Australia news LIVE Victoria records one death 535 new cases NSW Police issue warning ahead of planned anti-lockdown protests
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Defence troops, emergency volunteers and surf lifesavers could be called on to transport Victorian COVID-19 patients to hospital if the outbreak worsens, as a call went out to staff with no intensive care experience to man critical care beds.
Ambulance Victoria COVID incident management commander Professor Mick Stephenson confirmed to The Age his organisation had recently established a partnership with St John Ambulance and the SES to deliver care to Victorians “if neededâ€, and said it was in talks with Life Saving Victoria, the ADF and Jewish ambulance service Chevra Hatzolah about what support they could provide.
Ambulance Victoria is seeking help to transport COVID patients to hospital, should demand overwhelm the service. Credit:Paul Rovere
“Throughout the pandemic our focus has been on delivering care to Victorians, part of this includes preparing for a variety of scenarios,†he said.
Professor Stephenson said the ambulance service’s emergency plan included arrangements to share the load with state and Commonwealth agencies should case numbers become unmanageable for the service, which was nearing peak capacity months before the outbreak began.
Read the full story here.
A big crowd has gathered in Perth’s Forrest Place, joining anti-lockdown protests across the country.
Bearing signs with slogans such as “Coercion is not consentâ€, the protesters railed against COVID-19 lockdowns in other states, the coronavirus vaccine, and vaccine mandates.
Anti-lockdown and vaccine mandate protesters gather at Forrest Place in Perth.Credit:Kelly Haywood/Nine News Perth
Nine News Perth reporter Kelly Haywood said the crowd gathered at the CBD mall about midday and numbered around 1000 people.
While Perth is not in lockdown and COVID-19 restrictions in Western Australia are minimal â€" aside from closed borders with several eastern states â€" the crowd voiced support for other protests around the country on Saturday, such as those in New South Wales and Victoria, which have seen clashes with police as officers attempt to stymie the gatherings.
Among the anti-vaccine talking points and numerous red ensign Australian flags waving in the chilly wind of an overcast day were conspiracy theory tropes urging people to do their own “researchâ€, and signs pouring scorn on the mainstream media’s reporting of the coronavirus pandemic.
Support for political parties was also thin on the ground, save for a few signs championing Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party â€" whose MP Craig Kelly was recently chastised by the country’s medical regulator over his use of TGA extracts in unsolicited text messages â€" and there was the telltale orange of a One Nation backer among the crowd, accompanied by a large cutout of party leader Pauline Hanson.
The most vitriol, however, was reserved for vaccine mandates.
Signs such as “Healthcare workers say no†took aim at the West Australian government’s move to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for all healthcare staff â€" including food providers â€" by the end of the year.
When the policy was announced earlier this year, Australian Nursing Federation Western Australia secretary Mark Olsen supported the move, but predicted between seven and eight per cent of the nursing workforce would choose not to get the vaccine, putting more pressure on an already strained system.
Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson believed there was only about 1.5 per cent of the health workforce “philosophically opposed†to the vaccine.
Dr Robertson at the time predicted there would likely be a small impact to the system as workers left, but said a COVID-19 outbreak in hospitals would have a “far more crippling effectâ€.
WA reported one new case of COVID-19 in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine on Saturday.
Organisers of an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne’s inner-city have told the hundreds who turned out to disperse, lauding their efforts with a “well done everyoneâ€.
More than 2000 officers were deployed as part of the anti-protest operation in Melbourne on Saturday.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
The announcement was made via an encrypted messaging service just before 2pm on Saturday. Police were gradually winnowing down the crowds, separating small parts of the cohort and arresting a few.
Just before 2.30pm, about 200 people who stayed behind had congregated again on a major thoroughfare in Richmond, near the corner of Bridge Road and Church Street, with police blocking both sides. Protesters started to exit down side streets.
As we reported earlier, chaos and violence broke out on the streets of Richmond at points during the rally, with police using capsicum spray on protesters as they broke through a police line.
One officer was seen by The Age getting assaulted and trampled by demonstrators, and earlier, protesters lobbed projectiles at police.
Beyond Melbourne, in the city of Geelong, locals were also protesting lockdowns, with a small number gathering outside Geelong’s town hall.
For more extensive coverage of today’s anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne, click here.
Thanks very much for joining me on a fairly newsy morning on our national blog. It’s time to hand the reins to my colleague Cassandra Morgan, who will take you through the rest of the afternoon. If you’re just jumping online, here’s a quick recap of today’s headlines so far:
France’s Ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault.Credit:Getty
Police in Melbourne during an anti-lockdown protest on Saturday.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne’s north east has been declared a tier-1 COVID-19 exposure site.
A patient tested positive for the virus mid-week, following a visit to the women’s outpatients’ clinic during her infectious period on Monday.
The Age understands 120 pregnant women will be forced to isolate as a result.
“Mercy Health has contacted patients and staff who were considered to be at risk of exposure and who were in the area at the time,†a Mercy Health spokesperson said.
“The hospital is taking an exceptionally cautious approach and in line with Department of Health advice has advised any patient at risk to get tested and isolate for 14 days.â€
To the Melbourne protest now, where police have used capsicum spray on a small number of anti-lockdown protesters who gathered in Richmond, in the inner-city to avoid checkpoints aimed at keeping them out of the CBD.
Police use capsicum spray on protestors in Richmond, Melbourne, on Saturday.Credit:Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
The protesters walked up Richmond’s Bridge Street and then turned down Burnley Street, where the rally stopped and sat in the middle of the street shouting “you serve us†at police.
Police used capsicum spray to subdue some protesters, who were closed in on both sides by officers carrying batons.
Police responding to anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
Another group of protesters later arrived and sandwiched police at one end of the demonstration.
The protesters then broke off through a gate of an apartment complex to evade police, causing traffic chaos in Richmond’s side streets.
Read more extensive coverage here
Jumping back to Victoria, where Health Minister Martin Foley has dropped some small clues about what tomorrow’s anticipated road map for reopening could look like, confirming that case numbers, not just vaccination rates, will play a role.
“It’s all in the mix together,†he said. “The measures will be safe, they will be achievable and they will be in line with the National Cabinet plan.â€
Modelling that the Victorian Government is using to prepare hospitals for increased demand estimates that by mid next month the state will have 18,000 active COVID-19 cases and there will be 800 people in hospital, quadruple the current numbers.
“Every indication we’ve had from the people that do the epidemiological assessments is that case numbers will continue to rise,†said Mr Foley.
He said the reproduction factor of the outbreak had decreased slightly this week to around 1.3 to 1.4 but needed to come down below 1 if numbers were to turn around.
“It will continue to head down by making sure all Victorians follow the rules ... and get vaccinated.â€
Meanwhile, Victorians who test positive for coronavirus can soon expect to receive a text message informing them of the news before they receive a phone call, as rising cases put pressure on the state’s contact tracing system.
Victoria’s Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson said text messages were already being sent to people with COVID-19, but said by the end of the week more people should expect the first notification to arrive by text, to prevent delays in people receiving the news.
Police have arrested at least two people near the site of a planned anti-lockdown protest in Sydney Park near Newtown.
The first was a woman on the corner of South King Street and Sydney Park Road. She was seen sitting in the back of the van, wearing lycra leggings, running shoes and a mask.
A woman in activewear sits in the back of a police vehicle in Sydney.Credit:James Brickwood
Sydney Park is a popular spot for runners, and witnesses who saw the initial arrest said she had been asked for identification, and it showed she was outside of her five-kilometre zone or local government area.
Police on the scene refused to confirm details on the basis that it was a major police operation, while NSW Police media said they would not provide rolling commentary but would hold a press conference later.
The Herald also saw a man arrested on Sydney Park Road for not carrying a mask.
The man was out running and didn’t stop when police called out “where’s your mask?“.
When they stopped him, he said he lived nearby, but didn’t stop initially because he panicked and didn’t want to be fined.
The public health order allows people to exercise without wearing a mask but they must carry one with them.
Melbourne Anti-lockdown protesters have gathered in the inner-city suburb of Richmond to avoid police checkpoints aimed at keeping them out of the CBD.
Travel in and out of Melbourne by public transport and car has ground to a halt to prevent anti-lockdown protesters from gathering in the CBD.
Police in a line approaching protesters on Bridge Road, Richmond.Credit:Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Police have set up checkpoints on roads into the city to stop people from travelling into Melbourne without a reason ahead of a rally that was originally planned for 12pm on Saturday.
However, protesters changed the location at 10am to Richmond and began gathering at about midday outside the Richmond Town Hall on Bridge Road. Most were not wearing masks.
More than 2000 officers have been deployed as part of the anti-protest operation, with senior police stating they will do everything they can to prevent access to the city.
France’s recalled ambassador to Australia has likened Canberra’s actions to treason after the Morrison government dumped a $90 billion submarine contract with Paris and instead decided to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age hours before he was recalled, France’s ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, did not rule out suspending talks to allow French troops greater access to Australian military bases after his nation was “stabbed in the backâ€.
“Adding insult to the process... we have very reliable reports from the independent press, which I thank, about the fact that all this was in the making for 18 months. Which means we have been blind-sided intentionally for 18 months…. The crime was prepared for 18 months,†he said.
“If the reports that were published… on the treason in the making and the intentional double language, is true - and it has not been contradicted - then it is a major breach of confidence and a very bad signal.â€
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