Health News at Your Fingertips

Penny Wong has added to Albanese’s statement by urging Australians still in Ukraine to leave as soon as they can:

I echo the leader’s point that we do offer a full bipartisanship support to the government on the sanctions which have been announced, and on Australian playing its full part as a member of the international community, standing in solidarity with Ukraine and with the Ukrainian community.

I would also make this point. We do know that there are Australians who remain in Ukraine. I would echo the government and the view is that it is time to leave.

So opposition leader Anthony Albanese has stepped up, along with Penny Wong, and thrown his support behind Australia’s sanctions against Russia that Scott Morrison announced earlier today.

Albanese said it was “appropriate” that Australia introduce those sanctions, and said he was not looking for any disagreement on the issue:

This is a shocking development, whereby we have a situation [where] Russia has undertaken aggression against the people of Ukraine, and all Australians stand with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Labor supports the announcement that has been announced by the government. We believe it is important when it comes to national security that we express a common view on behalf of the Australian people, in support of democracy, in support of sovereignty, of Ukraine and against Russian aggression.

Jai Wright’s family have released a statement, asking for privacy as they mourn and thanking the community for their support.

Wright’s family also distanced themselves from rallies and fundraisers that were being organised in Jai’s name, saying they will be organising a march after Jai’s funeral.

They also say they hope to have “the opportunity to find the truth about Jai’s death”.

Jai’s family will not be making any further comments at this point in time. They also want the community to know they are not affiliated with any current march, rally or fundraiser, but will be organising a march in the days and weeks after Jai’s funeral.

The family are taking time to privately remember Jai and plan his funeral. They look forward to a coronial inquest and the opportunity to find the truth about Jai’s death.

Jai, 16, died after the trail bike he was riding and an unmarked police car crashed in Sydney’s inner-west on Saturday morning.

Police have launched a critical incident investigation into the crash, but Wright’s father, Lachlan, told reporters on Monday that an independent inquiry was needed.

The Bureau of Meteorology has released a weather update, saying there is more rain to come across the east coast, especially in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW.

Jonathan How, a meteorologist at BOM, said severe weather warnings for heavy to intense rainfall remain for those two regions, who will see steadily increasing rainfall every day leading into the weekend.

We are likely to issue severe thunderstorm warnings, in addition to this, for thunderstorms that have the potential to bring life-threatening flash flooding.

Labor MP Nick Champion has resigned from federal politics and will move to contest the South Australian state election.

In a statement, the speaker, Andrew Wallace, said considerations will be given to the possibility of a byelection, although there is a general election around the corner.

Earlier today, Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Brett Sutton, defended the decision to maintain mask mandates in primary schools.

It comes after the government lifted mask mandates in most indoor settings from Saturday.

But Sutton, speaking on ABC Radio, said the mandate was necessary given the high case numbers in Victoria, and because vaccine coverage in that age group remains low:

It won’t be forever, but it’s the appropriate time to do it, with cases still very high.

I think we’ll review [it] certainly at the end of this term, we’ll see where vaccination coverage has got to and where our numbers are.

One of Australia’s most wanted men has told reporters he’s been “living life” and “avoiding being killed” in the 12 years he was on the run.

Graham Potter was flanked by senior officers from Victoria Police, who were escorting him back to Victoria from Queensland, and grinned as he responded to questions from waiting journalists.

Here is what he said when asked what he’d been doing while on the run:

Living life and avoiding being killed.

You’ll appreciate I can’t talk to you. I’d like to but I can’t at this stage.

Here’s yesterday’s story on his arrest in far north Queensland:

The NT recorded 864 new Covid cases. There are 131 people in hospital, with 11 on a ventilator and four in ICU.

Good afternoon, and as always a quick thanks to Cait Kelly for her expert work on the blog this morning. Mostafa Rachwani with you, taking you through the rest of the day’s news.

And with that, I am going to leave you there. I will pass you on to my colleague, Mostafa Rachwani whose capable hands will take you through the rest of the day!