As it happened: Victoria records six new local COVID-19 cases as MCG listed as exposure site; Chris Minns quits NSW Labor frontbench

On that uplifting note, we will be closing our national news blog for the evening. I’m Natassia Chrysanthos and I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. You will find my colleague Broede Carmody on the blog from 6.30am.

For unfolding news on Melbourne’s COVID-19 outbreak, you can continue following our Victorian coronavirus live blog here. Our reporters will be back again tomorrow morning to run the separate COVID-19 live blog as well. It is free to read.

Finally, here is a recap of today’s events for those of you catching up:

• Victoria’s Acting Premier says he can’t rule out further coronavirus restrictions. The state recorded six new cases of COVID-19 in the community today, bringing the latest outbreak to 15. The Melbourne Cricket Ground and venues near the Victoria-NSW border are among the exposure sites.
• NSW Health has advised its residents to avoid non-urgent travel to Greater Melbourne and Bendigo, while Victorians who have visited tier one exposure sites in the southern state are being told to stay away. South Australia has banned non-residents from coming into the state unless they have an exemption, and revealed the current outbreak likely began while food was being delivered in an Adelaide quarantine hotel.
• Another NSW Labor frontbencher, Chris Minns, has quit after the party’s byelection loss over the weekend. Opposition Leader Jodi McKay says losing her transport spokesman is a “blow” but she respects his decision.
• A contested report into the demise of Christine Holgate’s reign at Australia Post has called for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to apologise and the board’s chairman to resign over her treatment in the Cartier watches saga.

• And the Uluru Statement from the Heart has won the 2021 Sydney Peace Prize, Australia’s only international prize for peace.

Thanks for following today’s coverage, have a great evening, and good luck sighting the super blood moon tonight. Science reporter Liam Mannix reports peak viewing will be a little after 9pm. Here’s hoping it’s as spectacular as it was in 2016 (pictured in Bondi by Janie Barrett below).

South Australia has closed its border to travellers from Greater Melbourne with a few exceptions such as essential workers, as part of new restrictions in response to the city’s latest outbreak.

SA Premier Steven Marshall said only exempted travellers and returning SA residents could enter the state. They will need to quarantine for 14 days.

You can follow the press conference with Mr Marshall, SA Health Minister Stephen Wade and Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier below:

NSW Health has issued an official advisory message telling people they should postpone their non-urgent travel to Greater Melbourne and Bendigo, as Victorian health authorities investigate the COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Anyone who is currently in NSW, but has been in Victoria since May 12, has been asked to regularly check the Victorian health department’s website while its list of exposure sites grows.

“People with COVID-19 have visited a number of venues in Greater Melbourne and in and near Bendigo while infectious. This includes the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a number of hospitality venues,” the NSW Health statement says.

“If you attended any of the venues identified at the times listed, please contact NSW Health immediately on 1800 943 553.”

The advice for people who have been in Greater Melbourne or Bendigo since May 12 is as follows:

• You should not visit residential aged care facilities.
• You should not visit healthcare facilities, unless seeking medical attention or for compassionate reasons.
• You should come forward for testing immediately with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms, then isolate until a negative result is received.

The Federal Court has heard that Sydney defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC - who is at the centre of a court bid to stop her acting for federal Liberal minister Christian Porter in his defamation proceedings against the ABC - was warned by a colleague not to take the brief.

Jo Dyer, a friend of the woman who accused Mr Porter of rape, is seeking a Federal Court order to restrain Ms Chrysanthou from acting for Mr Porter because of an alleged conflict of interest. Mr Porter strenuously denies the allegations.

An urgent three-day hearing started on Monday and has heard that Ms Chrysanthou gave free advice to Ms Dyer, who is expected to be a witness for the ABC, on November 20 last year.

The court has heard Ms Chrysanthou advised Ms Dyer as a favour to her friend, defamation barrister Matthew Richardson. In the witness box today, Ms Chrysanthou said Mr Richardson had told her that taking the brief would be a bad idea and he believed there was a conflict of interest.

But Ms Chrysanthou told the court “I’d spoken to two former Bar Association presidents; I’d spoken to other silks and everyone disagreed with Matthew”.

Read the full story here. The hearing continues.