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
