queensland

• Deaths: 10
• Cases: 9,023
• In hospital: 1,050 (with 26 people in ICU)

South Australia

• Deaths: 7
• Cases: 4,373
• In hospital: 358 (with 12 people in ICU)

Tasmania

• Deaths: 4
• Cases: 1,416
• In hospital: 172 (with 2 people in ICU)

Victoria

• Deaths: 25
• Cases: 12,278
• In hospital: 840 (with 33 people in ICU)

Western Australia

• Deaths: 1
• Cases: 6,056
• In hospital: 452 (with 24 people in ICU)

Federal chief medical officer Paul Kelly has told a conference earlier today that he expects hospitalisations today to be the “highest ever”.

Kelly was speaking at the Australasian Covid-19 Conference in Sydney, and said he believed there would be more people in hospital with Covid today than at any other point in the pandemic:

Today, probably, we will have the largest number of people in hospital at any time during the pandemic.

It’s challenging our health system in many ways.

Kelly went on to say he was still optimistic about increased antiviral usage as well as uptake of the fourth dose of the vaccine, adding that he encouraged people to wear masks indoors.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews waded into discussions around working arrangements amid surging waves of Covid, saying flexible work is “here to stay”.

Andrews was fronting a press conference this morning, and said flexible work arrangements, that would include working from home set-ups, should be enshrined in enterprise bargaining agreements.

Enterprise bargains are always best when they are accompanied by a sense of good faith, a sense of partnership, and there’s a bit of give and take and you’ll find a balanced outcome,” he told reporters in the regional Victorian city of Ballarat on Friday.

I know that there are challenges with working from home … but some changes, I think they’re here to stay.

It’s not a concept any more, it’s a lived experience of people for two, three years.

Good afternoon, and quick thanks to Natasha for another stellar shift on this rainy Friday. Mostafa Rachwani with you this afternoon, with much still going on, so let’s dive in.

Thanks for following along this Splendour in the Grass live blog (with a bit of politics thrown in for good measure). Handing you over to my colleague Mostafa Rachwani who will take you through into your weekend!

Dominic Perrottet says he’ll face questions on John Barilaro’s appointment to NY trade job next month

The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, said he is standing firm on not appearing before an upper house inquiry into the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a $500,000-a-year New York trade posting, AAP reports.

Perrottet, who is in Japan as part of a 10-day trade mission to Asia, said he was waiting for recommendations from an independent review he had set up to look into the now-abandoned appointment before facing questioning at the budget estimates in a month.

Disappointment from those turned around after 14-hour wait at Splendour in the Grass

Some understandable frustration from festival goers who were told they would have to go to Byron Events farm 15 minutes away from the festival after waiting 14 hours in the queue to enter Splendour in the Grass’ camp ground.

That announcement that the site wouldn’t be taking any more campers or vehicles came through earlier this morning.

The wet and muddy conditions at the music festival continue to inspire jokes online.

Queensland flood water risk continues

Queensland Fire and Emergency is reminding people not to travel through moving flood waters, following – as we told you on the blog earlier – a man’s death after being swept away in floodwaters in South East Queensland.

Queensland police are still working to formally identify the man, with police divers and forensic officers at the scene near Sandy Creek, the ABC is reporting.

Reactions to Splendour cancellation

As the news came through this hour that the first day of Splendour in the Grass has been cancelled, reactions are ranging from disappointment to solidarity with artists dealt another blow after the industry struggled through Covid-19 lockdowns. And of course a bit of poking fun at the expense of festivalgoers.

And for some the day has only gotten worse as they lose personal items amidst the mud …

Almost half of young women in Australia report mental health disorder, study finds

The first national study of its kind in more than a decade has found almost half of all young women in Australia suffered an anxiety, depression or substance abuse disorder last financial year.

For males in the same age bracket (16 to 24), it was about one in three.