What we learned today, Saturday 27 August
And with that, it’s time to wrap up the live news blog for the day. Here’s a recap of the top stories:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, were surprisingly joined at a press conference by the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who will be part of the effort to mobilise support ahead of a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
The Greens have called for immediate pay rises for those on the minimum wage and in women-dominated industries.
With 90 days until the Victorian election, a Newspoll showed the premier, Daniel Andrews, was set to win a third term.
Sydney is on track for its wettest year on record, after last night it exceeded two metres of rain in the year to date.
The Australian racing industry is “failing miserably” to rehome greyhounds as adoption flatlines, new research from the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds suggests.
The first refugee families have been welcomed to Australia under a new community sponsorship program.
Thanks for tuning in. Stay dry!
Updated
National Covid summary: 86 deaths reported
Here are the latest Covid-19 figures from around Australia, with a total of 86 deaths recorded around the country in the last day.
NSW
Deaths: 20
Cases: 4,738
In hospital: 1,781 with 39 in ICU
Victoria
Deaths: 39
Cases: 2,532
In hospital: 377 with 16 in ICU
Queensland
Deaths: 18
Cases: 1,852
In hospital: 305 with 14 in ICU
Western Australia
Deaths: four
Cases: 1,165
In hospital: 223 with seven in ICU
South Australia
Deaths: three
Cases: 566
In hospital: 165 with eight in ICU
Tasmania
Deaths: none
Cases: 208
In hospital: 36 with one in ICU
ACT
Deaths: two
Cases: 212
In hospital: 106 with four in ICU
NT
Deaths: none
Cases: 97
In hospital: 22 in hospital
Updated
