Australia news LIVE Victoria records 1126 new local COVID-19 cases five deaths NSW restrictions ease as state records 187 new cases seven deaths Michael Sukkar responds to allegations

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Good afternoon and thank you for reading our live coverage of the day’s events. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you need to know:

NSW has recorded 187 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths, including an unvaccinated man in his 30s from Sydney’s south-west who had no significant underlying health conditions. Two more people died in Albury: a partially vaccinated woman in her 80s and a fully vaccinated woman in her 90s who died at the Mercy Place aged care facility, where they contracted the virus. Eight people have died after an outbreak at this facility. An unvaccinated man in his 80s died at Prince of Wales Hospital, where he contracted the virus.

There are 264 people in NSW’s hospitals with the virus, including 48 in intensive care.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet at Stadium Australia on Monday.Credit:Nick Moir

The Hunter New England Local Health District including the northern NSW town of Moree has been of concern in recent days amid a spike in coronavirus cases. While it’s too early to know if this is a trend, cases have dropped today. Forty new infections recorded, compared with more than 70 cases per day for the past four days.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said NSW will hit a new vaccination milestone “today or tomorrow”: 90 per cent of people aged 16 and over in the state will be fully vaccinated against coronavirus. Restrictions for the fully vaccinated eased further this morning. From today, the 20 person limit on home visits is scrapped for those who’ve had two jabs. For outdoor gatherings, the limit is now 1000 people. For retail and hospitality, density limits are now one person per two square metres and stadiums may operate at 100 per cent capacity. Masks must still be worn indoors and on public transport. Gym classes are still limited to 20 people. Unvaccinated people remain subject to stay-at-home restrictions until December 15 or when the state reaches a 95 per cent double-dose rate (whichever comes first).

Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino.Credit:Getty Images

Victoria has recorded 1126 new cases of COVID-19, down slightly from yesterday’s 1173 cases, and five deaths. There are 556 coronavirus patients in Victorian hospitals, of whom 91 are in intensive care. Fifty-four people are on a ventilator. Vaccination rates are surging ahead: 84 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have now had both jabs.

From Monday, Victorians will be able to access dining vouchers of up to $150 if eating out in the Melbourne CBD. It’s part of a state and local government plan to boost the post-lockdown hospitality sector. But there is a catch: the vouchers are only available to those who have a night on the town on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thusrday (the quietest days of the week).

Meanwhile, Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino has announced Victorian schools will receive free rapid antigen tests. Students who have access to the tests will be able to return to school after just seven days, even if they’re unvaccinated and a close contact of a positive case (as long as they complete a negative PCR test on day six and return to rapid antigen testing each day after that). Fully vaccinated students will be able to return to school after seven days of isolation and will not need to complete rapid antigen testing.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has urged more people to come forward for COVID-19 testing.Credit:Matt Dennien

Queensland recorded no new cases of COVID-19 but low testing rates are of concern to health officials. Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the state had not detected any new cases overnight from 5879 tests, despite a cluster of cases emerging in the southern border town of Goondiwindi in recent days and a COVID-positive person spending time in the Cairns community while infectious.

The ACT has recorded 13 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19. Over the past 24 hours, 1,476 people tested negative to the virus. There is just one person in hospital in Canberra with the virus, and they are on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. Canberrans have turned out in droves to get vaccinated, and 95.1 per cent of people aged 12 and over have now received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

Broede Carmody is signing off on the blog for today. Michaela Whitbourn will keep you informed of the latest news throughout the afternoon and evening.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says NSW will achieve a 90 per cent double vaccination rate, of people aged 16 and older, “today or tomorrow”.

It comes as restrictions for the fully vaccinated loosened further this morning, boosting density limits in hospitality venues and allowing uncapped home visitors.

“I believe the vaccination rate has been key for NSW to be able to open up safely,” the Premier told reporters this morning.

“The restrictions that have been lifted today I really do believe get us back to that level of normality.”

Mr Perrottet said he believed the state would ultimately reach a 95 per cent vaccination rate.

Asked when the one person per two square metre density rule would be removed, Mr Perrottet said it would be “one of the last changes that comes off the books”.

“And we want to see that occur as quickly as possible,” he said.

The ACT has recorded 13 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19.

Over the past 24 hours, 1,476 people tested negative to the virus.

There is just one person in hospital in Canberra with the virus, and they are on a ventilator in an intensive care unit.

Canberrans have turned out in droves to get vaccinated, and 95.1 per cent of people aged 12 and over have now received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

An unvaccinated man in his 30s who had no significant health conditions is one of the seven new COVID-19 deaths reported in NSW today.

The south-west Sydney man died at Royal North Shore Hospital.

The other deaths included two residents of Albury’s Mercy Place nursing home, where eight residents have now died from COVID-19 in an outbreak which has affected multiple aged care facilities and schools in the border town.

Another person who died from the virus was a man in his 80s who was a patient at Prince of Wales Hospital and caught COVID-19 while receiving care. He was not vaccinated.

“Remember, COVID has killed more than 5 million people internationally, so please book in for your jab and book in for your booster if you’re due for one,” NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said.

Queenslanders are being urged to come forward for COVID-19 testing, with low rates despite recent scares at both ends of the state.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the state had not detected any new cases overnight from 5879 tests, even after a cluster of cases emerged in the southern border town of Goondiwindi and there was a person infectious in the Cairns community.

“We would like to see those testing numbers come up again,” Ms D’Ath said.

After the Northern Territory lifted lockdown measures in the Katherine region, Queensland will also remove the area from its list of declared hotspots from 4pm today.

Acting Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken also said visits to the Toowoomba hospital, west of Brisbane, would be limited out of an abundance of caution after a close contact of one recent Goondiwindi cluster case was also found to have attended the site.

The state delivered 10,676 vaccine doses yesterday, more than half of those at pop-up hubs at Bunnings hardware stores.

A total of 79.49 per cent of the 16-plus population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with 67.14 per cent fully vaccinated.

Mr Morrison has brushed off questions about the latest allegations that his Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar personally knew about a scheme where his faction misused taxpayer resources to strengthen his political power base.

“That was dealt with a year ago by the Department of Finance which found there was nothing further to investigate,” Mr Morrison said.

Finance said in a statement in October 2020 that it had concluded there was no basis for further investigation or to refer the matter to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.

It based this on an examination of departmental records and written statements from Mr Sukkar, and has repeatedly refused freedom of information requests to release the full report.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is talking up hydrogen in a visit to the Port of Newcastle, flanked by the Liberal Party’s candidates for the Labor-held seats of Paterson and Shortland.

He describes hydrogen as “the future fuel” that will be able to power mining trucks, coal-fired power stations and other traditional industries.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in the NSW Hunter region today. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

“You get hydrogen to two bucks Australia a kilo and you are really starting to fire up your economy,” he says.

The federal government’s green bank, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, announced today it will finance five purpose-built, zero-emissions trucks, the construction of hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure.

Mr Morrison asks reporters for local questions first, but one asks about the government’s climate policies, prefacing the query with, “Glasgow-local for us” given the NSW Hunter region has strong ties to coal mining.

He declines to say when the government will release its modelling of how Australia will reach its new target of net zero emissions by 2050, saying repeatedly it would be “soon”.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has finished providing a press conference.

He was joined by Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres, Minister for Sport Natalie Ward and Football Australia CEO James Johnson.

We’ll have the playback version with you soon.

Victoria’s deputy premier says it’s “disappointing” that vaccines won’t be available for 5- to 11-year-olds before the end of the year.

James Merlino, who is also Minister for Education, said “we would have loved to have seen vaccines rollout for 5- to 11-year-olds on this side of Christmas”.

“That’s what we wanted and that’s what we were, frankly, expecting,” he said.

“Unfortunately the Prime Minister did indicate at national cabinet on Friday that vaccines won’t be available by Christmas … it’s disappointing.

“I would hate to see the federal government fail to secure vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds and fail to secure vaccines for a second time.”

Earlier today, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said that Pfizer had submitted only its first application on vaccines for children to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

“The critical thing is a full and thorough assessment,” Mr Hunt told Sunrise.

“Our kids are far less likely to either get, or in particular to have serious complications, but we want to make that vaccine available and we will be able to do that as soon as the medical regulators approve it â€" if they approve it.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just finished holding a press conference.

As mentioned earlier, he is touring regional NSW today after returning from international climate talks in Glasgow.

We’ll have the playback version with you shortly.

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