Australia live news updates: NSW and Victoria schools prepare for return as states monitor new ‘son of Omicron’ strain

Welcome to Sunday.

Before we get into it I want to say good morning to everyone, but especially Ash Barty – who became the first local to win the Australian Open single title in 40 years.

Among active players, only Barty and the sport’s four ‘GOATs’ – greatest of all-time contenders – Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have snared majors on clay, grass and hard courts.

“I feel very humble to be in such a select group,” Barty said in the jubilant aftermath to her 6-3 7-6 (7-2) win on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night.

“To be honest, I don’t really feel like I belong with those champions of our sport.

“There’s still work to be done, without a doubt. I’m still very much learning and trying to refine my craft and trying to learn every single day to get better and better.

Backing up this incredible win was Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis who beat Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell to win in the men’s doubles final.

In non-tennis news, more than 1m rapid antigen tests are being delivered to NSW schools, according to the Australian.

More than 3,000 schools and 5,000 childcare centres had already received their tests, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said.

The federal health department has detected a “very low number” of cases of the BA.2 sub-variant known widely as the “son of Omicron” in more states and territories.

The sub-variant has been detected in more than 40 countries and there are concerns it may be more contagious than Omicron.

In politics, prime minister Scott Morrison has re-stoked debate about border security by issuing a stern vaccination warning to US rap star Kanye West.

The 22-time Grammy winner has scheduled an Australian stadium tour in March but is widely known for his anti-immunisation stance and is yet to indicate whether or not he’s vaccinated.

“The rules are you have to be fully vaccinated,” Morrison told reporters on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

“Those are the rules. They apply to everybody, as people have seen most recently.”

And women could hold the key to getting insecure men to try eating less meat, according to a new study about vegan food.

Men who view meat consumption as a central tenet of their masculinity are a particularly hard market for vegan fare, and according to recent research, women could be the answer to broadening their horizons.

While they feared their mates would make fun of them for eating a vegan burger or showing up to a barbecue with a round of plant-based patties, if their girlfriend took them to a vegan restaurant, those fears dissipated.

“It was very interesting the importance of romantic relationships, some of the men were saying ‘if she likes it I’ll do it’. There’s a lot of soft power in the decision as to what kind of food men would select,” Curtin University sustainability professor Dora Marinova told AAP.

Let’s get into it!

With Australian Associated Press.