Health News at Your Fingertips

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek made waves with her National Press Club address yesterday, and today was backing it up with a series of media appearances.

Also speaking to the Today show earlier this morning, Plibersek warned that Australia urgently needed to upgrade its renewable energy systems, adding that the nation was “not far enough down the road on renewables”:

The report says the state of the Australian environment is bad and it’s getting worse.

Across our land, sea and waterways, things are going backwards in most areas. We’ve lost more mammal species than any continent on earth.

It is a really tough challenge to restore and protect Australia’s environment. But if we don’t turn this around, if we stay on this trajectory, our planet will be worse for our kids.

We’re not far enough down the road on renewables.

It needs to be easier to get that power from the solar farm or the wind farm into the National Energy Grid, but we also need to increase storage.

It doesn’t always rain but we always have water on hand because we’ve got dams, we’ve got storage. We need to do the same with renewable energy.

AMA chief urges people to wear masks to ease strain on hospitals

Earlier today, Australian Medical Association president Dr Omar Khorshid was on the Today Show, and said people should “do the right thing by masking up.”

Dr Khorshid said it was important people heed the warnings, before authorities consider re-implementing mandates:

What we have is yet another Covid crisis before us with over 5000 of our hospital beds taken up by people with Covid, thousands upon thousands of healthcare workers unable to attend work because they’ve got Covid. And what that means is people who need hospital care simply cannot access the care they need.

So we’ve got a choice as a community. We can either do the right thing and try to protect those hospitals, keep the resources available for the Australians who need it, or ignore it until our chief health officers have got no choice but to bring back mandates.

So we all need to take a little bit of the bitter pill [and] do the right thing. That means getting your vaccines. Even though they’re not the complete solution, they’re part of it. It means if you have the slightest cold or flu systems to test yourself, and report those results to the government in the way you’re supposed to and not to be out and about.

We are not at this stage calling for mandates. But if we get to that point, and it may well be that that is coming, and if people are not doing the right thing, there may be no choice but for the government to step up to ask us to do the right thing by masking up.

ACTU calls for employers to provide N95 masks for indoor workers amid Covid surge

Sally McManus, secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, has tweeted that the union is calling for all employers to implement work from home if possible, and to provide N95 masks for indoor workers.

McManus said the union is also calling for ventilation and air purification indoors as well as fully paid sick leave for all workers isolating, saying these measures are necessary until this current wave of Covid infections “recedes.”

Greens hope to ‘improve and pass’ government’s climate bill

Sarah Martin

The Greens have declared their preference is to “improve and pass” the government’s climate bill in the Senate, after a party room meeting in Brisbane this afternoon.

At this stage, there is no agreement on whether to block or pass the bill if it remains unamended, but MPs and senators have signed off on a commitment to “enter formal negotiations” with the government in an attempt to try to improve it.

Greens leader Adam Bandt says this week’s damning State of the Environment report gives the government justification to do more, and the party’s preference is to work with the government to strengthen the legislation.

“Our preference is to improve and pass this bill, but the government must come to the table,” Bandt said.

Similar to the concerns raised by independent MPs on the crossbench, the party is concerned about the adequacy of the target, the need for a ratchet mechanism, the 43% being a “floor not a ceiling” and the potential for new coal and gas projects to lift pollution.

“The Greens will begin formal negotiations with the government on its climate bill, but we’re concerned that the government’s desire to open new coal and gas mines will make the climate crisis worse,” Bandt said.

Europe is burning and Australia’s environment is collapsing, but the government wants to open new coal and gas mines. You don’t put the fire out while pouring petrol on it.

The Greens have announced they have begun “formal negotiations” on Labor’s climate bill.

In a statement, the party says they have met and had their first discussion regarding the government’s Climate Change Bill, as well as announcing they have “empowered” leaders Adam Bandt to enter negotiations on the bill.

They say their areas of concern remain the “adequacy of the target”, as well as needs for targets to be increased over time and for the bill to operate as “a floor not a ceiling.”

As well as the weak target that means more fires and floods, the Greens are concerned that the bill as drafted is a barrier to government lifting the weak 43% targets, isn’t ‘Dutton-proof’ against a future government that wants to lower the targets, doesn’t require government to actually do anything to cut pollution and allows more coal and gas.

We will engage in good faith negotiations with the government, and we hope the government will drop its insistence on having a weak target and opening more coal and gas.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been busy today, announcing a review into the RBA and appearing in the media, although I wanted to zero in on one particular line.

Chalmers was asked about highly indebted households on RN Breakfast this morning, and to what extent they will be able to withstand any further interest rate rises.

Chalmers did not give much positivity in his answer:

It’s a mixed bag.

It depends how marginal you are in your home loan. It depends on your wages. It depends on your other financial circumstances. Certainly, some people have been able to build a buffer in their mortgages [during the pandemic]. But not everybody.

So these rate rises, which are designed to take some of the pace out of the economy, they will do that. That will impact on some people harder than others.

These interest rate rises are very difficult for people to accomodate in their household budgets at the same time [that] they’re dealing with the skyrocketing costs of petrol and groceries and electricity and other essentials.

So I don’t underestimate the impact these rate rises are having.

Thanks Natasha, and good afternoon all, its been a busy day with much to come, so let’s dive in.

I just shared Mostafa Rachwani’s story on the wild weather expected in NSW and Queensland, and now I am handing you over to the man himself who will be with you on the blog into the evening.

Mostafa Rachwani

Fears of coastal erosion in NSW and Queensland

More wild weather is on the way for parts of Queensland and northern New South Wales, with heavy rain, damaging winds and hazardous surf bringing the risk of coastal erosion.

It comes as a cold snap grips south-east Australia, driving temperatures down and bringing with it widespread frost.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted damaging wind, huge swells and heavy rain along the stretch of the southern Queensland coast from Wednesday and northern NSW from Friday.

Viral fragments of foot and mouth disease and African swine fever have been detected in pork products at a Melbourne retailer, AAP reports.

Australia remains free of the diseases as the live virus was not detected, but agriculture minister Murray Watt reiterated the importance of biosecurity measures.

The products, believed to be imported from China, were detected in the Melbourne CBD as part of routine surveillance and have been seized.

It’s the first time viral fragments have been detected in a retail setting, Senator Watt said. He told reporters in Brisbane:

This is not the first time in Australian history that we have picked up foot and mouth disease viral fragments in meat products – it’s happened a number of other times in airport settings.

I want to assure people that our systems have worked, we have monitored this, we have undertaken surveillance operations and these products have been found, tested and now seized.

Further investigations about how the products entered Australia was being taken and it was likely prosecutions would occur, Senator Watt said.

SA rocket missions approved for launch

Two sub-orbital rockets will be launched from South Australia after federal government approval for the missions, AAP reports.

Rocket manufacturer ATSpace and spaceport provider Southern Launch will launch the Kestrel I rockets from the Whalers Way complex on Eyre Peninsula in coming months.

The VS02 and VS03 missions will fly the experimental rockets along sub-orbital trajectories to test their design under different operating conditions.

On the ground, the collection of rocket noise data during lift-off will also contribute valuable knowledge for the future operation of the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex.

Southern Launch chief executive Lloyd Damp said the missions would provide significant data to be used to inform best practice during future launch campaigns and the development of South Australia’s space industry. He said:

Southern Launch is committed to advancing a sustainable local space launch industry in Australia,” he said.

This industry will create new high-paying, skilled jobs for regional and rural Australians and in doing so, will advance Australia’s science and technology capabilities.”

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 90 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 961
• In hospital: 160 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

• Deaths: 20
• Cases: 15,352
• In hospital: 2,236 (with 63 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

• Deaths: 0
• Cases: 642
• In hospital: 68 (with 1 person in ICU)

Queensland

• Deaths: 15
• Cases: 9,650
• In hospital: 1,034 (with 21 people in ICU)

South Australia

• Deaths: 22
• Cases: 4,774
• In hospital: 323 (with 11 people in ICU)

Tasmania

• Deaths: 3
• Cases: 1,586
• In hospital: 49 (with 2 people in ICU)

Victoria

• Deaths: 28
• Cases: 12,984
• In hospital: 906 (with 45 people in ICU)

Western Australia

• Deaths: 2
• Cases: 7,901
• In hospital: 457 (with 22 people in ICU)

Tamsin Rose

Icac finds Sidoti engaged in “serious corrupt conduct”

Former New South Wales Liberal minister John Sidoti has been found to have engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” by the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption.

The findings were made public on Wednesday afternoon after an almost three-year investigation into the independent Drummoyne MP’s conduct.

The commission found Sidoti had used his official role as a member of parliament to try and “improperly influence” City of Canada Bay councillors in relation to properties in Five Dock that would benefit his family.

The report read:

The Commission found that Mr Sidoti engaged in serious corrupt conduct by, between approximately late 2013 and February 2017, engaging in a protracted course of conduct, involving the use of his official position as a member of Parliament and the local member for Drummoyne, to try to improperly influence CCBC Liberal councillors, Helen McCaffrey, Mirjana Cestar and Tanveer Ahmed, to adopt and advance certain positions in relation to the Five Dock town centre that would benefit his family’s property interests in the area.

Despite his representations that he was acting at all times in the interests of his constituents, in particular, the business community and landowners in the Waterview Street block, the outcomes that he wanted those councillors to deliver were entirely directed to his private interest in increasing the development potential of his family’s growing number of properties in and around the Five Dock town centre.

Icac said it would seek the advice of the director of public prosecutions on whether criminal charges should be pursued.

The commission also made 15 recommendations in the report including changes to the way members of parliament are trained about the improper exercise of power and undue influence, in line with findings made in the investigation.

“We no longer hold out hope”: search for missing fishers ends

Police have concluded a search and rescue operation for three fishers who have been missing off waters in Far North Queensland since Sunday.

In a statement Queensland Police say they searched more than 3,000 square kilometres in the first day increasing daily, over surface, air and land.

Following the rescue of a fourth member of the group, found floating in waters off North Barnard Island Group on Monday July 11, all subsequent efforts have failed to locate his three companions, debris or items of investigative value following the failure of the stricken vessel’s outboard motor and capsize.

Acting Inspector Cassowary Coast Patrol Group, Brett Jenkins said the outcome was heartbreaking for the families of the missing men, the rescued man, the community and search party.

Regrettably, despite the best efforts of all members of the search and rescue team, whose dedication was nothing short of commendable, we have been unable to locate the men.

Tragically, while we no longer hold out hope for a positive outcome, I ask the community to be vigilant, boaties in particular, who are asked to report any debris or information to police.

Jenkins urged people to be prepared and alert to conditions.

Before you set out, ensure you tell a responsible person about your itinerary to raise the alarm early if you come into trouble.

Always take an EPIRB—and ensure all parties know where it’s located and how to activate it, the earlier the better if need be. And always, always don your life jacket at sea.