RECAP: Victoria extends coronavirus support payment as government announces 'eye-watering' $184.5 billion budget deficit

23 Jul 2020 5:39pm

Thanks for reading and goodbye!

I'm signing off for the evening - thanks for reading.

Here's a quick recap of the main stories of the day:

The treasurer announced a $184.5 billion deficit forecast, the largest since World War II.
Victoria recorded another 403 coronavirus cases and a new pandemic support payment was announced. Here's how you can find out if you're eligible.
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 15 million.

You can keep up with the latest coronavirus news via the SBS News social media channels and website. You can also catch SBS World News at 6:30pm AEST tonight and listen to SBS Radio podcasts on demand.

Stay safe, and remember:

Residents in metropolitan Melbourne are subject to stay-at-home orders and can only leave home for essential work, study, exercise or care responsibilities. It is also mandatory to wear masks in public.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus

23 Jul 2020 5:23pm

Victorian prisons lift COVID-19 lockdowns

Four Victorian prisons have lifted their COVID-19 lockdowns after extensive testing.

Earlier this week, six prisons in the state went into lockdown after an officer at Ravenhall Correctional Centre in Melbourne's west tested positive for the virus.

Ravenhall and Fulham Correctional Centres are still in lockdown.

It has sparked calls for the Victorian government to release low-risk prisoners.

23 Jul 2020 4:55pm

Queensland declares another Sydney coronavirus hotspot

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk just announced the western Sydney city of Fairfield as a COVID-19 hotspot.

There have so far been 46 coronavirus cases identified in Fairfield connected to an outbreak at the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park.

Starting 1am on Monday, anyone travelling to Queensland who has been in Fairfield in the past two weeks will be directed to hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.

Queensland has already announced Sydney's Campbelltown, Liverpool and the state of Victoria as hotspots.

23 Jul 2020 4:17pm

Josh Frydenberg on migration levels

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he’s keen for migration to start up again when medical advice permits.

Forecasts made in today’s budget update, which revealed Australia is facing its worst deficit since World War II, were based on international travel resuming in January 2021.

There's been no official decision on reopening Australia's border yet, but the treasurer told SBS News this afternoon the government hopes it isn't too far away.

“[Migration] certainly has an impact on the bottom line because the three sources of growth are population, participation, and productivity - and Australia has enjoyed strong population growth … We're all beneficiaries of Australia's strong multicultural diverse environments and long may that continue. So, we would like to see migration levels come back. But obviously that has to be based on the medical advice.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg speaking with SBS News earlier today Source: SBS / SBS News

We know that migration plays a big role in the economy, with Australia’s immigration program helping drive nearly three decades of essentially uninterrupted economic growth.

23 Jul 2020 4:00pm

Cleaners are more in demand due to coronavirus - but many say they need better support

While the demand for cleaning services has risen during the coronavirus pandemic, some cleaners in Australia say they're not being given enough time, the right training or equipment to do the job properly.

You can read my colleague Catalina Florez’s story here.

Saddam Hussain works part-time as a cleaner in Melbourne Source: SBS / Catalina Florez, SBS News

23 Jul 2020 3:13pm

NT declares Port Stephens a coronavirus hotspot

Here's some news from earlier in the day: the Northern Territory has declared Port Stephens, north of Newcastle, a coronavirus hotspot.

It requires anyone from the NSW town into a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

It follows the discovery of a cluster of COVID-19 cases in Port Stephens, and last week’s declaration of Sydney and the entirety of Victoria as hotspots.

23 Jul 2020 2:47pm

Greg Hunt's office hit with anti-mask vandalism

The Melbourne office of Health Minister Greg Hunt has been vandalised with anti-mask graffiti.

The vandals stuck masks on Mr Hunt's Somerville office with the words "don't" and "won't", along with a poster that said "I have a condition that prevents me from wearing a mask, it's called intelligence". It has all since been removed.

You can read more here.

23 Jul 2020 2:39pm

Budget forecasts rely on January international border reopening

Staying with the budget update, and the papers, which you can read here, show Treasury based the forecasts on international travel resuming from January next year for some temporary and permanent migrants. AAP has more:

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg insists no decision has been made on opening Australia's borders despite budget forecasts relying on the international travel ban ending next year. A key assumption of Thursday's economic outlook is that from January 1 to June 30 2021, travel restrictions are lifted with a two-week quarantine period for all arrivals.

"This leads to the resumption of arrivals by temporary and permanent migrants, but at lower levels overall than normal," the outlook says.

But Mr Frydenberg stressed Treasury's forecasts about travel restrictions were made in dynamic conditions.

"The assumptions are that it very gradually starts to come back, that quarantine is applied, that you start potentially bringing in international students," he told reporters."Of course the environment with respect to the coronavirus is very fluid. Decisions haven't been taken about the start date for that."

Australia's overseas migration intake is expected to shrink by more than 85 per cent on 2018-19 levels this financial year due to widespread travel bans brought on by the coronavirus.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg arrives to address the media today Source: AAP

23 Jul 2020 2:26pm

Government's budget update today was a 'pamphlet', Labor says

Earlier in the day, ahead of the government’s budget update, Labor's treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers said it would “try and pull a swifty”.

He’s just done a press conference in response to the update. He doesn’t exactly seem happy with what he heard:

“What we got today wasn't a plan. It wasn't even half an update. It wasn't a plan. It was a pamphlet. There were no new ideas on what the government presented today, and there were very few new insights as well.”

In case you missed the budget update, you can catch up here.

SBS News’ Brett Mason sat down with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg this afternoon, and we’ll bring you some grabs from that soon.

23 Jul 2020 2:10pm

A 'contingency' workforce and pleas to self isolate after testing

Greg Hunt says he's asked the states and territories to set aside a “contingency reserve” workforce help Victoria “were there to be a worst case scenario”.

“Victoria is in a very strong position. What we're doing is three steps down the track were there to be a worst-case scenario, as we did without hospital preparations around the country."

He also makes a plea for people to self-isolate after getting a COVID-19 test:

To be very, very clear, and if I were to speak to the public for a second here: if you do have symptoms, if you have been in contact [with somebody who has tested positive], if you have been tested, you do need to isolate.

23 Jul 2020 1:58pm

National numbers and Victoria aged care outbreaks

Greg Hunt says Australia has now recorded 13,305 cases coronavirus cases and 133 deaths. There have been more than 15 million cases and 620,000 deaths across the world.

Talking about the aged care outbreaks in Victoria, he says there are 213 residents who have tested positive across 21 services.

To fight the clusters, he says the federal government has:

Added 400 staff to supplement Melbourne’s aged care workforce.
Opened wards within hospitals boost their capacity to receive patients that test positive.
Made five million masks available for aged care facilities within Victoria.
Stood up five mobile testing teams to test staff around the care facilities so if one returns a positive test, all other staff and residents can be tested immediately.

23 Jul 2020 1:40pm

WATCH: Greg Hunt giving national coronavirus update

Health Minister Greg Hunt has been speaking in Melbourne, and despite the increase in COVID-19 cases in Victoria and NSW, is praising the conduct of most Australians.

"I've seen on my way to and from my office a universal adoption of masks. The way in which people are responding and supporting each other, they are keeping their physical distance, you can tell that there are looking after each other. This is a distinctly Australian and human moment. This is our moment. In decades to come, people will look back on this time and I think they will rightly have a justifiable pride in the way Australians have conducted themselves."

23 Jul 2020 1:24pm

Back to NSW

Going back to NSW now, where 19 new cases of coronavirus were reported today. They included:

Three people associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster.
Nine people associated with the Thai Rock restaurant cluster.
Three cases are still under investigation.
One South Western Sydney resident who acquired their infection in Victoria and has been self-isolating since arriving in NSW.
Three returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

There are now 56 cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster, 46 cases associated with the Thai Rock restaurant and eight cases associated with the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club.

Meanwhile, authorities are urging anyone who visited the following locations to watch for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested immediately should any respiratory symptoms or fever occur:

Salamander Bay Village Woolworths on 17 July between 2.30pm to closing time, 18 July between 4pm to closing time, 19 July between 12.45pm to closing time, and 20 July between 3pm to closing time
The Fingal Bay Café and Takeaway on 17 July between 11.30am – 12 midday.

23 Jul 2020 12:58pm

WATCH: Sydney Black Lives Matter protest organisers hold press conference

Organisers of a Black Lives Matter rally planned for Sydney next Tuesday are defending their protest plans outside the NSW Supreme Court.

NSW Police are trying to block the protest on health grounds. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the planned rally “appalling”.

Many BLM protests have been held around the country in recent months, though very few COVID-19 cases have been linked to any of them.

23 Jul 2020 12:42pm

Temporary visa holders disproportionately hurt by coronavirus lay-offs, analysis shows

Casual workers and temporary visa holders who are ineligible for JobKeeper have been disproportionately sacked during the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s according to analysis of Treasury data by the Australia Institute, which shows more than 700,000 employees of companies that receive JobKeeper were laid off because they didn’t qualify for wages subsidies.

SBS News’ Tom Stayner breaks it down here.

23 Jul 2020 12:37pm

Concerns over lack of bilingual carers at Melbourne nursing home

Earlier this week, federal health authorities moved in to temporarily support management at St Basil’s Homes for the Aged, Victoria’s largest COVID-19 aged care cluster. The outbreak at the facility in Fawkner, which has a high number of residents of Greek background, has grown to 69 cases.

SBS Greek has interviewed Kon Kontis, the chairman of the board at St Basil’s, who says there's a lack of bilingual carers among the replacement workers currently managing the residents.

You can read more in English, and listen in Greek, here.

23 Jul 2020 12:08pm

More on Victoria's new pandemic payment

In response to concerns that Melburnians are still going to work after they get a coronavirus test, Daniel Andrews this morning announced a new $300 payment to encourage them to stay home.

People who get tested and need to self isolate while they wait for the results, but don't have any sick leave, will be eligible for the new payment.

It's in addition to a $1,500 one-off hardship payment for people who test positive and have to self-isolate but don't have any sick leave.

Unions have said that payment has been difficult to access and doesn't go far enough. They've been calling for two weeks pandemic leave for all workers, so people don't have to use up leave entitlements.

23 Jul 2020 12:03pm

Four kids in Victorian hospitals

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has told reporters there are four children in Victorian hospitals with COVID-19. She says:

“This is not an older person's disease. A quarter of infections we are seeing are young people in their 20s. People in their 60s only represent six per cent."

The death of the man in his 50s also prompted Daniel Andrews to again urge younger people to take the coronavirus more seriously:

"It would be wrong to assume that young people are somehow immune to this. Even otherwise fit and healthy young people can get sick and can die from this virus."

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos looks on as Premier Daniel Andrews addresses the media during a press conference on Thursday Source: AAP

23 Jul 2020 11:32am

More on Victoria's outbreak

Back to Victoria now, which has recorded another 403 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths today. Sixty-nine of the new cases are connected to known outbreaks, and 334 are under investigation.

The five deaths included a man in his 50s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s, a man in his 90s and a man in his 70s. Three of those deaths are connected to aged care settings.

Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a new $300 payment for workers who take a COVID-19 test and need to isolate but do not have sick leave:

This $300 payment will go a long way to supporting those families, and having them make much better choices.

There will also be a $1,500 payment for these eligible individuals if they test positive.

There are now 3,630 active cases in Victoria. The death toll is now at 49. There are 201 people in hospital with the virus, 40 of whom are in intensive care.

It comes after a record-breaking 484 coronavirus cases were announced on Wednesday, and as the mask-wearing mandate comes into effect.

23 Jul 2020 11:23am

NSW records 19 new COVID-19 cases

As if there isn't enough happening at the moment, NSW Heath has announced there has been 19 new cases of coronavirus diagnosed in the state. We'll bring you more this soon.

RECAP: Victoria extends coronavirus support payment as government announces 'eye-watering' $184.5 billion budget deficit

Follow the latest coronavirus news today via the SBS News live blog.

Thanks for reading and goodbye!

Victorian prisons lift COVID-19 lockdowns

Queensland declares another Sydney coronavirus hotspot

Josh Frydenberg on migration levels

Cleaners are more in demand due to coronavirus - but many say they need better support

NT declares Port Stephens a coronavirus hotspot

Greg Hunt's office hit with anti-mask vandalism

Budget forecasts rely on January international border reopening

Government's budget update today was a 'pamphlet', Labor says

A 'contingency' workforce and pleas to self isolate after testing

National numbers and Victoria aged care outbreaks

WATCH: Greg Hunt giving national coronavirus update

Back to NSW

WATCH: Sydney Black Lives Matter protest organisers hold press conference

Temporary visa holders disproportionately hurt by coronavirus lay-offs, analysis shows

Concerns over lack of bilingual carers at Melbourne nursing home

More on Victoria's new pandemic payment

Four kids in Victorian hospitals

More on Victoria's outbreak

NSW records 19 new COVID-19 cases

previous

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next

RECAP: Victoria extends coronavirus support payment as government announces 'eye-watering' $184.5 billion budget deficit

Follow the latest coronavirus news today via the SBS News live blog.

Thanks for reading and goodbye!

Victorian prisons lift COVID-19 lockdowns

Queensland declares another Sydney coronavirus hotspot

Josh Frydenberg on migration levels

Cleaners are more in demand due to coronavirus - but many say they need better support

NT declares Port Stephens a coronavirus hotspot

Greg Hunt's office hit with anti-mask vandalism

Budget forecasts rely on January international border reopening

Government's budget update today was a 'pamphlet', Labor says

A 'contingency' workforce and pleas to self isolate after testing

National numbers and Victoria aged care outbreaks

WATCH: Greg Hunt giving national coronavirus update

Back to NSW

WATCH: Sydney Black Lives Matter protest organisers hold press conference

Temporary visa holders disproportionately hurt by coronavirus lay-offs, analysis shows

Concerns over lack of bilingual carers at Melbourne nursing home

More on Victoria's new pandemic payment

Four kids in Victorian hospitals

More on Victoria's outbreak

NSW records 19 new COVID-19 cases

previous

1of2

next

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