Health News at Your Fingertips

You can’t imagine the Nationals latest leadership crisis will take too long.

There’s only 21 people in the party room. They only have to count to 11. That’s it.

The official NSW Covid press conference will be at 1pm but here is the NSW Health alert (the new cases will be in tomorrow’s numbers):

NSW recorded two locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, both of which were announced yesterday morning.

NSW Health has also been notified of two new locally acquired cases overnight. These cases will be included in tomorrow’s numbers.

Five new overseas-acquired cases were recorded in the same period, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,460.

There were 25,252 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 24,468.

NSW Health urges the community to come forward for testing in greater numbers as high testing numbers are vital in detecting cases of COVID-19 in order to prevent further transmission.

Anyone with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms is urged to get tested without delay and isolate until a negative result is received. People in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and the Wollongong area are asked to be especially vigilant for the onset of symptoms.

In the week ending Sunday 20 June, NSW Health administered 90,485 vaccines. This is the highest number of vaccines administered by NSW Health in a week and includes 36,515 vaccines administered at the Sydney Olympic Park vaccination centre.

The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 1,897,131 with 676,080 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 1,221,051 administered by the GP network and other providers to 11.59pm on Saturday 19 June.

So Barnaby Joyce supporter Matthew Canavan has called the spill motion for the leadership of the National party.

Now we wait.

It’s not like there is anything else going on, like, I don’t know – a pandemic, a vaccination rollout which is behind schedule and has seen another setback, communities still recovering from bushfires, storms and loss of revenue, and about a trillion other things Australians care about because it impacts their actual lives.

But the National party is upset there could be a change of energy policy (in that there might actually be one) and its MPs are worried about their electoral chances, so you know, priorities.

It’s never the challenger:

Does Michael McCormack have the support of his colleagues?

I hope so. We will find out soon, won’t we? Who knows what the future holds? Que sera. The future is not ours to see. I’m quoting Doris Day there. I have to go.

This is the man who is now the deputy leader of the country.

Sigh.

Mike Bowers popped his cameras into the chamber this morning.

This looks like one of the moments when Barnaby Joyce realises he probably won’t be getting to 11 and once again has created a bunch of smoke with no flame.

It’s like the nation is stuck in the lamest deputy prime minister reveal party possible.

Just two more examples of merit:

These people can’t decide on a leader but can make decisions for the country. Makes total sense.

So a grinning Michael McCormack, an unhappy Barnaby Joyce and an ambivalent David Littleproud walk into the Nationals party room.

Leadership. That’s it. That’s the joke.

Sarah Martin tells me that on his way in to the Nationals party room, Michael McCormack was asked how he was feeling and answered with:

Positive, as I’m always feeling.”

Uh huh.

Barnaby Joyce apparently didn’t look quite so positive and walked in alone. He answered: “Good.”

David Littleproud responded with: “Who knows?”

If there is one thing we can be grateful today, it’s that it is the winter solstice – and therefore, the shortest day of the year.

LNP MP George Christensen seconds Craig Kelly’s private member’s bill to the House.

He does not give a speech – but he puts his name to the bill.