Here is a summary of Friday’s Covid numbers. We’ll continue to update it throughout the day.
New South Wales has reported 63,018 new Covid cases and 29 deaths, on the second day rapid antigen tests were included in the state’s total figures. There are 2,525 people being treated in hospital including 184 people in ICU.
Victoria has reported 34,836 new Covid cases and 18 deaths from PCR tests and RATs. There are 976 people being treated in hospital including 112 in ICU.
Queensland has reported 23,630 new Covid cases from PCR tests and RATs, and three deaths. There are 589 people being treated in hospital, including 41 in ICU and 15 requiring ventilation.
South Australia records 5679 new cases from PCR and RATs, and six deaths. There are 246 hospitalisations and 20 patients in ICU.
Tasmania has reported 1,201 new Covid cases, including 852 from self-reported rapid antigen tests. There are 10 people being treated in hospital specifically for Covid symptoms. There have been no deaths.
The ACT has reported 1,125 new Covid cases, including 885 from PCR tests and 240 from rapid antigen tests. There are 27 people being treated in hospital, including three in ICU. There have been no deaths.
The NT has reported 546 new cases, with 27 in hospital and 20 in ICU. No deaths reported.
NSW police decide not to fine Hillsong, despite the behaviour at the church’s youth camp raising questions about whether Covid restrictions had been breached; and
Djokovic could be banned from entering Australia for three years
Under the cancellation issued by Hawke, which is classified as an adverse decision under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act, Djokovic would not be able to be granted a visa (while offshore) for a period of three years, except in certain circumstances.
The immigration minister Alex Hawke has cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa on the grounds of “health and good order” and on the basis that it was “in the public interest”.
Here is Hawke’s full statement:
Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.
This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.
In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.
The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I thank the officers of the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia’s interests in increasingly challenging operational environments
Alex Hawke has reportedly cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa, again.
#BREAKING (finally): World No. 1 @DjokerNole has had his visa cancelled (again). Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has made the decision after several days deliberation. Appeal expected @canberratimes
Disability service workers urgently need more support from state and federal governments as Covid-19 has caused severe staffing shortages, according to union officials and the industry’s peak body, AAP reports.
National Disability Services chief Laurie Leigh on Friday told AAP some providers had lost up to 30 per cent of their workforce because staff were either isolating or sick with the virus.
Most providers, she said, had lost five to 15 per cent of staff.
The NDS chief said lack of access to rapid antigen tests and workforce shortages were the two largest headaches for the sector.
“The current wave of COVID-19 infections is putting significant strain on the provision of disability services,” Ms Leigh said.
Health and Community Services Union official Roisin McGee said staff shortages had heaped more pressure on workers already suffering from burnout.
She called for the sector to have priority access to free rapid antigen tests. Workers could then prove they are able to provide COVID-safe care to clients without spending hours waiting in line for a PCR test and days for the result.
“This industry has already been cut to the bone, but staffing numbers are now at the minimum safety level,” Ms McGee told AAP.
“It’s dangerous for workers and worrying for people with a disability who need support.
“The staff who are still working now - they’ve worked through pandemics, lockdowns, seeing their colleagues get sick and maybe die. And now they’ve seen their fellow employees burn out and leave.”
She also said that in Victoria, delays surrounding the NDIS screening check - which ensures workers do not present an unacceptable risk to participants - had ballooned out to up to 12 weeks.
One service provider had 130 potential new workers waiting for their application to be processed, Ms McGee said.
“The NDIS check is important, but it can’t come at the expense of disabled people’s care,” the union official said.
Health officials in New South Wales say they are increasingly confident new cases of Covid-19 will begin to plateau next week, as Dominic Perrottet declares that schools will only close as a “last resort” in the case of outbreaks once classes resume.
NSW reported another record day of deaths from the virus on Friday, the third time the peak has been broken this week, with 29 people succumbing. A further 63,018 new cases of Covid-19 were also recorded, 37,938 of those from rapid tests.
But despite conceding that the health system is under significant strain as a result of the surging Omicron outbreak, with a fall in the number of overall hospitalisations in the state due in part to the suspension of non-urgent elective surgery until February, the government is increasingly confident it has avoided disaster.
The Victorian government has established two medi-hotels to house Covid patients in a bid to alleviate the strain on the state’s hospitals.
From Monday, two of Victoria’s quarantine hotels will be converted to facilities for Covid-19 patients in partnership with the Melbourne Health and Northern Health services.
Victorian health authorities say the Pullman Melbourne and the Mantra Epping will eventually accommodate up to 300 patients once fully operational.
AAP reports that an operation to remove a “sovereign citizens” protest camp has started in Canberra:
Police have begun an operation to clear a protest camp near Old Parliament House in Canberra.
The operation on Friday afternoon followed a request from the National Capital Authority to “remove structures and vehicles that are on Commonwealth land without a permit”.
ACT police initially used a loudspeaker to announce all tents, caravans, vehicles and other camping equipment must be removed from the area by 4pm AEDT or police would remove it.
They said camping within the parliamentary triangle without a permit constituted a breach of Commonwealth law.
At 4.15pm police moved in and began asking individuals to remove their equipment and vehicles.
Some people were seen to voluntarily pack their cars.
But officers have begun physically dismantling tents and bundling them in a collection van.
Some protesters were shouting messages such as “you will regret it” as officers moved in.
The camp clearance followed a court hearing for two men charged over a December 30 protest which saw the doors of the now-museum set on fire.
Protesters from the “Muckudda Camp” on Thursday sought to enter Parliament House but were prevented by police, with a number of people arrested in the forecourt.
The “sovereign citizen” group has been arguing against Covid vaccinations and calling for the federal government to be “evicted”, among other issues. Their Facebook page includes promotion of unproven Covid treatments.
The page also promotes an event scheduled for Saturday to “take old parliament (and) reinstate lore”.
Representatives of the nearby Aboriginal Tent Embassy, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, have distanced themselves from the protesters.
In an Instagram post, an embassy representative said the protesters were “breeding this cult-like mentality”, fearing there was “potential for people to get seriously hurt”.
Local Ngunnawal elders have also asked the protesters to leave.
The ACT Greens said it was an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the Tent Embassy and against “conspiracy theorists and the far right”.
“Rather than bring even more attention to this new group of protesters, we want to use the coming days to celebrate the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, share their history and reflect on what 50 years of struggle can teach us,” they said.
The Tent Embassy began on January 26, 1972, with four men sitting under a beach umbrella protesting the McMahon government’s approach to Aboriginal land rights.
Sydney festival board member Benjamin Law has resigned in protest against the festival’s refusal to terminate a $20,000 sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy.
In a statement issued by the festival on Friday afternoon, author and screenwriter Law said:
Today’s decision to leave the board is mine alone. I am only comfortable departing now because I have every confidence in the remaining board directors for the process ahead, and I remain an ardent fan and supporter of Olivia Ansell’s vision of a reactivated and dynamic Sydney.
The Northern Territory has reported 546 new Covid infections as the government makes an embarrassing confession over an exposure site reporting failure, saying it has “no excuse”.
The new infections bring the territory’s total active caseload to about 3,300 with 27 – three more than the previous day – in hospital.
20 patients are considered acute or suffering serious symptoms and one is in intensive care in Royal Darwin Hospital.
“About 75% of infections are in the Darwin region, including Palmerston and the rural areas,” chief minister Michael Gunner told reporters on Friday.
Another 15% are in Alice Springs, 5% are in Katherine, 320km south of Darwin, and 4% are in East Arnhem Land. The rest are in other regional areas.
Gunner admitted the territory’s new COVID-19 exposure site messaging system linked to the check-in app had not been operating as planned.
“Over the past week these messages have not been sent,” he said. “There is no excuse for this.”
Gunner said instructions had been given to a government team to set up the new system by the NT’s security and management committee.
“But it was not implemented, which is unacceptable,” he said.
Gunner said Territorians had a right to know if they had visited a location where a positive case had also visited.
“The messages are intended to inform someone if they have been to an exposure site and (need to) monitor for symptoms,” he said.
The government employee responsible for overseeing the project has been stood down from the role.
Gunner said the system had now been set up and messages would be sent from 3pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, an outbreak in Yuendumu and Yuelamu, about 295km northwest of Alice Springs, has grown to 43 cases.
“But it continues to be confined to a handful of households,” Gunner said.
A lockout of unvaccinated people will be extended until next Thursday.
Gunner said Yuendumu’s vaccination rate continued to rise with 78% of residents 16 and over given one jab of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 58% fully vaccinated.
“This is a solid jump over the last few days which is encouraging,” he said.
Covid hospitalisations in NSW are expected to peak next week, according to the state’s health authority, and an analysis of hospital data shows the growth in the number of patients with Covid is slowing down. That full story by Nick Evershed and Josh Nicholas is here:
There’s some backlash against the federal government for announcing a two-week consultation period for the 10-year national plan to end violence against women and children.
A group of prominent women have demanded the consultation be extended, saying the short timeframe “speaks volumes about the seriousness with which the government is taking this issue.”
Breathtakingly disrespectful.
The Govt have given community organisations and experts just TWO weeks to contribute to the upcoming 10-year Violence Against Women National Plan.
Two weeks to map out the next 10 years of the fight against gendered violence in Australia. pic.twitter.com/Qk6nymtGTY
In announcing the consultation period and releasing the draft report, the minister for women’s safety, Anne Ruston, tweeted:
Every woman and child has the right to a life free from violence and abuse. The new National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 is our pathway to achieve this.
Every woman and child has the right to a life free from violence and abuse. The new National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 is our pathway to achieve this. Read the draft and give feedback before 31 January 2022 here https://t.co/Dui7x0z7BA
In the religious discrimination inquiry Andrew Walter,the acting deputy secretary of the integrity and international group in the attorney general’s department, has revealed the department has not done any drafting to implement a reported deal with Liberal moderates to amend the Sex Discrimination Act.
A group of four Liberal moderates claim they won Michaelia Cash’sapproval to repeal a religious exemption to the SDA that allowed discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.
The deal is highly contentious because Christian groups (including the Australian Christian Lobby and Christian Schools Australia) threatened to remove support for the whole package as a result. Cash has since appeared to renege on the deal.
Walter said he couldn’t comment on the suggestion there was a deal, but confirmed the department hasn’t worked on any drafting to remove the section from the SDA.
Labor MP Josh Burns saidthat was fair enough because the department could only act on instruction of the government but it appears the deal has been “reversed and revoked”.
NSW police confirm Hillsong will not be fined for youth camp
The NSW Police acting assistant commissioner Peter Glynn has just released the following statement:
NSW Police have attended an event in the Newcastle area and spoken with organisers. Following discussions with organisers and after consultation with NSW Health, no infringement will be issued.
Event organisers are aware of their obligations under the Public Health Orders, and NSW Police will continue to ensure ongoing compliance.
The church had come to the attention of police after footage circulated of a youth camp that appeared to show people breaching Covid restrictions. The church apologised, but said it did not believe it had breached restrictions.
