Health News at Your Fingertips

Liberals edging ahead in Deakin as postal vote counting continues

Deakin is looking increasingly difficult for the Labor party to gain as postal votes come through in favour of Michael Sukkar. That means they’d need to win either Macnamara or Gilmore to form a majority government.

“Time for change?” Nationals MP Michael McCormack is asked as he enters the party room.

Mike Cannon-Brookes has weighed in on AGL’s dumping of its demerger plan.

Read Peter Hannam’s story here:

In Canberra, the Nationals are about to hold a leadership spill with Barnaby Joyce facing off a challenge to retain the top position. We’ll bring you the latest as it comes.

Lorena Allam

Linda Burney on the Uluru statement, treaty and building consensus

Incoming Indigenous affairs minister Linda Burney has a long list of priorities when she is sworn in this week, but chief among them is to embark on the unfinished “nation-building project” of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

No pressure, then. Burney says the election adrenaline has worn off and now she feels as if she’s been “hit by a truck”. As the first Aboriginal woman to hold a federal ministry and to sit in the cabinet, she says: “I feel elated and daunted at the same time. I actually have a very long history in the Aboriginal affairs space. So I feel ready to take on the challenge.”

Read the story here:

Adelaide police searching for stolen car with four-month-old child inside

Police say a car holding a four-month-old child has been stolen in Adelaide.

The model car is being described as a 2009 white Honda Jazz, S619AXE. Police say it was stolen in Klemzig this morning after a man pulled up in a stolen Mazda utility.

Police described the man as in his mid-20s, Caucasian and with dark hair.

Covid-19 deaths are again on the rise with Australia recording 88 fatalities over the weekend and 363 in the past seven days, AAP reports.

By contrast, daily toll reports during April only once exceeded 50 and were often less than 25.

Victoria recorded 16 deaths on Sunday, Western Australia seven, NSW four, Queensland two and Tasmania one.

Australia’s active virus caseload remains above 300,000 and there are more than 2,700 patients recovering in hospitals around the country.

Authorities have again extended emergency powers in Tasmania, where almost one-third of the state has been diagnosed with Covid-19 and there have been almost 60 deaths this year.

Meanwhile, one of Australia’s leading charities says the effect of the pandemic on children’s education is not over.

A Smith Family survey has found one in two parents and carers feel the pandemic is still making learning difficult for their children, while three-quarters worry about their future schoolwork and have struggled to help them during the pandemic. Two-thirds say the virus has made it hard to start school this year.

AGL chairman and chief executive to step down, board renewal under way

Further to the announcement the demerger proposal at AGL won’t be going ahead, the chairman, Peter Botten, and chief executive, Graeme Hunt, have confirmed they are stepping down from their positions.

A board renewal is under way, with Cannon-Brookes vying for two seats to push for a climate-friendly future.

Late on Friday, Cannon-Brookes wrote to the outgoing chairman:

As your largest shareholder, we are most exposed to the decisions and actions made by the board and management relating to the future economic performance of AGL.

We continue to believe shareholders’ interests are best served by keeping AGL together. There is a bright future for a combined AGL to fund an accelerated transition to renewables, creating jobs and ensuring power prices remain as low as possible. We are therefore seeking two nominees for Grok Ventures on the board of AGL.

We intend to engage directly with you and your fellow AGL Directors in relation to board and management renewal. We want to ensure that AGL has the talent, capital, capability and oversight that is required to embrace the opportunity presented by decarbonisation.

The eligibility for fourth Covid shot (ie the second booster) has been expanded from today.

Victoria’s Covid update has just been released. There have been 8,288 new cases detected and three further deaths.

There are 550 people being treated in hospital with the virus, including 37 people in ICU.

NSW Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 5,855 new cases reported and one further death.

There are 1,181 people being treated in hospital with the virus, including 34 people in ICU.

AGL has released a statement confirming the demerger proposal “will not receive sufficient support” to meet the 75% approval threshold. It follows a campaign by billionaire and climate activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

Cannon-Brookes shocked the company this month when he announced he had become the biggest single shareholder of the company. He vowed to block the demerger, saying it would delay the closure of AGL’s remaining coal-fired power plants and destroy value for shareholders.

If you missed it this morning, congratulations are flowing in for Australian cyclist Jai Hindley, who has made history by winning the Giro d’Italia.

Foreign minister Penny Wong also continues her Pacific tour today.

In NSW, a teenage boy has been charged with murder following the death of a youth and wounding of another person on the north coast yesterday.

Emergency services were called to a fast-food restaurant in Casino about 5.10pm yesterday, responding to reports of a brawl.

Officers attended along with NSW Ambulance and found youths suffering stab wounds.

A 17-year-old boy died at the scene, while an 18-year-old male was taken to Lismore Base hospital for treatment. He remains there in a stable condition.

Following inquiries, a teenage boy, also 17, was arrested at Casino, charged with murder, reckless wounding and affray.

This is a striking chart and a firm rebuke of any comparisons of Covid to more mild respiratory illnesses.

Liberal MP Stuart Robert has confirmed on the Today show this morning that Peter Dutton will be the party’s new leader, with Sussan Ley to be sworn in as deputy uncontested.

Asked why he didn’t seem “over the moon”, Robert replied:

I’m definitely [happy] with that … super happy about the party room and the leadership team we’re bringing in.

As for the Nationals, Robert said “we’ll wait and see” what they do.

They had a great campaign. Held their seats to their credit. David Littleproud is a great colleague of mine from Queensland. I wish them all the best as it goes ahead.

“You think David Littleproud will be the leader?” he was pushed.

I think it’ll be close.