Covid-19

Australia news live update: Victoria eases some Covid restrictions as cases rise; Tasmania declares Sydney and Melbourne ‘high risk’

By Medicc Saves
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21:17

The Canberra Raiders have been struck by Covid:

Jack Snape
(@jacksongs)

The Canberra Raiders are the latest NRL team to be affected by a COVID-19 outbreak after a member of the club’s support staff tested positive on Monday. Much of the squad is in isolation awaiting test results and pre-Christmas training is set to be cancelled.


December 15, 2021








21:00

Christopher Knaus

It’s well worth reading this story from reporter Christopher Knaus this morning. Almost 3,000 children have been hit with fines of up to $5,000 for minor Covid breaches in New South Wales.








20:50

Back in Victoria, the Peel Hotel owner Tom McFeely has been on Today after his venue was visited by a positive Omicron case:

What people often forget is when you have staff isolating, there’s not that many staff out there. The hospitality industry right now is pretty shortstaffed. When you’re instructed your staff have to isolate, that effectively means you have to close.

The Today Show
(@TheTodayShow)

“There doesn’t seem to be any logic in they way they handle these outbreaks”.

In Melbourne, The Peel Hotel owner, Tom McFeely is having to shut up shop AGAIN, after being visited by an Omicron-positive partygoer. #9Today pic.twitter.com/StstYqW8LA


December 15, 2021

Updated








20:44

Federal finance minister Simon Birmingham is appearing on RN Breakfast ahead of today’s midyear budget update, which will show unemployment will be below 5% by mid next year:

RN Breakfast
(@RNBreakfast)

“Australia is one of the top three performing global economies…and that is a function of the hardwork of so many Australians through the COVID outbreak but it is also a sign that the economic recovery plans we put in place are working” – Finance Minister, @Birmo


December 15, 2021

RN Breakfast
(@RNBreakfast)

“We have seen big recovery in terms of consumer confidence, business confidence and retail spending growth coming back strongly and we expect that will continue. In terms of Omicron we continue to get the best advice we can” – @Birmo, Finance Minister


December 15, 2021

Updated








20:41

In Victoria, some 65,000 VCE and VCAL students are receiving their Atar results this morning after completing year 12 amid statewide lockdowns and a global pandemic – no small feat.

Some 50,723 students are receiving their VCE – a 98% completion rate, while 14,066 are receiving their VCAL. Some 13,935 students have received at least one study score of 40 or more out of 50.

Updated








20:33

Speaking of borders, Labor MP Bill Shorten appeared on the Today show this morning urging state leaders to be cautious about closing off to states with rising Covid cases in light of the Omicron variant’s spread:

I really expect and hope that the borders won’t close and that plans will go ahead. What we need to recognise is Omicron is different to Delta … we need to accelerate the booster shots right now … we’ve got to adjust our plans but not wreck Christmas.

Bill Shorten
(@billshortenmp)

Australia must be agile in the face of the Omicron variant so that we can have a safe Christmas. pic.twitter.com/ruAW8MZDiC


December 15, 2021

Updated








20:29

NSW budget deficit blows out to $19.5bn

There’s more evidence of the cost of the Covid pandemic to government finances this morning, with NSW treasurer Matt Kean unveiling his state’s mid-year review at a Sydney breakfast hosted by the Business Council of Australia.

The key number is the more than doubling of the projected budget deficit for this the 2021-22 year to $19.5bn, compared with $8.6bn forecast when the budget was laid down in June.

That was the same budget then treasurer and now premier Dominic Perrottet declared at the start of his budget speech: “NSW is back.” At that time, Delta was clustering in Sydney and within days the state was locked down.

Kean says NSW is “continuing to bounce back from one of the biggest economic shocks the state has faced in generations, with the government’s targeted support measures and strong vaccination rates helping our economy successfully recover”.

Despite that much bigger projected deficit, Kean is still forecasting the budget will return to surplus by 2024-25, “with the impact of the Delta outbreak largely contained to the current financial year”.

Let’s see how the Omicron variant plays out, with health minister Brad Hazzard predicting yesterday the state could be reporting 25,000 new cases a day by the end of next month.

And it remains to be seen whether that return to surplus includes a contribution from the Transport Asset Holdings Entity. This is the financial vehicle at the centre of a standoff between Kean’s Treasury department and the Audit Office. Which side of the ledger will Kean side with is worth keeping an eye on.

Updated








20:25

Good morning

Good morning everyone. It’s nine days until 25 December and all I want for Christmas is an end to the pandemic. But Covid is continuing to dominate the news.

It’s Caitlin Cassidy here and we’re watching Victoria this morning, where some restrictions are to ease today as, concurrently, case numbers are expected to rise. Unvaccinated people will now be allowed into retail stores – where masks will remain compulsory – and deep cleaning requirements will be lifted for gyms, workplaces, theatres and cinemas.

New South Wales is also bracing for today’s Covid numbers after recording a high 1,360 new cases on the first day of eased restrictions. Health minister Brad Hazzard yesterday warned case numbers could reach 25,000 by the end of January.

Further south, Tasmania has declared all of Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Geelong as high-risk Covid areas after increases in case numbers, including the Omicron variant of concern.

It comes just a day after the state reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers. People coming from designated high-risk areas must return a negative test in the 72 hours before arriving and present proof at the border.

And another royal has tested positive to Covid. Denmark’s Princess Mary is isolating in a wing of the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. It has not been detected among other members of the family.

It’s shaping up to be a busy day, so let’s dive in.

Updated

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