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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Caitlin Cassidy (earlier)

ACT to ease Covid restrictions; Bob Katter decries ‘super sneaky’ passing of firearms bill – as it happened

Australia Queensland Scott Morrison Labor ACT Covid-19 Bob Katter Victoria China Ukraine
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan speaks to the media
West Australian premier Mark McGowan has announced the hard border with the rest of the country will fall on Thursday 3 March. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

The day that was, Friday 18 February

That is where we will leave the live blog for today. Thanks for following along.

Here’s some of what you might have missed today:

  • Prime minister Scott Morrison said the federal government had no power “to prevent or stop” Darwin port sale.
  • The PM also said he fears “the worst” on a potential conflict in Ukraine.
  • Western Australia will lift its hard border on Thursday 3 March, along with reintroducing a series of restrictions.
  • Greens senator Lidia Thorpe accused the government of “colonising” the Aboriginal flag.
  • Independent MP Bob Katter decried the “super sneaky” passing of firearms bill.
  • Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ordered a wide-ranging probe of Queensland government and public service integrity following continued pressure from former and outgoing public servants over cultural issues.
  • The ACT will ease a number of public health restrictions from 6pm tonight, including density limits and allowing diners to stand while eating and drinking.
  • The Victorian government announced it would impose a levy on property developers to fund social and affordable housing, alongside exempting social housing properties from paying council rates from mid next year.
  • Billionaire businessman Andrew Forrest says the rhetoric coming from federal ministers on China has entered “reds under the bed” scare campaign territory.

Updated

Earlier today, the Department of Health confirmed that 68 Indigenous people have died of Covid since the pandemic began, with 43 dying this year alone.

Dr Luca De Toca from the department told Senate estimates the spike in deaths this year was “associated” with the Omicron outbreak.

That’s associated with the Omicron outbreak.

The rate of death among the overall number of cases remains lower than among the general population.

77.7% of all eligible Indigenous people in Australia are fully vaccinated, with 82.8% having received at least one dose. But only 45.6% have received their booster.

Updated

Aaron Morey, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA, was just on ABC discussing the lifting of the state’s hard border and said it was a “relief” that businesses had a firm date for the reopening.

To have the date set in stone for 3 March so that our members can now bid for work in other states or other countries and come and go freely from Western Australia is an absolute relief and we believe that the government has put in place appropriate measures around that, around restrictions and we think that’s a necessary trade-off, but it is a feeling of great relief.

The WA business community is ready and raring to go. Those businesses that are ready to do work in other states or other countries that need to travel in order to conduct or fulfil their service contracts, to attract workers from elsewhere and to open up some of the supply chains particularly in the bellies of passenger aircraft which is critical for the east-west rail disruptions we have seen. We’re ready to go.

Morey added there was a “trade-off” for small businesses having to deal with new restrictions that have come with the border reopening:

There is a trade-off in terms of the restrictions that have been introduced. We think the government has got the balance right. There was concern we might go to a four square meter rule.

That’s been reserved for the Level 2 settings. We’d like more clarity around when the settings come in, but on the whole, in terms of the starting point that we’ve got in terms of those restrictions, around two square meter, some capacity limits on nightclubs and cinemas and the like, on the whole, we think that the government has struck an appropriate balance.

Updated

As always, Amanda Meade’s Weekly Beast is a must read, and today’s edition is no different:

Along with the opening of the border, McGowan has announced a series of restrictions leading into the reopening date.

Density rules and mask mandates for indoors will be introduced, and “level 1” measures will be introduced to the regions, with the 2 square metre rule returning for hospitality and entertainment venues, cultural venues, fitness venues and places of worship.

Updated

WA border to open on Thursday 3 March

WA premier Mark McGowan has stepped up and announced that the hard border with the rest of the country will fall on Thursday 3 March.

McGowan noted a significant step up in the case numbers in the state, and warned that numbers will continue to rise.

Interestate arrivals will not need to quarantine if they are tripled-jabbed, and will need to take a RAT at the airport.

He says moving ahead with opening the border on 5 February would have been a mistake, opening the state to the Omicron outbreak. He says the Omicron outbreak has “peaked” in the east.

He says four weeks of restrictions have “paid dividends,” which has allowed his government to set a date for reopening.

Updated

In the meantime, the former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has been tweeting a response to the PM’s claims earlier today that the leasing of the Port of Darwin was not in the hands of the federal government:

Updated

WA premier Mark McGowan has called a press conference, due to begin in 15 mins.

There are reports the premier could discuss the state’s hard border, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Updated

A key rule that bars people with temporary or fluctuating conditions from getting the disability support pension should be reviewed, a Senate inquiry report has found.

The Labor/Greens-dominated committee’s report, published on Friday, said the evidence pointed to “serious flaws with the DSP, its underlying policy framework, the way that it is administered, and how applicants are able to access it”.

Eligibility for the disability support pension, currently set at $967.50 per fortnight for a single person, was significantly tightened by the Gillard and Abbott governments meaning many thousands of people now find themselves on the much lower jobseeker payment.

Guardian Australia has reported extensively on how the rules – particularly a requirement that a person’s condition is “fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised” – means many people, including those with mental health conditions, cancer and chronic illnesses, are left to survive on the $45-a-day dole despite Centrelink and job agencies acknowledging they are too sick to work.

The Senate inquiry report said the committee had found the process to apply for the pension – a common complaint among benefit recipients – was also “long, complex and not well understood”, with the evidence required to make a claim “difficult to obtain and cost-prohibitive”.

“The committee heard that the challenges for people with disability navigating this system are varied, and can be exacerbated by their condition, and personal and financial circumstances,” the report found.

It recommended the government review the rule that “a condition be ‘fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised’” and how it is “preventing people with conditions that are complex, fluctuating, or deteriorate over time” getting the pension.

Under the pension rules, applicants must also score “20 points” for a particular condition on the “impairment tables”, which are used to evaluate the severity of a person’s condition. This means those with several conditions that might add up to 20 points or more are still denied the pension, unless one specific disability is considered severe enough.

The report recommended the government also “consider reforming” this approach to allow people to accumulate 20 points across several impairments.

The inquiry chair and Greens senator, Janet Rice, said:

This report sets out a clear blueprint for action by whoever forms government after the election. Many of those who’ve been unfairly denied access to the DSP have been forced to wait years. They must not wait any longer.

However, Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre, who co-authored a joint submission to the inquiry with People with Disability Australia, said the recommendations were “weak”.

She said:

There is not even a recommendation to lift the appallingly low DSP rate, which keeps disabled people living well below the poverty line, and for many of us means we have no prospect of ever living a normal life – we’re consigned to poverty until we die.

Updated

PM fears 'the worst' on potential conflict in Ukraine

Morrison was asked about the growing threat of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, and said his government “fear the worst”:

I say again: those who do not denounce the violence that Russia is threatening Ukraine with, well, that leaves me very concerned. And the Chinese government is yet to denounce those threats of violence and I urge them to do so.

They seek to play a positive role in global peace. Well, they could immediately denounce the threats of violence that are taking place on behalf of Russia.

Updated

Would Morrison return the Port of Darwin to Australian ownership if re-elected? The PM again reiterated that the federal government didn’t authorise the lease:

It’s a lease, one. But secondly, I’ve always said if we receive advice from our defence and intelligence agencies that is what is necessary to do to protect Australia’s national interest, I would not hesitate.

I would not hesitate to do that. But that is not something that’s been advised. I recall it was not at the government’s direction. But I think the defence secretary, Dennis Richardson, at the time, who made some comments about the Port of Darwin and its lease, they were not the views of the Australian government at that time. As I said, the Australian government did not authorise it. It did not approve. It did not have the power to approve it.

What we have done after the previous Territory government entered into that lease, what we have done is to tighten the laws, to ensure the federal government would have such authority in the future and pass critical infrastructure laws.

Updated

Next question: does Morrison think Albanese is anti-Semitic?

(This comes after the prime minister earlier today accused Albanese of coming from the “far left” of the Labor party, where, he says, they are critical of Israel.)

Morrison:

I didn’t say anyone was anti-Semitic this morning. What I said was, and I go back to what Tanya Plibersek herself said in parliament when she accused Israel of being a rogue state and said Ariel Sharon was a war criminal.

Senator Sue Lyons just this last week accused Israel of what she said was the crime of apartheid. The thing about Mr Albanese is that he comes from the far left of the Labour party. And that is where these views are held in the Labor party. I have just cited two of them.

He is not known are being from the right wing of the Labor party and the people of the right wing of the Labor party will be the first to tell you that. He has been a champion of the left wing of the Labor party his entire political career. And that is where we have seen those views and they are also, I am informed by the Greens as well, we have seen [those] views on these issues.

Updated

So, nearly half an hour after we were supposed to hear from him, the PM has stepped up for (another) press conference, this time in Darwin.

He’s announcing $282m of investment in two major projects – the first is $160m on “capability improvements” and $122m in “maintenance and service” roles.

But the first question is on whether Alan Tudge still has his confidence. Scott Morrison says:

Alan Tudge has done a fine job of education minister ... [On] the matter that has been raised, a very serious one, which I have taken incredibly seriously, that matter is still in process, with an independent report and further work that is done to advise me.

Updated

WA reports 194 local Covid cases

For the first time, Western Australia has recorded more than 200 new cases in one day.

There were 202 cases reported overnight, 194 of which were locally acquired and eight of which were “travel related”.

But despite the growing case numbers, thankfully no one is in hospital with the virus.

Updated

Bob Katter decries 'super sneaky' passing of firearms bill

Independent MP Bob Katter is very upset the House of Representatives passed the Coalition’s gun trafficking bill on Thursday, after a Labor ambush actually eased the way for the bill to pass in just a quarter of an hour.

Katter thinks the bill could have unintended consequences, such as jail time for purchasing a replacement part, such as a swivel or screw online, as sending items interstate may constitute “trafficking”.

Katter said:

We were given no notice that the bill was coming on. It was super sneaky.

If I had been allowed to speak, I would have argued that the bill sets a dangerous precedent of mandatory sentences and that the bill had been introduced with zero consultation.

This is the time where the government should be building up our armoury but instead they are doing the complete opposite.

It’s unclear whether the government will put the bill to a vote in the Senate in budget week, with just two Senate sitting days left in late March. But if it did, the bill would likely pass easily with Labor support.

Bob Katter in parliament yesterday
Bob Katter in parliament yesterday. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

NT records 1,027 new cases and one death

The Northern Territory has reported 1,027 new cases overnight and one death, a man in his 50s.

The death marks the 14th Covid-related death in the NT since the start of the pandemic, with authorities saying the man had underlying health conditions.

There are currently 127 patients in hospital with Covid, with 18 requiring oxygen, and one person in intensive care.

Updated

So why did Albanese repeat the Manchurian Candidate barb, considering his point on uniting the country?

I was saying in terms of his position that he’s put forward, the actions that he is doing at the moment, in the words of Dennis Richardson, Australia’s most celebrated public servant when it comes to national security issues – foreign affairs head, defence head, Asio head, ambassador to Washington, our most important ambassador – he has said it only serves the rhetoric of the government, only serves the interests of one country: China, not Australia.

Updated

And so we’ve moved on to discussions on national security (predictably).

Albanese says he wants to “unite the country” and that the PM has shown a capacity for “not telling the truth”:

I was part of a government and leader of the government in House of Representatives in Julia Gillard’s government that put the US Marines here, that upgraded our defence relationship with the United States.

I was also the infrastructure shadow minister who opposed the sale of the Port of Darwin to a company that was connected with the government of China.

We will always stand up for Australia’s interests. That’s why we also opposed the extradition treaty with China this government tried to ram through, and they said we were irresponsible for doing so.

I think the national security analysts this week have made their position very, very clear. They have said it’s not in Australia’s interests to look for false distinctions. They have said that both sides of Australian politics have a bipartisan position when it comes to our US alliance, when it comes to China, on Hong Kong, on Taiwan, on the South China Sea, on the treatment of Uyghurs, on Tibet – [on] all of those issues we have a common view and it’s not in Australia’s interest.

What I want to do is unite the country. I want to unite the country because unity is strength. What Scott Morrison is trying to do as a desperate political measure is to divide the country. It’s not in Australia’s national interest to have a divided country based on fake news.

We know what his own colleagues think about his capacity to not tell the truth. The fact is, his deputy prime minister has said that over a long period of time he’s observed that Scott Morrison is a hypocrite and a liar.

I say when it comes to national security, he should listen to what the director general of Asio said this week. He should listen to what no less than the former secretary of the department of foreign affairs, head of Asio, ambassador to Washington, appointed by John Howard – that’s Dennis Richardson’s credentials and he’s made some very strong comments this week.

Updated

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has just stepped up for his press conference, beginning by spruiking a $11.6m funding for a healthcare facility in Palmerston.

He said:

Today’s announcement is about this specific service, it’s a real commitment for a real facility that will make a real difference.

And that’s what we’re doing here today. We know that the issue of healthcare – we’ve had a reminder during the pandemic – some said: do you have the right health outcome or the right economic outcome? There was a tension between the two things.

In the third year of this pandemic, we know when you don’t get the health outcomes right, the economic outcomes are worse as well. That’s why the rollout of the vaccine should have been delivered far more efficiently.

That’s why there should’ve been much better targeting and support, focusing on vulnerable groups, including First Nations people. That’s why the booster, if you rolled out the vaccine earlier, the booster would have been rolled out earlier as well.

That is why rapid antigen tests should have been not waited until January before the federal government bothered to put in an order. In so many areas, Scott Morrison’s been too little and too late – [it] has characterised the response.

Updated

National Covid update

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 39 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 561
  • In hospital: 45 (with two people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 15
  • Cases: 9,243
  • In hospital: 1,381 (with 92 people in ICU)

NT

  • Deaths: one
  • Cases: 1,027
  • In hospital: 127 (with one person in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: nine
  • Cases: 5,795
  • In hospital: 384 (with 34 people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 14
  • Cases: 6,935
  • In hospital: 451 (with 64 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 194 (local)

Updated

Greens accuse Coalition of 'colonising' Aboriginal flag

A stoush between Greens senator Lidia Thorpe and Liberal senator Amanda Stoker in Senate estimates today was sparked by the discussion of the government’s decision to secure the copyright to the Aboriginal flag earlier this year.

It was revealed that Luritja artist and land rights activist Harold Thomas was paid $13.75m for the copyright, with $5.2m paid to non-Indigenous company WAM Clothing.

Thorpe had accused the government of “colonising” and “assimilating” the Aboriginal flag in the process of its acquisition, saying:

The people I am bringing voice to in this place are very concerned that our flag has been colonised, given this is the colonisers’ headquarters and they’ve just purchased our flag.

Stoker responded by denying the government had colonised the flag, adding that it was now Australian, “just like all Indigenous people”:

I want to reassure those people … that we have taken the flag from a situation where it was effectively being privately owned to a situation where, in accordance with the wishes of the Indigenous designer of the flag, it has been put in a position where it is safe, where it is available to all Indigenous Australians.

But Thorpe had the final say:

I’m being whitesplained. I’m not going to be told by a white senator that I’m an Indigenous Australian, that is insulting.

Lidia Thorpe in the Senate last year
Lidia Thorpe in the Senate last year. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

OK, we’ve gone into some new attacks today, with the PM claiming opposition leader Anthony Albanese is “from the socialist left” of Labor, associating him with criticisms of Israel and saying his government would be “the most leftwing-leaning Labor leader since Gough Whitlam”.

I believe not only is Anthony Albanese not the right leader for this country, because I don’t think he has the strength on national security that I have demonstrated and my government has demonstrated.

The other part that worries me about Anthony Albanese when it comes to national security is that he has or has come from the socialist left of the Labor party – he has always had sympathies with those policies, which have been very hostile.

For example, the left of the Labor party and the Greens, they denounce Israel as war criminals. Their own members have accused our government of being a deputy sheriff to the United States, which undermines the genuine partnership we have with the United States.

The Labor party is soft on national security and is ... under the most leftwing-leaning Labor leader we have seen since Gough Whitlam. That is not a good form to be strong on national security. My reputation on this is on the record.

Updated

PM says federal government had no power 'to prevent or stop' Darwin port sale

Next up, Morrison is asked about the sale of the Port of Darwin, an important element to the discussion on China considering it was the current Liberal government that enacted that sale.

However, the PM pins the responsibility for that sale on the previous Territory government:

Well, the Port of Darwin was sold by the former Territory government here in the Northern Territory.

It is not something that the federal government had any power to prevent or stop. And what occurred after that is, because the federal government didn’t have any approving authority or any ability to prevent that sale, I changed the law, as treasurer.

I got all the states and territories to agree, as treasurer, that there shouldn’t be the ability for states and territories to sell assets like that in the future. And now they can’t. And I fixed that.

And since then, we have kept, with our defence and intelligence agencies, a very close watch on what’s been happening there. And there has been a process under way which I initiated – I announced that when I was up in Darwin some time ago. And that process continues and I can assure you, if there is any action that we need to take that suggests that there is any compromise to national security in that area, then we would certainly take it.

A Cape-class patrol boat docking at the Port of Darwin
A Cape-class patrol boat docking at the Port of Darwin. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

The prime minister is giving a doorstep presser in Alice Springs and was sprucing a new friend he made before returning to his favourite topic of the week: Labor’s foreign policy.

Scott Morrison said:

We’ve got an election coming up, where Australians have to make an important decision about who is best to lead them in these incredibly uncertain times.

We’ve got Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s border. We’ve got coercion on Australia’s interests here in our own region. We’ve got rapidly escalating militarisation in our own region.

And I think Australians have to compare and contrast between the government I lead on national security and the alternative. And Labor just doesn’t measure up to the mark of our government when it comes to national security. Labor cut defence spending, they cut funding to the intelligence communities you’re referring to.

I tell you what doesn’t help the intelligence community – cutting their funding. We’ve increased their funding. So I am going to make it very clear that if you want to keep Australians safe and if you want a government that’s going to continue to stand up for Australia in an uncertain world, then my government – and myself as prime minister – have the runs on the board.

I’d like there to be greater agreement in this area, but the Labor party haven’t measured up, and I don’t think there’s any problem in pointing that out. I’m not gonna set a low bar for bipartisanship. If the Labor party wants to agree with our policies, then they’ve got a lot more work to do, because frankly on this issue they’re weak.

Updated

So the finance minister, Simon Birmingham, was on the ABC earlier and said he was comfortable with the PM’s escalating language on China.

Birmingham took the chance to mention Labor’s cuts to defence spending in the past, saying there was no “room to have grey zones in terms of language”:

I think contrast in election campaigns ... [the parties’] track records, what the leaders say, is always an important part.

In 2012-13, the Labor government cut defence spending in real terms by more than 10% and drove Australia’s investment in defence to its lowest level as a share of the economy since 1938. We promised that we would lift that and return that to at least 2% of GDP in terms of defence spending.

We’ve not only delivered that promise, we’ve exceeded that promise. That has proven to be a good decision given our [international] environment has changed so significantly since 2013.

It does concern me that Anthony Albanese fronted up to the National Press Club a couple of weeks ago and said that he thought China should lift the coercive economic actions they’ve taken against some of Australia’s industries.

Well, ‘some’ is not good enough. And, again, it’s a contrast in what leaders say and what parties stand for. There’s no room to have grey zones in terms of the language.

Australia has to show resolve and firmness, as well as, of course, the willingness as always to sit down and engage.

Updated

Good afternoon, and a quick thanks to Caitlin Cassidy for her expert work this morning. Mostafa Rachwani with you this afternoon, there’s still much going on so let’s dive in.

With that, I will pass you into the capable hands of Mostafa Rachwani, who will keep you informed for the rest of the afternoon.

Andrew Forrest scathing of 'reds under the bed' rhetoric

Billionaire businessman Andrew Forrest says the rhetoric coming from federal ministers on China has entered “reds under the bed” scare campaign territory, AAP reports.

The prime minister and defence minister have been leading the charge against Labor, accusing the party of being soft on China and labelling opposition leader Anthony Albanese the Communist party’s preferred candidate.

Their comments have drawn condemnation from former Asio head Dennis Richardson, who said the federal government was “doing the work of China” by eroding bipartisanship on national security.

Forrest on Friday sought to tone down security concerns over China, saying “so-called” threats have come and gone for decades and calling the current rhetoric a “reds under the bed” scare.

He told reporters in Canberra:

I just say to the political spectrum: calm down, we live in the best country in the world and – by the way – it’s got this great moat around it, a bit hard to attack, and a whole lot of hairy-chested friends.

But Scott Morrison refused to back down, saying Labor “doesn’t measure up to the mark”.

“Frankly on this issue, they’re weak,” he said. “I’d like there to be greater agreement in this area, but the Labor party haven’t measured up and I don’t think there is any problem in pointing that out. I am not going to set a low bar for bipartisanship.”

Updated

Welding – as Morrison was pictured doing earlier this morning – does take some time. You can’t rush a weld.

Updated

Barr says we will be living with the virus “for years” and need to get used to nuances and changes in light of this.

In this Omicron wave, more people know more people who have had Covid. It is a very different experience this time around, and clearly the public health measures have been more gradual and nuanced. And there has not been a binary on or off as it was the case with the lockdown.

What you’re going to see is that we didn’t have a sharp contraction, we will not have a massive upward [trend] coming out of this way. I think that is going to be the pattern in relation to future waves and new variants, we have been living with us for years. We will have to just get a bit more used to there being nuances and changes from time to time, that aren’t earth shattering, aren’t the end of the world, or freedom day - to move away from all that. That is not pandemic management in the third year, the fourth year, fifth and however long. We are going to be living with this. At this point, it has no end date.

ACT chief minister Andrew Barr is holding a media conference in Canberra.

He says advice on eased restrictions for the territory announced today is for them to be implemented in stages, in line with Victoria and NSW.

New South Wales had spoken with the ACT and Victoria and Queensland through the chief health officer earlier in the week. The timing of their easing was scheduled for next week. I acted on that basis.

It’s all happening!

A NSW police officer has been charged over an alleged assault and an offence under the Liquor Act, NSW police have confirmed.

On Saturday 5 February, officers attached to Camden police area command began an investigation into the alleged assault offences.

Following inquiries, a 40-year-old senior constable – attached to Campbelltown police area command – was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and excluded person re-enter/attempt to re-enter premises.

The man is next due to appear at Picton local court on Wednesday 6 April.

His employment status remains under review.

Updated

ACT records 561 new cases

The ACT has just released its Covid update and, thankfully, no lives have been lost overnight.

There have been 561 new Covid cases detected.

There are 45 people being treated in hospital, including two people requiring intensive care.

This isn’t the PM’s first rodeo as an amateur welder.

In fact, he welded for cameras just last December at a visit to Opie Manufacturing in Emu Plains, burning his finger in the process.

A reminder of the PM’s response to being “sneered” at for being pictured completing tasks arguably completely irrelevant to his own job:

I go into workplaces all the time. People show me how to weld, people show me how to do other things in factories and manufacturing plants. These were trainees and apprentices who wanted to show me what they’re learning on the job.

So if people want to sneer at me for that, if they want to sneer at me for other things, like playing the ukulele, fine, they’re sneering at millions of Australians who just get on with their lives and do a great job.

Updated

A great image of the week that was.

Some nice nuanced debate to throw into the mix:

A decision on the easing of restrictions in Queensland will be made before the end of February.

Updated

Queensland records nine Covid deaths

Queensland’s Covid numbers are in.

There have been 5,795 new cases detected overnight and, sadly, nine deaths.

There are 384 patients being treated in hospital including 34 requiring intensive care.

Wide-scale vaccination has been cited as the reason Queensland’s Covid wave has not been as significant as was projected.

Updated

CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar has welcomed Palaszczuk’s announcement of a probe into Queensland government and public service integrity but said any inquiry must also look at the influence of lobbyists:

We have been arguing for years – including at ALP conferences – that lobbyists have far too much influence and access when it comes to state government policy and awarding of major contracts.

This problem is in no way confined to one side of politics, but in recent years the Queensland government has allowed the creeping influence of lobbyists to grow to the point where it is a clear and present threat to governance and integrity in this state.

Policy and major contracting decisions should not be decided on the size of a person’s chequebook, or the colour of their party membership card. Without major reform to rein in the power and influence of lobbyists any attempt at addressing integrity issues in Queensland is nothing more than window dressing.

The government has launched a new national Australia brand – a kangaroo silhouette accompanied by the word “AUSTRALIA”.

The tagline is “only in Australia”, the meaning of which I can only guess.

Updated

Back in Queensland:

ACT to ease Covid restrictions from tonight

Following suit with NSW and Victoria, the ACT will ease a number of public health restrictions from 6pm tonight.

All density limits will be removed, with no need for businesses to display signage for capacity limits. Diners will be able to stand while eating and drinking, and dancing will be again permitted.

Ticketing and preregistration requirements for events will be removed, and employees will be able to return to the workplace upon employee discretion.

From Monday, elective surgery will resume and the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated international travellers will be reduced to seven days as well as the requirement for online declaration forms.

From Friday 25 February face mask restrictions will be eased in some indoor places and exemption requirements for all events will be removed.

Check In CBR will still be required at businesses where it is currently mandated, and all businesses are still required to have a Covid-19 safety plan in place.

Chief minister Andrew Barr said the past few years had been a “tumultuous time” in the territory:

Our case numbers have steadied, and we are cautiously optimistic about the autumn period. While we recognise the situation could change if a new variant of concern emerges or there is a surge in cases, this step is designed to minimise the disruption of Covid-19 on our local businesses when it is safe to do so.

The winter months will present increased risks, and the ACT government will join national efforts to prepare for a period where our health system may come under significant strain.

Updated

Both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are in the Northern Territory, with an eye on the contest in Lingiari where Alice Springs mayor Damien Ryan is contesting for the Country Liberals against Labor’s Marion Scrymgour.

Morrison has made two announcements:

  • $22m for Indigenous leadership and governance, including $13.5m for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience; and
  • $282m for defence projects, including the establishment of the regional maintenance centre in Darwin

Asked on ABC Alice Springs why voters should pick Ryan, Morrison relied on a series of cliches that “he gets it”, “understands the issues” and can “get things done in government”.

When pushed about whether Ryan’s experience was really superior – given Scrymgour is a former minister in the NT government – Morrison said he had shown “commitment to this town in particular” as mayor.

Morrison asserted the Coalition was better on national security, law and order, and would help Territorians get a job.

He boasted about his partnership with the Gunner government on both Closing the Gap and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Updated

Palaszczuk is absolutely buzzing on Elvis – which I can only expect comes from a place of genuine passion for the guy rather than a deflect from the major probe into the culture of her government announced today.

Updated

Victoria announces new social housing levy

The Victorian government has today announced a new Social and Affordable Housing Contribution (SAHC) alongside exempting social housing properties from paying council rates from mid next year.

From July 2024, all newly built developments with three dwellings or more and three or more lot subdivisions will contribute 1.75% of the as-if-complete project value to the Social Housing Growth Fund. The change will affect less than 30% of all residential planning permits.

Over the first ten years, the SAHC is expected to raise on average about $800 million a year to fund the delivery of an average of up to 1,700 new social and affordable homes each year.

The rates reform will be phased in over four years from July 2023 and will only apply to social housing properties. The reform will not apply to affordable housing.

Updated

Back in Victoria, and treasurer Tim Pallas says the government does not have decriminalising illicit drugs on its agenda following a push from Reason MP Fiona Patten.

Sydneysiders are being instructed to avoid driving on the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a police operation currently underway.

Palaszczuk orders Queensland integrity probe

Still in Queensland, and premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ordered a wide-ranging probe of Queensland government and public service integrity following continued pressure from former and outgoing public servants over cultural issues.

From AAP:

The premier has faced sustained questioning about misconduct allegations involving the government, the public service and the state’s four integrity watchdogs.

Palaszczuk told AAP in a statement:

It is always good to look at things with fresh eyes. The 21st century has brought rapid changes, not least in terms of technology. We need to address that. People deserve a government that is fit for purpose, geared to their needs and focused on them. I welcome this independent review and look forward to Professor Coaldrake’s findings.

Coaldrake has been told to focus on systemic issues rather than individual misconduct complaints, with at least two of those under investigation.

The Crime and Corruption Commission is probing whether senior public servants in 2021 took a laptop from integrity commissioner Nikola Stepanov’s office and deleted its contents. Stepanov, who’s resigning in July, has also said the government cut her funding and staff, which the premier denies.

Palaszczuk also tried to have the integrity commissioner probed by a parliamentary committee for alleged misconduct after she complained about the laptop.

Meanwhile, a Queen’s Counsel is probing misconduct claims made by the former state archivist Mike Summerell. He has alleged interference in his role and his reports, potentially leading to parliament being misled.

At the same time, three separate reviews are looking at whether the CCC, the Integrity Commissioner and the Office of the Independent Assessor, the local government watchdog, are fit for purpose.

Updated

Victoria records 14 Covid-related deaths

Speaking of Victoria, case numbers are in.

There have been 6,935 new Covid cases detected overnight, with a string of restrictions set to ease from 6pm amid declining numbers.

Sadly, a further 14 lives have been lost overnight.

There are 451 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 64 people requiring intensive care. That’s 50 people more than yesterday’s figure, but a slight drop in ICU.

Updated

In Victoria, all social housing will be exempt from council rates from mid next year, housing minister Richard Wynne has announced.

NSW records 15 Covid deaths

NSW Covid case numbers are in. There have been 9,243 new case numbers overnight as a string of restrictions lift in the state.

Sadly, there have been 15 Covid-related deaths.

There has been another drop in hospitalisations overnight. There are 1,381 people being treated in hospital including 92 requiring intensive care.

Updated

Also this morning, AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid was on ABC Breakfast discussing rising case numbers in Western Australia. Khorshid said the expected uptick in cases was finally occurring in the state:

As we know, Omicron spreads quickly in communities. Almost a couple of months into our battle with Omicron, we’ve seen low case numbers up to now. We still have no one in hospital and we’ve had a single death, tragically, in a patient who had Omicron but that’s a very different experience a couple of months in than we’ve seen in other states.

Modelling on the trajectory of the outbreak is yet to have been released by the WA government, on grounds it’s inaccurate. Khorshid said:

It’s baffling everyone that we’ve seen relatively low numbers. I think that points to the effectiveness of extremely high vaccination rates. 95% of people over the age of 12 with two doses, up to almost 99%with a single dose and that puts us in a unique situation worldwide as we start to battle Omicron.

Updated

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will be up and about in Darwin today, discussing investment in Aboriginal health services.

Updated

In Queensland, a 35-year-old man has been missing for more than 13 hours after attempting to help a fisherman who had been knocked over by a wave.

Queensland police were called to the scene just after 6pm last night.

A number of people went to the aid of the fisherman but the male rescuer failed to return to shore.

A land, sea and air search has so far been unsuccessful. This morning, police have been patrolling the shoreline with water police vessels searching the area.

Updated

Richard Marles responds to 'Manchurian candidate' comment

Deputy opposition leader Richard Marles was on Today earlier alongside Peter Dutton, discussing Ukraine and the week in parliament.

Karl Stefanovic:

Richard ... it’s been a big week. The PM labelled you in parliament the Manchurian candidate, you little Chinese spy, you, hey?

Marles:

(Laughs) Well, obviously not. But I think tossing around patriotism in that way and using it as a political football, I mean ... I’m not particularly hurt by it but it does pay quite a disrespect, I think, to those men and women who we ask to put on a uniform each and every day and to literally put their lives on the line for that very concept.

Updated

Also this morning, Stuart Roberts appeared on Sunrise. He wasn’t asked about Origin Energy’s decision to shut the Eraring power station but he was asked about unemployment rates remaining low despite more than 450,000 workers being sick or isolated for at least a week.

Roberts:

These are really encouraging numbers and yes, of course, hours worked were down to the Omicron shock and the fact that more people have been getting more jobs. We can expect things to ramp up very quickly as we get the lifting of restrictions, the opening of international borders and get back to normal.

We’ve already got the borders open to those skilled moderate workers and backpackers ... this is all about making sure we get more jobs back, maintain the growth and get that 4.8% figure potentially even down to a number starting with three.

Updated

Dutton echoes Biden's Ukraine warning

Here is the latest from AAP on warnings Russia is on the brink of war with Ukraine, echoed by defence minister Peter Dutton.

As the US government warned a Russian invasion could occur in the coming days, Dutton said there were multiple signs this was on the cards.

“It’s tragic and we’ll see terrible scenes unfolding,” Dutton told the Nine Network this morning:

You would expect that president [Vladimir] Putin, who obviously can’t be taken at his word, is manufacturing some sort of trigger, or is in the process of executing the final stages of his plan to go into Ukraine.

The Kremlin has accused Joe Biden of stoking tensions after the US president said Russia was engaged in a “false flag” operation and seeking an excuse to invade.

Ukrainian forces and pro-Moscow rebels have already clashed – the two groups traded fire in Ukraine’s east.

Dutton said while European leaders had attempted to prevent a conflict in Ukraine, Putin was intent on military action:

That really is going to result in the loss of innocent life. We’ve seen it before in eastern Europe, we don’t want it repeated but we live in a very uncertain world.

However, the defence minister said Australia had not been asked to provide troops to Ukraine, should there be any military retaliation:

This is an issue Nato and Europe need to deal with and those European leaders really need to step up and put the pressure, even more pressure, on Russia to stop them.

Updated

Meanwhile, the minister for foreign affairs and women, Marise Payne, has today become the longest serving female senator and the longest serving female parliamentarian to serve in a single chamber.

She has been a senator for NSW since 1997, and minister for foreign affairs since 2018.

Updated

Calls for Australia to commit to global vaccine acceleration

More than 70 of Australia’s epidemiologists, GPs and global health and aid organisations have signed an open letter calling on the prime minister to make a Budget commitment to accelerate the global vaccination effort.

Their joint letter outlines “grave concern regarding the state of global vaccine inequity” and the opportunity “Australia has to help address this vital issue affecting us all”.

It calls on the government to:

  • Commit an additional $250m to the COVAX AMC Facility
  • Use existing partnerships to tackle vaccine hesitancy by committing $50 million from the existing $532m Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative into addressing vaccine hesitancy in the Indo-Pacific
  • Reduce the chance of future outbreaks, variants and pandemics by committing $100m to the CEPI replenishment

CEPI chair Jane Halton said Australia was “dangerously behind” targets to vaccinate the world:

Less than 6% of people in low-income countries are fully vaccinated and case numbers are increasing. This not only puts these countries in a perilous position but is a significant threat to Australia.

The emergence of Omicron in a region with dire vaccination rates proves, just as Delta did, that when left unchecked, Covid will mutate into more transmissible and deadly forms.

Burnet Institute director professor Brendan Crabb said ramping up the global vaccination effort would save lives.

1,582 people died from Covid across Australia in January alone. We cannot simply wait for another variant to arrive and wreak havoc on our lives, our health system, aged care and economy.

Updated

From Katharine Murphy:

Given there is no concrete evidence of significant policy differences between Labor and the Coalition on China – at least none that I’m currently aware of – Morrison and Dutton puffing themselves up like mini-me McCarthyists imperils the national interest.

By turning question time into a treason tribunal – staging a daily Judge Judy session to unmask the sleeper agent in our midst – Morrison and Dutton are actively stoking societal anxiety.

Given the current climate, that behaviour creates material risk.

Victorian crossbench MP Fiona Patten is set to introduce a bill today to state parliament to decriminalise all drugs.

Under the bill, Victoria police would issue a mandatory notice and referral to drug education or treatment to people believed to have used a drug of dependence, or to possess a drug of dependence.

If they comply, there would be no finding of guilt and no recorded criminal outcome.

The Reason Party MP said it would be about “saving lives and reducing harm”:

It is about treating drug use as a health issue with a health solution, not a criminal one. Our existing laws are killing innocent people. They’re ruining countless lives … most politicians know that, because the evidence is so strong.

A similar approach was adopted in Portugal in 2001. The personal possession of all drugs was decriminalised and health-led approach introduced.

Drug-related deaths dropped as a result, as did the number of prisoners sentenced for drug-related offences from 40% to 15%, according to the UK-based Transform Drug Policy Foundation.

In Victoria, of the 32,860 drug arrests in the state in the 12 months to September 2021, 26,195, or just on 80%, were for drug use or possession only. That is an average of 72 Victorians every day.

Possession or attempted possession is around the sixth most common charge heard in the magistrates court of Victoria, according to the court’s latest annual report.

Updated

Over at our Ukraine blog, tensions are rising on the Russian border:

The energy minister, Angus Taylor, is speaking on RN now, reacting to Origin Energy’s decision to shut the Eraring power station seven years ahead of schedule.

Asked why Taylor wasn’t consulted on the company’s decision, he says:

That’s a question for Origin, I really don’t know ... that’s a question for him ... we were disappointed by the shortness of the notice ... This is another gap that needs to be filled.

Taylor says he has spoken to chief executive Frank Calabria, and expressed his disappointment, however he didn’t receive an answer on why Origin didn’t come to him.

Updated

Good morning

We’ve nearly made it through another week, and what a week its been.

Caitlin Cassidy here to take you through today’s news, starting in New South Wales and Victoria, with a raft of Covid restrictions to be eased over the next week as case numbers continue to drop in the nation’s most populous states.

From 6pm tonight, density limits at hospitality and entertainment venues will be removed in Victoria, dancefloors can reopen and QR code check-ins will no longer be required in a range of settings including schools.

In NSW, density limits were scrapped from midnight, QR codes will only remain in large nightclubs and music festivals, and singing and dancing is back on the cards.

Premiers Dominic Perrottet and Daniel Andrews have also flagged the recommendation to work from home will be lifted, with masks mandates to be removed in a week’s time.

Still in NSW, 13 beaches that were shut yesterday following a fatal shark incident at Little Bay have been reopened. Leading shark scientists have called for calm following the tragic event, encouraging beachgoers not to fear the return to the water but to follow commonsense guidelines like swimming between flags.

And fallout continues after the end of an ugly week in parliament that saw national security weaponised by the Coalition with allegations of Labor being soft on China.

Former spy chief Dennis Richardson yesterday intervened, saying the Morrison government was serving China’s interests, not Australia’s, by seeking to create false perception of difference between the major parties. Katharine Murphy agrees – writing Morrison and Dutton are puffing themselves up like mini-me McCarthyists.

There’s a lot to get into, so let’s dive in.

Updated

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