Health News at Your Fingertips

I think it got lost in all the press conferences, but WA and the federal government have announced an in-principle deal for a 1000-bed quarantine facility, likely to be built at Jandakot Airport, AAP reports.

Finance minister Simon Birmingham said the WA facility was expected to be running at half-capacity by March next year.

“It will increase our ability to respond to future emergencies or disasters, including the continued management of the Covid-19 pandemic into next year,” he said.

But WA premier Mark McGowan labelled that target “optimistic”, citing high demand for housing which has left the state facing skills shortages.

“In my experience in the current building market, it takes a while to build things,” he said.

Here’s the breakdown of the cases in Victoria today, via AAP:

• Ten linked to Al-Taqwa College, three students and seven household members
• Four linked to Glenroy West Primary School, all household contacts
• Two linked to Caroline Springs Square shopping centre, contacts of retail facilities
• Two linked to Newport outbreak, a household contact and another to a local football club
• Two linked to addresses on Lygon Street, both residents have moved out
• Four unlinked ‘mystery’ cases, including one in Glenroy, two in Altona North and one in the Glen Eira area, someone who works at Malvern East pizza store.

A 41-year-old man in Western Australia has been charged with breaching self-quarantine directions.

Police allege he flew to WA from Melbourne on 8 August, was granted entry to self-quarantine for 14-days, but when police went to check on him, they allege he had left and returned to Melbourne.

He then arrived in WA from Melbourne on 8 August, and was granted entry to self-quarantine again, but when police went to check up on him, they allege he wasn’t there.

After they found him they took him into custody and charged him with two counts of failing to comply with a health direction.

He is due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court today.

Just a bit more on the ACT chief minister Andrew Barr’s press conference earlier.

He is expressing concern about parliament potentially becoming an exposure site next week if parliament sits without strong protections in place.

Yesterday, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he had not made a decision on whether to delay the next sitting fornight, due to start on Monday.

He said if they only held parliament with the MPs who stayed in Canberra in the non-sitting week we are in at the moment, then there would be enough numbers for quorum.

A second South Australian MP has been referred to an official investigator over allegations of bullying, AAP reports.

Treasurer Rob Lucas says he has referred allegations against Labor MP Tony Piccolo to the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment.

It follows claims a former trainee in the MP’s office was subjected to escalating harassment and abuse leading up to his resignation.

The state government last month referred bullying allegations against Sports Minister Corey Wingard to the commissioner for investigation.

A complaint against Wingard was lodged by Sport SA chief executive Leah Cassidy in relation to the minister’s conduct on two occasions.

Lucas said the claims against Piccolo were disturbing, particularly allegations the trainee was forced to resign one month before the completion of his traineeship.

The treasurer said there were reports Labor had launched its own investigation into the allegations.

“However, these complaints can’t be properly dealt with by a cosy little internal review conducted by Labor-appointed investigators into a long-serving Labor MP,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

In relation to the allegations against Wingard, premier Steven Marshall said previously that the matter was being treated seriously.

“We take any allegation seriously and so we’ve referred it on promptly,” the premier said.

“If there is reason to take any further action, I will have no hesitation in doing so.”

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said just a moment ago that expanding access to the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds was something being worked through.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese is pushing for a plan.

The NSW government has announced that specialist organisations that support asylum seekers and temporary visa holders who need emergency support can apply for grants as part of a $5.5m program.

The NSW minister for multiculturalism Natalie Ward said the focus would be on those who provide emergency relief such as food, medical support, housing, and transport.

It’s important this support gets to where it is needed most, as quickly as possible.

Asked again if Australia will recognise the Taliban government, Marise Payne says she won’t speculate:

They will be the subject of international discussions as they have already been in terms of the engagement at the UN Security Council. We will continue to talk with partners and I think the Prime Minister’s made our views fairly clear.

Morrison was also asked whether Queensland and Tasmania were refusing to help with people returning in quarantine. He said they were cooperating, but noted Tasmania doesn’t have an international airport.

Queensland are supporting and participating, and this is a matter that we’ll discuss again on Friday at national cabinet to confirm a number of those arrangements. Of course in Tasmania they don’t run international flights normally from other parts of the world.

Their facilities are different to what’s available in other states and territories. It wouldn’t be because of any reluctance to want to assist and I have no doubt the Tasmanian government will provide whatever help they can assist in this effort. There’s been a spontaneous and ready response from all the states and territories and I’m grateful for that. As indeed through the national resilience facility at Howard Springs as well which will be playing a role in these repatriations.

He says those being evacuated from Afghanistan will be based in Emirates while they get welfare and medical checks before they’re taken to Australia.

That’s the end of the press conference.