Australia news LIVE: NSW records 2501 new local COVID-19 cases; Victoria records 1302 new cases as health experts urge rethink on masks; NT border reopens for vaccinated travellers

• Refugee advocate Shane Bazzi has filed an appeal against a Federal Court decision ordering him to pay Defence Minister Peter Dutton $35,000 in damages over a defamatory tweet. Mr Dutton sued Mr Bazzi over the six-word tweet, published on February 25 this year, accusing him of being a “rape apologist”. He won a $35,000 damages payout and $825 in interest after Justice Richard White rejected Mr Bazzi’s defences of honest opinion and fair comment on a matter of public interest. Mr Bazzi’s lawyers, Sydney firm O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors, said in a statement today that they had filed a notice of appeal in the Federal Court. “Mr Bazzi will be arguing that the judge erred in finding that Mr Bazzi’s tweet carried the meaning found by the judge,” his lawyers said. “The appeal will be held some time in 2022.”

• A Queensland university graduation ceremony for nurses and paramedics that was attended by more than 2600 people has been identified as a COVID Omicron cluster, Cloe Read and Sean Parnell report. Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said Omicron cases had already been identified at the Griffith University ceremony, which took place at Brisbane’s Convention Centre on Monday, December 13. Dr Gerrard said the graduation cohort consisted of nurse and paramedic graduates, and 2675 people attended. The site has been deemed a casual contact one from 7.30am to 12.30pm. “We so far have 15 cases linked to that event, but we expect more,” he said.
• As Stuart Layt reported earlier today, Queensland has recorded 59 new cases of COVID-19 today, as the state made a fresh plea for people to get their booster vaccination shots. Dr Gerrard said the state’s cases were doubling roughly every 48 hours, and warned it would likely continue this trend for the time being. Of the 59 new cases, nine were acquired interstate and one was acquired overseas. Six are linked to a known case and 33 are under investigation.

• NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is continuing to resist calls to reintroduce a requirement to wear masks indoors across the state, saying his government is taking a “balanced and proportionate” response to the pandemic. The state recorded 2501 new cases of coronavirus today and zero new deaths. Yesterday, the state recorded 2566 new cases of the virus, a new record, and zero deaths. Mr Perrottet said 26 of the 33 people in intensive care in the state with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. (He did not specify the vaccination status of all 261 people in the state’s hospitals). “The evidence is clear. The numbers do not lie. Getting vaccinated protects you and your family,” he said. “The numbers speak for themselves.” He urged adults who are eligible for a booster vaccination shot to make an appointment now. Booster doses are only available to people aged 18 and up, at least five months after a second dose.

• Masks must be worn in some indoor settings in Australia including shops in Victoria and Queensland, while they will be required in all indoor settings in Tasmania from tomorrow. In NSW, masks are only required on public transport, in airports and on planes, and for unvaccinated indoor hospitality staff. Masks remain strongly encouraged in settings where people cannot maintain social distancing. Sarah McPhee has the following explainer on NSW’s eased restrictions here.
• As Australians start plotting their weekend plans, including family get-togethers, NSW Health warned today that about a quarter of people exposed to coronavirus may still develop their infection after seven days. That’s the mandatory self-isolation period for people who are close contacts of a confirmed case. People are advised to limit their movements for a further seven days after that isolation period. Read more here.
• Victoria recorded 1302 new coronavirus cases as experts call for increased COVID-19 testing capacity and a rethink of large social gatherings in light of the infectious Omicron strain. Read more from Ashleigh McMillan here.

• The Northern Territory has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers, as it recorded three new COVID-19 cases linked to the so-called Katherine cluster. Read more about the territory’s requirements for interstate travellers here.

This is Michaela Whitbourn signing off on the blog for today. I’ll be back with you tomorrow at 8am.

“We so far have 15 cases linked to that event, but we expect more,” he said.

“Some of these cases have been identified as Omicron, so it’s likely that the whole episode will be an Omicron cluster.”

He urged anyone who was at the event to get tested and to isolate until they receive a negative result.

As Stuart Layt reported earlier today, Queensland has recorded 59 new cases of COVID-19 today, as the state made a fresh plea for people to get their booster vaccination shots.

Dr Gerrard said the state’s cases were doubling roughly every 48 hours, and warned it would likely continue this trend for the time being. Of the 59 new cases, nine were acquired interstate and one was acquired overseas. Six are linked to a known case and 33 are under investigation.

Read the full story here.

“If you are elderly or in a situation where you are more vulnerable, you will be more acutely attuned to these issues, I think,” Mr Morrison said.

“But we have to keep moving forward with this. This is why Australians rolled up their sleeve [to get vaccinated], this is why Australians have worked so hard.

“The cases will rise with the Omicron variant; what we will continue to work through with states and territories is making sure we manage the impact on the hospital system in the primary health network.

“Premiers and chief ministers and I will meet again for a further update this week; we will do that over the next day or so, and we are pulling in more information ... as it is coming into the country so we can remain as up-to-date on what is necessary.

“We will keep fine-tuning and calibrating the things you need to do.”

Mr Morrison said the meeting was informal and “it’s not unusual we would be meeting more regularly with Omicron being where it is”.

• NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is continuing to resist calls to reintroduce a requirement to wear masks indoors across the state, saying his government is taking a “balanced and proportionate” response to the pandemic. The state recorded 2501 new cases of coronavirus today and zero new deaths. Yesterday, the state recorded 2566 new cases of the virus, a new record, and zero deaths. Mr Perrottet said 26 of the 33 people in intensive care in the state with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. (He did not specify the vaccination status of all 261 people in the state’s hospitals). “The evidence is clear. The numbers do not lie. Getting vaccinated protects you and your family,” he said. “The numbers speak for themselves.” He urged adults who are eligible for a booster vaccination shot to make an appointment now. Booster doses are only available to people aged 18 and up, at least five months after a second dose.

• Masks must be worn in some indoor settings in Australia including shops in Victoria and Queensland, while they will be required in all indoor settings in Tasmania from tomorrow. In NSW, masks are only required on public transport, in airports and on planes, and for unvaccinated indoor hospitality staff. Masks remain strongly encouraged in settings where people cannot maintain social distancing. Sarah McPhee has the following explainer on NSW’s eased restrictions here.
• As Australians start plotting their weekend plans, including family get-togethers, NSW Health warned today that about a quarter of people exposed to coronavirus may still develop their infection after seven days. That’s the mandatory self-isolation period for people who are close contacts of a confirmed case. People are advised to limit their movements for a further seven days after that isolation period. Read more here.
• Victoria recorded 1302 new coronavirus cases as experts call for increased COVID-19 testing capacity and a rethink of large social gatherings in light of the infectious Omicron strain. Read more from Ashleigh McMillan here.

• Queensland has recorded 59 new cases of COVID-19 today, Stuart Layt reports, as the state made a fresh plea for people to get their booster vaccination shots. Queensland’s Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said the state’s cases were doubling roughly every 48 hours, and warned it would likely continue this trend for the time being. Of the 59 new cases, nine were acquired interstate and one was acquired overseas. Six are linked to a known case and 33 are under investigation.
• Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk strongly urged people to go beyond the mask mandate that was reintroduced as of Saturday for some indoor spaces, and asked Queenslanders to wear their masks while in all indoor spaces for the time being. However, she did not go so far as to mandate extra mask wearing, simply asking people to do it if they felt uncomfortable. She said she would wear a mask when she entered cafes and restaurants and take it off while eating and drinking. Ms Palaszczuk also urged adults to get their booster coronavirus vaccination shots if they had hit five months since their second dose, to get the maximum coverage against the virus. Ms Palaszczuk said: “This is exactly what we expect, Queensland. We expect to see more and more cases coming up into Christmas and over New Year.

• More than 20,000 homes on Sydney’s northern beaches are still without power after a severe storm cell hit the area on Sunday afternoon, Josh Dye reports. A 68-year-old woman died and two other women, aged 71 and 19, were critically injured when a large tree and powerlines fell in a car park in Narrabeen. They were in a serious but stable condition on Monday.

The ABC’s planned Pacific push comes against backdrop of rising tensions between Australia and its largest trading partner, China, and as China’s influence across the region strengthens.

The ABC was forced to withdraw its China correspondent, Bill Birtles, from the country last year after he was informed he was a person of interest in a national security case. Birtles was one of the last journalists working for Australian media organisations in China - there are now no accredited reporters from Australia in the country for the first time since the mid-1970s.

The ABC declined to provide further detail on what its increased presence in the Asia Pacific will look like, but confirmed it will expand its coverage next year. The broadcaster is currently in talks with the government about its next three-year funding arrangement.

Read the full story here.