Health minister Greg Hunt announces additional $20m for mental health funding – as it happened
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Announcement comes as the new deputy chief medical officer for mental health says there has been no ‘discernible increase in suicides’ due to the pandemic. This blog is now closed
That’s where I’ll leave you for tonight. Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re hunkering down somewhere dry.
Here’s what we learned today:
Students returned to school full-time in New South Wales and Queensland after months of online learning. Despite some parents expressing concern, the NSW education department reported an 86% attendance rate. The state’s average is about 92%.
NSW and Victoria recorded three new cases of Covid-19 each. Western Australia recorded four new cases – all of them were within the same family who flew in from Doha last week. Queensland, the ACT, the Northern Territory and South Australia saw no new cases.
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, announced an additional $20m for mental health funding.
WA premier Mark McGowan announced travel within all regions of the state would be allowed by the weekend, but the border closure with the rest of Australia will remain in place.
In SA, premier Steven Marshall announced that from Monday up to 80 patrons will be allowed at restaurants, cafes and pubs at any one time, provided they are split across 20 “discrete rooms or areas” of the venue. Cinemas, theatres, galleries, museums, beauty salons, and gyms will also be allowed to open from Monday.
Shares on the Australian stock market have soared 2.2% to reach their highest level since 11 March.
Labor continued to revel in the government’s jobkeeper accounting mistake. Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers called it “the biggest blunder that any government’s made in any budget at any point in the history of this commonwealth”.
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said that despite the extra money now sitting in the government’s coffers as a result of the error, there would be no “wholesale changes” to the jobkeeper program.
My colleague Naaman Zhou reports that four of Australia’s private universities have been made eligible for jobkeeper, while three more public universities have rejected a deal negotiated by the tertiary sector union to save jobs in exchange for pay cuts.
I had hoped, because it was such a big and ‘unprecedented’ amount, that it could have been distributed to other states and charities – turns out that studying acting at university does not make me a lawmaker.
Full statement below.
"I had hoped, because it was such a big and 'unprecedented' amount, that it could be distributed to other states and charities."
Statement from comedian @celestebarber_ on a court ruling that more than $51.3 million raised in her bushfire fundraiser can only go to the NSW RFS: pic.twitter.com/5e1ytHWowE
Good evening, blog readers. I’m coming to you live from underneath my doona. I know Scott Morrison keeps telling us we have to get out from under it, but it’s cold in Sydney.
As my colleague Elias Visontay mentioned earlier, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has taken a swipe at radio broadcasters Kyle and Jackie O for their interview with Pete Evans today.
But the (former?) celebrity chef isn’t so high and mighty that he’ll only appear on the big commercial radio stations.
Dia Beltran, an anti-abortion, far-right personality with links to former United Patriots Front members Neil Erikson and Blair Cottrell, is also spruiking an interview with him this coming Wednesday. According to Beltran, Evans will appear on her show on the same day as the hard-right Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin.
We can only assume that Evans plans to denounce the far-right and offer some tips on avocado preparation, but still, it’s quite a line-up.
Shares on the Australian stock market have soared 2.2% to reach their highest level since 11 March. AAP is reporting the local bourse closed at an 11-week high after climbing more than 2 per cent, with gains across the board.
The S&P/ASX200 benchmark finished Monday up 118.6 points, or 2.16%, at 5,615.6 points, while the All Ordinaries index was up 121.1 points, or 2.16% higher, at 5,729.9.
The Australian dollar was buying 65.28 US cents, up from 65.15 US cents at the close of trade on Friday.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has accused Sydney radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands and his co-host Jackie O of compromising public health for failing to challenge “conspiracy theories” about vaccination raised during an interview with controversial former TV chef Pete Evans on Monday.
RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon said: “It is extremely disappointing that two very popular and prominent commercial radio hosts have given Pete Evans 20 minutes of unfettered air time to air his anti-vaxxer stance.”
Mr Evans may consider himself ‘pro-choice for medical freedom’ but the fact that his assertions were by all accounts barely challenged by the radio hosts makes this interview particularly problematic.
I think that all television networks, radio stations and publications have a responsibility to self-regulate and not provide platforms to people spreading dangerous and misleading information that can harm public health. If they do interview such individuals they need to at least challenge conspiracy theories and ‘advice’ contrary to expert medical opinion.
Instead of listening to Pete Evans on commercial radio, consult with your GP – we are there for you and have your best interest at heart. Now more than ever, expert advice matters.
Earlier this month, Channel 7 announced they had parted ways with the My Kitchen Rules host, weeks after the Therapeutic Goods Administration fined him $25,200 for spruiking a $15,000 light machine to fight coronavirus.
He also came under fire this month for urging his Instagram followers to watch an interview with a controversial British conspiracy theorist who simultaneously claimed Covid-19 is “a fake pandemic with no virus” and links infections to 5G antenna installations.
In announcing the byelection date, speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith has explained the 4 July date – the first weekend of the school holidays – was chosen to allow for sufficient sanitisation of polling booths at schools throughout the electorate before term three returns on 21 July.
In normal circumstances, the Australian Electoral Commission advises that it is preferable not to have elections during school holidays. With the current challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, the advice is different on this occasion.
The AEC has undertaken extensive consultations, including with the New South Wales Department of Education, because a significant number of polling places are located at schools. As a result, the AEC has advised me that it is preferable to have a polling date where students and staff do not return to school on the very next Monday. This will then enable a thorough sanitising after the completion of voting and counting at polling booths at New South Wales schools.
In some significant non-coronavirus news, the Eden-Monaro byelection is set to be held on 4 July.
It comes as the Liberal Party preselected Fiona Kotvojs as their candidate, some weeks after Labor’s announced Kristy McBain, the former Bega Valley mayor, as the opposition’s candidate. The byelection was triggered when current Labor MP Mike Kelly announced his retirement from politics in April.
Another important message for all South Australians: you will be able to go to a pub and order a drink without a meal from Monday. But you will need to drink it seated.
South Australia to fast-track stage two restrictions, up to 80 diners allowed at restaurants
South Australia is bringing forward its stage two restrictions easing phase by four days to 1 June, while also significantly increasing venue and attendance limit as part of the plan.
From Monday, up to 80 patrons will be allowed at South Australian restaurants, cafes and pubs at any one time, provided they are split across 20 “discrete rooms or areas” of the venue.
Cinemas, theatres, galleries, museums, beauty salons, and gyms will also be allowed to open from Monday.
SA premier Steven Marshall said the greater easing of restrictions was possible because of the state’s “principles-based approach”.
In stage one the important number was 10 (people). For stage two, the important number is 20 ... 20 is the critical number here. Because we have this principles based approach, we can announce today venues will be able to go up to a maximum of 80 provided they can have 20 in discrete rooms or areas within their establishment. So a massive increase on what was originally envisaged for stage two.
Marshall also announced up to 50 guests will be allowed to attend funerals from Monday.
On that note, I will hand you over to Elias Visontay for the next few hours.
The prime minister will address the national press club tomorrow, and I’ll be back to cover that for you. Thank you for all the birthday wishes – they have been much appreciated by this Queenslander on this chilly Canberra day. Catch you tomorrow, and take care of you.
WA health minister Roger Cook says there have been four new cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in the past 24 hours, all within the same family who flew in from Doha last week.
They are from Victoria and will stay in quarantine in WA until they are recovered.
I’d like to thank everyone for their patience throughout this pandemic and I urge everyone who can travel to do just that. Now is the time to get out there and see Western Australia and support local businesses in the process.
We know Western Australia is the best and most beautiful place on Earth. For now, we have it all to ourselves so let’s make the most of it. So go out and wander around our great state.
Local businesses and tourism operators have been through hell.
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