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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Butler and Katharine Murphy

Albanese to restore Covid leave payment as emergency national cabinet meeting called

Anthony Albanese receives his Covid booster
The prime minister has called an emergency cabinet meeting for Saturday and is expected to reinstate the $750 pandemic leave payment. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA

Anthony Albanese will propose that Canberra and the states extend the pandemic leave payment during a snap national cabinet briefing that has been expedited to Saturday.

The government has spent the past week signalling the existing $750 payment would not be extended over the winter for budgetary reasons, but that decision has been reversed after mounting pressure from backbenchers, premiers, and health experts.

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