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That’s where we’ll leave today’s live coverage.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of today’s main stories.
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton has contracted COVID-19 and is feeling “pretty rubbish”.
“I’m down with COVID. Feeling pretty rubbish, tbh. Razor blade throat and painful cough. Clearly not the same for everyone. Can’t imagine how it might have been - for me - without three doses of vax. Good on science,” he said in a tweet this afternoon.
Sutton is one of 13,181 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Victoria today. As reported earlier, 18 people died from the virus on Friday, 13 of these deaths occurred over the past week.
Australia’s financial watchdog is considering launching a sweeping inquiry into the federal carve-up of infrastructure funding, after Victoria complained it has been short-changed by the Morrison government.
State Treasurer Tim Pallas has written to federal Auditor-General Grant Hehir asking for an audit to examine how Canberra hands out infrastructure cash in the budget.
Victoria has long argued it is getting a disproportionately small portion of federal infrastructure cash, well below the state’s one-quarter share of the national population.
But in an escalating row, federal Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher accused the Victorian government of “throwing the toys out of the pram” because the federal government had followed clear departmental advice by refusing to fund Labor’s Suburban Rail Loop, which Fletcher branded “Dan Andrews’ vanity project”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has addressed the media this afternoon in response to Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s earlier announcement that a Chinese warship has been “hugging” the Western Australian coastline for the past week.
“It’s important we remain calm and confident in the ability of our defence partners,” Morrison said, dubbing the event an “issue of concern”.
“It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last time, I suspect we’ll see it many more times, but they’ll keep a close eye on us. And I can assure you, Australia acting in our national interest will always be keeping a close eye on them and ensuring we’re in addressing these issues,” Morrison said.
Morrison agreed with Dutton’s earlier assessment that the ship’s presence was an act of aggression.
The Coalition is promising to make foreign nationals who have committed serious crimes in Australia pay for their own immigration detention before they are deported.
The election pledge was made as part of the government reaffirming its hardline stance on border security amid a khaki election in which Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton have ramped up military rhetoric over tensions in the Pacific.
Earlier this year, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced an intention to make it easier to deport foreign nationals who were sentenced to at least two years in prison.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in a statement that “change of government means a change to Australia’s strong border protection policies.”
The country has recorded 52 deaths and 54,591 new cases of COVID-19.
There are now 2,933 people in hospital and 123 in ICU.
Here’s a state by state breakdown of today’s national COVID-19 update.
Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong has announced her party will craft a First Nations foreign policy and appoint an ambassador for First Nations people if elected come May 21.
Wong said an elected Labor government would fulfil the promise of the landmark Uluru Statement from the Heart, which includes holding a referendum on an Indigenous voice to Parliament.
“We tell a more powerful and more persuasive story of Australia when we tell our full story. Our modern diversity and the rich heritage of our First Nations peoples. It is a story the world is ready to hear,” Wong said.
“I am pleased to announce today that, if elected, Labor will deliver a First Nations foreign policy that weaves the voices and practices of the world’s oldest continuing culture into the way we talk to the world, and in the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“We will appoint an ambassador for First Nations peoples, and we will ensure First Nations peoples have a stronger voice in our engagement with the world, deepening their long-held ties across countries of the Indo-Pacific.“
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne says whoever is elected on May 21 will have to grapple with change and disruption in the region.
“We are in the most challenging global period in many decades. COVID-19’s economic and health impacts continue,” she said.
“Authoritarian powers are asserting themselves, seen in Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, a violation of international law that must not be repeated, including in our region.”
Delivering her speech amid regional tensions caused by China exerting its influence in the Pacific, Payne said strategic competition would require careful attention to ensure it didn’t escalate into conflict.
“For the foreseeable future, our region and our globe will be characterised by change and disruption, and this will be the case whoever leads Australia after May 21.”
The Greens have promised to establish a commission into the future of work if elected on May 21.
Greens leader Adam Bandt is expected to announce the inquiry into positive and negative trends in employment and the impact of digitisation and automation this evening in South Melbourne.
In a press release, Bandt said the pandemic had highlighted “some of the challenges and opportunities”.
“The gig economy is migrating through the whole economy. Remote working, digitalisation and automation are all changing the way we work, but people don’t have enough control to make it work for them,” he said.
“The low unemployment rate is masking a lot of underemployment and insecurity. The Future of Work Commission would look at what it would mean to move to a standard 4 day working week with no loss of pay, which is one way to spread available work more fairly across society and ensure a better life for everyone.”
According to a statement released by the Department of Defence, the vessel Defence Minister Peter Dutton referred to in his press conference earlier is a Dongdiao Class Auxiliary Intelligence ship called the Haiwangxing, which travelled south to Exmouth before tracking east along the north-west coast.
Defence says it is monitoring the ship from the air and water.
“Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace, just as we expect others to respect our right to do the same,” the statement reads.