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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani and Cait Kelly

Scott Morrison speaks to Ukraine PM; 60 Covid deaths reported – as it happened

Ukraine Australia Russia Scott Morrison Victoria Queensland Covid-19 New South Wales United Kingdom Jai Wright

The day that was: Wednesday 23 February

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

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

  • Scott Morrison announced targeted sanctions on Russian individuals and banks, and said Russia was acting like “thugs and bullies”.
  • The opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, offered bipartisan support on the sanctions, as Penny Wong urged Australian nationals to leave Ukraine as soon as possible.
  • One person has died in the floods in Queensland, as much of the east coast continued to be battered by heavy rainfall.
  • The Moderna vaccine was approved for children aged six to 11 years old.
  • NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, sought legal advice over the decision to close down Sydney’s train network on Monday, while he issued a stinging rebuke to his transport minister, David Elliott, saying he “should have been advised” about the shutdown before it occurred.
  • Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Brett Sutton, defended the decision to maintain mask mandates in primary schools, as other mandates are lifted.
  • Construction giant Probuild is reportedly on the verge of collapse, with reports of tradies and workers are walking off sites or being let go.
  • NSW recorded 8,931 new Covid cases and six deaths, Victoria recorded 6,926 new cases and 17 deaths, Queensland recorded 6,300 new cases and 37 deaths, the ACT reported 946 new cases, WA reported 645 new cases, SA reported 1,958 new cases, the NT reported 864 new cases and Tasmania reported 842 new cases.
  • Jai Wright’s family released a statement, asking for privacy as they mourn and thanking the community for their support.

Thanks for reading.

Updated

Scott Morrison speaks to Ukraine PM

Scott Morrison has spoken to Ukraine’s prime minister this evening, just hours after warning a full-scale Russian invasion was “likely to occur within the next 24 hours”.

Australia has levelled financial and travel sanctions against Russian individuals and banks, but Morrison said the government was prepared to “do more”.

Morrison reached Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, by phone around 6pm tonight. A spokesperson for the Australian PM said the government had an “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, and denounced “Russia’s aggressive behaviour towards Ukraine as unacceptable, unprovoked and unwarranted”. The spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister informed Prime Minister Shmyhal of Australia’s immediate action to sanction Russian individuals, organisations and banks as part of an international effort to impose a sharp cost on Russia for its actions against Ukraine.

The Prime Minister affirmed Australia’s preparedness to do more, working with our partners, and in response to Ukraine’s needs.

In a joint statement released just before 6pm, Morrison and the foreign minister, Marise Payne, said today’s round of sanctions was “the beginning of our sanctions process”, and warned any further invasion would be met with “the high cost it deserves”.

The Australian government did not outline what further action could be taken.

Updated

Only five days after the the Victorian government’s proposed social housing levy on developers, the premier has accused the building and property sectors of reneging on a deal to allow them to make “super profits” in exchange for paying the contribution.

The decision has thrown the levy in doubt, with the initial announcement met with criticism by the building and property sectors.

You can read more on the story from Benita Kolovos at the link below:

The PM has formally confirmed the Russian sanctions in a statement released earlier.

Although not much is new or different to what he announced in the morning, he does specify the banks that will be affected: Rossiya Bank, Promsvyazbank, IS Bank, Genbank and the Black Sea Bank for Development and Reconstruction. These are in addition to the restrictions on state development bank VEB.

Morrison also added that visa extensions will be granted to all Ukrainian nationals currently in Australia, with visas set to expire by 30 June. The extension will last for six months.

Updated

National Covid-19 update

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 60 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 946
  • In hospital: 40 (with two people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: six
  • Cases: 8,931
  • In hospital: 1,246 (with 69 people in ICU)

NT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 864
  • In hospital: 131 (with four people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 37
  • Cases: 6,300
  • In hospital: 379 (with 35 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,958
  • In hospital: 192 (with 14 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 842
  • In hospital: 10 (with two people in ICU

Victoria

  • Deaths: 17
  • Cases: 6,926
  • In hospital: 319 (with 22 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 645
  • In hospital: five

Updated

Workers are packing up tools across Probuild sites around Australia today, as reports circulate that the major construction company is on the brink of going into administration.

Construction sites in Brisbane, Melbourne and WA have been affected, but Guardian Australia understands a number of the company’s problems centre on the development of the site at Cbus Property’s 443 Queen St, Brisbane.

Industry sources estimate that site has lost the company approximately $50m, after an already low tender was followed by foundational problems, partial site flooding, design changes and the construction supply chain squeeze.

Deloitte has declined to comment on the matter, and Probuild could not be reached for comment.

The appointment of Deloitte as administrators, however, is expected to be announced on Thursday morning.

Updated

Dutton says Ukraine situation 'ominous' and could become 'bloody conflict'

The defence minister Peter Dutton has called the situation in Ukraine “ominous”, adding that it was “not beyond the realm of possibility” that missiles and weapons would strike hospitals and childcare centres.

Speaking on ABC Radio earlier, Dutton said that it could become a “bloody conflict” and that it was already in the early stages:

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility to consider that missiles and weapons fired can strike hospitals or daycare centres. I think if it goes to a full-scale war, full-scale conflict, then that’s exactly what will happen.

I think most of the indications are at the moment, that it will be a bloody conflict and most analysis is that we’re in the opening hours of that already.

Updated

Construction giant Probuild reportedly facing collapse

There are reports that construction giant Probuild is facing collapse.

The ABC is reporting that a board meeting is expected to agree to either restructure the company or go into administration.

Probuild is one of the largest construction companies in the country, having built the Melbourne Convention Centre, the new headquarters of Victoria police and the glass wave of “The Ribbon” on Sydney’s Darling Harbour.

It has building sites across the country and there are reports of tradies walking off projects or were being stood down. An official statement on the issue is expected tomorrow.

Updated

Australian share market rebounds despite Ukraine crisis

Despite all the media coverage of Russia’s invasion of the would-be breakaway regions of Ukraine, it seems that investors weren’t too fussed today at least.

Australia’s benchmark ASX 200 share index ended 0.6% higher, not far off the highs for the day. Higher commodity prices, meanwhile, has propelled the Australian dollar to almost 72.5 US cents, or the highest in almost a fortnight, according to Reuters.

Elsewhere, stocks in China including Hong Kong and South Korea (doubt much trading goes on in the north), were also up about half a percent with trading still going on.

Not a bad outcome, then, after US shares dropped more than 1% overnight.

Closer to home, New Zealand’s central bank raised its key rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1%, with a warning that the rate is headed to more than 3% by next year, according to AP.

Australia’s Reserve Bank is not expected to be pushing the rate rise button at anything like that pace, but quickening wage risessuggest the first move might not be that far off.

Labor’s shadow treasurer Jim Chalmershas pointed out the 2.3% annual rise in wages in the December quarter from a year ago is well short of the 3.5% pace of consumer price increases. (The RBA looks at the underlying inflation rate, which is more like 2.6%.)

Meanwhile, investors lost a bit of faith in Mike Cannon Brookes and Brookfield offering much more than the $7.50 a share they are offering to take over AGL Energy. AGL’s shares dropped another 20 cents, or 2.5%. on Wednesday, to $7.65, to be just 2% above that bid price.

Updated

Penny Wong urges all Australians still in Ukraine to leave

Penny Wong has added to Albanese’s statement by urging Australians still in Ukraine to leave as soon as they can:

I echo the leader’s point that we do offer a full bipartisanship support to the government on the sanctions which have been announced, and on Australian playing its full part as a member of the international community, standing in solidarity with Ukraine and with the Ukrainian community.

I would also make this point. We do know that there are Australians who remain in Ukraine. I would echo the government and the view is that it is time to leave.

Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong speaks to the media in Sydney today.
Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong speaks to the media in Sydney today. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

So opposition leader Anthony Albanese has stepped up, along with Penny Wong, and thrown his support behind Australia’s sanctions against Russia that Scott Morrison announced earlier today.

Albanese said it was “appropriate” that Australia introduce those sanctions, and said he was not looking for any disagreement on the issue:

This is a shocking development, whereby we have a situation [where] Russia has undertaken aggression against the people of Ukraine, and all Australians stand with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Labor supports the announcement that has been announced by the government. We believe it is important when it comes to national security that we express a common view on behalf of the Australian people, in support of democracy, in support of sovereignty, of Ukraine and against Russian aggression.

Updated

Jai Wright's family request privacy as they plan Sydney teenager's funeral

Jai Wright’s family have released a statement, asking for privacy as they mourn and thanking the community for their support.

Wright’s family also distanced themselves from rallies and fundraisers that were being organised in Jai’s name, saying they will be organising a march after Jai’s funeral.

They also say they hope to have “the opportunity to find the truth about Jai’s death”.

Jai’s family will not be making any further comments at this point in time. They also want the community to know they are not affiliated with any current march, rally or fundraiser, but will be organising a march in the days and weeks after Jai’s funeral.

The family are taking time to privately remember Jai and plan his funeral. They look forward to a coronial inquest and the opportunity to find the truth about Jai’s death.

Jai, 16, died after the trail bike he was riding and an unmarked police car crashed in Sydney’s inner-west on Saturday morning.

Police have launched a critical incident investigation into the crash, but Wright’s father, Lachlan, told reporters on Monday that an independent inquiry was needed.

Updated

The top official at Ukraine’s embassy in Canberra has welcomed the Australian government’s announcement on sanctions, while suggesting countries should be ready to further expand the measures against Russia.

When contacted for comment, Volodymyr Shalkivskyi, the chargé d’affaires at the embassy, told Guardian Australia:

[The] government of Ukraine is grateful to the Australian side for joining [the] coalition of our partners who introduced new sanctions against Russia.

[The] impact of the sanctions depend on the unity and determination of the international community to react on Russian aggression against Ukraine.

We believe that expansion of the sanctions by our international partners is needed in order to deter [the] Kremlin from further escalation.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, had indicated that Russia’s ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky, was being called into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for a meeting with the secretary this afternoon. Russia’s embassy has also been contacted for comment.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology has released a weather update, saying there is more rain to come across the east coast, especially in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW.

Jonathan How, a meteorologist at BOM, said severe weather warnings for heavy to intense rainfall remain for those two regions, who will see steadily increasing rainfall every day leading into the weekend.

We are likely to issue severe thunderstorm warnings, in addition to this, for thunderstorms that have the potential to bring life-threatening flash flooding.

Updated

Labor MP Nick Champion has resigned from federal politics and will move to contest the South Australian state election.

In a statement, the speaker, Andrew Wallace, said considerations will be given to the possibility of a byelection, although there is a general election around the corner.

Updated

Sutton defends primary school mask mandate in Victoria

Earlier today, Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Brett Sutton, defended the decision to maintain mask mandates in primary schools.

It comes after the government lifted mask mandates in most indoor settings from Saturday.

But Sutton, speaking on ABC Radio, said the mandate was necessary given the high case numbers in Victoria, and because vaccine coverage in that age group remains low:

It won’t be forever, but it’s the appropriate time to do it, with cases still very high.

I think we’ll review [it] certainly at the end of this term, we’ll see where vaccination coverage has got to and where our numbers are.

Updated

One of Australia’s most wanted men has told reporters he’s been “living life” and “avoiding being killed” in the 12 years he was on the run.

Graham Potter was flanked by senior officers from Victoria Police, who were escorting him back to Victoria from Queensland, and grinned as he responded to questions from waiting journalists.

Here is what he said when asked what he’d been doing while on the run:

Living life and avoiding being killed.

You’ll appreciate I can’t talk to you. I’d like to but I can’t at this stage.

Here’s yesterday’s story on his arrest in far north Queensland:

Updated

NT records 864 new COVID cases

The NT recorded 864 new Covid cases. There are 131 people in hospital, with 11 on a ventilator and four in ICU.

Good afternoon, and as always a quick thanks to Cait Kelly for her expert work on the blog this morning. Mostafa Rachwani with you, taking you through the rest of the day’s news.

And with that, I am going to leave you there. I will pass you on to my colleague, Mostafa Rachwani whose capable hands will take you through the rest of the day!

Australia’s membership of a global, US-based anti-corruption alliance is under threat after years of inaction and missed deadlines prompted a formal warning that the Morrison government was acting “contrary” to the body’s requirements.

The Australian government signed up to the Open Government Partnership in 2015, a 78-country multilateral initiative designed to promote open government, fight corruption and empower citizen participation in policymaking.

More on the ACCC chief Rod Sims’ speech to the National Press Club.

Despite a bit of media hyperventilating, Sims is not yet in a position to make a call on the $8bn takeover bid for AGL by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield.

Yes, Brookfield’s planned $18bn purchase of Victoria’s AusNet distribution network could pose competition issues should the bid succeed. But the deal’s not yet done so there’s not a lot to say.

(The ACCC has said: “If a transaction proceeds, the ACCC expects it would conduct a public review into the impact on competition.” Within AGL, they reckon Brookfield’s lawyers are well aware of the legal and regulatory minefields.)

Sims was also asked about what could be done to ease the pain for motorists given petrol prices are at record levels and the Russian aggression towards Ukraine won’t help.

He noted that 55c in the price of each litre is a tax. But that’s the fourth-lowest in the world, Sims said, and it goes to pay for the roads. (In other words, he’s not pushing for an excise cut.)

Sims also addressed gas prices and makes an interesting historical point. Before Australia’s east coast market was opened to international prices, firms could expect to pay $3 a gigajoule. That rocketed (to $10/GJ or beyond) after governments approved three $20bn LNG gas export trains in Queensland, when there was only enough gas for two, Sims said.

Sims said those gas developers who said prices for users wouldn’t rise may have told governments “something that turned out not to be true”. There may be a three-letter word for that.

Updated

The PM has been asked about the dialogue between the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Vladimir Putin to try and put Putin off a full-scale invasion.

I do support any attempts to try and avoid this, but not without qualification. I mean, there cannot be any suggestion that concessions should be provided to a bully and a thug in return for not following through with threats of violence.

That’s not the sort of appeasement I would ever support and I don’t think Australians would either.

Updated

The PM has been asked what the worst-case scenario looks like. His answer:

The sanctions that are imposed not just by Australia, but all countries around the world, they will just keep stepping up.

I mean, there must be consequences for Russia’s actions. And those who perpetrate them support those who perpetrate them as those who benefit from this.

There must be consequences for this type of behaviour. This type of behaviour is not acceptable.

The PM is asked why the Russian ambassador is still in Australia.

The Russian ambassador I understand will be coming in to see the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade today.

But that step hasn’t been taken as yet. Other countries and I’ve discussed this with other leaders. They haven’t taken those decisions as yet.

But we will see where this proceeds. We’re taking this step by step.

Updated

I feel for the Russian people and there are many Australians of Russian extraction here, who I know will be very disappointed by what president Putin is doing and they will feel strongly about that because that’s not what they believe their country’s about.

That’s not what their values are about. That’s not what their heritage is about. And I know that I’ll be very disappointed about this.

This is the actions of a Russian government, an autocratic authoritarian government that’s forgotten what democracy is and what liberal democracy is, in undertaking these actions of bullying and threats and intimidation.

Updated

It’s important that we play our part in the broader international community to ensure that those who are financing profiting from an autocratic and authoritarian regime that is invading its neighbour should have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

What’s being aimed at the people of Ukraine is unacceptable and won’t be stood for by the international community.

And all nations who want to stand up to bullies should do so now as so many have done, and Australia as always is pleased to be doing that.

The PM says the Australian government is open to offering more Ukranian citizens visas to come to Australia - not under the humanitarian stream.

At this stage, it is too uncertain to predict how long it will be or what circumstances will be.

But we’ll be working in providing support to the Polish government and others who are providing direct assistance to displaced persons where they are being accommodated in those countries.

We will also be looking at the options for humanitarian support in terms of visa access to Australia.

And I’d stress with Ukrainian citizens – this wouldn’t just be through our humanitarian programme. It would be through the many streams of our migration programme skilled migration student visas, other visas, family reunion visas, things of that nature.

So I would expect that we’d be able to provide that support through those many channels, but we’re still in the very early stages of that.

Updated

There are some 1,027 Ukrainians outside of Australia who have visas to enter Australia and of course they would be welcomed.

We will work very closely, especially with Poland but other European partners to deal with the likelihood of displaced persons coming into their countries.

This is where we think we can provide some quite effective assistance.

I’ll be speaking next week to the Polish prime minister. I’ll be speaking tonight to the Ukrainian prime minister and discussing these matters.

Updated

The PM says he has also instructed the Minister for Immigration to accelerate the conclusion of Ukrainian visa applications to Australia.

They will go to the top of the pile and I’ve asked for those to be concluded urgently. There are some 430 roughly applications from Ukrainian citizens to come to Australia.

They’re across a range of different visa classes, student visas, family visas and others. And so I’ve asked for those to be concluded.

Updated

The PM says there is believed to be 1,400 Australians inside Ukraine and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is in direct contact with 184 of them.

We have been warning them for some time, now is the time to make their way out of Ukraine.

Updated

We are working with our partners to identify additional individuals who will be subject to the sanctions that have been made possible by our autonomous sanctions legislation that we recently took through the parliament.

Our government continues to coordinate closely with the United States, UK and European Union and other governments to ensure there are severe costs to Russia’s aggression.

Updated

The PM says the sanctions will target transport energy, telecommunications, oil, gas and mineral reserves.

Australia, along with the UK and the US will also put sanctions on several Russian banks.

These sanctions will significantly expand the scope of persons, and I stress, entities that Australia can list for targeted financial sanctions and travel bans.

It’s included to capture persons and entities of what is termed strategic and economic significance to Russia.

So that gives us a broad coverage to ensure that we can target those who are particularly involved in these actions and who are aiding and abetting this invasion.

Our intention today, and the decisions taken by the National Security Committee, will ensure that we are in lockstep with the United States and the United Kingdom in the sanctions that they are imposing upon Russia.

Updated

PM announces targeted sanctions on Russian individuals

Morrison says the government will “immediately” begin placing sanctions on Russian individuals.

We will also amend the Autonomous Sanctions regulation of 2011 to extend existing sanctions that apply to Crimea and Sevastopol to the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Updated

Morrison:

Australia always stand up to bullies.

And we will be standing up to Russia, along with all of our partners, and all those who believe that it is totally unacceptable that Russia could invade its neighbour.

Updated

The PM says “the invasion of Ukraine has effectively begun.”

My first thoughts are for all the people of Ukraine and for those many 38,000 Australians of Ukrainian descent, who are here.

They’re, of course, very concerned for their families, for their friends and for their homeland, where they have come from.

Updated

The PM is speaking in Canberra now.

Updated

Rod Sims, the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is giving his farewell address to the National Press Club in Canberra. He is outlining 10 “issues and challenges ahead”, but here are a couple of the highlights.

For one, he bemoaned our penchant for us to “flog off” infrastructure rather than work out how they might benefit the community (which typically paid for them in the first instance).

Australia “almost uniquely” seems to focus “on how much we can sell infrastructure assets for, rather than having our infrastructure benefit our wider economy”, Sims said. “Such behaviour can dramatically affect existing users and could be considered a continuing tax on the community.”

Our electricity and gas markets are “a mess”, Sims said, a comment that’s especially topical given the $8bn takeover bid for AGL proposed by the tech billionaire, Mike Cannon-Brookes, and Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management.

Interestingly, he takes aim at the Abbott government’s scrapping of a price on carbon (which was never a tax, even its foes later admitted).

“Most of the world has accepted that there is a negative externality associated with carbon,” he said. “With Australia having decided not to deal with this issue via a market-based mechanism, we are left with a challenge of how we achieve affordability, sustainability and reliability, without seriously trading off one of these objectives to achieve another.”

Most advocates pushed for only two and sometimes just one of those three objectives.

Anyway, there’s a lot in Sims’ speech, and no doubt the Q&A session to come, so stay tuned.

Updated

WA records 645 new cases, 5 people in hospital

WA has seen a big spike in cases, recording 643 new Covid infections in the last 24 hours.

In the last few days, cases have sat just over 200.

There are five people in hospital, up three from yesterday.

The Victorian government has gone to town today on this – the Foo Fighters are playing at the biggest gig in the country in two years.

Updated

While we wait for the PM, here is some news out of Victoria, where drug and alcohol treatment services are lining up to back decriminalising drugs.

From AAP:

The Reason Party leader, Fiona Patten, will introduce her decriminalisation bill to the Victorian upper house on Wednesday.

Under the changes, police would issue a mandatory notice and referral of drug education or treatment to those found to have used or possessed an illicit drug.

If a person complies with the notice, there will be no finding of guilt and no criminal record.

Patrick Lawrence, the chief executive of addiction, mental health and legal services hub First Step, said the bill would ensure those struggling with addiction – who were often targeted by Victoria’s drug laws – received help rather than condemnation.

“We’re talking about adults who survived childhood traumas, childhood abuse and neglect, homelessness, poverty, and the absence of love,” he said.

“Most of us would move mountains to prevent harm occurring to a child. At what age (is) an adult ... no longer worthy of our compassion?”

Updated

We are standing by to hear from the PM, who is expected to address the media soon.

We have more information about the Queensland floods from AAP here:

A woman’s body has been found in a submerged car and another 10 people are missing after intense rainfall triggered flash floods in southeast Queensland.

The 60-year-old’s body was found in the vehicle near Skyring Creek at Belli Park, west of Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast, just after 8am on Wednesday.

“This is indeed a tragedy during this particular time,” she told parliament.

Craig Hawkins, a Sunshine Coast police district superintendent, said another 10 people were unaccounted for in the Noosa Hinterland area and there was a search underway for a man whose motorcycle was found near Gympie.

“We are searching for some people at the moment, particularly again around that Belli Park area,” he said.

Emergency alerts have also been sent to Gympie, Noosa and Sunshine Coast residents warning of flash flooding that may affect roads and bridges.

Updated

From AAP:

New Zealand has posted a record 3,297 community Covid-19 cases amid another increase in hospitalisations.

The coronavirus is straining the country’s health system like at no other time during the pandemic.

On Wednesday, health officials reported 179 people were in hospital including one in intensive care.

The number in hospital, and the single-day increase, are the highest recorded in NZ.

One in every eight tests are returning positive, showing how widespread infections currently are.

Updated

From AAP:

Foreign skilled workers in Australia have been paid as little as $40 a day, meaning they were only able to afford to eat plain white rice for three meals a day, an inquiry has heard.

A Senate committee is examining new laws to protect migrant workers from exploitation.

The Electrical Trades Union told the inquiry on Wednesday two Filipino and two Thai workers were engaged on a solar farm construction project outside of the north Queensland city of Townsville in 2018.

It was discovered the workers were being paid $40 a day, plus a $42 allowance for food and accommodation, and employed under subclass 400 “short-stay specialist” visa arrangements.

Union members passed the hat around to raise money for the workers.

It emerged the “highly specialised” work they were hired to do included licensed electrical work, but their skills and qualifications were never assessed and they were not licensed to perform it.

The employer, through lawyers, said it had done nothing illegal and was under no obligation to pay, but settled the matter by increasing the wages and making back-payments.

Updated

The meeting of the national security committee of cabinet – dominated by discussion of Russia and Ukraine, including potential sanctions – has wrapped up.

At this stage, we’re expecting the prime minister, Scott Morrison, to address the media in Sydney around 12.45pm AEDT.

Updated

The ABS has released the December quarter wage price index figures and they have come out more or less as expected.

In the final three months of 2021, the WPI rose 0.7%, in line with the market’s “consensus” forecast of 0.7%. On an annual basis, the index was up 2.3% on the previous December quarter.

Interestingly, the 0.7% increase was matched by public and private wage slaves.

The data was a key figure for those speculating when the Reserve Bank will have to lift its official cash rate from the record low 0.1% before too many months pass.

(The markets were tipping June-ish for that first move to 0.25% before today’s wages data – assuming that’s how much the RBA would respond.)

Of course, higher wages are what most of us want, particularly when the consumer price index is on the rise, including 1.3% in the December quarter.

No wonder real wages feel like they are going backwards.

More to come a bit later.

Updated

In follow up to his press conference earlier, Health minister Greg Hunt has released a statement, saying Australia has secured more than 25 million doses of Moderna.

Before any COVID-19 vaccine can be supplied for use in Australia it undergoes a rigorous evaluation by the TGA for safety, quality and effectiveness. The TGA will only approve a vaccine once it has established that the benefits greatly outweigh any potential risks.

Moderna has been clinically proven to produce a strong immune response in children. Most side effects are mild and short-term, and similar to those experienced by children who have received the Pfizer vaccine.

For children aged between six and 11 years old, a paediatric dose of Moderna is half the dose currently provided for people aged 12 years and over - two doses of 50μg per dose (0.25mL), eight weeks apart, or three doses for immunocompromised children.

The recommended eight-week interval can be shortened to four weeks for children at risk of moderate to severe COVID-19, for example those with underlying health conditions, in an outbreak or before international travel.

For all the sound and fury over Russian troops moving into the renegade regions of Ukraine, investors in this part of the world at least aren’t in panic – yet.

The benchmark ASX200 is roughly flat in early trading. Woolworths, which might have invited some share selling as it trimmed its dividend (by 1c) gained close to 2% in value.

US share markets dropped 1-1.5%, depending on your index, while Europe’s main bourse ended the day mostly flat despite the heightened tensions in the continent’s east.

Energy prices were higher, as you might expect given the prospect of tightened sanctions on Russia, one of the world’s biggest energy exporters.

Still, while Brent crude neared the $US100 a barrel mark for the first time in seven years, it eased back to under $US97 (though still up 1.5%) through the overnight trading. So no panic there either.

Local attention, meanwhile, will shortly turn to wages, with the ABS due to release the December quarter wage price index at 11.30 AEDT. The market consensus is tipping a 0.7% increase for those three months.

Anything higher will prompt more “RBA will soon raise its official interest rate” chatter.

On the other big business story, AGL’s have extended their falls into a second day, losing more the 10%-plus rally on Monday after news of Brookfield and billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes’ $8bn bid for the energy company.

As we reported, AGL is looking for a 30-40% premium on its recent share price before it will engage with the suitors, among other conditions. No sign of that yet either.

Updated

One person dead in Queensland floods

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has told parliament a 60-year-old person has died in the floods on the Sunshine Coast.

Tragically, Mr Speaker, I have been advised a 60-year-old person has been found deceased after a vehicle was submerged in water just after 8am this morning.

Once again this is indeed a tragedy.

She said a freight train has also been overturned south of Gympie and the driver has been rescued with minor injuries.

Updated

Tasmania records 842 new Covid cases, no new deaths

Tasmania has recorded 842 new Covid-19 cases, an increase on the 820 recorded on Tuesday.

There are 10 people in hospital and of those two are in ICU.

Updated

Perrottet says he should have been told about train shutdown

The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has sought legal advice over the decision to close down Sydney’s train network in the early hours of Monday, while issuing a stinging rebuke to his transport minister, David Elliott, saying he “should have been advised” about the shutdown before it occurred.

But the premier insisted he still had confidence in Elliott despite asking him to “reflect” on comments made on Tuesday, making clear his ministers were expected to be available at any time of the day or night.

Elliott yesterday said he was not called by senior bureaucrats when they decided to shut the metropolitan train network down early on Monday morning but said he would likely not have answered a call were attempts made to contact him.

The minister also confirmed he went to sleep despite having an “inkling” a major disruption was on the way, despite Labor later on Tuesday brandishing a text message in parliament that appeared to contradict his claims.

“The minister will reflect on that and realise that all ministers are available 24/7,” Perrottet said. “That’s my expectation as premier.

“My expectation is that ministers are immensely connected to the operational matters that are occurring within their portfolios.”

Perrottet said that he and the minister “should have been advised” and would investigate the role played in the decision by Transport for NSW secretary Rob Sharp, the minister and senior officials in the shutdown.

“There’s a breakdown in process here,” he said. “The technical legal issues are complex and I need to continue to get advice. I’ve sought advice and I’m working through it.”

He said he was confident the decision made to stop trains “was the right one” – which was his first concern – and was now turning his attention to why proper processes were not followed.

When asked if someone would lose their job over the saga, he said it would “depend “on the findings” following an internal probe.

Updated

Australia is spending billions to build thousands of kilometres of new gas pipelines that may end up worthless stranded assets as the world moves to deal with climate change.

The warning comes in a new report by Global Energy Monitor tracking 600km of pipelines currently under construction and 12,200km of proposed new infrastructure across Australia, with the total value of this work amounting to $25.8bn (USD$18.6bn).

The resources minister, Keith Pitt, has just re-announced almost $20m in taxpayer incentives for fracking company Empire Energy, a firm with links to the Liberal party, after a federal court ruling that previous grants to the company were invalid.

Pitt announced on Wednesday that the Coalition had signed three new grant agreements worth $19.4m to incentivise Empire Energy to conduct exploratory drilling in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin, a region thought to hold vast gas reserves.

The money was awarded through the $50m Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program, which forms part of the Morrison government’s gas-led recovery. The federal court previously ruled that three grants to Empire Energy worth $21m were legally unreasonable because the agreements were signed just days after environmentalists launched an urgent case arguing they were invalid.

The government, the court said, should have waited for the legal challenge to end before signing the grant agreements with Empire. But the court rejected another argument from Environment Centre NT that the minister should have considered the risk to climate change prior to awarding the grants. At the time, Pitt said that aspect of the decision would allow him to proceed with the grants in future.

Pitt said on Wednesday:

The government is committed to a gas-led recovery and we are now getting on with the job of opening up the Beetaloo as part of the Strategic Basins Plan and these grants will assist in that important process.Australian gas is in high demand domestically and internationally and it’s important that we work to get new gas production online.

A Senate inquiry has previously probed Empire Energy’s links to the Liberal party. The inquiry has heard Empire has donated to the NT’s Country Liberal party and flew a Liberal party fundraising chair to inspect its operations. Empire is chaired by Paul Espie, a frequent Liberal donor and director of the Menzies Research Centre, the inquiry has heard.

The company told the inquiry the links played “no role whatsoever” in its applications for the grants and that it followed “due and proper process at all times”.

Updated

The federal government has been urged to act on the findings of a Senate inquiry into the disability support pension.

As reported by Guardian Australia on Friday, the inquiry found “serious flaws with the [disability support pension], its underlying policy framework, the way that it is administered, and how applicants are able to access it”.

Recommendations included that the government review a rulebaring those with temporary or fluctuating conditions and consider other changes to allow people with multiple impairments to more easily make a successful claim.

A group of disability and social service peak bodies, including the Australian Council of Social Service and People With Disability Australia, said in a statement today that while the policy issues raised in the recommendations were welcome, “more urgency” was needed.
It said:

Now is not the time to ‘further consider’ or ‘investigate’ the issues with DSP which formed the basis for this inquiry in the first instance. People with disability need urgent action.

It also argued some necessary reforms were overlooked, including a clear commitment to lift the rate of the jobseeker payment.

The inquiry report had a Labor-Greens majority and was chaired by the Greens senator Janet Rice. Separately, the Greens have backed significant increases to welfare payments and flagged support to overhaul the disability pension, but Labor is yet to outline any specific commitments on these issues.

The peak body’s statement noted:

We urge the next government to form a Ministerial or DSS Departmental advisory group led by agencies representing people with disability and to urgently implement the recommendations of the review as early as possible.

The Acoss chief executive, Cassandra Goldie, said the “inflexible and misguided eligibility rules” led people “forced to survive on jobseeker payments and exposed to onerous mutual obligation requirements”.

Acoss hears from people caught up in this cruel and unjust system every day and we cannot stress how much suffering this causes people in our community.

The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations chief executive, Ross Joyce, said:

We believe that people with disability are experiencing institutional abuse and neglect when they come into contact with the eligibility and review processes for the disability support pension.

Economic Justice Australia, which represents some community legal centres, said in a separate statement on Tuesday that its members would be “understandably disappointed that the committee has recommended consideration of these matters
rather than immediate action”.

Executive director Leanne Ho said:

Our members report they see clients who are hospitalised with the stress of the DSP claims process and experience immense suffering while struggling to comply with JobSeeker mutual obligation requirements when they should really be on DSP. Those who cannot maintain jobseeker mutual obligations and cannot provide the evidence required to be granted DSP, end up without payment for long periods and fall into a dire situation of poverty.

Guardian Australia revealed last year that the pension rules were leaving thousands of cancer patients languishing on the jobseeker payment.

Updated

Mandatory surveillance testing and cohorting of students will be scrapped across New South Wales schools from next week.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, and the education minister, Sarah Mitchell, announced the changes on Wednesday, saying it was time to “get back to normal”.

The state government will provide two rapid tests per student per week for a further fortnight, but using them will not be mandated.

Parents will also be allowed back on to school grounds and face masks will no longer be required for high school students and teachers.

Perrottet said:

We were able to make these changes because of the efforts and sacrifices that people have made right across our state.

Mitchell said it was important for students to be able to mix between year levels and to see schools return to normal.

She said:

Things like kindergarten to year 6 buddy programs, choirs or student councils or dramatic plays that might take place across year groups – we will be able to do that again.

For a lot of our kids, they do really miss that. Next week we’ll start to see our schools return pretty much back to normal after nearly two years of having different settings in our schools. Now’s the time to get back to normal.

Updated

Hunt:

The next thing is, in terms of the boosters, we have now passed 11 million boosters. We’re at 62.1% of the eligible population and so Australians are stepping forward, they’re being boosted with Pfizer and the Moderna, and we want to continue to encourage them to do that.

At a national level, we have reached 96.2% of first doses and 94.3% of second doses.

Updated

Hunt:

In the terms of the children’s vaccination program, we’re at 49.4%.

In the absolute latest figures, that has increased to a 76% intention to have children vaccinated in the sentiment tracking of parents. So this is an important indicator. It means that the will is there.

Updated

Moderna approved for children

Greg Hunt is up, he is announcing Moderna approval for children.

I’m delighted to be able to announce that we now have a double greenlight for the Moderna children vaccine, and this will be for six to 11-year-olds.

It will be able to commence as of tomorrow.

The important thing is it’s the same formula, it’s half of the adult primary dose, but it’s the same as the adult booster dose.

He says Moderna can be found in 4,000 vaccination clinics, GPs, pharmacies around the country.

Updated

They’re using the comparatively low number of Covid deaths relative to other deaths over the same period to make the argument that people overstated the seriousness of Covid or the need for various interventions, writes Nick Evershed in this really good piece on the ABS Covid deaths data.

Have a read here...

We are expecting Greg Hunt to address media with the head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, John Skerritt, at 9.45am.

Updated

NSW records six Covid-19 deaths and 8,931 new cases

NSW has reported six deaths of people with Covid-19 and 8,931 new cases, with 1,246 people in hospital; of those 69 are in ICU.

Updated

Victoria records 17 Covid-19 deaths and 6,929 new cases

Victoria has recorded a spike in Covid deaths, losing 17 people to the virus.

Authorities say 319 people are in hospital; of those, 22 are in ICU and eight are ventilated.

Updated

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, minister for aged care Greg Hunt and minister for aged care services Richard Colbeck have released a joint statement:

The Productivity Commission will examine the merits of unpaid leave allocations for all workers who need to care for an older relative or friend and undertake a study of employment models across the aged care sector.

As a part of the Morrison Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report, both matters have been referred to the Commission.

The examination will provide the Government with a detailed understanding of the economy-wide impacts of both matters.

The Productivity Commission will establish a formal inquiry into the potential impact of amending the Fair Work Act 2009 to provide all employees with a minimum entitlement of unpaid carers’ leave, if they are caring for senior Australians living at home.

This investigation is in direct response to Recommendation 43 of the Royal Commission, which urged the Government to examine the potential impacts of providing an additional entitlement.

Informal carers are a critical element of the care system for older people. Partners, children and other relatives not only provide care but help seniors maintain their social and community connections.

It will provide its study into employment models by September 2022.

Updated

A pilot has died after a light plane crashed into rugged terrain in regional Victoria.

Emergency services were called to a plane crash in an area near Grand Ridge Road in Seaview about 7am.

Victoria police said the pilot and sole occupant of the plane, who is yet to be identified, died at the scene. Officers will prepare a report for the coroner.

Updated

Via AAP:

People living in Queensland’s south-east have been warned to be on alert for flooding, with up to a metre of rainfall expected in some areas.

In the early hours of Wednesday, an emergency alert was sent to residents in the Gympie local government area warning of flash flooding.

“Residents are being advised that roads and bridges may be impacted,” Gympie regional council said.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Jonathan How said everyone needed to take care because conditions could become “quite treacherous”.

He said heavy rain was expected in south-east Queensland, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and would continue for the next few days.

“We could see up to a metre of rain for parts of south-east Queensland,” How told the Nine Network.

Updated

There are emerging reports that masks for school students will be dropped by the end of the month in NSW.

Anthony Albanese has been asked about comments made by Labor member Alicia Payne about decriminalising drugs such as ice and cocaine for personal use.

Reporter: “Do you agree?”

No.

“Can you elaborate on that?”

No.

“Why don’t you agree?”

Because I think the current settings are appropriate.

Updated

Anthony Albanese says he has not been consulted about the decision:

But I would expect that that will occur. I know that I’ve been here in Launceston and that the prime minister has been travelling as well.

He says he is comfortable with how much information he has been given.

Anthony Albanese in Launceston yesterday
Anthony Albanese in Launceston yesterday. Photograph: Sarah Rhodes/AAP

Updated

The Labor leader has been asked about Ukraine – he says Australia needs to join the sanctions against Russia.

The Australian government must be a part of that action. I hope that there’s an announcement later today.

And we’d certainly call upon the Australian government to join with our partners and allies in taking this action. Because in order for it to be effective, it has got to be wide.

Updated

Albanese says the first thing he would do was fix wages in the sector.

The first thing we would do is to commit to and make a submission to the Fair Work Commission about wages and conditions in the sector.

That’s clearly been identified by the royal commission as a major issue for how you need to attract staff.

Updated

Anthony Albanese is speaking now from Launceston, attacking the government for not acting on the recommendation of the royal commission into aged care:

Older Australians deserve respect. We have an aged care minister here based in Tasmania who retains his job in spite of multiple scandals. It is quite extraordinary. I’m not sure what you have to do to lose your job under the Morrison government.

Richard Colbeck is a symbol of the incompetence of this government. We’ve had 800 deaths in aged care alone.

Updated

I’ve got more on the national security meeting here via AAP:

Scott Morrison will convene cabinet’s national security committee as western nations begin to impose the first tranche of sanctions against Russia.

Sanctions by the US and UK will target Russian billionaires and financial institutions while Germany put the brakes on a new gas pipeline.

The committee is expected to finalise what sanctions and measures Australia will introduce.

Australia has ruled out direct military assistance and is supporting Ukraine’s cyber-capability. It has left the door open for technical military support but the prime minister declined to elaborate on what the term meant.

But before the committee had even met, the former British ambassador to Russia told the ABC previous economic sanctions have had little effect against the country, only knocking off around 0.2% of GDP each year.

Updated

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has called for a health-first approach to alcohol and other drug use.

This comes after reports of the Reason party’s Fiona Patten introducing a private member’s bill to institute a decriminalisation model in Victoria.

Instead of a punitive approach via the criminal justice system, Victorian police would instead issue a mandatory notice and referral to drug education or treatment to people possessing a drug of dependence or who are believed to have used a drug of dependence. Compliance with this process would result in no finding of guilt or criminal record.

It is similar to the Portuguese model introduced in 2001. Of the more than 32,000 drug arrests in Victoria in the year leading up to September 2021, 80% were for drug use or possession only rather than trafficking large drug quantities.

RACGP president Dr Karen Price said saving lives and reducing harm must always come first:

Alcohol and other drug use is, primarily, a health issue that should be managed by health professionals, including GPs.

Almost everyone knows someone who has been negatively affected by alcohol or other drug use in some form, it cuts across all demographics and all segments of society. So, if you declare a “war on drugs” you are declaring war on someone’s partner, family member, colleague, or friend – it just makes no sense.

Instead, we should treat drug and alcohol use as a health issue that, with the right kind of care and support, can be successfully treated and managed.

Updated

Australians want more than a fat pay packet or free tea and coffee from their job, with a survey showing the importance of meaningfulness.

Research by National Australia Bank found that one in five people changed jobs in the past year and almost one in four are considering it.

The study surveyed 1,200 people and found that the most popular reason for leaving a job was a lack of purpose or meaning – closely followed by lack of career growth.

Younger workers (33%) are more likely to have changed jobs in recent years compared with older employees (18%), particularly in the last 12 months.

The biggest turnover was in agribusiness, health services, finance and insurance, retail and property services.

Updated

The Victorian Greens are set to introduce a bill to state parliament that would legislate a target to eliminate homelessness by 2030.

The human rights and housing legislation amendment (ending homelessness) bill 2022, to be tabled by leader Samantha Ratnam on Wednesday, would amend the Housing Act to set a 0% homelessness target by the end of the decade, and ensure the Victorian government created a plan to achieve it.

It would also update the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities to include housing as a human right.

In a statement, Ratnam said:

Homelessness is the number one social justice issue facing Victoria right now. And while the Victorian Labor government has made some progress to provide more social housing, they’ve chronically underspent on what we need most: more public homes.

In fact, after spending the least of all states across Australia on public and community housing over the years, successive Victorian state governments have directly contributed to a public housing waiting list that now exceeds 100,000 people.

And until the government addresses this, more and more Victorians will be forced into housing stress and homelessness.

Updated

PM calls snap meeting of national security committee

Scott Morrison has announced a snap meeting of cabinet’s national security committee to discuss Australia’s response to Russia.

It comes as Russian troops have started to move into rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine and US President Joe Biden announced the US will impose sanctions on Russia.

On Tuesday Vladimir Putin recognised Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories.

Updated

Marise Payne says it is “not helpful” to speculate if there will be a war:

We have to be absolutely clear that there is a cost to Russia for such behaviour that is severe sanctions that will target a Russian individuals and entities that are responsible for these actions.

Updated

Payne says there will be an announcement later today about sanctions but she cannot give an indication of what they might be:

I don’t think it’s appropriate to forward run sanctions options because what you do if you forward run sanctions options is that you give those whom you intend to sanction a chance to make their own decisions around what losing assets or whatever it might be.

Updated

Marise Payne says Australia has had sanctions against Russia for years:

I understand though, that it’s important to remind Australians that we have existing sanctions in place and they have been imposed since 2014.

And we will use whatever tools we have available to us to the greatest degree to ensure that we are applying sanctions in conjunction with our counterparts and that is something which senior members of the government in Australia are discussing amongst colleagues now.

Foreign affairs minister Marise Payne
Foreign affairs minister Marise Payne. Photograph: Sandra Sanders/Reuters

Updated

Asked if a full-scale invasion is inevitable, Marise Payne says she does not think so.

I don’t agree there is no stopping a full-scale invasion.

Russia still has, always has the option not to proceed. That’s what we’ve been calling for, that is what likemindeds have been calling for”

But we do see an ongoing build-up that is concerning. And a range of activities. None of these things are contributing to security or stability in any way and with our partners we are identifying options that are available to us to address these.

We strongly condemned those [actions].

Updated

Marise Payne is speaking on Radio National now.

She is asked if Australians still in Ukraine are on their own and have to find their own way out:

We will continue to provide as much support as we can for Australians … but we are of course limited and we’ve been very clear about that.

Updated

Good morning everyone, this is Cait Kelly and I will be with you across the morning.

It will no doubt be another big day of news – so let’s get into it.

Australia is set to implement “swift and severe” sections against Russia over its aggression towards Ukraine, targeting people close to President Vladimir Putin.

Foreign affairs minister Marise Payne has been working with international allies to formulate a plan to freeze the wealth of those in Putin’s inner circle. Yesterday the US announced it would impose sanctions that target two Russia-backed breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine.

A $500,000 reward is being offered for information about the disappearance of Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, who vanished on a night out in the northern NSW beach town of Byron Bay nearly three years ago.

NSW police will announce the reward today in the popular tourist hamlet, in the hope it will lead to the discovery of Hayez’s whereabouts or disclose the circumstances of his disappearance.

The 18-year-old was last seen at about 11pm on 31 May 2019 outside a nightclub on Jonson Street.

NSW trains will again hit the tracks with a reduced capacity of 25% as the showdown between the rail union and the government continues, leaving commuters frustrated.

Another day of commuter chaos comes after premier Dominic Perrottet ordered staff to investigate the timeline of events surrounding the Sydney train halt.

There are still lingering questions about why exactly the rail network was shut down, and how much the government had a hand in it. Transport minister David Elliott has sought to distance himself from the decision, saying yesterday it was the agency’s responsibility to make the call.

And torrential downpour has drenched Sydney and other parts of NSW with the rain expected to last throughout the week. A strong upper trough and associated cut-off low will move slowly eastward from central Australia towards the eastern seaboard into tomorrow.

Flash floods have impacted many towns and city roads, the SES said yesterday afternoon.

Those are the big headlines this morning – welcome to Wednesday’s blog!

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