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Australia

Prime Minister to investigate claims of Scott Morrison’s secret ministry grab during COVID-19

Prime Minister to investigate claims of Scott Morrison's secret ministry grab during COVID-19

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government will investigate claims former prime minister Scott Morrison swore himself in as joint health, finance and resources minister during the height of the pandemic.

Mr Albanese says the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is seeking legal advice from the solicitor-general.

The ABC understands then-health minister Greg Hunt agreed to Mr Morrison’s joint position as a safeguard to incapacitation from COVID-19, but that Matthias Cormann was not told that Mr Morrison had appointed himself as joint finance minister.

Former resources minister Keith Pitt has told the ABC Mr Morrison also used his self appointment to Mr Pitt’s portfolio to block a controversial petroleum exploration licence.

Prime Minister Albanese said the revelations were “extraordinary”.

“The people of Australia were kept in the dark as to what the ministerial arrangements were, it’s completely unacceptable,” Mr Albanese said.

This is very contrary to our Westminster system. It was cynical and it was just weird that this has occurred.”

Mr Albanese said it was a serious allegation, but also “just weird”.

“Perhaps this explains why we didn’t order enough vaccines. I mean, the Minister for Health might have thought the Prime Minister was ordering them because he was also the Minister for Health, and he thought the Minister for Health was ordering them,” Mr Albanese joked.

Former Morrison minister slams secret appointments

Nationals leader David Littleproud, who served as agriculture minister under Mr Morrison, told ABC Radio this morning he did not know the former prime minister had sworn himself into several roles.

“That’s pretty ordinary, as far as I’m concerned,” Mr Littleproud said.

“If you have a government cabinet, you trust your cabinet.”

Mr Littleproud said to his knowledge, the then-Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce was also not made aware of Mr Morrison’s self-appointments.

“These are decisions of Scott Morrison. I don’t agree with them, and I’m prepared to say that openly and honestly,” Mr Littleproud said.

Little proud looks off camera, bordered by two silhouetted figures.
David Littleproud says the former prime minister was wrong to secretly swear himself into several roles.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Mr Morrison also used his self-appointment to the resources portfolio to overrule the then-minister to block a petroleum exploration license off the NSW Central Coast.

National MP Keith Pitt told the ABC he “certainly made inquiries” when Mr Morrison told him about the joint-appointment, but ultimately accepted the move.

“I certainly found it unusual, but as I said I worked very closely with Scott through a very difficult period through COVID,” Mr Pitt said.

“I’m just not going to throw him under a bus, I just won’t.

“It was clearly something I was concerned about, as you would expect.”

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten, who lost the 2019 election to Mr Morrison, said it was a bizarre decision by the former prime minister.

“To find out he was ghosting his own cabinet ministers, goodness me, he was off on a trip,” Mr Shorten said.

“Honestly I’ve never heard of this, in World War II I’m not aware John Curtin swore himself in as Defense Minister … I don’t know what was going through [Mr Morrison’s] head.

“If he felt the need to do it, why not tell people? Why be secretive?”

Mr Albanese said he would not pre-empt the findings of the solicitor-general as to whether the former prime minister broke the law.

But he noted it was possible there were other secret appointments made by Mr Morrison.

Constitutional expert says self-appointments were inexplicable

Professor Anne Twomey, an expert in constitutional law, said it was “confusing” how Mr Morrison may have taken joint control of several portfolios.

Professor Twomey said only the Governor-General can swear in a minister, but noted reports that Mr Morrison may have found an administrative workaround.

She said there were already provisions for other ministers to take over portfolios if a minister is incapacitated, and it seemed unnecessary.

“What on Earth was going on, I don’t know, but the secrecy involved in this is just bizarre,” Professor Twomey said.

“You just wonder what’s wrong with these people that they have to do everything in secret.”

live updates

By Shiloh Payne

That’s all for the press conference

To recap, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will be seeking legal advice from his department after revelations Scott Morrison appointed himself to multiple portfolios.

Here’s what we know:

  • Mr Morrison granted himself powers of Health, Finance and Resources Minister at various points when he was Prime Minister.
  • Some Ministers knew at the time, but others didn’t.
  • Mr Albanese has described the former prime minister’s actions as contemplated for the democratic process.
  • Mr Albanese will be briefed on the claims later this afternoon.

The solicitor-general will also be providing advice.

By Shiloh Payne

PM describes Morrison’s actions as ‘contempt for democratic process’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Scott Morrison’s appointments as different ministers could have caused confusion in the government.

“Perhaps this explains why we didn’t order enough vaccines,” he says.

“The Minister for Health might have thought the Prime Minister was ordering them because he was also the Minister for Health and he thought the Minister for Health was ordering them.”

“What we know is that this is a shambles and it needs clearing up and the Australian people deserve better than this contempt for democratic processes and for our Westminster system of government, which is what we have seen trashed by the Morrison Government.”

By Shiloh Payne

Key Event

Will the solicitor-general look into this?

The Prime Minister is taking questions.

He was asked if the solicitor-general will look into these claims regarding Scott Morrison, here’s what he says:

“I have asked the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet,” he says.

“We will be seeking advice from appropriate people including the Solicitor-General about all of these issues.

I’ll be getting a full briefing this afternoon. This is dripping out like a tap that needs a washer fixed and what we need is actually to get the full flow of all the information out there and then we’ll make a decision about a way forward here.

“But these circumstances should never have arisen.”

By Shiloh Payne

‘Nothing about the last government was real, PM says

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there is an ‘absolute need’ for clear transparency.

“This isn’t some local footy club,” Mr Albanese says.

“This is a government of Australia where the people of Australia were kept in the dark as to what the ministerial arrangements were.”

“It’s completely unacceptable.”

By Shiloh Payne

PM: ‘Whole lot of questions arise’ from Morrison portfolio claims

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says claims that Scott Morrison took on additional portfolios as “extraordinary and unprecedented”.

He says he will have briefings on the situation when he returns to Canberra this afternoon.

“A whole lot of questions arise from this,” he says.

“What did Peter Dutton and other continuing members of the now shadow ministry know about these circumstances?

“How is it that the Australian people can be misled whereby we know now that Scott Morrison was not only being Prime Minister, but was Minister for Health, was Minister for Industry and Science at the same time as resources, was the Minister for Finance, and we had the extraordinary revelation that Mathias Cormann, apparently, wasn’t aware that Scott Morrison was the Minister for Finance as well as himself.”

By Shiloh Payne

Key Event

You can watch the press conference here

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking in Melbourne.

You can watch it here:

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By Shiloh Payne

Anthony Albanese is speaking in Melbourne

Close up of Anthony Albanese. He wears glasses with a black frame and a suit with a yellow tie.
(Supplied: James Alcock)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to the media in Melbourne.

He is expected to discuss the government’s plans to investigate claims that former prime minister Scott Morrison had secretly sworn himself into three ministerial positions at the height of the pandemic.

There are claims Mr Morrison swore himself in as joint health, finance and resources minister.

Good morning, I’m Shiloh Payne and I’ll be taking you through the latest updates.

posted , updated

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Australia

Sport, music and culture shine at Barunga Festival 2022 after COVID postponements

Aboriginal Dancers dance on sand.

The dust barely settles as it drifts across thousands of spectators circled around traditional dancers from Groote Eylandt kicking up a storm this weekend in the remote NT community of Barunga.

Historically, the buŋgul, a meeting place of dance, song and ritual, at Barunga Festival is largely admired from the sidelines — but this year was different.

“Barunga is one of those different places, it brings so many people from different communities to try to share together in one place, that’s what Barunga is all about,” Groote Eylandt dancer Leonard Amagula says.

“It is reaching out to other communities, reaching out to the young ones, to grow up and see we are doing wonderful things.”

Dancers on sand can be seen through the crowd.
The crowd is invited to take part in traditional dances. (ABC News: Max Rowley)

It starts as a trickle, and then legions of people from the crowd swirl into the centre, and press together behind the Groote Eylandt Anindilyakwa experts, billowing sand across the tiny community about 400 kilometers south-east of Darwin.

It’s one of those special moments that makes the three-day festival what it is; a place where both historic agreements are made and the promise of treaties echoes loudly.

And a place where remote Indigenous culture is strengthened simply by sharing in it.

A ‘rough but happy’ beginning

The festival has a long and important history that started over three decades ago in 1985.

Mr Amagula has been a regular attendee since his teens.

Back then, he says, it was “kinda rough but happy” and much larger with far more people traveling in from other Aboriginal communities.

A man in a hat files a Didgeridoo at Barunga.
Cultural workshops including yidaki (didgeridoo) making ran all weekend. (ABC Katherine: Roxanne Fitzgerald)

This year, after the festival was postponed due to COVID, creative director Michael Hohnen says that balance was almost struck again.

“Because it was not a long weekend, [there] was probably a few less people and the date change, a lot of people can’t plan for that date change, but I actually like this energy a lot,” he said.

“We didn’t push it at all in anywhere but remote communities … that’s what Barunga [Festival] is supposed to be, the community invites visitors in.”

weaving workshop
Festival attendees learn weaving from Barunga elders. (ABC Katherine: Roxanne Fitzgerald)

A succession of local NT bands took to the main stage across the three days, as MCs called musicians up for their slot and announced the winners of sport trophies in between sets – the by-product of a festival thin on staff running on ‘Barunga time ‘.

On Saturday night, singer and political activist Walmatjarri elder Kankawa Nagarra – who toured with Hugh Jackman in Broadway to Oz – opened the main stage concert delivering a string of songs that delved into a life of hardship as she moved from mission to mission.

A woman playing guitar on a stage at barunga festival.
West Australian political activist, singer and songwriter Kankawa Nagarra was a special guest at the festival. (ABC News: Max Rowley)

Then Salt Lake and Eylandt Band from Groote fired up the crowd.

A link to political past

Dissimilar to past years, where the rallying cries for action from leaders have been loud and fearless, it was quieter on the political front, leaving the festival’s roots in sport, music and culture to shine.

But at a festival steeped in political history, the past couldn’t be ignored.

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Australia

Pharmacies want over-the-counter COVID-19 antiviral access in Australia, as more people look to take oral treatments

Pharmacies want over-the-counter COVID-19 antiviral access in Australia, as more people look to take oral treatments

Jan Browning had been dreading getting COVID-19.

The 74-year-old — who is recovering from lung cancer — was scrupulous in trying to avoid it, wearing masks and social distancing.

Then, while she was still in the middle of immunotherapy treatment, it happened.

“I got the positive result, did the online questionnaire [and] then my [healthcare provider] rang me,” she said.

“They sent me an oximeter, which was delivered to my doorstep.”

But it was the next element that, according to Ms Browning, made an “enormous difference”.

An older woman with short brown hair and glasses stands on the sideline of an indoor basketball court
Jan Browning says COVID-19 antiviral medication helped with her recovery, allowing her to play sport again. (ABC News: Patrick Stone)

Later on the same day, she said, a COVID-19 doctor from her local health service called her and suggested she be put on antiviral treatment because of her past medical history.

The medication was delivered to her door step that night. After a day of treatment, Ms Browning said, she was “already starting to feel better.”

“It was such a smooth process and, I think, for me, I would have been in strife without them,” she said.

“It kept me out of the hospital. I’m playing sports again now and I feel great.”

For Canberra mother Liz Pickworth, the process was the polar opposite.

A eoman in a pink jumper with glasses looking dispondent
Liz Pickworth says she felt abandoned when sick with COVID-19.(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)

The 35-year-old has advanced cancer of the thymus gland, a rare cancer affecting fewer than one in 1.5 million people.

When she was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year — when she was still receiving cancer treatment — her specialists advised her to get antivirals as soon as possible.

However, despite numerous phone calls to her medical specialists and the local COVID-19 hotline, she wasn’t able to access the medications, which would have sped up her recovery.

“I felt like I was begging for my own welfare to survive COVID,” she told the ABC.

“I felt alone, I didn’t know where to look for help. I just felt like I was going to be sick all the time.”

Liz Pickworth looking down
Despite having stage 4 cancer, Liz Pickworth couldn’t access COVID antivirals. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore )

antiviral access

Two COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments, Lagevrio and Paxlovid, have been approved for use in Australia.

The treatments help stop a virus infecting healthy cells or multiplying in the body, with more than 182,000 prescriptions dispensed across the country, according to the Health Department.

Health specialists say they have become a critical element of the country’s COVID-19 response, reducing pressure on the nation’s hospital systems.

However, their use is restricted. Under guidelines revised last month, the only people who can access them are:

  • Australians over the age of 70 who test positive to COVID-19
  • Australians aged over 50 — and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged over 30 — with two or more risk factors for severe disease
  • Anyone over 18 who is severely immunocompromised or has severe physical or intellectual disabilities can also be assessed for access.

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Australia

The COVIDSafe app is dead – but was it ever really alive?

a hand holds a screen showing the message on the covidsafe app that it will no longer be collecting data

The federal government’s COVIDSafe app has been scrapped just over two years after its launch.

But the $21 million platform, designed to trace close contacts of people who tested positive for COVID, had problems from the start.

What was COVIDSafe?

When COVIDSafe launched in late April 2020, it was touted as a critical part of the government’s plan to reopen the economy.

The app relied on a bluetooth signal which transmitted at regular intervals to make contact with other users nearby.

If a person tested positive for COVID-19, state and territory authorities could request access to the phone log to work out who else may have been infected.

But the lower the number of people actively using it, the less effective it was – and it wasn’t guaranteed to work for those who did.

So, did COVIDSafe work?

When it was launched, Australians were told they didn’t have to do anything special to get COVIDSafe to work.

But the then-government’s own testing showed that when it went live, COVIDSafe only worked effectively about a quarter of the time or less on locked iPhones.

Communications between locked Androids and iPhones was also poor – although this later improved.

The app’s effectiveness was hampered by bugs which had the potential to limit its core function – particularly at big events, according to experts.

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It also took until late 2021 for COVIDSafe to be updated to track the more infectious Delta variant.

Months before, experts had warned the app’s 15-minute exposure window – the time frame used to define a close contact – was “very useless” in tracking the more transmissible variant.

In December 2021 Mark Butler — who was then the shadow health minister — called for it to be scrapped after it was revealed to have identified just two close contacts nationally in six months.

Mr Butler is now the Health Minister, and figures released by his office on Wednesday show just 17 close contacts that had not already been picked up by manual contact tracers were identified in more than two years.

In its lifetime, the app clocked just two unique COVID cases.

Did anybody use COVIDSafe?

At its launch, the government said it would need 40 per cent of Australians – 10 million people – to use COVIDSafe for it to be a success.

But that number has rarely been mentioned since.

By the time of its decommissioning, there were 7.9 million registrations, according to Mr Butler, who called it a “failed app”.

The vast majority of sign-ups – more than 6 million – were in the first few weeks.

But the app relied on active users, and people consenting to their positive test results being used, to work.

Illustration of someone holding a phone with the government's COVIDSafe app open with parliament house in the background.
The app cost $21 million but detected only two unique COVID cases.(ABC News: Emma Machan)

Fewer than 800 users consented to their data to be collected, according to Mr Butler’s office.

In September 2021, as COVID cases spiked in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, the ABC revealed the app had not uncovered any close contacts in those outbreaks.

In fact, the ACT never used data from the app at all, instead opting to rely on its own contact tracers.

How much did taxpayers pay for COVIDSafe?

The previous federal government entered into contracts worth nearly $10 million for work on the app until the end of 2021.

It refused to join Apple and Google’s joint contract tracing system, which was adopted by more than 50 jurisdictions around the world.

The total cost of the Australian app, which had a monthly operating price tag of $100,000, now sits at $21 million.

Of that, $10 million went to develop the app, a further $7 million on advertising and marketing, $2.1 million on upkeep and more than $2 million on staff.

What happens now?

Users are now being asked to uninstall COVIDSafe.

Doing so will delete all their data, according to a message on the app.

The Health Department will no longer gather personal data, and the data gathered via the app so far will be deleted as soon as possible, Mr Butler said.

The app will be formally decommissioned on August 16.

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Australia

Lawyers push to waive COVID fines issued to children as young as 13

A woman wearing a black top stands next to a police car with her arms crossed.

The New South Wales government is resisting growing calls to scrap tens of thousands of COVID fines, which lawyers say were unjustly issued, including to a teenager with an intellectual disability.

The question of whether the government and NSW Police were heavy-handed in their pandemic response will be argued in a test case before the NSW Supreme Court.

The Redfern Legal Center hopes its legal challenge will quash 45,000 fines, which it says failed to properly outline the offense committed.

“The process was unjust, messy, and the rule of law was not followed,” the center’s Samantha Lee told 7.30.

The agency responsible for COVID penalties, Revenue NSW, said that of the 62,035 fines issued since early 2020, more than half, or 38,372 remained unpaid in full.

While the majority of these are being paid in some form of repayment plan, many have gone unanswered.

In total, 3,840 children between 13 and 17 years of age were fined between $40 and $5,000, which lawyers say should be waived as cautions.

Revenue NSW said 17 fines issued to children totaling $45,000 remain unresolved.

A woman wearing a gray jacket.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay says the ends disproportionately affected poorer communities.(abcnews)

“This is a form of unjust treatment to children,” Ms Lee said. “These children have been fined for $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000.

“One child who has an intellectual disability was given three $1,000 fines for being out of his house. I’m of the view that he should never have been issued a fine.

“Under the fine acts, someone who has an intellectual disability should not have been issued a fine.”

The Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay told 7.30 a.m. she wants to see all fines suspended nationally given the system disproportionately affected poorer communities in NSW and Victoria.

“It’s actually a nationwide issue, and what we really need to do is firstly, in respect to the fines, pause enforcement until they can be properly reviewed so that the public can have confidence that the fine system is lawful and working fairly,” she said.

“But secondly, we actually need to have a broader review into the pandemic response.”

Children volunteer to pay off fines through government program

A woman wearing a coat stands on a footpath.
Bronwyn O’Brien, a case worker at SydWest Multicultural Services.(ABC News: Jason Om)

Some people penalized in NSW have chosen to pay off the fines through a program known as a Work and Development Order (WDO).

It allows people on low incomes to pay down the fine through unpaid work or activities such as a life skills course, counselling, drug and alcohol treatment and mentoring.

About 140 children have taken part in WDOs, including some at SydWest Multicultural Services in Blacktown, which was among the suburbs that suffered harsher restrictions than the rest of Sydney.

Case worker Bronwyn O’Brien told 7.30 that NSW Police had been unforgiving to residents, particularly if they were multilingual.

She cited a case of a father and a son who had gone out to get groceries and tried to explain themselves to the police, but were ignored.

“Any opportunity for them to explain was shut down and they were immediately given a $1,000 fine each,” Ms O’Brien said.

She said it took weeks for people in the WDO program to pay off their ends.

“They were like $500, or $1,000 per fine. For the clients we’re working with that could be their weekly or fortnightly pay, if they’re receiving Centrelink it’s even worse.”

“Some people, they have to spend months and months to engage in activities just to get the fine down just a bit.”

A young man wearing a cap and hoodie.
Connor Jago was 17 when he was fined for not wearing a mask on a train.(ABC News: Jason Om)

Connor Jago was 17 when police issued him with two COVID fines for not wearing a mask on a train, and a separate transport fine, totaling $680.

“That was more than I make in two weeks almost,” he told 7.30.

The second $80 COVID fine was because he was wearing a mask below his nose after putting it on, Mr Jago told 7.30.

He threatened to take the government to court, arguing he was complying with police directions before Revenue NSW dropped one of the COVID fines of $500.

Fines commissioner says repayment system beneficial

A man wearing a suit and tie has his arms crossed.
NSW chief commissioner of state revenue, Scott Johnston.(ABC News: Tom Hancock)

In a rare interview with 7.30am, the head of Revenue NSW defended the organisation, and welcomed any review of individual cases.

The chief commissioner of state revenue, Scott Johnston, would not be drawn on whether it was appropriate for police to fine children as young as 13, and said the WDO program had had “powerful” outcomes.

“Some of the criticism or challenge on the way that we’ve done that, about imposing unfair penalties on people and youths, I think is not really reflective on the experience that the people who received these fines have had,” he said.

“I understand completely that a fine affects people differently. Some people can’t afford to pay that commitment and the genuine commitment from my organisation, and [me]is to have a conversation with people where they need help and support.”

Mr Johnston said the agency had resolved the cases of 500 children under 15 who were fined $40 for not wearing a mask.

NSW Police declined to comment at 7.30, while the Victorian Government told 7.30 its penalty system protected citizens from the pandemic and that there are options available if people are struggling to pay off fines.

Watch this story on 7.30 on ABC TV and ABC iview.

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Australia

WA COVID hospital rules ease as state passes Omicron peak

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson

Mandatory COVID testing of visitors to WA hospitals will soon be scrapped, as the state begins scaling back pandemic protocols and returning health staff to other clinical duties.

The state government has released its plan to shift into a “new phase of pandemic response”, which will begin on August 15, and see the state’s protocols shift from a red alert level to blue.

It will see reduced screening requirements to enter hospitals, targeted testing, and changing mask rules for hospital staff.

“In a time when WA has passed its most recent peak of COVID-19, it makes sense to take practical, reasonable measures to free up some burdens,” health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said.

WA recorded 2,965 new COVID infections on Tuesday, with 358 people in hospital and 11 in intensive care.

The state’s caseload has been trending downwards for weeks after passing a winter peak last month.

Key changes implemented as part of the blue alert level include extending visiting hours, and asymptomatic visitors no longer being required to produce a negative RAT unless visiting high-risk areas or vulnerable patients.

Visitors to hospitals will still need to be vaccinated, or have proof of an exemption, but staff will only be conducting spot checks.

“This is a measured approach to scaling back the COVID response in hospitals, which has been endorsed by the Chief Health Officer, and expert infection control teams from the WA health system,” Ms Sanderson said.

“This is, of course, balanced appropriately with the need to protect our staff, and our most vulnerable patients from serious illness.”

The scaling back of COVID measures comes after WA broke new records in ambulance ramping last month.

Ambulances were parked outside hospitals waiting to transfer patients for 6,983 hours throughout July.

Some COVID measures will remain in place at hospitals, including the two visitors per patient rule, testing of symptomatic patients presenting in emergency departments and for elective surgeries.

A well dressed man and woman wearing face masks walk down a hospital corridor.
Mark McGowan and WA health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson at Rockingham Hospital on Monday. (ABC News: James Carmody)

All staff will also still need to wear at least a surgical mask, but those working in high-risk areas or caring for vulnerable patients will need to wear particulate filter respirator masks.

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COVID-19 cases peak in Victoria.

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Going to the Ekka? Here are the best ways to avoid getting sick with COVID-19, monkeypox or the flu

A big crowd of people at the Ekka.

As throngs of people flock to the Ekka showgrounds, authorities are concerned about a potential spike in COVID-19 and influenza cases in the Queensland community.

A string of illnesses remain in the community with COVID cases still high, the flu season not yet over and cases of monkeypox being reported interstate.

With some 1,300 head of cattle at the showgrounds, health authorities have also added a potentially devastating foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak to their list of concerns, though the risk remains low.

Back after a two-year COVID-induced hiatus, Ekka crowds have exceeded expectations with people steadily streaming through the gates.

Virologist Lara Herrero said the Ekka event would inevitably lead to a spike in transmission of both COVID and the flu.

“I have absolutely no doubt there will be an increase in transmission for an event like that — it’s simple mathematics,” she said.

Dr Lara Herrero in the lab wearing a lab gown.
Lara Herrero says the Ekka is likely to cause a jump in cases. (Supplied: Griffith University)

So how can you safely hit the Ekka to devour a dagwood dog without getting sick?

Here are Dr Herrero’s five key pieces of advice:

1. Don’t get slack

Dr Herrero reminded those hitting the show to stay vigilant by employing all the usual tactics.

“Monitor for any symptoms at all,” she said.

“Try your best to keep that 1.5 meters of social distancing where you can.

“Bring your own alcohol wipes and hand sanitiser.

“Avoid shaking hands and hugging — I would still opt to first bump or wave.”

2. Wear a mask

People stand in front of toys at a show.
Queenslanders at Brisbane’s Ekka Show — some masked up and others not.(ABC News: Marton Dobras)

You know the drill.

Free masks will be available upon entry to the showgrounds. If in doubt, mask up.

Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said he was impressed with the “reasonable amount of people wearing a mask”.

“Bring your mask along or get one on entry, make sure your protected and you’ll have no issues,” he said.

Queensland Health has encouraged everyone at the Ekka to wear a face mask, “not only for themselves but for every other person who is there to celebrate safely”.

Dr Herrero said she had no doubt people who live in the regions that come to the Ekka and return home to regional and rural areas will bring infection back with them.

“We have more cases in the city because we have more people, we’re living in a high-density community with more cases.

“So by sheer numbers, I have no doubt transmission on the regions will go up.

“It’s a good idea for those people returning to regional and remote areas to wear a mask for 24-48 hours to stop transmission to vulnerable people”

3. Stay away if unwell

“The Ekka is all about community spirit so if you have any symptoms, no matter how mild, have a bit of community spirit and stay at home,” Dr Herrero said.

Mr Furner advised anyone feeling under the weather to stay well away from the showgrounds, get tested and isolate.

“We don’t want people coming here spreading illness, whether it be the flu or COVID,” he said.

“Keep away if you’re feeling unwell and get tested.”

4. Wash your shoes and clothes of foreign dirt

People look at animals at royal show.
Ekka show visitors should maintain good hand hygiene when playing with the agricultural animals amid fears of a foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak.(ABC News: Marton Dobras)

The Ekka show is the largest showing of stud beef in the southern hemisphere with some 1,300 head of cattle at the showgrounds.

This has sparked fears of a foot-and-mouth-disease outbreak that could cost the industry an estimated $80 billion.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Wyatt estimated there was an 11.6 per cent risk of a potentially devastating outbreak occurring which would trigger a 72-hour national livestock standstill and longer-term movement controls on animals.

A preventive task force has been established with border security on-site.

Dr Herrero strongly advised people who live in agricultural areas to wash their shoes and clothes of dirt or mud from any other agricultural region to avoid an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

With one case of monkeypox recorded in Queensland, authorities are also asking patrons to stay vigilant and monitor for symptoms.

5. Get vaccinated

A vial rests on a gause swab with monkeypox written on it
Monkeypox vaccine is not yet available to the Australian public.(Reuters: Given Ruvic)

With a little more than three weeks of winter remaining, most of you would have had your COVID and flu vaccines by now.

the fourth COVID vaccine or “winter shot” is available for all Australians over the age of 30, as well as:

  • People aged 16 years and above who are severely immunocompromised
  • People aged 16 years and above who have a medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness
  • People aged 16 years and above who have disabilities with significant, complex, or multiple health issues, which increase the risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19 infection.

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Demand on Victoria’s hospitals and ambulances increases as elective surgery waitlist stabilizes

A man wearing a black cap, glasses and a black shirt looking into the camera.

Since Alex Stosic’s heart failed in 2021, everyday tasks like waking up and getting dressed take hours and require a herculean effort.

For more than a year, the normally energetic 71-year-old Frankston man, who runs his own business with his wife, has been living with his heart only operating at a fifth of its usual capacity.

Earlier this year his surgery for a new valve was deemed semi-urgent, also known as category 2, which meant treatment was recommended within 90 days.

But he has been waiting more than 150 days.

Since his body shut down, Alex has lost more than 30 kilograms, is struggling to keep his small business running and has barely been able to see his grandkids, who live in regional Victoria.

“I can only take about 20 or 40 steps and I have to have a significant rest,” he said.

“Even working on the computer, I can really only do a few hours and then I have to have a rest.”

A man wearing a cap and a black shirt at a desk looking at a screen.
While waiting for surgery, Alex Stosic is only able to work on his computer in short bursts.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

Normally Alex is on the tools in his small business, which specializes in removing scratches from surfaces like glass, but since he fell ill he has only been able to do accounts.

“It certainly limits my lifestyle and limits what I can do,” he said.

A man wearing a cap and a black shirt, smiling with a dog sitting on his lap.
Alex Stosic’s dog Suzie Q barely leaves his side since he got sick.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

The poor state of Alex’s physical health has left him and his wife Maureen basically housebound, which has taken a heavy toll on his mental health and prevented him from seeing his three children and five grandkids as much as he used to.

In Victoria, elective surgery is defined as any necessary surgery that can be delayed for at least 24 hours.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, elective surgery has repeatedly been put on hold to help the state’s health system cope with an influx of cases, which has led to a backlog.

At the beginning of April, the Victorian government announced a $1.5 billion investment package to address that backlog, but as the most recent wave of Omicron ramped up, individual hospitals began deferring all but category 1 cases again.

The latest quarterly data, released today, shows that at the end of June 87,275 people were on the waiting list, slightly down from the three months earlier.

That is due in part to the more than 41,000 elective surgeries conducted during the quarter, almost 50 per cent more than the previous three months.

But the waitlist is dramatically higher — about 21,000 people more — than the same time a year earlier.

And while the hospital waitlist showed small signs of stabilization, other areas of the health system were put under increasing pressure.

Busiest quarter in Ambulance Victoria during ‘unprecedented’ demand

The three-monthly data, released by the government a week later than expected, showed hospital emergency department presentations had risen by 5.1 per cent in the three months to June 30.

That took the number to 486,701 emergency presentations, an increase of more than 23,000 on the last quarter.

The surge is being attributed to a number of factors, including deferred care from lockdowns and a more severe influenza season than previous years.

“What we are seeing in Victoria at the moment is unprecedented demand,” Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.

The average stay in hospital also rose, with sicker patients staying in beds for longer.

An ambulance is parked at the Alfred Hospital.
The number of code-1 callouts for paramedics has continued to rise.(AAP: Diego Fedele)

For the third quarter in a row, Ambulance Victoria experienced its busiest three months on record.

Urgent code 1 call-outs rose to 97,982, up by nearly 5,000 on the previous quarter. That’s 16 per cent more than the same period a year earlier.

Only about 64 per cent of those urgent code-1 cases were responded to within the benchmark 15 minutes, a drop on last quarter.

The pressure has led to at least seven code red escalations being called in as many months, in comparison to the nine called between 2017 and 2021.

Authorities have continued to urge Victorians to save triple-0 for emergencies only, with Ambulance Victoria saying about 500 callers each day did not need paramedics.

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Categories
Australia

SA government to use former aged care home to help transition NDIS patients out of hospital

A tram in front of a white hospital building with green and yellow trees

A former aged care home will be used to transition NDIS patients who no longer need acute medical care out of hospital in a bid to free up capacity across South Australia’s overwhelmed health system.

The state’s hospitals continue to face unprecedented pressure, with 341 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 11 who are in intensive care.

There have also been 984 people hospitalized with the flu this year.

The new 24-bed community care facility will open next week at the former site of Uniting SA’s Regency Green aged care home.

Health Minister Chris Picton said the new facility would provide transitional care to NDIS patients with a psychosocial disability while they received mental health support.

“It’s going to give a much more peaceful and calming environment for them, the appropriate care that’s going to be provided by CLO (Community Living Options) but also making sure we are freeing up those beds,” he said.

A woman wearing a purple blazer and purple lipstick with a serious expression
SA’s Human Services Minister Nat Cook says some NDIS patients have been waiting in hospital for over a year. (abcnews)

There are currently 127 patients in public hospital beds who are eligible for NDIS support services and ready to be discharged.

“These are people who it has been difficult to find elsewhere because they do need appropriate supports,” Mr Picton said.

“These are people who have NDIS clearance, are medically cleared to be discharged from hospital but there simply aren’t places for them to go.”

The facility will cost $1.2 million to open and will initially only take patients from Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN).

It will be run by CLO in partnership with Wellbeing SA, Uniting SA, CALHN and the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist.

Human Services Minister Nat Cook said for some NDIS patients, hospital could worsen conditions and escalate behaviours.

“These people, some of them have remained in hospital not just for weeks and months but for over a year,” she said.

“They have been stuck in other step-down facilities as well without pathways or coordinated journeys for discharge to home.”

A woman with short brown hair wearing a beige scarf and a black top
COVID acute commander Lesley Dwyer says 230 patients have been moved out of hospital and into aged care facilities. (abcnews)

Acute System Response COVID Commander Lesley Dwyer said in the last few weeks, 57 NDIS patients had been discharged into more appropriate accommodation.

“Accommodation that is much more home-like gives people a chance to really experience independence that they probably haven’t had while they have been in the acute system,” she said.

“In addition to that, we have also discharged 230 people into aged care beds.”

The latest data from the SA Ambulance Service shows ambulances spent 3,647 hours ramped outside hospitals during July.

The previous month, SA recorded its worst ramping times on record with 3,838 hours lost waiting for beds to become available.

The state recorded 2,421 new cases of COVID-19 today and eight deaths of patients ranging in age from their 60s to 90s.

There are currently 17,647 active cases in the state.

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Categories
US

US charges four Kentucky police officers in Breonna Taylor killing

US charges four Kentucky police officers in Breonna Taylor killing

WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) – US prosecutors on Thursday charged four current and former Louisville, Kentucky, police officers for their roles in the botched 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was in her home, in a case that sparked nationwide protests.

The charges represented the Justice Department’s latest effort to crack down on abuses and racial disparities in policing, following a wave of controversial police killings of Black Americans.

Former Louisville Metropolitan Police Department Detective Joshua Jaynes and current Sergeant Kyle Meany were charged with civil rights violations and obstruction of justice for using false information to obtain the search warrant that authorized the botched March 13, 2020, raid that killed Taylor in her home, the Justice Department said. Current Detective Kelly Goodlett was charged with conspiring with Jaynes to falsify the warrant and then cover up the falsification.

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A fourth officer, former Detective Brett Hankison, was charged with civil rights violations for allegedly using excessive force, US Attorney Merrick Garland said.

“Breonna Taylor should be alive today,” Garland told a news conference. “The Justice Department is committed to defending and protecting the civil rights of every person in this country. That was this department’s founding purpose, and it remains our urgent mission.”

The death of Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was one in a trio of cases that fueled a summer of protests against racial injustice and police violence two years ago, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today was a huge step toward justice,” lawyers for the Taylor family said in a statement following the news.

Louisville police on Thursday began the process of firing Meany and Goodlett, the department said in a statement. Hankison and Jaynes were previously fired by the department.

The Justice Department is also conducting an investigation into whether the Louisville Metro Government and Louisville police engaged in a pattern or practice of abusing residents’ civil rights.

Protesters celebrate after the announcement that the FBI arrested and brought civil rights charges against four current and former Louisville police officers for their roles in the 2020 fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, US, August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud

NO KNOCK RAID

Louisville police were investigating alleged drug trafficking when they broke down the door of Taylor’s home in a “no-knock” raid, leading her boyfriend, who was carrying a legally owned firearm, to shoot at the officers, who then fired 22 shots into the apartment, killing Taylor, prosecutors said.

Hankison, prosecutors said, moved away from the door, firing 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment through a window and a glass door that were covered with blinds and curtains.

Hankison told a Kentucky grand jury that he opened fire once the shooting started. As he saw flashes light up the room, he said, he mistakenly believed one of the occupants was firing an assault-style rifle at his colleagues from him. Instead, mostly what he heard was other police firing their weapons. read more

Prosecutors said Jaynes and Goodlett met in a garage days after the shooting to agree on a false story to cover for the false evidence they had submitted to justify the botched raid.

Lawyer Stew Mathews, who represented Hankison at a trial in Jefferson County Circuit Court where he was acquitted in March of wanton endangerment, said he had spoken Thursday morning with the former detective as he was on his way to surrender to the FBI.

Mathews said the federal charges looked similar to the previous state charges Hankison had faced. Until Thursday, Hankison had been the only officer to face charges in connection with the raid.

“I’m sure Brett will be contesting this just like he did the other indication,” Mathews said.

Lawyer Thomas Clay, who represents Jaynes, could not be immediately reached for comment. It was not immediately clear if Meany and Goodlett had attorneys.

The killing of Taylor, along with other high-profile 2020 killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, sparked nationwide protests.

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Reporting by Scott Malone in Washington and Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Marla Dickerson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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