Australia news LIVE: Bowen, energy ministers agree new plan as Andrews says Victoria won’t frack farm land; missing Sydney boy found

The mini-lockdown is raising concerns that the city’s reopening is backsliding as officials fear a rebound in cases. While the plan is to seal the Minhang district of 2.65 million people only for the morning, residents face the risk of being confined to their homes for another two weeks if any Covid infections are discovered.

Elsewhere in the city, officials appear to be escalating curbs and placing apartment blocks back under lockdown over the slightest hint of infection risk. Some housing compounds in the central Jing’an and Xuhui districts were sealed for 14 days from Tuesday, although only close contacts - no confirmed cases - were found among residents.

Besides the lockdowns, mass testing is being rolled out at numerous housing compounds around Shanghai, which can surface infections that will lead to wholesale curbs again.

Bloomberg

“It is my hope that my successor will, on merit, be an outstanding woman and preferably a woman that represents the party’s commitment to diversity and someone who will strengthen our parliamentary team.”

Several Victorian upper house Liberal MPs are facing a preselection challenge.

Atkinson’s announcement two comes weeks after his controversial colleague, Bernie Finn, was expelled from the Liberal parliamentary team and the Democratic Labour Party announced Finn would be its lead candidate for the November state election.

Atkinson was first elected in 1992 and calls have been growing for him to leave Parliament to be replaced by younger talent.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said the entire parliamentary team wished Atkinson, his wife Libby and the rest of the family a “wonderful post political life”.

“The Liberal Party will greatly miss Bruce’s energy and contribution, his intellect and passion for liberalism,” Guy said.

“There is insufficient evidence of severe disease in otherwise healthy adolescents in this age group who have already received two primary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine,” it said in a statement.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said he had accepted ATAGI’s recommendation and eligibility criteria would be updated.

Booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine were already recommended for all adults aged 16 and over. Adults aged 65 and over and people with certain other health conditions or circumstances are also eligible for a second booster, to be given four months after their first or three months after a COVID-19 infection.

“At the same time, we will be conducting an urgent review of the domestic gas security mechanism to make it actually work ... Right now, it is a long and complicated, convoluted, ineffective mechanism that takes a very long time for it to produce results.

“We are determined to change that, and we’re determined to make sure that this mechanism, as well as the other tools available to us, are all on table so that we can ensure that gas supplies are appropriate, adequate and affordable for Australians right across the country.”

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) gas reserves wouldn’t be available to help ease the current issues, but would be invaluable in future.

He said AEMO would be in charge of purchasing the gas and storing it. Although based in south-east Australia, any gas fed into the system would ease prices everywhere, he said, promoting its benefit across the whole country.

“We’re not going to be able to purchase and store gas overnight,” Bowen said.

“That is true. There are some rule-making changes [that need to happen before it can be purchased]. But if we had this capacity last week, it would have helped.”