Health News at Your Fingertips

The government has launched a new national Australia brand – a kangaroo silhouette accompanied by the word “AUSTRALIA”.

The tagline is “only in Australia”, the meaning of which I can only guess.

Following suit with NSW and Victoria, the ACT will ease a number of public health restrictions from 6pm tonight.

All density limits will be removed, with no need for businesses to display signage for capacity limits. Diners will be able to stand while eating and drinking, and dancing will be again permitted.

Ticketing and preregistration requirements for events will be removed, and employees will be able to return to the workplace upon employee discretion.

From Monday, elective surgery will resume and the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated international travellers will be reduced to seven days as well as the requirement for online declaration forms.

From Friday 25 February face mask restrictions will be eased in some indoor places and exemption requirements for all events will be removed.

Check In CBR will still be required at businesses where it is currently mandated, and all businesses are still required to have a Covid-19 safety plan in place.

Chief minister Andrew Barr said the past few years had been a “tumultuous time” in the territory:

Our case numbers have steadied, and we are cautiously optimistic about the autumn period. While we recognise the situation could change if a new variant of concern emerges or there is a surge in cases, this step is designed to minimise the disruption of Covid-19 on our local businesses when it is safe to do so.

The winter months will present increased risks, and the ACT government will join national efforts to prepare for a period where our health system may come under significant strain.

The Victorian government has today announced a new Social and Affordable Housing Contribution (SAHC) alongside exempting social housing properties from paying council rates from mid next year.

From July 2024, all newly built developments with three dwellings or more and three or more lot subdivisions will contribute 1.75% of the as-if-complete project value to the Social Housing Growth Fund. The change will affect less than 30% of all residential planning permits.

Over the first ten years, the SAHC is expected to raise on average about $800 million a year to fund the delivery of an average of up to 1,700 new social and affordable homes each year.

The rates reform will be phased in over four years from July 2023 and will only apply to social housing properties. The reform will not apply to affordable housing.

Still in Queensland, and premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ordered a wide-ranging probe of Queensland government and public service integrity following continued pressure from former and outgoing public servants over cultural issues.

From AAP:

The premier has faced sustained questioning about misconduct allegations involving the government, the public service and the state’s four integrity watchdogs.

Palaszczuk told AAP in a statement:

It is always good to look at things with fresh eyes. The 21st century has brought rapid changes, not least in terms of technology. We need to address that. People deserve a government that is fit for purpose, geared to their needs and focused on them. I welcome this independent review and look forward to Professor Coaldrake’s findings.

Coaldrake has been told to focus on systemic issues rather than individual misconduct complaints, with at least two of those under investigation.

The Crime and Corruption Commission is probing whether senior public servants in 2021 took a laptop from integrity commissioner Nikola Stepanov’s office and deleted its contents. Stepanov, who’s resigning in July, has also said the government cut her funding and staff, which the premier denies.

Palaszczuk also tried to have the integrity commissioner probed by a parliamentary committee for alleged misconduct after she complained about the laptop.

Meanwhile, a Queen’s Counsel is probing misconduct claims made by the former state archivist Mike Summerell. He has alleged interference in his role and his reports, potentially leading to parliament being misled.

At the same time, three separate reviews are looking at whether the CCC, the Integrity Commissioner and the Office of the Independent Assessor, the local government watchdog, are fit for purpose.

Speaking of Victoria, case numbers are in.

There have been 6,935 new Covid cases detected overnight, with a string of restrictions set to ease from 6pm amid declining numbers.

Sadly, a further 14 lives have been lost overnight.

There are 451 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 64 people requiring intensive care. That’s 50 people more than yesterday’s figure, but a slight drop in ICU.

NSW Covid case numbers are in. There have been 9,243 new case numbers overnight as a string of restrictions lift in the state.

Sadly, there have been 15 Covid-related deaths.

There has been another drop in hospitalisations overnight. There are 1,381 people being treated in hospital including 92 requiring intensive care.

Also this morning, AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid was on ABC Breakfast discussing rising case numbers in Western Australia. Khorshid said the expected uptick in cases was finally occurring in the state:

As we know, Omicron spreads quickly in communities. Almost a couple of months into our battle with Omicron, we’ve seen low case numbers up to now. We still have no one in hospital and we’ve had a single death, tragically, in a patient who had Omicron but that’s a very different experience a couple of months in than we’ve seen in other states.

Modelling on the trajectory of the outbreak is yet to have been released by the WA government, on grounds it’s inaccurate. Khorshid said:

It’s baffling everyone that we’ve seen relatively low numbers. I think that points to the effectiveness of extremely high vaccination rates. 95% of people over the age of 12 with two doses, up to almost 99%with a single dose and that puts us in a unique situation worldwide as we start to battle Omicron.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will be up and about in Darwin today, discussing investment in Aboriginal health services.

In Queensland, a 35-year-old man has been missing for more than 13 hours after attempting to help a fisherman who had been knocked over by a wave.

Queensland police were called to the scene just after 6pm last night.

A number of people went to the aid of the fisherman but the male rescuer failed to return to shore.

A land, sea and air search has so far been unsuccessful. This morning, police have been patrolling the shoreline with water police vessels searching the area.