PM announces Stage 4 restrictions for Melbourne 3/8/2020 (See Translation in Arabic section) Melbourne - M E Times Int'l: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has released a message to support Victorians. In a statement posted to Instagram, Mr Morrison said Australians around the country are backing you in because we know for Australia to succeed, we need for Victoria to get through this. “We are offering every support we can to Victoria and already have 1400 Australian Defence Force personnel on the ground as well as AUSMAT specialist health teams,” he said. “We are all in this together and we will get through it. We’ve done this before and we will do it again.” 
Victoria enters state of disaster Melbourne: A state of disaster has been declared in Victoria for the next six weeks, bringing with it the nation’s toughest rules since the pandemic began. Metropolitan Melbourne is now under strict stage four restrictions which include: a curfew between 8PM and 5AM, residents limited to a 5KM radius for shopping and exercise, students return to remote learning from Wednesday, funerals limited to 10 people and weddings banned. Regional Victoria will enter stage three restrictions from midnight Wednesday with residents only allowed to travel for care, work and essential shopping. This comes after a week of staggering case numbers, peaking at 723 on Thursday. 
NSW urges use of masks as COVID-19 spreads Sydney: The NSW Government is strongly encouraging greater use of masks in high-risk public settings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wearing a mask in any of these settings is not mandatory but is highly recommended, especially in areas where there has been community transmission. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a mask is not a substitute for physical distancing. “People should continue to maintain their physical distance – it is our most effective weapon. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t maintain your physical distance you should wear a mask,” Ms Berejiklian said. Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said masks are not suitable for everyone such as young children. 
Jodi McKay is urging Gladys Berejiklian to make face masks compulsory Sydney: NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay is urging Gladys Berejiklian to make face masks compulsory on public transport, in supermarkets and shopping centres and in places of worship. Ms McKay said: “NSW is on a knife edge. We can’t afford to sleepwalk into a second lockdown. Gladys Berejiklian must take decisive action against the spread of COVID-19 in NSW and make masks compulsory. “The Premier’s mask recommendation isn’t an instruction. It doesn’t convey the severity of the situation. NSW needs clear directions to keep people safe and keep businesses open. “Public health orders exist to protect the community. The Premier should use them to stop the spread of the virus and keep the economy moving.” Ms McKay offered bipartisan support to Gladys Berejiklian to make masks compulsory on public transport, in supermarkets, shopping centres and places of worship. I will back her 100 per cent.” 
Qld to fight overseas travel exemptions as state confirms no new COVID-19 cases Brisbane: Queensland’s premier will raise concerns about some returning overseas travellers avoiding mandatory quarantine with the National Cabinet, a day after a consular official tested positive to COVID-19. It comes as Queensland records no new coronavirus cases on Monday. The man in his 20s was granted an exemption from hotel quarantine and was in home isolation in Toowoomba, where he drove himself after flying into Maroochydore via Sydney. Speaking this morning, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was concerned by the global spike in coronavirus cases and did not think now was the ‘right time’ to be granting exemptions to Australians returning from overseas. “I don’t think now is the time to be granting exemptions,” she said. 
Victoria lockdown could wipe $9b from national economy Melbourne: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says stage four coronavirus lockdowns in Melbourne feel “war-like”. Speaking on Today, Mr Frydenberg said every Victorian was on the front line. “We can’t afford any holes in our defence so everybody needs to follow these rules,” he said. The member for Kooyong in Melbourne’s inner east said the new measures, including restrictions on some workplaces to be announced today, would result in closures. “This is a big kick in the guts to thousands of small businesses right across the state,” he said. “There has been so much carnage; a lot won’t make it.” Experts are predicting that Victoria’s six-week lockdown could wipe $9 billion from the national economy and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. 
Ripping religious education out from schools will make 'our society poorer’ Senator James Paterson says the push to remove scripture lessons from schools is “going to make our society poorer.” Principles have been calling for scripture lessons to be held outside of school hours because they allegedly don’t have enough time to teach their students the curriculum. “I’m not a believer, but I recognise that the secular values which many Australians subscribe to have Judaeo-Christian origins, and religious understanding and religious literacy is really important to understanding our origins and our freedoms in a Western Civilisation,” Mr Paterson told Paul Murray. “Its not about educating people to believe, it’s educating people to understand and frankly, there’s a shocking lack of that in our education system. “That’s a real shame and that’s going to really make our society poorer.” 
Home prices ease in July but there are warnings of bigger falls ahead Australian home prices fell 0.6 per cent last month, with the biggest declines in Melbourne as the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 was being felt. The 0.6 per cent fall was not quite as steep as June's 0.7 per cent fall, but highlighted a continuing downwards trend in the nation's property markets, particularly the two biggest. Melbourne led the home price falls last month with a 1.2 per cent slide, and prices there were down 3.2 per cent over the past three months, although up 8.7 per cent over the past year. "The more life has been disrupted by COVID, the more prices have taken a hit," CoreLogic's head of research Australia, Eliza Owen, told reporters. Sydney, likewise, had a fairly steep 0.9 per cent fall last month, and was down 2.1 per cent over the past quarter, but up 12.1 per cent over the past 12 months. Ms Owen said there is still relatively little "stock" on the market — properties listed for sale — and that which is available is being fairly quickly absorbed by buyers. However, she warned this may change once mortgage repayment holidays for struggling borrowers end in the first couple of months of 2021. 
Biden has 'implied' he will be a one-term president Joe Biden has “implied” that he only wants to serve one term as president if he wins the election in November, according to RMIT University’s Joe Siracusa. Polls have the Democrat ahead of President Donald Trump, largely due to Mr Trump's response to the coronavirus crisis. “And the people who are running with him have inferred that,” Mr Siracusa told reporters. “Everyone he is looking at is in their 50s, except [Elizabeth] Warren who is in her 70s, and she will probably end up as secretary of the treasury. “Everyone else is in their 50s, so it is quite clear that his vice-presidential candidate has presidential plans. “He is marking the Democratic Party for the next 10 years.” |
