What we learned today, Saturday 29 January
And that’s where we’ll leave you on this Saturday evening. Here’s what we learned today:
- Death numbers from Covid remain high across the country, with 97 nationally – just shy of yesterday’s total of 98, a grim record for the pandemic. All the main statistics from each state are in our National Covid summary, which you can find pinned to the top of this blog, and you can read more about what’s happened in Covid news today in our wrap.
- Wild weather has caused damage and flooding across the country, with parts of Victoria, NSW and Queensland cleaning up today after being hit by torrential rain on Friday afternoon, with homes being left without power, properties flooding and widespread damage.
- Flooding in South Australia has damaged rail infrastructure and cut food supply lines to the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Shortages of food and essential supplies are now a concern in Darwin, Western Australia and remote towns including Coober Pedy, but the federal government has sought to reassure people they will not go without food.
- The federal government has announced it will spend an extra $50m over the next four years to pull east coast koalas back from the brink. The money will underpin a national koala recovery plan, promised after the devastating 2020 bushfires.
- Kanye West will have to be fully vaccinated if he wants to give concerts in Australia, Scott Morrison said on Saturday, after reports the hip-hop artist was planning an Australian tour in March.
Thanks so much for sticking with us and enjoy your Saturday evening. See you next time.
Updated
Listening to the New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, speaking on Friday, you’d be forgiven for thinking Victoria was a new member of his cabinet.
Perrottet said the NSW government had “worked alongside” Victoria to deliver thousands of rapid antigen tests before schools resume next week. They were “the only states in the country” that could boast as much, he said.
On the business support package likely to be announced in the coming days, Perrottet again referenced Victoria – the NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, was working “very closely” with his southern counterparts “because we’re in a very, very similar situation”, he said.
The bonhomie is apparently shared. On Thursday the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said the two premiers “work together as close as we can”.
For anyone who lived in NSW or Victoria through the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, this developing bromance between leaders from opposite ends of the ideological divide is a jarring shift.
Benita Kolovos and Michael McGowan have more here:
Updated
Meanwhile, in Melbourne...
Doesn't look like the rain has helped with the Glenferrie Road bridge works pic.twitter.com/eMwxlitkFo
— Andrew Lund (@andrew_lund) January 29, 2022
There's a chance of flash #flooding in #Bathurst within the next 30-60 minutes as the #thunderstorm cell circled in red slow moves over the town from the west. Check the radar here to watch if continues to track through Bathurst: https://t.co/xgElwT8nwP pic.twitter.com/jYFuZL2tnq
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 29, 2022
Requiring three doses for full Covid vaccination would “send a clear signal that it is essential, rather than simply a matter of choice and personal responsibility”, a member of a World Health Organization advisory group said.
Though the national cabinet is still awaiting advice from Australia’s independent expert group on vaccination, Atagi, as to whether people should only be considered fully vaccinated against Covid after three doses, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, had been pre-empting Atagi’s advice.
“International evidence, our own experience, the views of experts and hopefully the confirmation of both Atagi and national cabinet later today will mean that everyone knows and understands that this is a three-dose project,” he said on Thursday.
Given Atagi is yet to release its advice, the matter was not settled at a meeting of the national cabinet later that day.
But on Friday the New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, backed Andrews, saying he thought the proposal “makes sense”, and that even without a decision by the national cabinet three doses should be required to be “up to date” with vaccination.
Read the full story from Melissa Davey, Michael McGowan and Benita Kolovos:
Hip-hop artist Kanye West will have to be fully vaccinated if he wants to give concerts in Australia, Scott Morrison said on Saturday, after media said the performer planned an Australian tour in March.
The warning comes just two weeks after tennis champion Novak Djokovic’s hopes for an Australian Open title were dashed when a court upheld the government’s decision to cancel his visa over Covid-19 rules and his unvaccinated status.
“The rules are you have to be fully vaccinated,” Morrison told a news conference on Saturday. “They apply to everybody, as people have seen most recently. It doesn’t matter who you are, they are the rules. Follow the rules – you can come. You don’t follow the rules, you can’t.”
Read the full story:
From AAP:
The federal government has sought to reassure people they will not go without food, after severe flooding cut major transport links in the centre of the country.
Inland floods damaged rail infrastructure in South Australia and cut food supply lines to the Northern Territory and Western Australia this week.
Shortages of food and essential supplies are now a concern in Darwin, parts of Western Australia, and remote towns, including Coober Pedy.
The federal emergency management minister Bridget McKenzie said on Saturday:
Our first concern is for the safety and needs of those directly affected and we know that through working together we can keep the wheels turning and restore supply chains across the country.
The community has a role in this too, by buying what you need and not hoarding. This unnecessarily spikes demand and then directly impacts supply.
The government’s National Coordination Mechanism is working through options with states and territories to keep essential supplies stocked and carry out repairs quickly, McKenzie said.
A 14-day major emergency was declared in South Australia on Friday, allowing the state’s police commissioner Grant Stevens to direct the movement of freight and improve SA food security.
The Stuart Highway, the main link between Adelaide and Darwin, remains underwater on Saturday and there is no time frame for when it will reopen.
The disruption to the supply chain is the biggest upset to food supply in Western Australia in “living memory”, Richard Forbes from the Independent Food Distributors of Australia told the ABC:
This is a very serious situation. Thousands of tonnes of food are transported every day from the eastern states to the west.
He said the damage to infrastructure meant 6,500 venues serviced by IFDA, including nursing homes, cafes and restaurants, were immediately going without food.
Updated
Weather! We have been having a lot of it. There will be some more of it, in this case coming to WA and SA.
A slow-moving monsoon trough is bringing widespread #rain and #storms to northern #Australia ☂️
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 29, 2022
Heavy falls likely in coming days, especially for northern #WA, and then northern #SA as rain dives south.
⚠️Flood Watches and Warnings current: https://t.co/Mcyaus00Pp pic.twitter.com/xj02zJKFHS
It’s Stephanie Convery back with you now. Thanks again to Ben Doherty for holding the fort!
Western Australia records 23 new Covid cases
That’s 22 new cases of local transmission and one related to interstate travel. One person is in hospital.
Updated
WA police assistant commissioner Allan Adams:
The investigation is now being led by the major crime division with the support of the homicide squad and district detectives.
The exact cause of death and the circumstances will be thoroughly investigated and this will take some time. But I can tell you, at this stage, we are treating this incident as a double murder suicide.
Police are still at the scene, trying to scour the home and collect some evidence and look into any sort of clues into what would have happened leading up to the depths yesterday evening.
They are appealing for public information for anyone, close family, relatives, neighbours, friends, to report to police about anything they might know about what might have led to the tragic deaths. They want anyone with any sort of information to call Crime Stoppers.
Western Australia police have issued a statement regarding the discovery of three bodies at a home in Perth.
Officers from the major crime division are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an adult male and two children at a home in Huntingdale on Friday 28 January 2022.
About 6.35pm, police were called to the home by a family member. Upon attendance a 40-year-old man, a six-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl were located deceased.
The 40-year-old man is the father of the two children.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths are ongoing.
A large police presence including detectives and forensic officers will remain at the scene.
WA Police will continue to provide support and assistance to the family, friends and first-responders affected by this tragic incident.
Updated
Northern Territory records 828 new Covid cases
The Northern Territory has recorded 828 new cases of Covid-19.
There are currently 4,650 active cases in the NT, most in the top end of the state.
There are 111 people hospitalised in the Northern Territory with Covid, 10 of those are receiving oxygen therapy, and five are in intensive care units.
The health minister, Natasha Fyles, said from 6pm this evening, all of the territory will be placed under a seven-day mask mandate out of doors.
The mask mandate applies to anyone aged over 12 who cannot physically distance. Those who are exercising or who can maintain physical distance from other people do not need to wear a mask.
Alice Springs prison has recorded 154 new cases, bring the cluster inside that prison to 274.
Updated
Ninety-seven new cases were reported in New Zealand in the past 24 hours.
Yesterday, 49,734 vaccine doses were administered. This includes 46,271 booster doses, which is 67% of those eligible for their booster. There were also 12,860 child (paediatric) vaccine first doses administered to 5 to 11 year olds throughout New Zealand. pic.twitter.com/BYzU819Xyt
— Unite against COVID-19 (@covid19nz) January 29, 2022
We are waiting for an update from Western Australia police on this tragic situation in Perth.
Another 97 Covid-related deaths have been announced so far today, with numbers still to be reported in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
NSW has accounted for 49 of that total, its highest daily toll to date. Victoria has registered 31 deaths, Queensland 12 and South Australia five.
More than 3,630 Australian lives have been lost since the pandemic began, over a thousand of them this month.
Australia’s chief nursing and midwifery officer, Alison McMillan, has cautioned that death rates will remain high for some time even as infections plateau.
The federal government is meanwhile awaiting final approval for children aged 16 and 17 to receive booster shots, following the initial green light from Australia’s medicines regulator.
The health minister, Greg Hunt, expects the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation to sign off on the move next week, paving the way for the rollout to start.
The wait time for boosters across the country will also drop from four to three months on Monday.
McMillan says people who have contracted Covid should get a third dose as soon as they are symptom-free. This is in contrast with NSW advice telling people to wait for between four and six weeks after recovering from the virus.
The return of schools next week, accompanied by states’ rapid test surveillance, is expected to drive daily case tallies up again.
Queensland earlier delayed its school return by two weeks until 7 February, while South Australia decided on a staged return over the coming fortnight.
NSW recorded 13,354 new infections on Saturday and Victoria 12,250. There were 10,391 cases announced in Queensland, 1,740 in South Australia, 683 in Tasmania and 620 in the ACT.
Meanwhile the United Workers Union has launched an attack on the federal government over the deaths of more than 200 aged care residents in the past week. The union says the first month of 2022 has been deadlier for aged care residents than all of last year.
Updated
I lived on Christmas Island for a number of years as a child.
The crab migration was always extraordinary, and, to a five-year-old, endlessly fascinating.
Students will return to school in several states and territories from next week.
The New South Wales and Victorian governments will provide staff and students with rapid antigen tests for twice-weekly surveillance testing for the first four weeks of term.
With a total of 24m self-test kits to be delivered across the two states in the coming weeks, experts share tips on how to make at-home nasal swabbing as painless as possible for daunted adults and kids.
Victoria detects 'Son of Omicron' cases
Ben Doherty, momentarily back with you on the blog.
An update from AAP on the situation in Victoria.
Victorian health authorities have detected “a handful” of Omicron sub-variant cases, as the state posts 12,250 new Covid-19 infections and 31 deaths.
The total number of active cases in the state is 79,836, down from 101,605 reported on Friday.
Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said authorities had detected “literally a handful” of cases with the Omicron sub-variant, which has been dubbed ‘Son of Omicron’.
“We’re obviously following the international developments on the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron closely,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
“It’s still very early days in understanding exactly how that’s moving around, I’m aware there’s a very small number of cases that have been detected here in Victoria.”
He moved to assure Victorians “son of Omicron” was “not a new variant”.
“As more information comes in, we’ll adjust our strategy if we need to,” he said.
“We’re all discovering new things every day here in Australia, just as we do elsewhere in the world.”
Hospitalisations with Covid-19 have fallen by 35 to 953 patients on Saturday.
There are 114 people in intensive care, with 39 of those on a ventilator.
Just two days before schools go back, Weimar said 4.5m rapid antigen tests had been sent to schools with another two million to be distributed in coming days.
Students and staff are being encouraged to take twice-weekly RATs once school returns.
A vaccination blitz targeting children aged five to 11 has begun at 15 Victorian primary schools, with several state-run vaccine hubs offering walk-up jabs for kids.
More than 37% of Victorians aged over 18 have received a Covid-19 vaccine booster, with 22,139 doses administered at state hubs on Friday.
Updated
State-by-state Covid breakdown
NSW:
13,354 new cases,
2,693 people hospital (186 in intensive care)
49 deaths
VIC
12,250 new cases
953 people in hospital (114 in intensive care)
31 deaths
TAS:
683 new cases
17 people in hospital
SA:
1,740 new cases
283 people in hospital (29 in intensive care)
five deaths
ACT:
620 new cases
61 people in hospital (five in intensive care).
QLD:
10,391 new cases
833 people in hospital (53 in intensive care)
12 deaths
Victoria’s Covid commander, Jeroen Weimar, is speaking in Melbourne.
He says two million booster shots have been administered in the state, 37% of all Victorians aged over 18.
[It is] particularly encouraging to see over half of over 60s have had their booster dose, 52%, and 62% of those aged over 70. We really encourage people to come forward and get booster done. 76,000 of us have had a booster appointment made in the next seven days, but there are many more appointments available and again, across care, across pharmacies and clinics, it is easy to get your booster dose.
Updated
More than 1m lightning strikes recorded in the past 24 hours in south-east Australia. More than one million! I know a bunch of you have been dealing with storm damage overnight, solidarity. (Same here: we had water come through our light fixtures and my parents had to sandbag their yard last night.)
It's been a stormy 24 hours in southeast #Australia, particularly for #Melbourne ⛈️
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 28, 2022
More than 1 million #lightning strikes have been recorded, from Fri morning (blue strikes) and into the evening (green), continuing into Sat morning (orange)⚡
Latest: https://t.co/K76Km3FZ1i pic.twitter.com/cmyJ55ssc1
Anyway, probably best not to shake it off with a swim in the Bay today, Melbourne mates.
#WaterQuality forecast for Port Phillip Bay beaches today: Recent rain has affected the bay - 15 are rated FAIR and 21 POOR. On the Yarra, all sites are rated POOR. Check updates before swimming: https://t.co/ylXoypgzgg pic.twitter.com/oinKAztVXV
— EPA Victoria (@EPA_Victoria) January 28, 2022
Probably also worth noting his response to this point about integrity within the public service.
Reporter:
It has been a horror week for the Queensland government, seeing the reports about integrity within the premier’s cabinet. There has been horrible reports from the people who used to work there. I guess the comments from you are reminder for people to keep their integrity front and centre.
Morrison:
Well, of course. I am very grateful to the public servants that I work with and have always had a very respectful relationship with them, and we have a bit of a code between us and the public service – expect and respect. I expect strong performance and we respect their professionalism and their integrity to do their job ... Our public servants have done a terrific job for the commonwealth government, and we rely on them heavily. But we also expect those high standards which are imposed on politicians as well.
Updated
Now he’s answering question about bringing down the national debt.
Morrison:
The way you reduce your debt is you ensure that you grow your economy. See, the demands on government on essential services don’t go away, whether it’s the National Disability Insurance Scheme, whether it is aged care, whether it is caring for our country, like the announcements that we have here.
Do you know what pays for all of that? A strong economy. And that’s why having a strong economy over the next five years, over the next 12 months, over the next three years, is so important. If you want to have the sort of environmental programs that we are investing in, if you want to have an NDIS that is fully funded, if you want to support aged care, if you want to do all of these things, and what you need is a strong economy.
Forgive me, but I thought our taxes paid for those things.
Updated
Morrison is now talking about renewable energy. The crux of it seems to be: climate crisis isn’t our fault.
Whether it’s the reef or our environment, I’ll tell you what’s putting the pressure on climate, is rising emissions in other countries.
He says Australia is assisting other countries, like Indonesia, to transition to renewable energy.
A little bit of reaction to the koala project from the Greens:
The number one threat to koalas is loss of habitat. Yet the Morrison Government keeps approving mines and big developments that destroy their habitat, pushing them to extinction.
— 💚🌏 Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) January 29, 2022
The Parliament needs to vote for the ban on projects that bulldoze and destroy koala habitat.
More from Morrison, who has said one of the things the money will go to is protecting habitat. He also says his government will continue to “throw our arms around” koalas “in the way all Australians would want us to”:
We are monitoring their health. We are investing in the world leading science in looking after our koala populations. We are also investing heavily in education... [Koalas] are often the face of the victims of wildlife of our country when [bushfires] hit. As a result, there has been an increased demand for vets who want an understanding of them. A thousand vet nurses will be supported through this program.
We love to throw our arms around koalas. And they love to throw their bear arms around us when we get to have a cuddle. And it is about us continuing to throw our arms around the koala population and care for them in the way I know all Australians would want us to. And the broader wildlife population we need to support.
Scott Morrison is speaking in Queensland at Australia Zoo now upon the announcement of the koala protection program.
These are the practical things that you do when you care for a country, you care for the country itself and you care for its people.
He claims they have invested $24m so far in koala preservation; this represents another $50m of funding.
Updated
Avoid getting stuck/isolated by delaying travel to north SA
— SASES (@SA_SES) January 28, 2022
If you still plan on travelling, stay safe by packing plenty of supplies & not driving through floodwaters
Monitor @DFIT_SA: https://t.co/BWTttMej71 & https://t.co/aZvFK3pWlm
SES: 132 500 Life-threatening emergency: 000 pic.twitter.com/aoFx3j6Csk
National Covid summary
Here is a summary of the daily numbers, which will be updated as they are announced.
NSW
Deaths – 49
Cases – 13,354
Hospitalisations – 2,693 (186 in ICU)
Victoria
Deaths – 31
Cases – 12,250
Hospitalisations – 953 (114 in ICU)
QLD
Deaths – 12
Cases – 10,391
Hospitalisations – 833 (53 in ICU)
Tasmania
Deaths – 0
Cases – 683
Hospitalisations – 17 (1 in ICU)
South Australia
Deaths – 5
Cases – 1,740
Hospitalisations – 283 (29 in ICU)
ACT
Deaths – 0
Cases – 620
Hospitalisations – 61 (5 in ICU)
WA
Deaths – 0
Cases – 23
Hospitalisations – 0
Northern Territory
Deaths – 0
Cases – 828
Hospitalisations – 111 (5 in ICU)
Updated
Sorry for the press conference whiplash but federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese has just been speaking in Victoria with the shadow minister for transport and infrastructure.
He’s just responded to the government’s $50m national koala recovery plan, which we mentioned earlier. It’s all very much election campaign mode (there will be no other mode until the thing is done, frankly):
There is a pattern of behaviour with this government and it is about making promises and then [taking] over a decade. We saw it again with the Great Barrier Reef yesterday, they made a big splash in the paper and then you actually had the environment minister on radio yesterday morning saying we cannot tell you – even though it was on the front page of the newspapers – what it is because we have not made the announcement. It was all up in the never never. All announcement, no delivery.
They have not even delivered on the previous commitments they have made with regards to the Great Barrier Reef. And we see it again today – koalas. Now, we all think koalas are cuddly and we all want to save them but, guess what, you need to take action on climate change if you’re going to save koalas ... If you’re going to protect the Great Barrier Reef and yesterday’s announcement and media release on the Great Barrier Reef, the government did not use the term climate change, not once. It is just extraordinary that this government just does not get it. It is all announcement, no delivery.
Updated
The Queensland treasurer, Cameron Dick, is speaking out the front of what looks like a Woolies warehouse. He’s giving us a rundown of how Covid has affected grocery shopping. It’s a slightly odd segue from the daily case numbers, but it becomes clear it’s a nod to the strain of supply chain pressure over the last couple of months. An extract:
When the pandemic started, not many Queenslanders knew about distribution centres. We went to the shop, but what we needed and then went home. And then came the great toilet paper rush ... I think it gave us a new understanding ... 30% of staff here have not been able to work because they have tested positive or a been a close contact during this Omicron wave.
So many other businesses across Queensland, and every worker who comes here, does a rapid test and they do that to keep the workplace safe, to protect their mates and also to make sure Queenslanders continued to be fed and today, that isolation rate for workers has almost halved. In some days it has gone to a quarter of that. And that is a great testament to the workers here who are doing everything they can to keep themselves safe and protect that workplace.
Updated
Queensland records 12 Covid deaths, 10,391 new cases
We’re hearing from the Queensland authorities now, who are reporting the state’s Covid numbers for the day. Unfortunately 12 people have died; one third of them were unvaccinated.
Updated
Tasmania records 683 new Covid cases, no deaths
There are 17 people in hospital in total in the state – four in the south, nine in the north and four in the north-west – and one person is in ICU.
Updated
ACT records 620 new Covid cases, no deaths
There are five people in ICU and one person is on a ventilator.
It’s very good to see that zero in the “lives lost” box for ACT this morning.
ACT COVID-19 update (29 January 2022)
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) January 28, 2022
💉 COVID-19 vaccinations
▪️ Aged 5-11 years (1 dose)*: 63.3%
▪️ Aged 12+ (2 doses)*: 98.6%
▪️ Aged 18+ (3 doses)*: 44.9%
▪️ New cases today: 620 (438 PCR and 182 RAT)
▪️ Active cases: 4,648 (3,063 PCR and 1,585 RAT) pic.twitter.com/LFt3xgagYO
Updated
Jumping straight back to South Australia for a moment, and the premier, Steven Marshall, has just announced an extended economic stimulus plan for the state, which involves accomodation vouchers and “experiences” vouchers.
Marshall:
We are now announcing two new rounds of the great state vouchers, these have been hugely popular here in South Australia. They have been copied right around the country. So we will have a new great state voucher focused on accommodation, so the great state accommodation voucher will be $100 for the CBD, $50 outside of the CBD, and we also have a new voucher for experiences. So that is going to be hugely beneficial and I think it will give us this bounce out of the situation that we have had where many businesses have suffered from a lack of demand over the last four or six weeks.
It looks a lot like those voucher packages we saw in NSW and Victoria after various lockdowns – though in this press conference Marshall appears to be taking credit for the idea. This may be true but I haven’t had a chance to fact check it yet.
Updated
Happy Saturday, team! Thank you to the lovely Ben Doherty for kicking us off this morning. I’ll be with you for the rest of the morning and likely most of the afternoon too.
The captain is waving from the balcony. My innings has been declared closed.
Carriage of this mighty little news blog is being handed over to the indefatigable, incomparable Stephanie Convery.
Thanks all for your correspondence, comments, and queries. Be well, all of you.
South Australia records five Covid-related deaths
The South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, is speaking to the media and has updated the state’s Covid-19 figures.
SA has reported 1,740 cases, “the lowest we’ve had for the entire year”, and the state’s seven-day average is below 2,000 a day.
There are now 22,985 cases in South Australia – “every day we see that number falling”, Marshall said.
Five people have died with Covid in the last 24-hour reporting period.
Updated
An Australian publisher is set to release the latest work from one of China’s most popular writers, Murong Xuecun, a book that forced him to flee his homeland.
AAP reports that Murong travelled to Wuhan in April 2020 and went undercover to pen a firsthand account of life in the locked-down city as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded.
“Wuhan was like a large ship sinking into the deep sea ... few knew how people in Wuhan lived and died,” Murong has said.
The author stayed in the city for almost three months before threatening phone calls prompted him to flee, and finish his manuscript hiding in the remote mountains of Sichuan province.
Deadly Quiet City: Stories from Wuhan, Covid Ground Zero is billed by publisher Hardie Grant as a picture of despair and resistance, and of a regime determined to avoid responsibility.
Realising he could not remain in China if his Wuhan account was ever published, Murong escaped his homeland for London late last year, carrying only a bag and a laptop.
Academic Clive Hamilton, who edited the book and initially contacted Murong about the Wuhan outbreak, said he took some extraordinary risks.
“There was a nerve wracking day or so when he flew from Beijing ... hour by hour we were watching his movements and praying that he would not be arrested,” he told AAP.
“There is a remarkable cohort of writers in China that have taken the enormous risk of trying to reveal the truth of what happened in Wuhan and more broadly in Chinese society,” he said.
“Most of them are now in jail or have disappeared.”
Murong has been censured by the Chinese Communist Party in the past – in 2013 for the content of his books, and in 2016 for his writing for the New York Times.
According to Hardie Grant managing director Julie Pinkham, Murong wanted his latest book published at all costs.
“The author said that if he got detained or stopped from leaving China or disappeared, then he still wanted the book to be published, and that just felt very daunting,” she told AAP.
But she felt a truthful account of events in Wuhan had to be told.
“In terms of free speech, as a publisher, that’s important,” she said.
Murong’s book includes the experiences of a doctor working on the Covid front lines, although he himself was sick.
“Medical decisions were being made by Communist Party officials whose concern was protecting the party and their own backsides, and overruling the doctors,” Hamilton said.
In 2018, Hardie Grant published Silent Invasion, Hamilton’s account of Chinese influence in Australia, after his long-time publisher Allen and Unwin backed out.
Then too, Hardie Grant decided to go ahead despite the risks.
Pinkham says publishing on China has generally been a success - and not only that, the books have come off Chinese printing presses.
“The books have been commercially successful, there is a broad audience that is looking for information that is researched from a credible source,” she said.
Murong’s books include Leave Me Alone: A Novel of Chengdu and Dancing Through Red Dust.
Deadly Quiet City will be released on March 11, with a launch slated for Adelaide Writers’ Week.
Updated
Massive day for women’s sport.
The one-off Ashes Test match between Australia and England is exquisitely poised (if fractionally in Australia’s favour – England will have to bat last).
Two-time surfing world champion Tyler Wright begins her season at Hawaii’s Pipeline.
And, of course, Ash Barty. The world No 1 will attempt to become the first Australian in 44 years to win the Australian Open tennis championship.
AAP’s Murray Wenzel in Brisbane reports on Wright’s admiration for Barty:
After a childhood spent unaware of many would-be heroes, Tyler Wright is just glad nobody’s missing Ash Barty.
The two-time world surf champion will begin her season at Hawaii’s Billabong Pro Pipeline on Sunday, buoyed by compatriot Barty’s surge to Saturday’s Australian Open final.
The Banzai Pipeline event will be a win for women in the sport as they share the famous wave with the men from round one the first time.
The World Surf League announced equal pay in 2019, another proud moment for trailblazer Wright and her colleagues.
This year the Tour will welcome a record five rookies, who Wright hopes “don’t have to have the fights we’ve had to fight”.
“Representation matters; the women athletes have always been there, it’s just that they’ve never been seen,” she told AAP.
“Even for me, I haven’t heard of so many incredible female athletes, just because they never got the coverage.
“That’s a detriment not only to women, but society. You can learn so much off female athletes because we’ve done more with less.”
Wright is pleased all the eyes are on Barty now, almost two million viewers tuning into her semi-final victory on Thursday.
Her dominance has transcended the sport, PGA Tour star Marc Leishman raving about her form before he teed off in California this week.
Samantha Stosur and Alicia Molik can’t believe how easy she’s made it look while Wright’s admiration of the humble world No 1 is beginning to sound familiar.
“Oh yeah, she’s a gun; an incredible athlete but more an incredible human,” Wright said.
“You can’t get a more top-class athlete in Australia. All the respect in the world for Ash, how she carries herself and she’s exactly who she is.
“She said the other day ‘all I can do is be me, that’s the best I can do’.
“I think that resonates at the moment; just be who you are. That’s an incredibly important message.”
Updated
The death of an 85-year-old man who reportedly succumbed to hypothermia after falling and spending nine hours sprawled and ignored on a bitterly cold street in central Paris has prompted grief, anger and incredulity in France and beyond.
I watched the movie Back to the Outback with my kids last night, featuring an animated koala named Pretty Boy voiced by the inimitable Tim Minchin. Very sweet film. Terrific Australian cast. Kids loved it.
Save Pretty Boy. Save all Koalas.
From Tracey Ferrier at AAP:
The federal government will spend an extra $50m over the next four years to pull east coast koalas back from the brink.
The money will underpin a national koala recovery plan, promised after the devastating 2020 bushfires.
In June last year a federal panel of threatened species experts recommended the marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable to endangered in each of the three jurisdictions.
WWF Australia, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Humane Society International have long been pushing for the change, saying the species is in desperate need of greater protection if it is to survive.
Koala populations in NSW have declined by between 33 and 61% since 2001 and at least 6400 were killed in the Black Summer bushfires.
In 2020, a NSW parliamentary inquiry found koalas would likely become extinct before 2050 without urgent government intervention to prevent habitat loss.
Queensland’s koala population has dropped by at least 50 per cent since 2001 due to deforestation, drought and bushfires.
Prime minister Scott Morrison said the $50m in funding will go to initiatives including restoring habitat, monitoring populations and boosting research into koala health.
“Koalas are one of Australia’s most-loved and best-recognised icons, both here at home and across the world, and we are committed to protecting them for generations to come,” he told ABC News.
Updated
Good news, folks: You can get free COVID-19 tests delivered right to your home. Head to https://t.co/12LzJrqFsC to get yours today. pic.twitter.com/ZHOg1Z9FAA
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 28, 2022
Just a note of clarification on the NSW Covid-19 numbers from today.
The 49 deaths recorded today is the highest single-day death toll for the state over the course of this pandemic.
On Friday, the state notified 70 deaths in its daily figures, but 35 of those deaths were of people who died in aged care homes earlier in January.
Deaths and severe illness continues to disproportionately affect the unvaccinated.
Just under a fortnight ago, the prime minster said of the refugees detained inside Melbourne’s Park Hotel: “It’s not clear that to my information that someone in that case is actually a refugee.”
That is untrue.
The majority of those held in the hotel have had the refugee status formally recognised. Australia is legally obliged to protect them.
Below is a powerful riposte to the prime minister.
From a person who arrived in Australia as a refugee as a child, and remains in detention after nearly nine years.
From Mehdi, the voice from those hidden inside the Park Hotel.
Updated
NSW's deadliest day of the pandemic: 49 deaths
There have been 49 Covid-related deaths in NSW and 13,354 new cases. It is the highest number of deaths in a single day for the entire pandemic.
NSW COVID-19 update – Saturday 29 January 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 28, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm last night:
- 95.4% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 94% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/6dmTcHnx5U
Updated
Victoria reports 31 Covid deaths and 12,250 new cases
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) January 28, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/PQ6WItzEfR
Updated
More than 1,500 Victorians have sought emergency assistance and thousands are without power, as a clean-up begins following days of wild weather across the state.
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain, hail and wind, which battered Melbourne on Friday afternoon and into the evening.
A severe weather warning, which has since been cancelled, alerted Victorians to damaging winds, heavy rainfall and flash flooding due to a “cluster of strong storms” moving across the state.
Victoria’s State Emergency Service has received more than 1,600 calls for help across the state, including increasing reports of cars entering flood water, building damage, flooding and trees down.
More than 7,000 Victorians were without power on Saturday morning.
Melbourne has received about 38.6mm of rain in the past 24 hours, with more showers forecast for Saturday.
Flood warnings have been issued for a number of rivers, including Melbourne’s Yarra River, Dandenong Creek, Bunyip and Werribee rivers.
Flash flooding hit Werribee, in Melbourne’s west, Ballarat and the Brisbane Ranges.
Updated
Federation at work?
From our NSW and Victoria state politics bureaux, Michael McGowan and Belinda Kolovos report on the bonhomie between the premiers, not ideologically aligned, of Australia’s two largest states.
Listening to the New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, speaking on Friday, you’d be forgiven for thinking Victoria was a new member of his cabinet.
Perrottet said the NSW government had “worked alongside” Victoria to deliver thousands of rapid antigen tests before schools resume next week. They were “the only states in the country” that could boast as much, he said.
On the business support package likely to be announced in the coming days Perrottet again referenced Victoria – the NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, was working “very closely” with his southern counterparts “because we’re in a very, very similar situation,” he said.
The bonhomie is apparently shared. On Thursday the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said the two premiers “work together as close as we can”.
Temperatures over the Great Barrier Reef in December were the highest on record with “alarming” levels of heat that have put the ocean jewel on the verge of another mass bleaching of corals, according to analysis from US government scientists seen by Guardian Australia.
There will be a federal election this year. May is unbackable as the favoured month for it to be held. But make no mistake, the campaign has begun.
Political editor Katharine Murphy has been on the road with a man who wants to be prime minister, and asks two questions: Is Anthony Albanese ready to be prime minister? And, if he is, can he win?
(It’s first-class reportage and analysis, vintage Murpharoo).
Good morning/afternoon/evening, wherever these words might find you.
Ben Doherty here, bravely helming Guardian Australia’s liveblog this Saturday morning.
We have much to cover: there will be Covid updates from around the country after Australia reported a record number of Covid deaths yesterday, with 98 fatalities nationwide and 39 in Victoria alone.
The flood emergency in South Australia could worsen this weekend, after flash flooding also hit parts of Victoria and New South Wales.
There is much to contemplate on arenas sporting. The Ashes Test between the England and Australian women’s sides enters its third day, poised in Australia’s favour (but not irreparably so).
And at the tennis complex formerly known as Flinders Park (showing my age there), we will have the Australian Open women’s final between Australian Ash Barty and American Danielle Collins. If Barty wins, she will become the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open in 44 years.
That will be followed by the men’s doubles final – an all-Australian affair: Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis versus Matt Ebden and Max Purcell.
