What we learned, Sunday 9 February
Thanks for following along on the blog today. Here is a wrap-up of today’s news, in case you missed it:
The federal Labor party announced a $573m package it says will deliver more choice, lower costs and better healthcare for women. The package of measures includes the first PBS listing for new oral contraceptive pills in more than 30 years, and larger Medicare payments and more bulk billing for IUDs and birth control implants.
More severe weather was forecast to hit north Queensland, with already sodden parts of the state expecting further heavy rainfall after near-record flooding that isolated towns and required defence force assistance.
Forced displacement of people “is not consistent with international law”, finance minister Katy Gallagher said on ABC Insiders this morning. Host David Speers asked a number of times for her response to Trump’s proposal that the US should “take over” Gaza and “own it”, which the UN secretary general, António Guterres, has warned would be “ethnic cleansing”.
Two women in their 40s were hit by fragments of a tree after a lightning strike south-west of Sydney yesterday, killing one of the women.
Jacinta Allan was pushed on the Werribee byelection – where Labor’s once-comfortable margin has gone from 10.9% at the 2022 state election to a razor-thin 0.6%. Asked whether she is the right person to lead the Labor party after the result, Allan said there is “more to do” before the next state election.
The Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, conceded the party has lost the Victorian state seat of Prahran in the byelection.
We’ll see you back on the blog tomorrow.
Updated
Bird flu case detected in Victoria’s north
Australia’s recent declaration of being bird flu-free has proved short-lived, with the Victorian agriculture department announcing an outbreak at a farm in the state’s north.
The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness conducted testing at Geelong confirming a H7N8 strain, which is different to the strain that hit Victorian poultry farms last year.
The property has been placed in quarantine and arrangements made to ensure the disease does not spread from the Strathbogie shire in Victoria’s north-east, the department said.
On Thursday, the federal government announced Australia was officially bird flu-free after there had been no detections of H7 avian influenza since July.
More than 1.8 million birds were killed in a quest to rid the nation of the disease after Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT experienced outbreaks.
The Victorian Agriculture Department warned people should contact the 24-hour hotline, on 1800 675 888, or their local vet if they have any suspicions about possible bird flu cases.
“Consumers should not be concerned about eggs and poultry products from the supermarkets, they do not pose a risk and are safe to consume,” the department said.
Cases among humans in direct contact with animals infected with avian influenza viruses are possible, the department noted. But it said the risk to the public remains low.
– AAP
Updated
