As it happened: NSW records 787 new local COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths as 80 per cent vaccination road map revealed; Victoria records 705 new cases, one death

That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage for today, thanks for joining us. We’ll be back in the morning.

If you’re just catching up on the latest developments, here’s what you need to know:

• Lockdown restrictions in NSW are set to ease significantly within weeks after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian detailed the state’s full roadmap out of lockdown. The rules will apply once 80 per cent of residents aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated, which will likely be around the end of October. The changes will allow up to 10 residents to visit a home, community sport, and drinking standing up at pubs. The move to allow regional travel has been pushed back to when the 80 per cent vaccination target is reached. The full plan will allow unvaccinated people the same freedoms as the rest of society from December 1. The state will start to open up shortly after the 70 per cent vaccination target is reached, from October 11. Greater Sydney’s 5-kilometre travel limit will be scrapped at this time. NSW recorded 787 new local coronavirus cases, its lowest daily figure since August 24. There were 12 deaths. The state has passed the 85 per cent first dose rate, and 40 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 in the state have now received their first dose of a vaccine.

• Victoria recorded 705 new cases of COVID-19 and one death. More than 78 per cent of eligible people have had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 47 per cent have received their second doses. Community pharmacies and GP clinics will receive grants of up to $10,000 to help speed up the vaccine rollout in Melbourne’s COVID-hit outer suburbs. The state is on track to reach its 80 per cent first-dose vaccine milestone on Tuesday. This means the 10km travel radius will increase to 15km and some outdoor activities, such as golf and open-air training for the fully vaccinated, will be allowed to resume. The state government is also looking to test vaccine passports in the coming weeks, possibly in time for the Melbourne Cup in November. And residents in Geelong and the Surf Coast, in regional Victoria, emerged from lockdown today. The University of Melbourne joined universities requiring staff and students to be fully vaccinated to attend campus.

• The ACT government announced the territory’s lockdown will end on October 15, when it expects 80 per cent of residents aged 12 and over to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Canberra recorded 19 new cases of COVID-19. That’s down from yesterday’s 25 cases.

• Queensland recorded zero cases of COVID-19. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk fended off fresh criticism of her border stance, saying she is looking forward to seeing the updated modelling on when borders should be reopened when it is handed to national cabinet on Friday. Queensland authorities are urging businesses to “prepare and hope” for the state to reopen by Christmas.

• Qantas has cancelled most of its flights scheduled from Western Australia to Melbourne and Sydney over summer because of the state’s reluctance to reopen its border, and will bypass Perth on non-stop flights to London. The airline said on Monday it would reroute its direct Perth-London flights until at least April 2022, and instead operate a daily Melbourne-Darwin-London service from December, when it expects the Morrison government to reopen the international border.

Lockdown will be lifted for residents of the Yass Valley, near Canberra, at midnight, while stay-at-home orders will be extended for a week in Cowra, in central-west NSW, due to an ongoing risk of transmission of COVID-19.

NSW Health said late on Monday that Cowra’s lockdown would remain in place until midnight on October 5.

“To determine the extent of the risk and detect any other potential COVID-19 cases in the Cowra area, we are calling on the community to come forward for testing in large numbers,” NSW Health said in a statement.

All residents are being urged to get tested for the mildest of symptoms.

“High vaccination rates are also essential to reduce the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of the community.”

People with disability lost trust in the federal government after the Department of Health failed to adequately communicate changes to the vaccination rollout to the community, as a damning report found the plan to vaccinate NDIS workers and participants was “seriously deficient”.

In a draft report from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, published on Monday, the commissioners found the federal health department made no genuine attempts to consult with the sector. They also failed to appreciate the unique challenges associated with vaccinating people living in residential disability accommodation.

The commissioners said the department’s lack of transparency, particularly around the pivot away from focusing on people with disability as the department focused on residential aged care, meant those affected could not protest or challenge the changed plan.

That communication failure was “a serious departure from the standards of transparency” to which the government should adhere, the report said, and potentially contributed to vaccine hesitancy.

“Not surprisingly, the failure to communicate the decision in a timely manner caused many people with disability to lose trust and confidence in the Australian government’s handling of the vaccine rollout,” the commissioners said.

Read the full story here.