Health News at Your Fingertips

Bob Carr has continued tweeting:

NSW’s Covid numbers are in – the state has recorded 7,437 new cases and 14 coronavirus deaths overnight:

The opposition leader Anthony Albanese has begun the week by saying the government is “paralysed” by the text message sagas.

Albanese did not hold back when he appeared on Seven’s Sunrise this morning:

Well, those closest to (the prime minister) have made the assessment that he cannot be (trusted).

If the deputy prime minister cannot trust the prime minister, why should Australians?

The issue here is … this is such a distraction. This dysfunction and the dishonesty and the disunity means this government is paralysed in taking action. Like aged care, which is in crisis.

Over 600 Australians have lost their lives. Aged care workers still cannot get PPE and access to rapid antigen tests. We have older Australians that are vulnerable, locked in their rooms, not getting enough food and water.

Those are the issues that concern Australians, I think. Not this circus, as you described it.

Communications minister Paul Fletcher is telling ABC radio about the restoration of funding to the national broadcaster (see Amanda Meade’s story, linked in a previous post).

The ABC will have to detail their levels of Australian content and other key services.

Fletcher:

We are giving the ABC secure and increased funding and with that come some increased obligations in terms of reporting.

He says asking the ABC to “live up to the high expectations the parliament has of it” is not “attacking” it.

On the texts (no politicians will get away without facing these questions), Fletcher derides them as a “soap opera” for political journalists.

(An analogy that makes the protagonists the soap opera stars, while journalists observe … )

Deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud has also been out this morning. He told Radio National that leader Barnaby Joyce is “part of a cohesive team”, and that it’s not “earth-shattering” that some people in politics don’t like each other.

It would be “naive” for journalists or the public to think they all sit down and sing Kumbayah together, he said.

The federal government will restore ABC funding to 2018 levels, Amanda Meade has reported. That will mean $3.3bn over three years for the national broadcaster. SBS will get $953.7m. Read all the details here:

Here’s that text from former NSW premier Bob Carr with the (furiously denied) claims about defence minister Peter Dutton. Dutton said “Bob Carr’s tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted” (it hasn’t been, yet):

Michael McCormack – the former Nationals leader who would possibly like to reshuffle into that job again – has also been on ABC television talking about those text messages.

Leader Barnaby Joyce “has some explaining to do”, he said. He also said Joyce could resign if he wanted to and that he would “seriously consider” putting his hand up again for the top job:

I’ll weigh that up at the time. If enough members of the party came to me and asked me to lead the party, I would seriously consider that. I’ve taken them to an election. I’ve retained every seat.

McCormack called the text messages Joyce sent describing Scott Morrison a “liar” and a “hypocrite” as “damaging and unfortunate”:

It’s very, very unfortunate, the fact that we’re talking about ourselves when we should be talking about Australians. We should be focused on the recovery from Covid.

We should be focused on all of those things that mean so much to ordinary everyday Australians who are doing it tough. So for those Australians out there in the suburbs, out in the regions, who are currently getting kids ready for school, about to open a business, about to go to work for the day, about to drive a tractor or truck, whatever the case may be, I want them to know I’m focused on them and so should every politician in Canberra.

Still on treasurer Josh Frydenberg – he will announce today that pandemic financial supports must end, and that rapid antigen tests will be tax deductible for workers and businesses (plenty of people would prefer them to be free).

Read Sarah Martin’s piece here:

Josh Frydenberg is busy this morning. He’s on ABC television now being asked about prime minister Scott Morrison’s character.

He’s swiftly segued into the federal government’s handling of the pandemic, vaccination rates and the economic recovery.

He says he has full confidence in Morrison and, asked if he would contest the PM spot if it came up, he doesn’t say no:

Scott Morrison will be the first prime minister since John Howard to go to a full term.

We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got a job to do to ensure this economic recovery and momentum continues. We’ve got a job to do to ensure Australians stay safe from Covid but there’s some good news out there. We’ve started to see the number of cases, ICU admissions and people on ventilators come down. It’s what the health experts were telling us.

The kids are back at school. Australia has fared better than nearly any other country in terms of this.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has dismissed those claims from former NSW premier and former foreign minister Bob Carr that defence minister Peter Dutton was behind those texts about prime minister Scott Morrison.

Carr was suffering “relevance deprivation syndrome”, Frydenberg said:

Bob Carr, when he was foreign minister, was a waste of space.

So we’re off to a grown up and civil start, then.

Welcome to the 2022 federal parliamentary year – sort of. Today is not technically a sitting day but the pollies are flying into Canberra and girding their loins for tomorrow.

There will only be a handful of sitting days before the election but they’re sure to be jam-packed.

Speaking of jam, pop your white bread in the toaster, grab a coffee, and settle in.

There will, of course, be more discussion about the two lots of texts sent that were rather unflattering to prime minister Scott Morrison.

The National party room will sit today, so we may hear more about what his colleagues think about deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce’s text (calling Morrison a hypocrite and a liar) and subsequent apology.

Last week’s National Press Club address by Morrison was derailed by questions about the price of household goods and the revelations of texts apparently from a cabinet minister calling Morrison a “psycho”. That saw a conga line of ministers saying “it wasn’t me”.

Defence minister Peter Dutton – who has put his hand up for the top job in the past – had to furiously deny it was him, after former New South Wales premier Bob Carr accused him of being the mystery texter.

The crisis from aged care is far from over, and the political fallout will continue.

And this week we will hear more about the government’s religious discrimination bill.

With you is the tip-top Guardian Australia politics team. Now with added Josh Butler! Katharine Murphy, Sarah Martin, Paul Karp and Daniel Hurst will steer you through, and Mike Bowers will bring you the pictorial highlights.

Tory Shepherd has landed in Canberra to try to keep the blog under control. Whoa, boy!