Australia news LIVE Victorias lockdown begins Sydneys exposure sites continue to grow amid extended shutdown

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Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was on Seven’s Sunrsie earlier this morning.

If you’ve been following our live coverage this week, you’ll know that there was some tensions between the Victorian state and federal governments after the Commonwealth increased disaster payments for Sydney’s extended lockdown (Melbourne was in lockdown earlier this year and state politicians had requested more support at the time).

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg at a press conference at his Victorian offices earlier this week. Credit:Justin McManus

Overnight, we learned Victorians will be able to access emergency relief for the current snap lockdown thanks to a deal between the Morrison and Andrews governments.

Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr drew a line between Victoria’s claims that Sydney was getting special treatment and last night’s announcement (remember that Frydenberg is a Victorian MP and there is a federal election due next year).

Here’s the exchange:

Barr: “It’s a great initiative and I’m sure Victorians are cheering. But it seems it has only happened since the Victorian government has been bullying the Commonwealth all week saying they’ve been begging for crumbs. is that the case?”

Frydenberg: “As the Commonwealth, we don’t get bullied by anyone. The reality is, we’ve provided very significant support across the country. More than $300 billion in direct health and economic support since the pandemic began. But Victoria is going into its fifth lockdon. And their last lockdown was just over a month ago. So these are very trying days, not just for the people of Victoria, but for the more than 5 million people across New South Wales who this morning are also subject to lockdown orders.

“Our country will get through this. Importantly, we’ll be stronger at the end of this crisis. Just yesterday we got some very welcome news about the resilience of our labour market the unemployment rate falling to 4.9 per cent, the lowest in a decade.

“This took into account the recent lockdown in Victoria, but it didn’t take into account the most recent lockdown in New South Wales. We wait and see what happens with future jobs numbers [but] the numbers that we received yesterday are a sign that the economy is remarkably resilient.”

In case you missed it, NSW Health listed a number of new exposure sites late last night.

As we’ve been seeing in recent days, pharmacies and medical centres are a common theme. Anyone who visited the following venues in Sydney’s west is considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result:

Alpha Medical Centre in Seven Hills on Monday, July 12 between 2.15pm and 4.30pm, Tuesday, July 13 between 8am and 5pm and Wednesday, July 14 between 8am and 5pm; and

Penna’s Green Valley Pharmacy in Green Valley on Saturday, July 10 between 1.05pm and 1.15pm and again on Sunday, July 11 between 3.15pm and 3.25pm.

For a full list of exposure sites, visit the NSW state government’s website.

Minister for Employment Stuart Robert was speaking on ABC News Breakfast just moment ago.

He was asked how worried the federal government is when it comes to Victoria’s snap lockdown stalling the economy’s recovery given Sydney is also in lockdown. Here’s what he had to say:

Minister for Employment Stuart Robert. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

“I think we are all concerned about the lockdowns. Not just the mental health of our citizens in our two great cities but also the impact on lives and livelihoods.

“Early [on] it will have an impact. It has to. We saw that in Victoria for the first two weeks of [the fourth] lockdown. We saw underemployment increase.

“The good thing about the economy and the great thing about Australians is they are shown to be very resilient. Because structurally the economy is sound, as soon as lockdown finishes, the economy bounces back. Yes to an impact, no to it being long term.”

A reminder that the Victorian and federals government have reached an agreement on economic support measures to assist some people and businesses affected by the state’s snap five-day lockdown.

Commonwealth funding will be available to workers in areas declared hotspots by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The areas deemed hotspots by Professor Kelly as of last night are Greater Melbourne and the following Victorian local government areas: Moorabool Shire near Ballarat, the City of Geelong and the nearby LGAs of Queenscliff and the Surf Coast Shire.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says disaster payments of $375 will be available to anyone in those areas who lose between eight and 20 hours of work.

A payment of $600 will be available to workers who lose more than 20 hours during the period of the lockdown.

Mr Frydenberg says there will be no liquid assets test applied for these payments.

The Treasurer also says the Victorian government has agreed to provide significant additional economic support to businesses from day one of this lockdown.

Learn more about the COVID-19 disaster payment here.

This morning around 11.5 million Australians are waking up in lockdown.

Victoria has joined Greater Sydney in issuing stay-at-home orders due to the highly-infectious Delta coronavirus variant.

But as we’ve previously reported, not all lockdowns are the same. And some states are putting up stricter controls on movement than others.

Here’s the current state-of-play.

The frontline of Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak has widened from family homes to workplaces across the city, with potential clusters emerging at a major building site, two hospitals and an aged care facility.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned Friday’s numbers would be higher because 35 of the 65 new cases in NSW reported on Thursday spent some time in the community while infectious. The lockdown will not end on July 30 unless that infectious figure reaches zero.

SydPath staff conduct COVID-19 tests at the 24-hour drive through clinic at Fairfield Showground. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Ms Berejiklian is under pressure to define what constitutes an essential worker, however she said on Thursday the health orders were clear and everyone must stay at home unless absolutely necessary.

Read the full story here.

Three Sydney removalists who sparked an outbreak of COVID-19 across Melbourne have been referred to police as some residents of the locked-down apartment block they visited called for them to be named and shamed for not wearing masks while working.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar vowed “the wheels of justice will get them” as contact tracers in three states struggle to get straight and timely information from the trio, who drove from Sydney last Thursday and made two stops in Melbourne before heading to South Australia.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar.Credit:Justin McManus

New exposure sites were revealed by South Australian and NSW authorities late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, days after the removalists were first interviewed by authorities.

Here’s everything we know about their movements so far.

Good morning and welcome to another day of our live coverage. It’s Friday, July 16. I’m Broede Carmody.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Victorians are waking up to the first day of their fifth lockdown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay-at-home orders will remain in place for five days, however Premier Daniel Andrews says he cannot guarantee the lockdown will end Tuesday evening. Seven new cases were announced yesterday, more than 6000 people are in isolation and there more than 60 tier-1 exposure sites across the state (including AAMI Park after a positive case case attended the France versus Wallabies rugby union match on Tuesday night).

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has told people in Sydney to brace for an increase in cases today. Yesterday, the state recorded 65 new cases (28 of which were infectious in the community). Nineteen NSW coronavirus patients are in ICU and Westmead and Liverpool hospitals have been exposed to the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed a plan for Victorians to qualify for income assistance even during snap lockdowns. The PM hopes this could be a model for other states and territories, with national cabinet set to discuss the issue later today.

Queensland recorded three cases yesterday, including a 12-year-old boy and a vaccinated airport worker. None of the new cases are linked to known clusters and, as a result, mandatory indoor masks will remain in place for much of south-east Queensland.

In sports news, the families of NRL players won’t be able to join their loved ones in Queensland for the league’s new COVID-19 bubble. The travel exemptions were shot down by the Queensland state government. Meanwhile, three AFL matches have moved to the Gold Coast.

In overseas news, record in rainfall has caused devastating floods in Germany and Belgium with scores dead and dozens missing. Homes have collapsed, bridges are down and streets are underwater.

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