TAKING TO MASK
Masks are now mandatory on public transport in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, and Shellharbour, the ABC reports — and indoors in theatres, aged care facilities, and retail shops (including supermarkets) and for front-of-house hospitality workers in seven local government areas — after a COVID-19 cluster across its eastern suburbs yesterday increased to nine.
NSW Health has now identified 25 priority exposure sites spanning Barangaroo, Bondi Junction, Drummoyne, Fairy Meadow, Newtown, North Ryde, Northmead, Redfern, Shellharbour, Sydney, Tempe, and Vaucluse, as well as dozens of other casual contact venues and public transport routes. The Sydney Morning Herald notes that anyone who visited Westfield Bondi Junction, including the car park, over the weekend of June 12 and 13 has been asked to get tested, but only those with symptoms and who visited venues at specific times are asked to also isolate.
Elsewhere, Queensland health officials have announced that a flight attendant who tested positive after completing hotel quarantine — and on Saturday visited DFO Brisbane (Airport), the CBD, and Brisbane Portuguese Family Centre between, respectively, 4-4.30pm; 5-6pm; and 7pm-close — does not have the Delta variant.
Victoria yesterday recorded no new cases, its fourth consecutive day with either one or zero, while the state government yesterday announced $5 million from a $50 million mRNA research fund to help the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences manufacture a new mRNA vaccine candidate, which is just months away from trials.
And as The Age reports, the Victorian government also plans to push the Commonwealth to treat the vaccine rollout as a “race” at an emergency national cabinet meeting this morning, which was called by Scott Morrison to discuss the ramifications of last week’s AstraZeneca advice.
PS: For information on where you can and cannot currently travel in Australia check out Guardian Australia’s state-by-state guide.
[free_worm]
TIME TO RE-JOYCE?
Nationals leader Michael McCormack could today stare down his umpteenth leadership challenge by Barnaby Joyce, who stepped down from the role three years ago following an investigation into a sexual harassment complaint, which he denies, and revelations of an affair with, and freshly-created positions for, former staffer Vikki Campion.
Following days of speculation, The Conversation reports that some Nationals sources yesterday claimed Joyce has majority support, although this was downplayed by one of his key allies, former resources minister Matt Canavan.
While McCormack spent much of his recent tenure as acting prime minister denying the Morrison government has a (wholly inadequate) 2050 net zero emissions target, yelling about “treasonous” Greens, and manufacturing an urban-regional culture war, “militant Nationals” are reportedly angry their leader has allowed Scott Morrison to “walk all over” them, and are concerned the prime minister might make a firm 30-year climate pledge.
However, Joyce and ally Llew O’Brien have told The Australian ($) they had no plans to bring on a spill during today’s party room meeting. The paper cites several leadership proposals under Joyce for aspirants such as Nationals deputy David Littleproud and Resources Minister Keith Pitt — for example a plan that sees Littleproud keep his deputy role and transition to leader in five years.
News.com.au adds that Nationals MP Michelle Landry believes voters have had a “gutful” of leadership challenges and that, if Joyce retook the position, “there would be women out there that would be unhappy with that”.
PS: In a bit of British political drama, the former UK speaker who refereed Brexit, John Bercow, has defected to the Labour Party after labelling the Conservative Party under Boris Johnson as “populist” and “sometimes even xenophobic”.
THEY REALLY SAID THAT?
Hi everyone. We wanted to provide an update regarding a particular exhibitor that was present yesterday. We thoroughly investigated the matter with the assistance of the information provided by attendees overnight, and the exhibitor was subsequently removed from the event early this morning with security present. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable, and we thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Supanova Comic Con & Gaming
Organisers for the goofy, fun-loving comics and anime expo vaguely address the fact they let a booth sell, for more than one full day, Nazi gear.
CRIKEY RECAP
The PM has dodged the R-word for too long. We’re breaking media convention to force him out
“Does it matter that the prime minister used the word, possibly at the behest of his QAnon family friend Tim Stewart? That it might have somehow seeped into the PM’s consciousness via the family connections who have it as an article of faith that Satan walks among us? That he might have used the word oblivious to its impact on the panting Q whack-jobs hanging off every coded message? Entirely possible. The problem is: we don’t know unless he says.
“Morrison has deployed various media responses to the ‘ritual’ question. And amid the conflicting messages coming from the PM’s office we can now reveal the strangest defence of all.”
Billionaire tax dodging exposed (just not in Australia, home of the opaque ultra rich)
“But the revelations this month from US investigative journalism outlet ProPublica (republished in Crikey) about the scandalously low tax bills of American billionaires may unfortunately be a one-off. The story was only possible after a leak from inside the US tax office, the Internal Revenue Services (IRS).
“So any hopes of working out how much or how little Australia’s powerful billionaires pay relies on someone inside the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) leaking the same information. And given the experience of ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle, who faces a lifetime in jail for exposing its debt collection tactics, that is incredibly unlikely.”
Ex-Nats leader Mark Vaile tap-dances to the beat of different climate change drums
“The appointment of former deputy prime minister and current coal firm chief Mark Vaile as Newcastle University’s next chancellor has been met with a predictable controversy.
“Some high-profile philanthropists said they would no longer donate to the institution, placing a full-page ad in The Newcastle Herald today saying they ‘would not support a university who would choose as their leader someone who is determined to build new coalmines when most of the world is determined to reduce fossil fuel use’.”
THE CRIKEY PAYWALL IS DOWN
Here’s the latest from the Crikey vault, enjoy them while they’re unlocked!
Suffragette, martyr or out-of-touch CEO? Let’s keep Christine Holgate-gate in context
“Australian women urged to wear white today to mark their respect; licensed post offices around the country pausing for a minute’s silence to show their support — welcome to the weird world of the martyrisation of corporate executive Christine Holgate.
“Right down to the eve of the keenly watched Senate inquiry showdown between the former Australia Post CEO and its current chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo, the soap opera continued.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
‘Wouldn’t normally comment’: Marise Payne declines to confirm rumoured Chinese defection
Dangerous disclosures: Risks abound with ASX climate reporting
Industry and environment groups endorse NSW electric car plan
Victorian childcare centres facing a staffing ‘disaster’ ($)
Get ready to scroll: three graphs to help you make sense of the AstraZeneca vaccine risk
Push to ban former ministers from lobbying ($)
Key ABC witness Peter Alexander Priest is a serial conspiracy theorist ($)
UN: Sri Lanka ship fire caused ‘significant damage to planet’
High-powered diplomats adjourn talks on nuclear deal
THE COMMENTARIAT
Michael McCormack is finished as Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister ($) — Dennis Shanahan (The Australian): “For more than a year, Michael McCormack has been a dead man walking. Now he’s getting to the end of the Green Mile. Whether it’s an empty chair or electric chair challenge, the Deputy Prime Minister and his leadership of the Nationals is finished. Citing Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership difficulties is not an argument, it’s a concession.”
The Murugappan family and immigration detention — Behrouz Boochani (The Saturday Paper): “Many may see the plight of the Murugappan family as an isolated case, but I look at it as an embodiment of the multidimensional nature of Australia’s detention system. In fact, the story of this family is a symbol of the thousands of lives shattered by this system. The refugee policy championed by the government of Australia has been structured around the principles of ruthlessness and systemic violence. The government has not deviated too often from these principles, except in a few cases where it came under immense public pressure.”
Intergenerational Report must think big on reform ($) — Jim Chalmers (AFR): “There are two ways to get this wrong and squander the recovery: by continuing to bungle vaccines and quarantine; and with the deficit of vision that characterised a budget which spent big but thought small. That’s why next week’s Intergenerational Report (IGR) is so important. The IGR should be all about the long-term thinking necessary to ensure our economy and society is stronger after COVID-19 than before. How we create a new generation of growth and more opportunities for more Australians in more parts of the country.”
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
WHAT’S ON TODAY
Canberra
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Scarves depicting climate data will be gifted by knitters from the Christian group Common Grace’s Knit for Climate Action to MPs including Adam Bandt, Zali Steggall, Labor’s Alicia Payne and Tanya Plibersek, and Liberal Trent Zimmerman.
Melbourne
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The Wheeler Centre will host Emerging Writers’ Festival event “The Next Big Thing” featuring 2019 Next Chapter recipient Sam Elkin, author of Emotional Female Yumiko Kadota, and Voiceworks contributor Mickhaella Ermita.
Brisbane
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Retired community worker and public servant Christine Sykes will discuss her memoir Gough and Me: My Journey from Cabramatta to China and Beyond in an Avid Reader event.
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