Queensland residents encouraged to wear masks amid Covid surge
Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles has encouraged residents of the sunshine state to wear masks as the latest wave of Covid-19 spreads across the country even as governments have not yet reintroduced mask mandates.
It will not hurt you.
Miles said the government will “continue to monitor the situation” and will communicate any new decisions as they occur. Until then the public should follow the health advice.
Asked about a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for Queensland health staff, Miles said he was not aware of any shortages and the government had “worked hard” to stockpile PPE around the state.
The comments come amid a press conference announcing that Suncorp Stadium will remain the home of the Broncos for another 12 years.
Queensland Health reported no new deaths from Covid-19 on Sunday morning.
Key events:
Hello everyone – this is Cait Kelly, I will be with you for the rest of the day. A shout out to Royce Kurmelovs for steering the ship over the morning.
First up, I want to draw your attention to this solid piece by Catherine Bennett – who takes us through what is behind the increase in Covid cases and what comes next:
Reports of dangerous driving and theft in Adelaide
Police have had a strange night in Adelaide where someone claimed to be driving a crashed taxi while across town a passenger fled by bicycle from a ute full of stolen goods, AAP reports.
South Australia police were called to Modbury Heights in the city’s north-east to reports of a taxi crashing into the curb at 11.30pm.
They found three men inside, one of them claimed to have been driving. He had allegedly arrived after the crash.
The other two allegedly refused to answer police before officers finally identified who had been driving. The driver, 31, failed a breathalyser test.
The man and his passenger will front an Adelaide court next month, with the driver charged with lying to police and refusing an alcotest. He has also been stripped of his licence for a year.
The 27-year-old passenger is facing charges of lying to police.
In an unrelated incident, police responded to calls of men damaging property at a shopping plaza in Port Adelaide.
The two men allegedly fled in a stolen ute carrying stolen clothes with the car found early on Sunday morning in the nearby suburb of Cheltenham.
Police said the ute initially failed to stop before pulling over. They said the driver fled the scene and the passenger grabbed a bicycle out of the ute and rode off.
The driver was allegedly caught hiding in the front yard of a nearby home but the passenger is still on the run.
Police charged the driver, 33, with offences including trespass, theft, driving dangerously and breaching bail.
The man will front court on Monday.
Flood-affected NSW residents have received $340m in support
Nearly 415,000 flood victims in New South Wales have received a total of $340m in disaster support from the federal government, AAP reports.
The latest crisis has impacted communities from the Blue Mountains to the south coast, with some facing their fourth flood disaster in 18 months.
Residents in 29 local government areas are eligible for the assistance, a one-off $1,000 payment for every adult and $400 for every child affected by flooding.
A disaster recovery allowance is also available for employees and sole traders who lose income as a direct result of a major disaster, and lasts for up to 13 weeks.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, triggered the federal support payments on Wednesday and people could begin claiming them on Thursday afternoon.
Flood-affected residents are starting to return to their homes to assess the damage caused by days of unrelenting rain and severe storms.
The government has mobilised about 250 Australian Defence Force troops and three helicopters to assist with the flood response and clean-up.
No new Covid-19 deaths in Western Australia
No people with Covid-19 have died in Western Australia overnight, with the state recording 5,014 new cases on Sunday morning, 261 people in hospital, and 7 in ICU.
Two new Covid-19 deaths in South Australia
Two people with Covid-19 have died in South Australia overnight, with the state recording 3,039 new cases on Sunday morning, 240 people in hospital, nine in ICU and two on ventilation.
Michael McGowan
Experts question the building of homes at Penrith Lakes
In 2015, the MP for Penrith in Sydney’s west, Stuart Ayres, stood at the site of an old quarry in his electorate and told a journalist to imagine homes “as far as your eye can see”.
“There are so many opportunities we can explore,” he told Channel Nine. “Different types of housing, larger homes, smaller homes, and all types of recreational activities will happen there.”
Ayres was talking about Penrith Lakes, a 2,000-hectare site owned by a consortium of businesses, including the Kerry Stokes-owned Seven Group through its majority stake in the building materials supplier Boral.
Eight years later, just how many – if any – homes will be built is subject to some uncertainty. Penrith Lakes is located around the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain, and has been among the areas inundated in the numerous floods to hit that part of western Sydney in recent months and years.
While a 2019 investor presentation from Boral raised hopes for “5,000+” homes at the site, the government has cooled on its enthusiasm because of the flood risk. After expanding the area approved for business development by 40 hectares in 2020, it has since ruled out residential zoning on the site.
Ayres, now the deputy leader of the New South Wales Liberal party, said he is opposed too. In budget estimates earlier this year Ayres said he was “categorically opposed” to large-scale residential development at Penrith Lakes.
Last year he said the suggestion he supported large-scale residential development on the site was “a politically motivated lie”. The footage, he said, was taken before flood mapping showed Penrith Lakes shouldn’t be developed on.
“Residential housing is not appropriate on the Penrith Lakes. Full stop,” Ayres said.
But as flood waters from the Hawkesbury-Nepean again inundate homes for the fourth time since March 2021, the NSW government’s development plans in the city’s fastest-growing region are again under the spotlight.
For more on how NSW is grappling with the consequences of developing on floodplains, read the full story from Guardian Australia’s Michael McGowan.
Skywhale hot air balloon fails to take off in strong winds
The winds of Ballarat have proven too much for beloved Australian artwork Skywhale with the hot air balloon failing to take off after a rip left it unable to be inflated.
Skywhale is the creation of Australian artist Patricia Piccinini that first flew in 2013 and has since travelled around the country. It’s fellow creation, Skywhalepapa also failed to fly in the strong Ballarat strong winds.
In a statement on its social media the Art Gallery of Ballarat apologised to those who came out to see Skywhale.
Sadly due to the wind they won’t be flying today, but we loved hearing Jess Green and the choir play as the sculptures inflated and danced together as the sun rose.
Despite the Skywhale being ripped and the Ballarat winds being too much for them in general, it was nice to see them inflated. pic.twitter.com/KMKjEPRHAf
— Preston Towers (@prestontowers) July 9, 2022
The situation in New South Wales may be easing but the state isn’t totally out of the woods yet.
Meanwhile it’s been a frosty start in the south-east corner of the country.
Queensland residents encouraged to wear masks amid Covid surge
Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles has encouraged residents of the sunshine state to wear masks as the latest wave of Covid-19 spreads across the country even as governments have not yet reintroduced mask mandates.
It will not hurt you.
Miles said the government will “continue to monitor the situation” and will communicate any new decisions as they occur. Until then the public should follow the health advice.
Asked about a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for Queensland health staff, Miles said he was not aware of any shortages and the government had “worked hard” to stockpile PPE around the state.
The comments come amid a press conference announcing that Suncorp Stadium will remain the home of the Broncos for another 12 years.
Queensland Health reported no new deaths from Covid-19 on Sunday morning.
Australia’s jobless rate tipped to hit its lowest level in 48 years
Australia’s jobless rate is tipped to hit its lowest level in 48 years when official data is released later this week.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release its June labour force survey on Thursday.
CBA Group economists expect around 25,000 jobs to be added in the month, with the unemployment rate easing from 3.9% to 3.8 %, the lowest level since August 1974.
NAB economists say the participation rate should be sustained at 66.7%.
The Commonwealth Bank’s household spending intentions index for June will be released on Tuesday, alongside the ABS’s household spending indicator for May.
– with AAP
Sri Lankan president agrees to resign amid unrest
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has agreed to resign after a dramatic day during which his house and offices were stormed by protesters and the home of the prime minister set on fire.
In a late-night message conveyed through the parliamentary speaker, Mahinda Yapa, the beleaguered president said he would step down from power on 13 July to “ensure a peaceful transition of power”.
It was an historic victory for the protesters who have been calling for him to resign for months and gathered on the streets of Colombo in their tens of thousands on Saturday, as the country continues to struggle through its worst economic crisis since independence.
Earlier prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had told a meeting of party leaders that he too would resign as soon as a new all-party government was formed.
In extraordinary scenes on Saturday, protesters broke through police barriers and charged into the president’s official residence. Images and witness accounts showed people flooding up the grand staircase of the colonial-era building, with chants calling for the president to go.
As protesters poured into the bedrooms and kitchen and rifled through the president’s possessions, many took full advantage of the president’s luxury amenities which had been denied to them in recent weeks due to rampant food and fuel shortages. Protesters were seen cooking up curries in the kitchen, lying down on beds and sofas, lifting weights and jogging in his private gym and jumping into the outdoor pool.
The president was not at home, having fled the night before under military protection, and he remained in hiding as Saturday’s events unfolded.
Rajith, 50, said he had come to take part in the protests as he had two young children and “there’s no food to eat”. He spoke of his shock at entering the president’s home and seeing that, while Sri Lankans were suffering, “they didn’t lack anything. We saw their luxury rooms, their AC, their cooking gas. They even have so many pedigree pets.”
For more details see the special report from the Observer’s Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delihi and Devana Senanayake in Colombo.