Australia news live updates: NSW government drops case against rail union; 33 Covid deaths recorded

Elliott is asked if he thinks it is acceptable that we still don’t know the justification for the shutdown:

That is a matter for you to take up with Transport for New South Wales. Those questions should be directed to them.

Elliott – perhaps making the worse case for the existence of ministers:

I am not an operations expert when it comes to running a rail network. The reason why ministers employ senior executives to run departments is they have the expertise in this regard.

Elliott is asked why such a huge decision was made without letting him – the minister for transport – know:

I don’t expect them to send a car around at two o’clock in the morning and wake me up.

We pay these people to do their job, and I accept the fact that at 12:43am it was their judgement call as executives of the organisation that they needed to use their discretion and close the system.

Did I like it? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Am I still asking for information, details to justify a decision? Absolutely.

Elliott is seeking to distance himself from the whole thing – saying it was a decision by Transport NSW and he was not consulted.

This is an operational matter, and these operational decisions, the executive of any government department would have the right to make a swift call if it is in the interests of the welfare of, [the] safety of commuters in the workforce.

Elliott says he and the Premier found out about the shutdown the same time.

I can tell you categorically that we knew there was a potential for industrial dispute, but we found out that the decision by Transport for New South Wales that the service would be closed, would not operate, when everybody else did at four o’clock in the morning, when the Premier and I checked our messages.

Elliott says “ideally” public transport in Sydney will be back to normal timetable tomorrow.

He is asked about his language yesterday (he said it was “terrorist-like” and the PM saying it was a strike (when it wasn’t):

I will not dwell on yesterday. It was a day of high emotion because the people of Sydney were certainly disenfranchised, but it was industrial action, there is no doubt about that.

The NSW transport minister, David Elliott, has been speaking in Sydney.

He says he has had a “frank” and constructive meeting with the union.

Hello everyone – this is Cait Kelly, taking over from the other Caitlin for the lunch hour. Very glad to be here with you.

First up, I’ve got this from AAP for you:

The peak body representing NSW doctors has welcomed a move to oppose legislation requiring frontline workers to prove they caught Covid-19 at work to receive compensation.

A section was added to the Workers Compensation Act in May 2020, providing a presumption that certain workers in frontline industries who catch Covid-19 were infected at work and should be supported through workers compensation.

A bill seeks to have that section removed, and would ask health workers to provide proof of their infection.

But a NSW upper house committee on Monday tabled a report recommending those changes be rejected.

The president of the Australian Medical Association NSW, Danielle McMullen, has welcomed the recommendations, saying doctors had already faced a “gruelling two years” and the changes would cause further strain.

With that, I will pass you briefly into Cait Kelly’s capable hands.