Australia news LIVE NSW and Victoria look to lockdown exit strategies Brisbane on high alert after confirmed COVID case

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Victoria’s latest data has improved hopes of curtailing the state’s COVID-19 outbreak and avoiding the extreme strain on hospitals predicted by government-commissioned modelling.

Fresh outbreak data shows Victorian contact tracers are performing optimally and vaccines have caused fewer COVID-infected Victorians to end up in hospital than during last year’s outbreak.

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Premier Daniel Andrews said he hoped cases would plateau when the state reached the 50 per cent double-dose mark, which he said was about when NSW’s daily case numbers began to subside.

Prominent epidemiologists Tony Blakely, who carried out modelling for the Andrews government, and Catherine Bennett said cases could soon trend downwards.

Read the full story here.

Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman has pushed back against National Party colleagues who say a net zero emissions target will hurt regional communities.

Mr Zimmerman is among a group of Liberals pushing for the Government to commit to net-zero emissions, saying Australia needs both a target and a plan that matches it.

Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman, a moderate, faces a challenge from a grassroots campaign.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

“It is important for Australia that we are part of that because it’s the right thing to do,” he said on ABC radio this morning.

He added that the focus should be on supporting agricultural communities through the transition.

“The path to net zero for agriculture will be hard, but it also presents incredible opportunities for our farmers,” he said.

Mr Zimmerman is facing a challenge from independent Kylea Tink in his North Sydney seat. She is hoping to replicate Zali Stegall’s 2019 win over Tony Abbot in neighbouring Warringah with a campaign focused on climate change.

The Liberal MP says he is focused on getting the right policy outcome for Australia, not shoring up his own seat.

“There is extraordinary value in being inside the tent in pushing for these things because, at the end of the day, it would be bizarre to me to extinguish voices in the Liberal Party that are concerned about [climate change]. It’s nonsensical to me that you’d think that would be a good outcome.”

The Adalong Guesthouse in South Brisbane is under police guard after reports of a new positive case of COVID-19.

Police were called to the address on Stephens Road about 11pm last night.

“We were requested to attend by Queensland Health,” a police spokesman said.

Seven News is reporting that more than 12 people are isolating in the guesthouse and the positive case is not believed to be the aviation worker that tested positive in Brisbane overnight.

The aviation worker was a man in his 30s and has no recent history of overseas or interstate travel.

More on this developing story here.

NSW Health has issued warnings for residents in 21 towns and regional cities across the state.

Authorities have updated the state’s list of COVID-19 exposure sites with 31 new venues (mostly located in NSW’s west, Hunter and South Coast regions).

The NSW town of Cowra will remain in lockdown for at least another week. Credit:Janie Barrett

Anyone who visited the locations is a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until receiving a negative result.

Meanwhile, Cowra local government area, in NSW’s central west, will stay in lockdown for at least another week, after four new cases were recorded on Monday.

“To determine the extent of the risk and detect any other potential COVID-19 cases in the Cowra area, we are calling on the community to come forward for testing in large numbers,” NSW Health said in a statement.

The full list of exposure sites can be found here.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro was speaking on Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise just moments ago.

Co-host Natalie Barr pointed out that NSW has revealed unvaccinated individuals will be free from current coronavirus restrictions from December. However, in Victoria, no such road map for the unvaccinated has been given (for now).

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro. Credit:James Brickwood

Barr asked if this was effectively encouraging vaccine-hesitant individuals in NSW to avoid getting the jab given they now know how long they have to hold out for.

Here’s the Deputy Premier’s response:

We live in a time of anxiety and fear. We are leading into the Christmas period and leading into a time where people reunite and it is only fair we can communicate what the plan will look like.

We are confident we’ll be close to 90 per cent vaccination in the state [by the end of the year].

Being honest is important. I believe that people will not be holding back vaccination just because they can think they can get away until December 1. There will always be those that won’t get vaccinated.

In case you missed it, Victorian health authorities identified more than two dozen new COVID-19 exposure sites last night, including several early learning centres.

Goodstart Early Learning at Keilor Village, in Melbourne’s north west, was identified as a tier-1 site for Tuesday, September 21 between 9am and 5.30pm, and again on Wednesday, September 22 between 9am and 11.30am.

Meanwhile in Melbourne’s east, Community Kids Bayswater Early Education Centre was declared tier 1 for Tuesday, September 21 between 8.30am and 5.30pm and again on Thursday, September 23 between 6.30am and 7.30am.

The Ultrasound Centre for Women in the regional city of Geelong was also declared a tier-1 site for Thursday, September 23 between 9.10am and 10.15am.

Anyone who attended those tier-1 sites has to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days from the exposure, regardless of whether they receive a negative test result.

A full list of Victorian exposure sites can be found here.

The architect of NSW’s pandemic QR code system said it should be turned off on December 1, if health advice allows, as the government revealed the final stages of its road map out of lockdown.

NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said he would support retiring the QR-code mandate, except at high risk settings, once the state surpassed 90 per cent vaccination.

NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello.Credit:James Brickwood

“QR codes have been critical in keeping us safe and will play a pivotal role in the next few months,” he said. “But these directions were put in place in pandemic conditions. You’ve got to know when to turn QR codes on, but just as importantly, you’ve got to know when to turn them off.”

NSW is less than two weeks away from reopening at 70 per cent vaccination, with October 11 the first trading day for hairdressers, restaurants and pubs after the state’s longest ever lockdown.

Read more about NSW’s road map here.

Insisting people get vaccinated in exchange for jobs or services risks entrenching disadvantage, with some experts warning it should not be a long-term feature of Australia’s COVID-normal future.

Victoria’s road map out of lockdown promises a range of freedoms for the fully vaccinated when Melbourne reopens, such as dining indoors or outdoors, going to weddings and funerals or getting a haircut, to be facilitated by a soon-to-be-rolled-out vaccine passport system.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews provides a coronavirus update on Monday.Credit:Scott McNaughton

But as the state edges closer towards its goal for at least 70 per cent of eligible Victorians to doubled-dosed by late October, questions have emerged over the ethics, effectiveness and legality of mandates and passports.

More on this issue here.

A number of exposure sites have been listed in Brisbane after a new, confirmed case of COVID-19.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk released a public health alert from Queensland Health on Monday night.

It said the case was detected in a man, aged in his 30s, who works in the aviation industry and has “no recent history of overseas or interstate travel”.

“The source of infection is under investigation,” the statement said.

Read the full story here.

Good morning and thanks for your company.

It’s Tuesday, September 28. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.

Here’s everything you need to know before we get started.

NSW pubs, restaurants and hairdressers are gearing-up to reopen in just a couple of weeks. Yesterday, NSW detailed its full road map out of lockdown. Ten residents will be allowed to visit a home, regional travel, and drinking standing up at pubs will be allowed when 80 per cent of the state’s residents aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals will be subject to current stay-at-home orders until December 1. However, they will be able to attend church while wearing a mask prior to that date. NSW is just weeks away from reaching its 70 per cent double-dose target, which is when hairdressers, restaurants and pubs can open their doors. The state recorded 787 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday â€" the lowest daily tally in almost a month.

In Victoria, pharmacies and GP clinics are being given grants of up to $10,000 to help with the state’s vaccine rollout in Melbourne’s hardest-hit suburbs. The state is on track to reach its 80 per cent first dose milestone today. This means that, from tomorrow, the 10km travel radius will be increased to 15km and some outdoor activities â€" such as golf and outdoor training â€" will return for the fully vaccinated. Unlike his NSW counterparty, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has not indicated when restrictions might ease for the unvaccinated. Yesterday, Victoria recorded 705 new cases of COVID-19.

And Queensland’s COVID-zero run has come to an end. Yesterday, the state government listed several exposure sites after a new case was confirmed in Brisbane. Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise is reporting that there are now at least three cases in the Sunshine State. We’ll bring you more details as soon as they come to hand.

The ACT government has announced the territory’s lockdown will end on October 15. That is when the government expects 80 per cent of residents aged 12 and over to be fully vaccinated. There are 19 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Canberra yesterday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s attendance at major global climate talks is likely to hinge on whether he can get the Nationals to agree to support net zero emissions by 2050. Liberals in inner-city seats, who fear losing ground to independents advocating for greater action on climate change are calling on the PM to deliver a more ambitious plan (you might recall that Warringah’s Zali Steggall toppled former prime minister Tony Abbott at the last election). But some, such as Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan, say they are “deadset against zero net emissions”.

In overseas news, American singer-songwriter R Kelly has been convicted by a federal US jury in his sex trafficking trial. And US President Joe Biden has received his COVID-19 booster shot.

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