Australia news live: Zoe Daniel ‘sad’ about Anzac ceremony altercation; long Covid inquiry report released

Minor flood warning for Johnstone and Tully rivers in Queensland

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning that minor flooding is occurring in Far North Queensland.

Australian and New Zealand agriculture ministers met over weekend

Australia and New Zealand have both learned from each other’s recent natural disasters in the talks held over the weekend.

As well as the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, meeting his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, over the weekend, the minister for emergency management and agriculture, Murray Watt, also participated in the talks.

Watt says while it has been a fraught period for both nations when it comes to natural disasters, both countries are seeking greater resilience of the future.

No leads over newborn abandoned outside Sydney home

Investigators are no closer to discovering the identity of the woman who gave birth to a newborn girl found abandoned outside a home in Sydney, AAP reports.

The infant, believed to be days old, was found at a property at Blacktown, in the city’s west, on Friday afternoon and taken by police to Blacktown hospital.

The family who discovered the baby had moved to the area a week earlier and said they had heard a noise outside before making the discovery.

Investigating police have reiterated they were most concerned for the welfare of the child’s mother. Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pietruszka told Sydney radio station 2GB this morning:

We are concerned for her, both mentally and physically. We just want to make sure she’s OK.

He hoped forensic material and CCTV would provide some leads but urged anyone with information to come forward.

The baby is believed to have been left at the home between 12.30pm and 2.40pm on Friday. Pietruszka said

This person has obviously gone through something quite traumatic and to put your own child in this situation, obviously you do need some help.

The woman has been urged to attend a hospital, call an ambulance or attend a police station as soon as possible. The baby will enter state care upon discharge from hospital.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Paul Karp

Call for national centre for disease control

Mike Freelander, the chair of the long Covid inquiry committee, continued:

There is a distinct difficulty in obtaining verifiable data about many of these issues and it is the committee’s view that the development of a national centre for disease control within the Department of Health and Aged Care would be the most appropriate mechanism for data collection and linkage with the states and territories.

Likewise, there is much that we do not understand about the virus, such as the fact that it is likely changing from being an acute pandemic virus to now an endemic form. Research will be very important in helping us understand the best ways and means of managing its ongoing effects, particularly including long Covid.

Research should include individuals from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and other high-risk groups including those who are immunosuppressed. A research program should be established to nationally coordinate and fund research into long Covid and Covid-19 generally. This could be led by the Department of Health and Aged Care – ideally the CDC – and should be the for the longer term.

Paul Karp

‘It is clear that long Covid is a significant problem’

Chair of the long Covid inquiry committee Mike Freelander said:

The primary focus of this inquiry was our national management of long Covid, with further attention being placed on additional effects of this condition including the economic and mental health impacts, potential treatment and management options, and repeated Covid infections.

It is important to note that, during the inquiry, we were hampered by a lack of specific data and the lack of a concise definition of what constitutes long Covid.

At the present time, we accept the World Health Organization definition as the most useful for clinical practice; however, this may need to be modified as further information becomes available. It is clear that long Covid is a significant problem and estimates vary, indicating that between 2% to 20% of those infected with Covid-19 may develop long Covid.

Even if it is the lower figure of 2%, this is still many people requiring help and support. At this stage it does seem that specific treatments require more evidence of benefit before being specifically recommended, but this will become clearer over time. Certainly, most of the care needs to be provided by the primary care system, such as by GPs, nurses and allied health professionals.

Long Covid inquiry report tabled

Paul Karp

The House of Representatives standing committee on health, aged care and sport’s long Covid inquiry report has been tabled.

The committee made recommendations including that the Australian government:

• Establishes and funds a single Covid-19 database to be administered by the soon-to-be developed Centre for Disease Control

• Works with the states and territories to review the definition of long Covid as more research and information becomes available

• Pharmaceutical benefits advisory committee regularly review the benefits of antiviral treatments for Covid-19 in accordance with emerging research with a view to expanding the list of groups eligible to access these treatments through the pharmaceutical benefits scheme

• Establish and fund a multidisciplinary advisory body including ventilation experts, architects, aerosol scientists, industry, building code regulators and public health experts to improve air quality

• Consider a comprehensive summit into the Covid-19 pandemic and Australia’s past and current response

Paul Karp

Criminalising sex work drives it underground, Albanese says

Anthony Albanese has commented on Queensland’s proposed decriminalisation of sex work on KIIS FM.

Asked about decriminalisation of sex work and drugs, the prime minister said:

The states look after all of that. But clearly criminalising prostitution doesn’t really work – it just drives it underground and leads to worse behaviour and worse treatment of people involved in what can be a dangerous industry.

Albanese spoke about the defence strategic review, conducted by Angus Houston and Stephen Smith and preparations for Anzac Day on Tuesday.

He also spoke about attending shock jock Kyle Sandilands’ wedding, the coronation of King Charles and the existence of aliens:

I liked The X Files as much as anyone else. We all liked watching Gillian Anderson all those years ago. But I know as much as you do, mate. I can assure you of this: there are not secret briefings given to the prime minister of Australia about aliens being in our midst.

A sex work sector that protects more workers from exploitation and violence is expected to be at the centre of a Queensland government response to a major review of the industry, AAP reports.

Attorney general Shannon Fentiman wants sex work brought “out of the dark” through a properly regulated industry that prioritises the safety of workers. Fentiman told Seven News Brisbane last night:

Current laws stigmatise sex workers, it increases their vulnerability to exploitation and violence.

There are two legal forms of regulated sex work in Queensland: services provided in a licensed brothel, not including outcalls from the premises; and those provided by sole operators in-house or as outcalls.

Any other form of sex work is illegal, including services provided by escort agencies, unlicensed brothels, massage parlours and two or more sex workers operating from a single premises.

The state has 20 licensed brothels and most sex work occurs outside the regulated or licensed sector.

The attorney general asked the Queensland Law Reform Commission to review and investigate the regulation of a new framework for the industry in August 2021. The commission said in a review updated in November:

Decriminalising sex work will mean sex work is no longer a crime. But it does not mean no regulations or safeguards. People in the sex work industry will have protections and obligations under standard workplace, health, planning and other existing general laws.

Some 160 submissions have been received, with input from individual sex workers, brothel managers, clients and advocacy organisations. More information on the state government plan will be released today.

‘I think it’s a bit sad,’ Zoe Daniel says of Anzac ceremony altercation

Continuing on from that altercation at the Anzac Day ceremony at the Beaumaris RSL from the last post, Ryan Batchelor, the Labor MP for Southern Metropolitan region, has tweeted:

I was standing next to them. It was unedifying behaviour, and disrespectful of him to pull a stunt like that at Anzac Day service.

Zoe Daniel told ABC Radio she doesn’t think it’s appropriate to politicise such an event, “I think it’s a bit sad”:

It’s not about me, and it’s not about Tim Wilson, quite frankly. It’s about veterans.

Daniel also released this statement thanking her volunteer and explaining she was attending an event with her teenaged son who is a volunteer surf lifesaver:

Zoe Daniel says she is sad a clash has occurred at an Anzac Day ceremony between her volunteer and Tim Wilson, the former Liberal MP she ousted from the seat of Goldstein as part of the independent teal sweep at the last election.

Daniel was unable to attend the event at Beaumaris RSL yesterday but it was organised with the RSL that one of her volunteers would lay the wreath on her behalf.

Speaking to ABC Radio this morning, Daniel said although she was not at the event and didn’t see what happened, she understands:

When my name was called, and he was called up to lay the wreath. I’m told that the former federal member for Goldstein took the wreath and would not return it to my volunteer. So there was a little bit of a remonstration and then they laid the wreath jointly.

Wilson has replied to Twitter comments saying that the incident only occurred because he was handed the wreath by an event volunteer:

It was only done because I was handed the wreath. It was not sought. Turning it down would have been disrespectful as well. All would have been avoided had the MP been present. I have not commented on their absence. Anzac Day should not be politicised.

Another reply from Wilson says:

I was there to show respect and lay a book. I was asked to lay the wreath by those handing them out in the MP’s absence. I did. A man then claiming he was the rep stood by me. We did it together. And I laid my book. Disappointing to see politicisation.

Journalist Lucie Morris-Marr filmed part of the altercation between the pair.

Dan Tehan calls for ‘full transparency’ on solicitor general’s opinion on voice

Dan Tehan is also asked about the solicitor general’s opinion on the Indigenous voice to parliament which was released Friday and found it would not fetter or impede the power of the parliament or the executive. In his legal view, he found it would enhance Australia’s system of government.

Asked about if he accepts this, Tehan begins outlining his belief in the “fundamental principle that when it comes to the law, everyone should be treated equally”. He then goes on to repeat the Coalition line demanding the full advice be released given the significance of the decision.

ABC News Breakfast’s Michael Rowland questions Tehan:

Do you really think the full advice will be different to the key points of the advice that I just read?

Tehan:

Well, there are some elements and it goes to how you ask questions which will always deliver the responses you get.

For instance, if we said to the solicitor general, “Do you think there is a better way to do this?” then the advice he might give could be very different to what he’s given to the attorney general.

And that’s why we just want some full transparency around this. Just make sure that if other questions were asked of the solicitor general, what were the responses to that advice?

And given that we’re adding a chapter to our constitution, that’s what’s being proposed, we don’t see a problem with that full advice and the iterations of that advice being made public by the solicitor general and we think that would help the discussion and the debate.

‘We might see New Zealand citizens come in here to access our welfare system’

Dan Tehan is worried more New Zealanders could affect Australia’s welfare system and worsen the housing crisis:

We have to look at the cost over time because one of the reasons that the current arrangements were put in place is because we have a much more generous welfare system here in Australia than they do in New Zealand.

So over time, we might see New Zealand citizens come in here to access our welfare system, that has a cost.

Obviously we’re seeing soaring rents, there’s a housing crisis at the moment. So additional New Zealanders come in here because of these changes, what impact will it have on our housing shortages at the moment? These are all critical questions that need to be asked.

Clare O’Neil will be at the Press Club on Thursday and hopefully she’ll be able to outline these costs and also demonstrate that Labor’s bigger Australia, which they seem to be doing by stealth, that there is some sort of plan to it.

Tehan questions cost of NZ citizenship changes

Anthony Albanese met with his New Zealand counterpart at the weekend and ended a decades’ long sore spot, agreeing to ease citizenship rules for New Zealanders living in Australia.

Dan Tehan, the shadow immigration minister, says he agrees in principle with the citizenship reforms but says he has questions about the costs and whether they are part of the permanent migration cap:

We agree in principle that those New Zealanders who are here in Australia who are working and who have made a contribution, absolutely, we need to make sure that we can welcome them here as Australian citizens …

But what we also want to ask the government is a few questions about this because they’re changing what has been rules that have been put in place for a long time and we want to know what the costs will be, whether this change – which will be 350,000 New Zealand residents becoming Australian citizens – whether that’s part of the permanent migration cap, how that will fit in with the net overseas migration that’s going to hit 650,000 people in the next couple of years. All of this has a cost.

The Reserve Bank is worried about the impact of immigration on inflation and what that might mean for interest rates and the government doesn’t want to set out any of these costs or show that it has a plan when it comes to its immigration strategy at the moment.