Nation records 49 Covid deaths and 3,900 cases in hospital – as it happened

We may have a mystery case in WA, AAP reports:

Western Australia may have undetected community Covid-19 transmission after a woman contracted the virus from an unknown source.

Authorities are investigating where the woman may have been exposed to the virus and genomic sequencing is underway to determine the variant.

“The woman was infectious in the community but did not attend work and there are likely a limited number of potential exposure sites,” WA Health said on Wednesday.

“Exposure sites will be released as soon as possible, once confirmed.”

A second local case reported on Wednesday is connected to a cluster of cases involving an infected security guard at Perth’s Hyatt hotel.

This person has been in quarantine throughout their infectious period.

WA is the only state or territory yet to experience significant spread of the Omicron strain, although the McGowan government’s plan to reopen borders from 5 February means it is only a matter of time before such an outbreak occurs.

Four new local cases were announced on Tuesday, including a person believed to have been infected with the Omicron variant while in the community.

The person, identified as Case 1244, had close contact with a confirmed Omicron case who recently returned from Tasmania.

They subsequently spent several days in the community in Perth, with genomic sequencing expected to confirm they have the Omicron strain.

“There’s a strong possibility there’s been community spread of Omicron,” the health minister, Amber-Jade Sanderson, told reporters on Tuesday.

“This is just part and parcel of managing a really aggressive strain of this virus.”

Case 1244 travelled to the airport on 2 January to pick up a family member who had returned from Tasmania.

They are believed to have worn a face mask at the airport and followed all other rules.

Perth’s supermarket shelves were noticeably bare on Wednesday after Coles introduced national purchasing limits on some items.

WA will shift the Northern Territory to “extreme risk” status from Thursday, meaning travel to WA from anywhere in Australia will be blocked except under extraordinary circumstances.

For no reason other than it is all feeling a bit glum at the moment:

AAP reports that a bushfire in south-west Western Australia is being investigated as a possible arson:

A bushfire in Western Australia’s south-west that forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists is being treated as suspicious.

Arson detectives are investigating the blaze, which started in the Meelup Regional Park near Curtis Bay beach on Monday night and has since burned through 225 hectares of bushland around the popular Dunsborough area.

It’s believed no properties have been lost.

An emergency warning has now been downgraded to “watch and act”, although people are being warned to remain on alert in case conditions change.

Police are seeking information from anyone who saw suspicious activity in the Meelup park on Monday between 6pm and midnight.

“Rewards of up to $25,000 are available for information that leads to the identification and conviction of an arsonist,” WA police said on Wednesday.

Ninety firefighters are continuing to strengthen containment lines and protect properties.

Hundreds of people were left stranded in the tourist hotspots of Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay before being evacuated on Tuesday afternoon.

AAP has filed this report on efforts to boost (pun intended) the number of Victorian healthcare workers:

Victoria will recruit 1,000 people to administer Covid-19 vaccines to bolster its booster rollout, as the health system continues to be plagued by virus-related staff absences.

The state government is encouraging first-year health students and retired nurses to apply for one of the new positions, with applications opening next week.

The acting health minister, James Merlino, said the recruitment drive was needed as the number of people eligible for their third dose is set to “dramatically” increase in coming weeks.

The Covid-19 response deputy secretary, Naomi Bromley, said training was “absolutely key,” with vaccinators required to complete commonwealth and Victorian vaccination training.

They must also complete a Covid-19 clinical skills and competencies assessment, and undertake a number of supervised vaccinations before carrying one out themselves.

The new vaccinators will not be responsible for establishing patient consent and will only be authorised to vaccinate people over 18.

Eighteen per cent of Victorians aged over 18 have received their booster.

The state opposition says the booster rollout was running slower than planned, with fewer than half of the promised doses handed out in week one of a vaccination blitz.

A quite bizarre story on the navy rescue of two New Zealanders stranded in Singapore during the pandemic.

Here’s our story on the current situation regarding job vacancies and supply chains, issues which have been mentioned a few times today.

Three Australian music festivals have been cancelled or postponed in the past 24 hours, amid increasingly desperate calls from organisers and musicians for a federal insurance scheme to protect live events, which has still yet to be introduced as the pandemic enters its third year.

On Wednesday, touring metal and punk festival Full Tilt announced that it would be cancelling its Adelaide concert, which was due to be held on 29 January. Earlier in the week, organisers announced that its Brisbane concert would be postponed until the end of April.

The news comes a day after the cancellation of NSW’s Grapevine Gathering festival, just four days before the event was due to start, with the Veronicas, Peking Duk, the Jungle Giants and San Cisco on the bill. Organisers estimate that $5.2m will be lost to the greater Hunter Valley region, with 1,400 jobs and 16,000 ticket holders affected.

Read the rest of this story here:

A bit of interesting context on the 21 Covid deaths reported in Victoria today, via the ABC: they were not all people who died yesterday.

Anglicare Australia has also criticised the government for suggesting that welfare recipients could solve a worker shortage impacting supply chains.

Acting executive director Maiy Azize said:

The reason we have a worker shortage is because so many people are sick, and they can’t get at-home tests to slow the spread of the virus.

If the government was serious about helping people find work, it would raise the rate of income payments and create new jobs.

People out of work aren’t to blame for this crisis. They are the ones hardest hit.

World Health Organization experts have warned that repeating booster doses of the original Covid vaccines is not a viable strategy against emerging variants and called for new jabs that better protect against transmission.

“A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable,” the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-Co-VAC) said in a statement published on Tuesday.

The group of experts, who are working to assess the performance of Covid-19 vaccines, called for the development of new vaccines that not only protect people who contract Covid against falling seriously ill but also better prevent people from catching the virus in the first place, in order to deal with emerging Covid variants such as Omicron.

There is more on that story here:

That threat of a $1,000 fine no doubt spurred them all into action.

Here’s the full story on Novak Djokovic’s statement, released earlier today, which he says responds to “misinformation”.

Half the little penguin chicks from this year’s breeding season on Penguin Island in Western Australia have died, as the colony dwindles and researchers accuse the state government of failing to act.

It is thought up to 20 chicks, which represented 10% of the colony, were lost after New Year’s Day when their parents were unable to feed them, resulting in the worst breeding season since 2011.

Penguins in the colony, where numbers have dropped from around 2,000 birds 15 years ago to around 250, began the breeding season late after heavy rains brought by La Niña improved their food supply.

You can read more on that story here:

In unsurprising news that is nonetheless worth noting, Western Australia is closing the border to the Northern Territory.

Speaking of South Australia, Full Tilt festival, due to be held on 29 January in Adelaide, has been cancelled due to the reintroduction of Covid restrictions. The music festival was set to feature artists including Northlane, In Hearts Wake and Luca Brasi, but will now offer fans a full refund. A statement from festival organisers said that:

... with the government backtracking on all its earlier promises on density and outdoor gathering limitations, presenting the event in just two weeks was simply unrealistic.

Promoter Chris O’Brien said:

We simply can’t run Full Tilt in a seated format, and a postponement into a time where we have zero confidence in the state government to remain true to their word has forced this decision. We are devastated for the artists, contractors, crew and event staff who will all miss out on the income, many of whom have barely worked since March 2020. We are also gutted for the thousands of fans that have purchased tickets and were looking forward to Full Tilt.

All Full Tilt ticket-holders will be refunded in full.

South Australia is also reportedly introducing $1,000 fines for those who do not report a positive RAT test, following the announcement made in NSW earlier today.

Interesting news on a fascinating case, via AAP:

Hobart grandmother Susan Neill-Fraser is appealing to Australia’s highest court for a second time in a bid to have her murder conviction overturned.

The 67-year-old was sentenced to 23 years in jail for killing partner Bob Chappell aboard the couple’s yacht, the Four Winds, on Australia Day 2009.

Her appeal before Tasmania’s court of criminal appeal was dismissed in November, with two of the three judges finding new evidence did not meet the required threshold of “fresh and compelling”.

Lawyers representing Neill-Fraser have lodged an application with the high court seeking special leave to appeal the judgment.

Neill-Fraser’s appeal was centred around the whereabouts of then-homeless teenager Meaghan Vass, whose DNA was found aboard the yacht.

It was put by the prosecution at the 2010 trial that the DNA deposit was a “red herring” and arrived on the boat via secondary transfer.

Vass has given conflicting accounts about whether she was on the boat the night Chappell was murdered.

She signed an affidavit saying she was on the yacht but later recanted, telling an appeal hearing she was coerced into giving that evidence.

Neill-Fraser’s legal team abandoned the evidence of Vass, which they had held up as the pillar of their case, during the appeal process.

Justice Helen Wood determined evidence of forensic expert Maxwell Jones, which Neill-Fraser’s legal team claimed cast doubt on the secondary transfer scenario, did not prove there was a miscarriage of justice.

She said Jones’ evidence conformed significantly with what the jury heard at the trial.

In his dissenting view, Justice Stephen Estcourt determined there was a “significant possibility” the trial jury might have acquitted Neill-Fraser had Jones’ evidence been before it.

The high court action challenges the judgment on three grounds, including that the court erred in holding that there had not been a substantial miscarriage of justice.

Neill-Fraser is eligible for parole in August but her supporters have indicated she will not leave prison unless her conviction is overturned.

The Antipoverty Centre is calling on the government to stop using welfare recipients as a possible solution to employee shortages caused by a wave of Omicron cases that have impacted on supply chains.

The acting small business minister, Anne Ruston, said earlier today that she had been seeking solutions to a shortage of workers in the food and grocery sector.

Ruston said the government was working towards “unshackling” employment opportunities for cohorts like temporary visa holders and those on unemployment benefits, AAP reported. Rushton said:

Anybody who is currently on unemployment benefits who is able to work, we would be really keen for them to undertake some really active investigations about how they could help out with these workforce shortages.

The Antipoverty Centre spokesperson Kristin O’Connell said:

Once again we have a government using unemployed people as a tool of misdirection and obfuscation to cover up the distressing circumstances we all find ourselves in, unable to get the basic goods we need.

Unemployed people are desperate for sustainable jobs and adequate support. And yet consistently employers knock people back because they don’t have the right experience.

Let me be clear: people on social security payments are the ones hit hardest by these shortages. The cheapest goods, which we rely on to survive, are flying off the shelves and it is becoming impossible to manage our finely honed budgets.

If you’ve not had the chance, you should definitely have a read of this lovely piece from Lisa Cox.

Thanks for another wonderful shift of web logging Caitlin.

With that, it’s over and out to Nino Bucci, who will keep you equally entertained and informed for the rest of the afternoon.

The annual music and arts festival Mona Foma will go ahead in Tasmania this year, but it may look a little different to the past.

More charts for you.

This one tracks current hospitalisation numbers in New South Wales against the federal government’s clinical capacity thresholds.

I am looking forward to hearing whether L’Equipe was aware they were interviewing and photographing a Covid-positive person who was meant to be isolating.

There is some confusion here. Novak Djokovic’s sworn court affidavit says he was both tested and diagnosed with Covid-19 on 16 December, with his positive result returned that evening.

From his court documents:

On 16 December 2021,1 was tested and diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID). Annexed hereto and marked ND-2’ is a true copy of my COVID-PCR test result issued by the Institute of Public Health of Serbia showing a positive COVID result dated 16 December 2021.

That’s after he attended the basketball game with the positive Covid players on 14 December.

According to Djokovic, he took a rapid antigen that was negative, and a PCR test, both on 16 December.

But his result wasn’t returned until the following afternoon, after he attended the event with the children (and before he attended an interview while Covid-positive).

As he said:

I was asymptomatic and felt good, and I had not received the notification of a positive PCR test result until after that event.

That event occurred on 17 December.

Here is part one of Djokovic’s comments in full:

I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead up to my positive PCR Covid test result.

This is misinformation which needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of alleviating broader concerns in the community about my presence in Australia, and to address matters which are very hurtful and concerning to my family.

I want to emphasise that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations. I attended a basketball game in Belgrade on 14 December after which it was reported that a number of people tested positive with Covid-19.

Despite having no Covid symptoms, I took a rapid antigen test on 16 December which was negative and out of an abundance of caution, also took an official and approved PCR test on that same day.

The next day I attended a tennis event in Belgrade to present awards to children and took a rapid antigen test before going to the event, and it was negative. I was asymptomatic and felt good, and I had not received the notification of a positive PCR test result until after that event.

The next day, on 18 December I was at my tennis centre in Belgrade to fulfil a long-standing commitment for a L’Equipe interview and photoshoot. I cancelled all other events except for the L’Equipe interview.

I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Equipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was being taken.

While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, upon reflection, this was an error of judgement and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment.

The WTA, the peak international body for women’s tennis, has expressed its disappointment with the “unfortunate” way in which Renata Voracova’s aborted attempt to appear at the Australian Open was handled by authorities.

The Czech doubles specialist, who has not taken a Covid-19 vaccine but contracted the virus in December, was initially allowed into Australia for a week – during which time she played a match – before her medical exemption visa was cancelled.

But unlike Novak Djokovic, Voracova opted not to pursue legal avenues in an attempt to stay in the country and play in next week’s grand slam in Melbourne, and she left the country on Saturday after a brief stint in the same detention centre as the men’s world No 1.

The WTA statement read:

The WTA is supportive and appreciative of all the efforts put forth by Craig Tiley and Tennis Australia to host the Summer of Tennis under conditions that continue to be challenging for all. The WTA believes that all players should be vaccinated and is in full support of the immigration policies that have been put in place as the protection of the Australian communities in which we compete is critical.

That being said, the complications experienced over the past few days where athletes have followed the approved and authorised process of receiving a medical exemption for entry into the country are unfortunate. Renata Voracova followed these rules and procedures, was cleared for entry upon her arrival, competed in an event and then suddenly had her visa cancelled when she had done nothing wrong.

We will continue to work with all authorities on addressing this unfortunate situation in an appropriate manner.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute paediatrician Fiona Russell appeared on ABC News 24 earlier, calling for the return to school to be prioritised by Australian governments.

Russell was one of 35 child health experts and academics who signed an open letter to Australian governments calling for schools to be reopened despite surging Covid cases. Queensland has announced the return to school will be delayed by two weeks, but Victoria and NSW are so far determined to go ahead with the slated return date.

Russell said:

Our schools should be seen by now, two years into the pandemic, as an essential service. Up until now, children have really been protecting adults. And they’ve had their time, particularly in Victoria, for Victorian children, and last year, particularly for NSW children as well. So they have really suffered an enormous amount with not only the loss of learning, but the mental health impacts have been extraordinary. There’s child protection issues, there’s lack of exercise, there’s social development, social interaction, all of those things. And these are some of the known harms. But ... we don’t know what long-term effects this will have. It’s absolutely critical now that we prioritise children.

We’ve got major events such as the tennis and the cricket, with hundreds of thousands of spectators watching, and to consider that, you know, in Omicron peak, we are delaying children returning to their schools, and we have no plan for them, is really very disheartening at this point in the pandemic. So we’re really calling for investment to have a national plan, to make sure both students and staff of the schools are as safe as possible, but to open them up and have a really good solid plan for children and staff.

Back and forth like a tennis match, so to speak.

While I’ve been off, the federal opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, has been showcasing his disaster prevention plan while wearing what appears to be a Rabbitohs mask.

Read our preview of the announcement here:

Oh will you look at that, here’s Caitlin Cassidy again. See you later this afternoon.

Here’s an update on the movements of Cyclone Tiffany, via AAP:

A tropical cyclone that slammed into Queensland before tracking west has made landfall in the Northern Territory.

Cyclone Tiffany started crossing the coast as a category one system about 10am on Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

It is currently east of Ngukurr, 635km south-east of Darwin, and south of Groote Eylandt, and heading west at 27km/h.

It was forecast to impact the NT’s gulf coast as a category two system but weakened overnight.

The system is expected to continue tracking west across the Top End throughout the day and weaken below cyclone strength over land.

A warning has been issued for communities from Alyangula to Port McArthur, including Port Roper and the remote communities of Ngukurr and Numbulwar, 780km south-east of Darwin.

Wind gusts up to 100km/h are likely from Port Roper to the Nathan River area.

A storm tide bringing damaging waves and flooding is likely between nearby Port McArthur and Alyangula, and on Groote Eylandt.

Heavy rain across parts of the Arnhem Land and Daly district may cause flooding of low-lying areas as rivers rise.

Tiffany was a category two cyclone packing winds of up to 130km/h when it crossed the east coast of the Cape York peninsula on Monday afternoon.

It weakened to a tropical low overland, dumping 120mm of rain in some areas in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday.

Three people were rescued after their vehicle got caught in flood waters triggered in far north Queensland, north-west of Cairns.

The ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, says we’re “not even started” with the supply chain crisis that is gripping Australian industry due to people being off work because of the Omicron wave.

She points out that construction workers are currently on holidays across the sector, which is Australia’s second biggest industry, and they’re due to come back to work next month, just as Omicron is predicted to peak.

This will also roughly coincide with a post-school holidays return to work (and school) for many people at a time when there are concerns about children being unvaccinated.

McManus says:

Tied to the construction industry is a massive amount of jobs, so a lot of manufacturing to make, you know, everything you need, so everything from carpets all the way through.

So all of those places have yet to be hit by the same issue. And that’s around the same time the peak of the infections are meant to be happening.

You can read more about the crisis in our most recent piece here:

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has released a statement about Renata Voracova having her visa cancelled ahead of the Australian Open. The Czech doubles specialist had received a vaccination exemption similar to that of Novak Djokovic before her visa was cancelled (she has said she plans to be vaccinated).

The WTA says that while it appreciated the efforts of Tennis Australia in staging a tournament during the pandemic, it was “unfortunate” Voracova was deported after seemingly doing everything she had been required to do. Full statement:

The press conference has wrapped up in Queensland, which today reported a record 22,069 new Covid cases, and an increase in patients in hospital and in ICU.

Yvette D’Ath says she’s not sure what the federal government’s plan is to staff aged care centres once the Omicron waves hits its peak (Gerrard mentioned earlier this week this was expected in Queensland in late January or early February, with the peak of hospitalisations to occur a week later).

She says she will raise this with the federal government later this week.

Dr John Gerrard, the Queensland CHO, says he is concerned about vaccination rates in some First Nations communities.

The state is actively pursuing measures to increase the rates, he says. No detail about what these measures are, or which specific communities are of concern.

Thank you for the graft this morning Caitlin.

I’m still bringing you bits and pieces from the Queensland Covid update. The health minister, Yvette D’Ath, is repeating her calls for the federal government to supply more RATs. She says:

Is there ready supply out there, that anyone who wants one can get one? No.

If the commonwealth can do anything more, to get more in the hands of Queenslanders, they have to do it, because businesses are suffering.

With that, I will pass you briefly to the highly capable Nino Bucci.

Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr John Gerrard, is speaking now.

He says triple-vaccinated people are nine times less likely to end up in hospital than the unvaccinated:

We now have enough data from around 500 patients to see some real trends in who’s ending up in Queensland hospitals and the importance of boosted vaccination is very clear.

If you are unvaccinated, you are nine times more likely to end up in hospital than if you have received a boosted vaccination – three doses of a vaccine.

Some 5,558 five-to-11 year olds received a booster shot yesterday, D’Ath says.

Thanks to all the mums and dads who are lining up with the kids.

Some 748,053 boosters have been administered across the state.

Have a peruse of Labor’s plan for disaster readiness, released today, here. It lays out up to $200m per year on disaster prevention and resilience. If matched by state, territory or local governments, that would equate to $400m annually.

It comes as opposition leader Anthony Albanese continues his seventh day of his tour-de-Queensland (he isn’t calling it that). He is currently in Mackay, and due to have lunch with the Country Women’s Association imminently.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has weighed in on tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting, which will discuss, among other things, new health advice relating to isolation requirements for Covid-affected workers.

Unions are prioritising making rapid antigen tests free and accessible.

A so-called tornado has swept through the NSW Northern Tablelands:

The Australian Republic Movement has unveiled its plan for the country to find a new head of state, which would involve a national ballot, AAP’s Alex Mitchell reports.

The group says federal, state and territory parliaments should nominate a shortlist of candidates for head of state, which would then be put to a national ballot of voters. The federal parliament would be able to nominate up to three people while states and territories would nominate one person each.

The ballot winner would get a five-year term and would be responsible for appointing a prime minister with majority support in the House of Representatives, or calling an election if that support does not exist.

But the head of state would have no authority in day-to-day governance or passing laws. The model was developed across a two-year period, with more than 10,000 Australians consulted through surveys, polls and meetings.

ARM chair Peter FitzSimons said the “Australian Choice” model brought responsibility to citizens to elect their own leaders:

This will give all Australian voters a merit-based choice about who speaks for them as head of state. The decision will be in their hands, unlike now, where it is luck of the draw who we get from the British Royal Family.

We have more details on the 21 deaths reported in NSW today.

It’s 2022, and we’re back to Hunger Games analogies – this time regarding rapid antigen tests in NSW. I really think there could be a better metaphor for the present situation, although I haven’t read the Hunger Games since my teen years. Feedback is welcome.

Reporter:

It is like the Hunger Games out there at the moment with people desperately trying to buy RATs. In December you said they would be given for free. When will the distribution start?

Perrottet:

Obviously it is very clear across the state that there is a shortage of rapid antigen tests and as I have said, my expectation would be nationally as the states and the federal government roll out their procurement program that we will see greater access to rapid antigen tests across the board.

We have already started to see the commencement of arrivals of our rapid antigen test orders that we have put in ... and we will work through the provision of those tests in areas where we see appropriate ... to make sure our frontline workers here in New South Wales have access to those tests.

But it may not just be simply frontline workers. We will provide those tests in circumstances that support service delivery across the board and once that has been determined, as the tests come in, we will make the announcements.

Perrottet says he sees PCR testing being “complementary” and continuing alongside rapid antigen tests as supply scales up. RATs are costing around $25 a pop at the moment, if you can get your hands on them.

The advice that we have received is very clear and that has come through the national cabinet. It is important as we move forward that the private supply chains remain in place.

I certainly and from the government perspective are looking at ways in which we can help the broader community in terms of the cost of those rapid antigen tests as we move forward in a way that maintains those private supply chains.

One of those options that we are certainly looking at is a voucher system that would be supportive alongside the provision of those tests through a pharmacist or a supermarket, but we are working on that now and looking at the feasibility of doing that. In the interim what we’re doing is making sure we procure rapid antigen tests to ensure the continuation of service delivery here in our state and they are in the key areas of schooling, transport and health services that we make sure that the workforce has access to those tests when they need them.

Just a bit more on the supply chain meetings that were happening last night and continue today between government, industry groups and unions.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is convening a meeting with the National Coordinating Mechanism that will consider the new health advice relating to isolation requirements for Covid-affected workers.

The new guidelines were signed off by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee earlier this week.

Today’s meeting will consider the requirements for essential workers to keep working, including booster shots, social distancing measures and hygiene standards, and also discuss which business should be defined as essential services for the purposes of relaxed isolation requirements.

This means that workers may continue to work even if registered as a close contact, provided they produce a negative RAT on day one after exposure and regular RAT testing after that (if they have access to the tests – assume this will be discussed at length today also).

Some of the services under consideration to be deemed “essential”, (in addition to what’s already been announced) include teachers and childcare workers, transport workers, mental health and physiotherapy services, and civic services such as rubbish collection and water and energy services.

Also today, the attorney general Michaelia Cash will hold meetings with the Australian Council of Trade Unions and employer groups, who are discussing the issues surrounding testing for safe workplaces, and business obligations to meet occupational health and safety laws.

Schools in New South Wales will open from the first day of term one, premier Dominic Perrottet has vowed, however some activities like sports may be limited.

Perrottet said:

We are completely committed that schools will be open on day one term one.

I accept that there is a lot of people right across NSW who are anxious at this time and people will make their own decisions, in relation to sport particularly. But when we announce our school plans there are areas within those plans that we focus on in terms of activities within schools that we may limit early on as we move through. But for every parent across the state our commitment as a government is to open schools on day one, term one in a way that is safe for teachers and for kids.

Perrottet was then asked follow up questions about schools and risk, and took an even stronger tone:

Kids being at school is one of the most things we can have happen in NSW…The impact of not having kids in the classroom will be substantial in terms of impact on the child’s educational outcomes in the future.

He said that “I completely disagree with the doctors union” in relation to the Covid risk of schools returning. He went as far as saying that in his “list of things that we’re working on every single day”, that managing hospitalisations was his first priority, and that ensuring classrooms return from the first day of term one was his second highest priority.

Victoria’s press conference has wrapped up, in a cool 30 minutes.

No additional supports will be announced today for the hospitality sector or other industries hit by the Omicron wave, Merlino says.

We need to be cognisant of what activities are risky right now ... Omicron is incredibly virulent and a dance floor is an easy place where you can catch this variant.

Victoria will “absolutely” be delivering the school year on time, Merlino says, though he cannot predict what will happen in six months’ time.

Schools will “not be immune” from the impact of staff shortages, which may require additional teaching staff and casual relief teachers.

Get your kids vaccinated and we can move beyond remote learning, beyond lockdowns ... We support the national framework for getting students back to school for the start of term one, day one, term one.

The commitment is we get 51,000 air purifiers delivered to schools by the start of term and we will do that.

We’re having [staff shortages] with transport companies, truck drivers, we will get this delivered because it’s an important part of our mitigation strategy ... even if I need to get in a truck and deliver them myself, we will get them delivered.

More than 20,000 air purifiers have been delivered so far, Merlino says.

Health and emergency staffing is going to be a “massive issue” in 2022, Merlino says.

He also urged Victorians not to call triple zero unless it was an emergency as this system was also under strain.

These pressures are having an impact across the board and we’re seeing that with 000. We’ve got a system under enormous stress and a massive surge in demand.

One in five calls to 000 are not emergency calls. We’ve all got a role to play ... if it is not an emergency please do not call 000. In terms of what we’re doing for the service itself, there’s 43 additional full-time equivalent staff, additional funding, a significant review by the inspector general of emergency services as well as offering additional overtime for existing staff.

New South Wales chief health officer Kerry Chant has provided a breakdown of the changing nature of Covid patients in intensive care in the state.

In early December, Delta was the dominant strain in ICUs in the state, with 90% of Covid patients found to have that variant, while 10% had Omicron.

However that has changed as Omicron spread rapidly throughout the state over the end of the year.

By the week of 29 December to 4 January, Omicron had become the dominant strain in ICUs in NSW, with 67% of patients having the newer strain while 33% had Delta.

From tonight, high risk workers in Victoria will be required to have three vaccination doses – if they are eligible – in order to return to work.

The sectors include healthcare, aged care, disability workers, emergency services, correctional facilities, hotel quarantine, food distribution and processing.

If workers are eligible for a third dose today, they will have until 12 February to get their third shot.

If they are not yet eligible, they will be required to receive their third vaccine at a date to be decided upon in March.

Some 53,000 children are booked to get a vaccine in the coming weeks, Merlino says.

Victoria’s acting premier James Merlino is up.

He says thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 21 people who died in the latest Covid reporting period.

There are 209,715 active cases in the state.

More than half of those who reported a positive rapid antigen test yesterday actually took the test yesterday. Positive RATs accounted for around half of today’s new cases.

More on the RAT result mandates in NSW:

Anyone in New South Wales who tests positive to Covid with a rapid antigen test will face a $1,000 fine if they do not register their Covid status with the state government.

On Wednesday, premier Dominic Perrottet announced the function to register positive RAT results has been incorporated into the Service NSW smartphone application, which is already used for QR code check ins across the state.

Perrottet also confirmed that registering positive status would be mandatory, after a public health order was signed off on this morning.

Anyone who has received a positive result to a rapid antigen test since 1 January must register their result.

If someone fails to register their positive RAT result, they will face a $1,000 fine. Enforcement of the fine will come into effect from 19 January.

Perrottet acknowledges it is “a difficult time” for the state. There were 21 Covid-19 deaths reported today.

I know that many people are anxious, we will get through this. We will get to the other side and we will come out stronger as a state. We have done that twice before with the Alpha outbreak and the Delta outbreak and we will do it once again. We are seeing Omicron spread not just around the country but around the world and our health system is strong - we have the best health workers anywhere in the country and we will get through this and come out the other side stronger than we came through.

Some 20.2% of the eligible population in NSW have received a booster shot.

Perrottet says of the people in ICU, more than 50% are unvaccinated:

We have a 95% vaccination rate here in New South Wales yet over 50% of people in ICU are unvaccinated. So, please, if you have not done so, if you have not received the first dose, please go and do so. If you are eligible for a second dose please do as well.

But there are many people across the state who are now eligible for a booster shot and you can have a booster shot administered either at 40 of our clinics across New South Wales but also through your pharmacy and your GP. Once again as I have said in the past, if you received a vaccination through a GP you can still come to one of our centres and receive that booster shot here in any of our 40 clinics across our state. Please make an appointment today.

Queensland health minister Yvette D’Ath and chief health officer Dr John Gerrard will hold a press conference at 11am local time.

We’re back to the good old days when premiers announce Covid updates at the same time.

A bushfire in Western Australia’s south-west that forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists has been downgraded after firefighters managed to contain the blaze, AAP’s Michael Ramsey reports.

People were evacuated from the tourist hotspot of Eagle Bay in the city of Busselton on Tuesday afternoon. But hours later firefighters contained the fire raging around Eagle Bay, Naturaliste and Dunsborough.

The emergency has now been downgraded to ‘watch and act’ although people are being warned to remain on alert in case conditions change today.

The cause of the fire, which started near Curtis Bay Beach in Dunsborough, is being investigated. The blaze has burned through more than 220 hectares but it’s believed no homes have been lost.

On Tuesday more than 150 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, which left the Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay communities isolated.

Assisted evacuation convoys left the Eagle Bay community hall and Pullman Bunker Bay resort at 4pm.

The blaze was first reported on Monday night with firefighters initially unable to access the scene.

The federal government’s official Covid statistics have been overstating the number of Covid patients admitted to hospital by several thousand.

On Monday prime minister Scott Morrison gave an update on hospitalisation figures, saying: “There are 5,097 patients in hospital who have Covid.”

This figure of 5,097 was in part due to the inclusion of 2,170 people hospitalised in the Northern Territory, as listed on the federal Department of Health coronavirus statistics page.

However, the Department of Health confirmed on Tuesday that the figure of 2,170 people hospitalised in the Northern Territory was incorrect, and that the correct number was 32, as per the NT government’s coronavirus page.

This means the correct number of national hospitalisations was just over 3,000 as of Tuesday.

A Guardian Australia analysis suggests that the federal statistics have been overstating the number of hospitalisations due to the error for at least several days, if not weeks.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is up and about in Mackay, set to announce Labor’s plan for disaster readiness today.

Amid floods, cyclones and pandemics, god knows we need one!

The Border Force workers’ union is calling on an urgent industrial intervention after Australian Border Force marine officers have been forced to isolate onboard ABF vessels.

The Community and Public Sector Union says the commonwealth failed to heed warnings from workers about “wholly inadequate” Covid-19 safety plans, and is seeking intervention from the federal regulator ComCare.

As reported today, for over two years the Australian Border Force Marine Unit workers and their union the CPSU, have been calling on the Department of Home Affairs and the federal government to ensure safe working conditions and adequate testing for vessels.

More than six officers on two Cape-class vessels and one large hull vessel have contracted Covid-19 onboard, or boarded vessels while positive and asymptomatic.

The CPSU says officers affected have been made to isolate in the detainee transportation accommodation and, in some instances, kept at sea despite being in close quarters with other officers. The transportation quarters do not have appropriate air-conditioning, basic amenities, power points, electricity or reliable wifi to contact family or medical professionals, it says.

Brooke Muscat, CPSU deputy national president, said:

The Department of Home Affairs has failed to adequately prepare for Covid on Marine Unit vessels. At every turn they have rebuffed or ignored workers’ calls for common sense protections when it comes to vaccination leave, crew testing, screening, and onboard logistics.

For two years the CPSU members in the Marine Unit have been raising these risks, but due to inaction we have been left with no alternative but to seek a resolution through the regulator, Comcare.

Marine Unit officers do a dangerous and tough job, while being separated from their families for six months of the year. These officers need to be supported not left out to dry by a Departmental Secretary more concerned with his own ego than worker safety.

From fires to floods – police are investigating a suspicious fire at an auto-wreckers in Maryborough, Queensland last night.

Emergency services attended an abandoned Kent Street address at 7.15pm to find the business well alight.

A 46-year-old woman located at the scene is currently assisting police with inquiries. Investigations into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

A media conference will be held at 10.30am local time.

At the same time in Redbank Plains, police will address the media in relation to police dog Quizz, who went missing yesterday during a high-speed chase. I’m not sure I can bring it to you live but I’ll hope to keep the updates rolling in.

Meanwhile, health minister Greg Hunt is tweeting about the booster program.

Turning to Covid test positivity rates, and 35.20% of tests in Victoria returned a positive result.

Some 25.86% of tests in NSW came back positive.

This is a confronting number, and so far we only have the figures for NSW and Victoria.

People are getting very angry at today’s Wordle on social media, which is timely as the Guardian has a lovely piece on the creator of the game today:

The game has become an unexpected grassroots hit for Josh Wardle, who developed it for his puzzle-loving partner. The pair played it for fun on their sofa, and other users slowly began to join them ...

He takes comfort in the knowledge that his game has brought joy to people at a difficult time. “I get emails from people who say things like ‘hey, we can’t see our parents due to Covid at the moment but we share our Wordle results each day’. During this weird situation it’s a way for people to connect in a low effort, low friction way.”

I made today’s in six, but it was touch and go.

Wordle 207 6/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Deputy ambassador of Israel to Australia Ron Gerstenfeld just appeared on RN Breakfast suggesting the Sydney festival approached the Israeli embassy about the sponsorship deal that has led to the boycott of more than 20 acts.

Gerstenfeld lamented the “aggressive” social media campaign that he said came to the detriment of artists hit by two years of a pandemic.

The latest statement from Sydney festival chair David Kirk said:

The Board is also conscious of the calls for artists and audiences to boycott the Festival in relation to the Israeli Embassy’s financial support of a performance by the Sydney Dance Company of a work, Decadance, by world renowned Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. The Sydney Festival Board wishes collectively to affirm its respect for the right of all groups to protest and raise concerns.

We spent time with a number of groups who have concerns about this funding and welcomed the opportunity to engage with them. All funding agreements for the current Festival – including for Decadance – will be honoured, and the performances will proceed. At the same time, the Board has also determined it will review its practices in relation to funding from foreign governments or related parties.

He will be appearing on the program tomorrow.

Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer has put his name on a letter to national cabinet calling for leaders to not delay the start of the school year, AAP reports.

Dr Nick Coatsworth, along with other medical experts, told Nine this morning children going back to school will not have an impact on the trajectory of Covid-19 Omicron cases:

Many kids have already had it so there is no cause to delay schools going back. It is not correct to delay it. I put my name on a letter to national cabinet indicating we do not feel as medical experts that is right.

Federal, state and territory leaders will meet tomorrow to consider a nationally consistent approach to getting kids back to school safely.

Meanwhile, urgent talks are continuing on which business sectors will have Covid-19 isolation rules relaxed for their workers, after a rapid rise in infections led to widespread supply chain issues. The talks between the government and industry took place overnight and will pick up again today to help address coronavirus-induced staff shortages.

The discussions include acting small business minister Anne Ruston and industry groups.

Still in NSW, premier Dominic Perrottet will be up for a Covid update at 10am.

In New South Wales, four people have been rescued after a ute was swept into a flooded creek in the Hunter Valley last night.

Emergency services were called to Wells Gully Road at McCulleys Gap late last night, after the ute was swept off the spillway into Sandy Creek. A 49-year-old man, a 16-year-old boy, and two girls aged 14 were forced to climb on to the roof of the car after it began to sink in strongly flowing flood waters.

A multi-agency rescue operation was coordinated by officers and members from NSW Rural Fire Service and SES, with all four retrieved safely. There were no injuries.

Dijana Djokovic is asked whether she supports her son’s views against receiving Covid vaccinations:

He has his own philosophy if he thinks like that ... he’s the most healthiest guy, he takes care of his life ... he’s playing tennis and he wants to stay. And I know that he’s doing everything to stay healthy to take care of his body, so ... if he’s not, he doesn’t want to, that’s his choice.

So, what’s the problem? You know, the vaccination – the vaccination, it’s not that I’m against it of course I’m not ... it’s not the point. If he’s healthy, his PCR is negative, why he cannot play?

Asked about controversy’s over Djokovic’s visa application, she says:

I cannot say the ... all issues I don’t know exactly I’m reading in the newspapers. I didn’t talk to Novak about that. So I really cannot say anything. What I can say, that Judge Kelly [has] decided that Novak is free. So for me, this is closed book.

And as to whether the tennis star was out in the community a day after his positive test:

He didn’t know. Probably he didn’t know it, because when he realised [about] isolation, then he go to isolate ... because he didn’t know anything about that, He ... I really cannot say but it’s maybe the best is to ask him.

Member for Hotham and shadow minister for aged care Clare O’Neil is not mincing her words on Radio National today:

A little bit of frankness and honesty and acknowledging the problem is the first thing we should be asking of the prime minister.

She suggests some aged care residents have been locked in their rooms for up to seven days waiting for the results of PCR tests.

The consequences in aged care are people are sick and they are suffering.

CEO with the Council of Small Business Organisations Alexi Boyd has been in talks with the government over worker shortages hitting businesses across the country. She appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning, suggesting some small businesses are closing their doors altogether:

We’re hearing 20 to 40% furloughing of workers. That’s for a variety of reasons. It might be because the worker is sick and has Covid or because they’re symptomatic or because there’s a little bit of confusion as whether or not that worker should come to work.

Cosboa has been calling for a national standardised approach for most of these for about a year now but what we heard from lots of industry groups was that the problem was across the board and that lots of industries were being heavily hit. The notion of an essential business, now, small businesses have been down this road before. It’s been determined by government what is an essential business and our concern is that after obviously the critical industry, such as food security, etc, and logistics are worked out, that we’re going to see a prioritisation of businesses and what’s considered essential.

Now, to, I think a lot of communities out there, every small business is essential right now being the largest employer collectively of Australians. We need to see all small businesses given, I guess, equality when it comes to different circumstances in which they operate and that will alleviate confusion as well.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese was just up on Sunrise chatting Novak Djokovic.

He wouldn’t say whether the tennis player’s visa should be re-cancelled, just that if visa requirements weren’t met, it shouldn’t have been granted in the first place:

It is just a mess, isn’t it? Everyone can see that. The federal government is the body that issues visas to Australia and it is yet to explain how it is that a visa was granted if the conditions had not been met and what we see here is just another failure, a problem becoming a crisis before the government actually acts and when you look at the issues, the vaccines, testing, tracing, and when it comes to quarantine, that is a grand slam of failures that this Morrison government has presided over. It is a very embarrassing situation for Australia. Given this story has been the biggest story in sport for months.

What I would have done was make sure that if the visa requirements weren’t met, the visa would not have been issued and that is what should have occurred here. Now we have a circumstance whereby we have an intervention which is one of the biggest stories in the world at the moment and it is all of the government’s own making.

Matt Canavan says if Novak Djokovic did fill out his form incorrectly, he wouldn’t be “the first person to tick the wrong box”:

I read through the transcript of the interview with Novak. While I’ve never been a massive Novak fan, I thought he was honest and open through the interview process which started at 1am and went through to 6, 6.30am or so. And so I think he just has to be treated like anyone else.

Now, yes, he may have lied or made a mistake on the form. I just hope – we’ve just got to apply the same rules as we would to anyone else because I am sure he is not the first person to tick the wrong box. I don’t want to live in a world of strict bureaucracy when if we make a mistake on a form we are hauled off to jail. If there’s been an error or a lie, he needs to be questioned again and see how or why that happened. English is not his first language so that could come into play. We have to have sensible rules, that’s the main lesson out of this.

Catch up on the latest here:

Nationals senator Matt Canavan appeared on the Today show this morning agreeing the situation with Djokovic is “a mess” and we should simply stop talking about it, as he continues to talk about it:

I think it’s long enough talking about a tennis player. We have more serious issues in the country. Look, I’ve been a long time on this program saying I thought we should have just let Novak in. He’s got Covid, he has natural immunity and is a low health risk but the decision was made and the court overturned it: I think we have to move on now and de-escalate it as much as possible.

If he has said something wrong on his form, OK, the law needs to apply there. I don’t know enough about that ... this shows why it’s important to base our decisions on what the science says. You know, I know there’s a lot of concern here and maybe we should keep all unvaccinated people out of work but if you’ve had Covid, you’ve got immunity, you have better protection against getting or spreading Covid than someone with just a vaccine. So that’s what all the science says. We should have relied it on that. That’s what the medical board said last week and now we are where we are. Hopefully the tennis starts next Monday and we enjoy that.

United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants Felipe González Morales appeared on Radio National this morning, discussing the worldwide attention the Novak Djokovic case has brought to Australia’s immigration system.

He said the case brought visibility to the fact that most people who apply for asylum or migrate to other countries don’t have the money or contacts to call attention to their plight.