Coronavirus Australia live news: Daniel Andrews says he does not 'run from problems and challenges', won't follow Jenny Mikakos in resigning
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he does not "run from problems and challenges" and will not follow health minister Jenny Mikakos in resigning.
Here is a summary of what happened on Saturday:
- Seven crew on a ship off WA test positive
- Martin Foley to replace Jenny Mikakos
- One new case in NSW
- Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos resigns
- Three new cases in Queensland
- Victoria records 12 new cases, 1 death
Live updates
Goodnight from the blog
By Nicholas McElroy
Of the 444 active cases in Victoria
By Nicholas McElroy
- 432 are in metropolitan Melbourne
- 10 are in regional local government areas
- 1 is an interstate resident
- 1 is either unknown or subject to further investigation
- Colac Otway has two active cases, Greater Geelong has one active case and Greater Bendigo and Ballarat have no active cases
Let me check my crystal ball
By Nicholas McElroy
So what time is Dan's press conference tomorrow? ;)
-Eager
Missed the Dan Andrews press conference? Watch it again in full here.
By Nicholas McElroy
Breaking down the 12 new cases recorded in Victoria
By Nicholas McElroy
The overall total has increased by 11 due to one case being reclassified.
Within Victoria, five of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and seven are under investigation.
Of today's five cases linked to outbreaks, three are linked to aged care (Baptcare Wyndham Lodge and Edenvale Manor Aged Care) and two are linked to a complex case.
Of today's 12 new cases, there are three cases each in Brimbank and Wyndham, two cases in Greater Dandenong and single cases in Banyule, Monash and Mitchell.
There has been one new death from COVID-19 reported since yesterday - a woman aged in her 80s.
Today's new death is linked to a known aged care facility outbreak. To date, 782 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
Scott Morrison urged to lobby Donald Trump over vaccine
By Nicholas McElroy
"He needs to pick up the phone and convince his friend, Mr Trump, President Trump that the US should make the same commitment and should also join the facility which the nations of the world put in place to enable that sharing to occur," she said.
The highs, lows and sudden demise of Jenny Mikakos's political career
By Nicholas McElroy
By Brad Ryan, Rachel Clayton and state political reporter Richard Willingham
More on the COVID-19 cases recorded in WA
By Nicholas McElroy
Crew from the bulk carrier anchored off Port Hedland will remain on board to help manage the ship.
Seven crew on ship off WA test positive
By Nicholas McElroy
"The Department of Health together with the WA Country Health Service would like to reassure the Port Hedland community that every safety measure is being put in place to protect the local community," he said.
World posts second-highest number of new coronavirus cases
By Nicholas McElroy
No new cases reported in South Australia today
By Nicholas McElroy
Did Jenny Mikakos quit via text message?
By Nicholas McElroy
No, she wrote to the governor. I had the letter, I was informed as to the action she had taken, I was asked if I had spoken to her, I said no, but for the purpose of completeness, she sent a text to me after that. I was well aware of the steps she had taken.
Did she try to call you last night?
No, although I was on the phone quite a bit about all manner of different things, but no, I don't believe so.
Dan Andrews again warns against anti-lockdown protests
By Dean Bilton
I did get a report that there were perhaps less people protesting rather than more, that is a good thing.Police are doing very important work in very difficult circumstances, I thank them, all of them, for the work they are doing and I thank their families as well for the sacrifices that they make. Without those sacrifices that service is simply not possible, so to every member of Victoria Police and every police family, I say thank you for the work you are doing.And to anyone, even a smaller number than perhaps expected, who protested today, I just say, don't do that. Do not protest. It is not safe. It is not lawful. And it is only conducive with potentially spreading this virus.We want less coronavirus cases, not more. And protesting, regardless of what you are protesting for or against is neither smart nor lawful.It is a selfish thing to do, particularly when we are so close, so close to taking further steps and moving every day, every single day, moving closer to the COVID normal that we all want, so that when we get to 2021, it is a year that is totally different to 2020.
Was Martin Foley the first person Daniel Andrews asked to be health minister?
By Nicholas McElroy
Premier, how did you come to select Minister Foley?
I rang him and asked him and he said yes.
Why was he the person [for the job]?
Because as a DHHS minister with experience in this portfolio in broad terms, as the mental health minister, I thought he was an outstanding choice.That's why I asked him and he said yes, and he will be sworn in soon, and he will do in this portfolio exactly what he has done in all the different portfolios he has held. He will work hard and do a very good job. If I wasn't certain of that, James, I wouldn't have made that phone call.
Was he the first person you rang and asked?
Honestly, I have many discussions with many different colleagues, and the minister is going to do an outstanding job.
Was he your first choice?
He wasn't? That's not the correct inference for you to draw from anything I've said today, and that's not right.
Dan Andrews says the doors will not be 'thrown open' tomorrow
By Dean Bilton
We are consistent with the types of easing that have been foreshadowed in that roadmap, so there's no dramatic departure from that, but there are a couple of areas where we say and do more, and we will finalise those this evening, and we will be able to talk about those tomorrow.Again, we are not throwing the doors open tomorrow — the place is not opened up tomorrow — and I've tried to be clear about that. But people can be optimistic and positive about the fact that these numbers are coming down.Once you get them low, you can keep them low. That's what the science and logic tells you. But I do hope tomorrow to be able to talk a little bit more about what October looks like and the fact that we are ahead of schedule.Think we had a healthy lengthy exchange the other day around — while the trend is positive, it's simply not available to us to try and answer this and say, I think we're going to be OK, so we'll open it up now.You get to understand the true nature of the effect of the decisions you make for two to three weeks after you make them. That's the nature of this thing.
Martin Foley says he looks forward to keeping COVID-19 infections down
By Nicholas McElroy
Minister, congratulations. You've just been made health minister in a pandemic.
I haven't yet been made the health minister. The Premier has kindly made me that offer, and I will wait till the governor goes through the appropriate processes, but we are in the coming off of the second wave of a global pandemic, which Victoria 's have made enormous sacrifices to get us to the point where we are now on the edge of a significant statement that the Premier will make tomorrow, and we acknowledge the great efforts that Victorians have collectively driven down those numbers faster than the roadmap out had forecasted.
I think the efforts of Victorians are to be congratulated, the efforts of the Victorian community, built on the enormous hard work of our health professionals and the entire public health and private health community that have come together under enormously difficult circumstances to achieve what they have achieved.
It is outstanding, and I look forward to working with those professionals and communities to continue the driving of those infection rates down, so we can get a COVID-normal reopening of Victoria under way and in doing so build the kind of health system that we would expect Victorians want to have to keep those infection rates down, and that's exactly what I'll be doing.
Dan Andrews says he will not resign
By Dean Bilton
No, I will not.I don't run from problems and challenges. I've got a very important job to do, which is to continue to get these case numbers down and then to begin the biggest recovery project that our state has ever seen.I've got a very important job to do, and I'm going to get it done. We are going to have not only a situation where we can make announcements tomorrow — then, the trajectory that we are on, through the hard work of Victorians, we will be able to take further steps next month.We will be able to find that COVID-normal and then we will hand down a budget later this year that will have the biggest, the most significant program of investment that this state has ever seen. It will be truly unprecedented both in its size, scale and nature, and that's what's needed.This is a one-in-100-year event. So my answer to your question is no, I have an enormous amount of work to get done, and I'm going to get it done. Because that's what I do. I get things done.
Will Jenny Mikakos be replaced in Parliament by a woman?
By Dean Bilton
I think my record in relation to the advancement of women in our party and our government is well known.Ultimately it will be a matter for the national executive to determine who should fill that seat, but I note that I am very proud to say that I chair a cabinet that is more than 50% women and a caucus that — when last I was briefed on these matters — very, very close to 50%.That is very important. My views on that are long held and they are not just views — I can point to significant achievement in this regard. It's a point of pride.But there are rules in the party. Sometimes they are quite balanced in terms of quotas and things being met. I haven't looked at that issue, but let's wait and see.
Dan Andrews says he has not spoken with Jenny Mikakos this week
By Nicholas McElroy
"When did I last have a conversation with her? I have been attending meetings with her for weeks and months, weeks and months," Mr Andrews said.
"Given that we were going to be appearing in a process as witnesses, I don't think I have had a conversation with her this week."I think I have been - in fact, I know I have been very, very careful not to be engaging in discussions with people who would be appearing, which I believe is the appropriate thing to do."