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Key posts
- Andrews government bets on post-lockdown growth to fix state’s finances
- COVID-19 vaccine for children approved for new year rollout
- Morrison gives up on Berejiklian run as she opts for ‘different direction’
- Four suspected Omicron cases being analysed in Victoria
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
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Andrews government bets on post-lockdown growth to fix state’s finances
The Andrews government is betting on surging post-lockdown economic growth to rebuild Victoria’s battered finances as it prepares to amass a war chest to fight the November 2022 state election.
State Treasury’s mid-financial year budget update, to be released today, ramps up predictions for economic growth for the 2022-23 financial year.
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas.Credit:Justin McManus
The government now believes the economy will bounce back by 4.5 per cent, compared with a prediction of 3.25 per cent made in the May budget seven months ago.
Booming house prices are continuing to fill the government’s coffers with stamp duty revenue. Victoria already has one of the highest tax hauls as a proportion of the economy in the nation, but the government isn’t ruling out imposing new taxes.
Treasurer Tim Pallas has hit back at critics of government spending, saying he is not attempting to balance the books through austerity.
Read the full story here.
COVID-19 vaccine for children approved for new year rollout
Five- to 11-year-olds can be vaccinated against COVID-19 from early January after Pfizer’s product received final approval, paving the way for the rollout to this age group to be well underway before school returns next year.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended 5- to 11-year-olds receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine eight weeks apart to protect them against coronavirus, and the federal government says bookings will be available within weeks.
Australia’s vaccine experts have given Pfizer the final tick of approval for 5- to 11-year-olds.Credit:AP
“This will bring great relief to so many mums and dads, who now have a choice on what’s best for their kids. They can have peace of mind knowing this has the tick from the best medical regulators in the world,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
National cabinet is meeting on Friday for an update on the Omicron strain and the plan for international borders, with restrictions currently due to lift for overseas students, skilled migrants and other select visa holders next Wednesday.
More on vaccines and the new coronavirus variant here.
Morrison gives up on Berejiklian run as she opts for ‘different direction’
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he understands and respects why Gladys Berejiklian wants to go in a “different direction” rather than enter federal politics, ahead of an announcement expected today by the former NSW premier about her future.
Mr Morrison made public appeals to Ms Berejiklian over the past week to consider running as the Liberal candidate in the federal seat of Warringah, where the party faces an uphill battle against the incumbent independent MP, Zali Steggall.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and then NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian at a press conference in February.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Ms Berejiklian made no comment throughout the week of speculation but is expected to make a statement later in the day. Several people close to the former premier – who was a Commonwealth Bank general manager before entering politics – indicated she had received numerous approaches from the corporate sector since resigning.
Read the full story here.
Four suspected Omicron cases being analysed in Victoria
Victorian health authorities are investigating another two suspected cases of Omicron in the community, but are not aiming to wipe out the coronavirus variant.
The cases are in addition to two detected on Wednesday, which authorities still say are under investigation.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews during a visit to the Angliss Restaurant in Melbourne yesterday. Credit:AAP
However, Premier Daniel Andrews says it is unlikely the government would tighten restrictions to guard against the Omicron strain. Mr Andrews says Victoria’s high vaccination rate (91 per cent of those aged 12 and over) means it has greater protection than some other communities, such as Britain.
“We are not chasing an Omicron-zero strategy – that is not a smart thing to do, that will not be achieved,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
More on the situation in Victoria here.
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning and thanks for your company.
It’s Friday, December 10. 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.
- Children as young as five can start getting a dose of the Pfizer vaccine from early next year. The jab is officially approved for children aged 5- to 11-years-old from January 10. Unlike adults, children in this age group will wait longer for their second jab (an eight-week interval instead of a gap as short as three weeks). Bookings will open later this month and vaccines will be available from pharmacists, state clinics and GPs.
It’s expected Australia’s vaccine rollout for 5- to 11-year-olds will start on January 10. Credit:AP
- In Sydney, a Bondi backpackers has been placed in lockdown due to a COVID scare. One person has tested positive overnight, according to NSW Health. NSW’s daily coronavirus cases are above 400 once again, but Premier Dominic Perrottet has urged people to remain calm. Meanwhile, former premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to today announce that she won’t run for federal politics and will instead take up a role in the private sector.
Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.Credit:James Alcock
- There are four Omicron cases under investigation in Victoria. It’s unknown how those people acquired their infections, but there have been two wastewater detections near Melbourne Airport. Victoria’s first Omicron case was detected in quarantine earlier this week. Premier Daniel Andrews says new cases of the COVID variant won’t trigger additional restrictions. Yesterday, Victoria recorded 1232 cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says Omicron won’t trigger additional coronavirus restrictions. Credit:Justin McManus
- A third british MP is isolating after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. The Nationals leader tested positive to coronavirus yesterday, Australia time, in the United States. He had been in London earlier in the week for a series of high-level meetings. The federal government says Mr Joyce will isolate in Washington, DC, until it is safe to return home.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has tested positive for COVID-19. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
- Elsewhere, two bushfires are burning near the Margaret River region in Western Australia. The fires started yesterday after a number of lightning strikes. In Brisbane, the third day of the first Ashes Test is about to get underway. The ACT recorded four cases of COVID-19 yesterday. And France’s Indo-Pacific envoy says Australia is still “in denial” over the extent of the fallout following the cancellation of a multi-billion submarine contract.
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