NSW and Victoria reveal back-to-school plans – as it happened

6.23am GMT

The news of Sunday

All right, time for us to sign off now.

Here is what we learned today:

• New South Wales and Victoria have announced near-identical plans to slow the spread of Covid as students return to classrooms next week with both states relying on rapid antigen tests (RATs) in the first month.
• NSW teachers federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the government should have gone further by mandating primary school students also wear masks in the classroom, and opposed the government’s plan to have teachers who are asymptomatic close contacts return to work.
• WA is on high alert after the number of daily local cases jumped to 24, with the health minister conceding they are unlikely to eliminate Omicron in the state.
• NSW records 20,324 new Covid-19 cases, 34 deaths.
• Victoria records 13,091 new Covid-19 cases, 14 deaths.
• Perth clocked its sixth consecutive day of temperatures over 40C.
  
• Jacinda Ardern cancelled all weddings, including her own as Omicron arrives in the country, warning that case numbers will soon shoot into the thousands.

That’s all for now, have a lovely evening everyone and I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Updated at 6.27am GMT

6.14am GMT

Sam McMahon courted by Liberal Democrats

Country Liberal senator, Sam McMahon, has confirmed reports in the News Corp tabloids that she has been approached to defect to the Liberal Democrats.

McMahon lost preselection to Jacinta Price, meaning she will likely exit the Senate after the next election.

In a statement, McMahon confirmed the approach and didn’t rule out defecting:

A former CLP president has made the allegation that I met with representatives of the Liberal Democrats. I have been open and on the record about being approached by many parties to run for them. It should not be surprising that most of the minor parties see tremendous value in an experienced Senator.

This would be a major headache for Scott Morrison, who already faces two government senators (Alex Antic and Gerard Rennick) and One Nation refusing to vote for government legislation in the Senate.

Updated at 6.17am GMT

6.12am GMT

A few showers in #NSW along the coast and adjacent ranges tonight and Monday north from Sydney. Showers and thunderstorms to enter the northwest Monday with potentially heavy or intense rainfall. This activity is expected to spread east through the week. https://t.co/VhYgPuWLew pic.twitter.com/OVbZKVCRen

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 23, 2022