Australia news LIVE Fears Melbourne protests may continue lockdowns begin for northern NSW LGAs

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A NSW minister has called on community sport to restart when the state reaches its 70 per cent double dose vaccination target.

While pubs, beauty services and non-essential retail are all set to reopen when NSW reaches the target, the government’s road map does not include community sport.

NSW Sports Minister Natalie Ward addressing the media with NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet (left). Credit:Edwina Pickles

NSW Sports Minister Natalie Ward said she had presented a plan to Health Minister Brad Hazzard to restart community sport when the state reaches 70 per cent coverage.

“The government has announced that at 70 per cent, groups of 20 can gather, so why can’t they gather and train together?” Ms Ward said on 2GB radio.

The minister said the struggle to keep some grassroots clubs afloat had been “distressing”.

“I have said to the Treasurer [Dominic Perrottet] that he needs to consider that,” she said.

“They’re really clinging on.”

Chief Commissioner of Police Shane Patton says he understands Victorians are tired of lockdowns, but rioting is not the answer.

“I certainly understand that people are fatigued, they’re tired, they have got grievances and they’re frustrated, but now is not the time for protest,” he said.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has urged protesters to stay at home. Credit:Paul Jeffers

“The Chief Health Officer is still determined that there are guidelines in place that prohibit mass gatherings, large gatherings and groups of people and the risk of the spread of the coronavirus is quite real in those gatherings.

“So we will do everything we can to stop the gatherings in compliance with the chief health officer guidelines. We don’t get to pick and choose the laws we enforce.

“I’d simply say this â€" I would implore, I plead, I’d ask, any other word that I can use, to say to people who are contemplating coming in here today to protest â€" do not do so. You’re not going to be welcomed with open arms, I can assure you of that.

“What is going to occur: Victoria Police have planned, we have significant tactics in place, we will be agile in our response, we will be very swift in our response and conduct as we have seen yesterday and the previous day will not be tolerated.”

However, Chief Commissioner Patton declined to outline the force’s plan today.

“I’m not going to step through the amount of police that we’re going to have on deck today, I’m not going to talk about what our tactics are save to say that those tactics will be different and we have significant police numbers.”

Victoria’s Police Minister Lisa Neville has described yesterday’s protesters as “thugs” and thanked the 500 or so officers who were deployed to keep the community safe.

“Every single one of [those Victoria Police members] over the last few days have been out dealing with violent, unacceptable behaviour from a number of, you know, thugs ... that have sought to cause harm, cause injury to the community and cause injury to our police officers,” Ms Neville said.

She said three police officers were injured during yesterday’s riots.

“That’s just unacceptable. Our police officers turn up to work, they should be able to feel safe.

“It’s a real slap in the face to the Victorian community who have been doing it very tough. I mean, every police officer wants ... the lockdown to be over as well.

“So we have got to work together so that we cannot see this sort of behaviour again.”

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews is currently addressing the media.

He stresses that not everyone protesting in Melbourne’s CBD yesterday was a tradie and says the actions of a few shouldn’t cast a shadow on the vast majority of people in the construction industry doing the right thing.

“Yesterday we saw 1000 to 2000 people, many of whom behaved appallingly,” he said.

“They did not reflect and should not be seen to reflect an entire industry. That would be unfair. That would be wrong.

“The number that is in some ways is more important is almost 90,000 people across our state went and got vaccinated yesterday. They know, as I know, that the way out of this is not violence. It’s vaccination.”

Mr Andrews said he was disappointed he had to shut down the construction industry, but said the decision had to be made because there have been 350 coronavirus cases linked to the building industry across 150 different sites throughout August and September.

“This sort of behaviour puts everything at risk,” the Premier said of yesterday’s protest.

“This sort of behaviour is unlawful, it’s ugly, it will not be tolerated.”

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews is due to address the media shortly.

It comes after yesterday’s protests in Melbourne. Watch live below.

Almost one in four health workers in northern NSW are yet to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as the local community says a mix of hesitancy and access problems has led to low rates of coverage across the general population.

The Byron, Tweed and Kempsey local government areas entered a seven-day lockdown on Tuesday after a woman, an authorised worker, tested positive for COVID-19. The woman worked for a production company filming I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! (the British version).

The Byron, Tweed and Kempsey local government areas entered a seven-day lockdown on Tuesday.Credit:SMH

In a statement, production company ITV Studios Australia said it had been filming the show in northern NSW “in accordance with Public Health Orders and restrictions”.

According to data provided at a Ministry of Health meeting last week, 77 per cent of healthcare workers in the Northern NSW Local Health District have received the first dose of a vaccine, well below the 90 per cent rate across the state. It will be mandatory for all NSW Health staff to receive one dose by September 30.

Read the full story here.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has addressed the media from New York after his first official, face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden.

As you might already know, the PM also had an encounter with one of Europe’s most senior leaders following the cancellation of a $90 billion submarine deal with France. The pair had a “frank, direct and lively exchange”, according to European Council President Charles Michel.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been meeting with world leaders in New York. Credit:AP

The PM says his recent meetings have been important given “the many issues we have in common” with other nations:

The Indo-Pacific will be a region that will challenge the world and will determine the future of so many around the world

And together with the United States, we want to ensure that those in Europe and around the world join us in focusing on addressing those challenges.

With our European partners, it was a good opportunity to be able to answer questions and take them through the important announcements we have made from Australians interests over the course of the past week. Australia will always pursue a national sovereign interest.

It’s all about keeping Australians safe and Australia strong in a world that is constantly changing

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent was speaking on the Today show just moments ago.

He described yesterday as a “dark day” for Melbourne. As previously reported, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the Victorian government’s mandatory jab ruling for construction workers.

Victorian Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent. Credit:Eddie Jim

Traffic was disrupted and members of the media were assaulted. While tradies were among the crowd, authorities say anti-vaccination activists and members of alt-right groups were also in attendance.

Here’s what the Deputy Commissioner had to say:

It is quite selfish and really quite disgusting behaviour that’s not what we need right now.

Our police did an amazing job yesterday in really, really difficult and challenging circumstances.

Most of the police that were out there are from police stations around Melbourne. We had to drag them into the city [away from local duties] and maintain public order. Really challenging, but I’m so proud of the job they did.

You know, millions of other Victorians are staying at home doing the right thing. So I really implore those people that are planning on coming back today: don’t come back. We don’t need this.

In case you missed it, locations in three hospital emergency departments, including at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne’s inner south, have been named as tier-1 exposure sites.

The Alfred hospital emergency department has been designated tier 1 for an exposure on Friday, September 17 from 8.18pm to 9.16pm.

The waiting room of Casey Hospital emergency department in Berwick, in Melbourne’s south east, was named as tier 1 with contact made on September 20 from 5.05pm to 10.43pm.

And Dandenong Hospital’s main emergency waiting room was listed as tier 1 on September 20, from 1.40pm to 3.10pm, and again from 1pm to 2.15pm on the same day.

Anyone who has visited tier-1 site locations at the times given must immediately get tested and quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.

Other tier-1 sites include the Mill Park Superclinic Pharmacy in Melbourne’s north. Meanwhile, the Coles supermarket in Wangaratta, in north-east Victoria, has been designated tier 2.

The full list of exposure sites can be found here.

NSW Liberal MP Catherine Cusack has demanded Health Minister Brad Hazzard resign amid revelations a reality TV show crew member linked to I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! triggered the Byron Bay Delta lockdown.

Ms Cusack, a long-standing upper house MLC based on the North Coast, said her colleague Mr Hazzard had failed the regions by allowing exemptions for workers to travel to areas that had low vaccination rates.

Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack said Brad Hazzard had failed the regions in allowing Delta to spread to Byron Bay. Credit: 

The NSW government announced on Tuesday that Byron and Tweed LGAs would enter a snap seven-day lockdown after a woman, an authorised worker, tested positive for COVID-19. Kempsey, further south on the NSW mid-north coast, is also in lockdown.

Ms Cusack said she was “devastated” by the revelations, given MPs in the regions were already extremely worried about Sydney’s lockdown ending while there are low rates of vaccination outside city areas.

Read the full story here.

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