Australia news LIVE: Government defends cash bonuses for aged care staff; nation’s total COVID-19 cases continue to grow

• The Labor Opposition has criticised the federal government’s plan to provide two $400 cash payments to aged care workers by May this year, when the next election is due to be held. Mr Morrison announced the policy officially during his Press Club address, but it had been widely reported ahead of his speech. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said aged care workers were “desperate to have [rapid antigen tests] to look after their residents. Scott Morrison’s just desperate to get their votes. A cash payment that does nothing to lift the wages of aged care workers beyond the next federal election campaign is an appalling response.”

• More than 400 aged care residents have died since January 1 after contracting COVID-19. Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Paul Sadler said today that the situation was a “national emergency”. He called on national cabinet to do everything it could to prevent COVID deaths in aged care facilities, including accelerating the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. The Commonwealth has responsibility for aged care facilities. While the interval between second shots and booster doses is now three months, the original interval when the booster rollout began late last year was six months. That meant that some aged care residents were not eligible until recently for a booster dose.

• Home buyers are likely to be spared higher repayments ahead of the election, with the Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe signalling it could be many months until the central bank is prepared to increase rates even as inflation rises. The RBA kept interest rates on hold at a record low 0.1 per cent at its first meeting of the year. Read more from Jennifer Duke and Shane Wright here.

• Shoppers slowed their retail spree in December following a bumper month of sales as the Omicron outbreak dampened the Christmas spending spirit, Shane Wright and Jennifer Duke report. Retail turnover dropped 4.4 per cent in the last month of 2021, data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows. This was the biggest fall since April 2020 but followed a 7.3 per cent national jump in turnover in November and a 4.9 per cent rise in October. ABS director of quarterly economy wide statistics Ben James said retail sales remained above pre-pandemic levels, with December’s turnover the second highest level on record behind November. The ABS noted softer trading conditions emerged later in December as consumers became more cautious due to rising Omicron cases. But the overall spending for the month was still strong.

• A man in his 30s who had received two COVID-19 vaccine doses and had no significant underlying health conditions was among 30 people in NSW whose coronavirus-related deaths were reported today. As Sarah McPhee reports, the state recorded 12,818 new infections today as 2,749 people are treated in NSW hospitals for the virus. There are 186 people in intensive care, 70 of whom are on ventilators (compared with 185 and 67 yesterday). Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the death of the man in his 30s pointed to “the importance of [a] booster to really lift that protection”. It is important to note, however, that adults are not eligible for a booster dose until at least three months after their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and some young people have yet to reach that milestone.

• Victoria reported 11,311 official cases of COVID-19 and 34 deaths. Today’s numbers are up on yesterday’s tally of 10,053. There are 851 people in Victorian hospitals with the virus, 106 of whom are in intensive care. Today’s overall hospitalisations are down on yesterday’s 873 patients (when there were 102 cases in ICU). A total of about 150 Victorian school students and staff tested positive for COVID-19 on their first day back in term one on Monday, Cassandra Morgan reports. Speaking on ABC radio Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon, Victorian Department of Education and Training deputy secretary David Howes said the breakdown was about 101 students and 55 staff. “Of course, we really feel for those students and staff and we wish them a really quick recovery,” Mr Howes said. “But it does mean they have been able to stay home and isolate and that’s a major contribution protecting the rest of the students and staff in our community.”

• Queensland reported 7588 new COVID infections and 10 additional deaths, with aged care homes now accounting for more than half of the Omicron wave’s death toll. As Matt Dennien reports, Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said eight of the 10 new deaths were in such facilities, taking the total number since mid-December to 107. A total of 202 people in the broader population have died with the virus since the latest wave began. Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said this meant only 10 of the 107 aged care residents who died had received a coronavirus vaccination booster shot, with 20 totally unvaccinated, and said she would be writing to the Commonwealth government to request data about the proportion of aged care residents who had received their boosters. The Commonwealth is responsible for the aged care sector.
• A total of 35,350 coronavirus cases and 77 deaths were reported nationwide today.

This is Michaela Whitbourn signing off on the blog for today. Broede Carmody will be back with you tomorrow morning.

The deputy secretary said the state’s voluntary twice-weekly rapid antigen testing program for school students and staff would “without question” miss some coronavirus cases.

“We’ve never said that this will pick up every case, but yesterday’s results show that it picked up 150 cases that wouldn’t have been detected otherwise, and that’s a good thing,” Mr Howes said.

There are about one million students in Victoria’s school system. Mr Howes said the department has not received reports of people refusing the tests, and, “in fact, the reverse is true”.

“[We’re seeing] a lot of enthusiasm that it’s a good thing to have in place, is reassuring,” he said. “The vast majority of our families are cooperating enthusiastically.”

“It’s not just a couple of sites where things have to change ... this is much more systemic.”

More than one in three female employees aged 25-34 had experienced sexual harassment in the past five years, the investigation found. Among Rio Tinto’s fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workforce, the incidence was even higher, with more than 40 per cent of all women having experienced sexual harassment.

Read the full story here.

Dr Aly told ABC News 24 this afternoon that “aged care workers don’t need a sugar hit of $400 to keep them doing what they’re doing”.

“They love what they’re doing and they do it because they have a passion for it. They need better work conditions and better pay conditions,” she said.

“The government can respond today to the Royal Commission into Aged Care and lift the working conditions for aged care workers now, instead of giving them a $400 sugar hit, which of course is welcome, they do deserve that money [and] I won’t argue against that, but it’s not a long-term solution.

“If you want aged care workers to stay in aged care, if you want our most valuable asset in Australia which is our elderly to be looked after, you need to improve their work and conditions.”

Ms Malysiak, from Brother Albert’s Home in Marayong, received her two initial doses at photo shoots with Mr Morrison and was called up for another media event on day one of the booster rollout at a nearby medical centre. But other residents of her facility would have to wait.

“They told us we would not be able to get a booster clinic until February,” Ms Davis said. “And I said, ‘well, that’s not good enough’. My residents [received their initial doses] in March and April last year.”

Read the full story here.

The ABS noted softer trading conditions emerged later in December as consumers became more cautious due to rising Omicron cases. But the overall spending for the month was still strong.

“Despite this month’s fall, retail turnover remains strong, up 4.8 per cent on December 2020, with strong consumer spending continuing post the Delta Outbreak,” Mr James said.

“Victoria recorded the largest fall of any state or territory, down 8.4 per cent, however this only partly unwinds the state’s strong rise in November when it rose to a record level.”

In November, Victoria’s retail trade jumped 20 per cent as the state emerged from lockdown. The month also included a bumper Black Friday sales event.

NSW spending fell 4.2 per cent in December and Western Australia dropped 3.5 per cent.

The Northern Territory was the only state or territory to record a rise in turnover, with easing restrictions contributing to a 3.6 per cent increase.