As it happened: Nation reacts to federal budget as NSW and Victoria record no local COVID-19 cases

Dominic Lorrimer, a photographer with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, told me today was as busy as any, with back-to-back press conferences giving the views of everyone from disability advocates to business groups.

But the day started unusually because, in a break from tradition, the Prime Minister and Treasurer avoided climate action protesters outside Parliament House by holding their press conference in an internal courtyard.

“It was actually quite nice to shoot them in the PM’s courtyard because normally it’s a huge media storm with everyone tripping over each other as they head down to Federation Mall,” Lorrimer said.

Yesterday a total of 76,379 vaccine doses were administered throughout Australia, health department data shows, bringing the total number of doses carried out nationwide to just over 2.8 million.

Just under 250,000 people – or about 0.97 per cent of the population – have been fully vaccinated since the start of the rollout (meaning they have received two doses of the vaccine).

But this figure likely underestimates the true total, because at this stage the total number of second doses administered is not being published by all states and territories. Here’s a graph showing the rollout progress since the first doses were administered on Australian soil back in late February:

The graph has something of a stepped appearance since April – that’s because on weekends there don’t tend to be that many vaccine doses administered. Most of the vaccinations are carried out on weekdays, which gives the graph a steeper gradient on those days.

You can check out our vaccine tracker interactive here, which allows you to see the vaccine rollout progress in your state or territory and to see how far other countries are progressing towards herd immunity.

Good afternoon and welcome to those who’ve just joined us for the afternoon commute.

It’s been a busy day full of budget spruiking and budget criticism. Thankfully, NSW has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 and neither has Victoria. However, authorities are on high alert after yesterday’s positive case in Melbourne.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she would like to see borders re-open earlier than mid-2022 (the timing set out in the federal budget). The Premier says while last night’s budget was “very strong” under the circumstances, she is “probably more ambitious” when it comes to border re-openings than her federal colleagues.
• The federal government has conceded the budget won’t be back in surplus for years to come but has said more than $74 billion in new spending is necessary to kickstart the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. Labor is sharpening its criticism ahead of tomorrow night’s budget reply speech.
• Genomic sequencing has confirmed the Victorian man who tested positive for COVID-19 contracted the virus while he was in hotel quarantine in Adelaide. The case has ended Victoria’s run of 73 days without a locally-acquired case. Testing of primary close contacts continues but so far no additional cases have been found.
• Meanwhile, South Australia has placed restrictions on Victorian travellers who have visited “high risk” sites and are cracking down on people failing to check-in to venues using QR codes.

Genomic sequencing has confirmed the Victorian man who tested positive for COVID-19 contracted the virus while in hotel quarantine in Adelaide.

The Victorian Department of Health confirmed the results on Wednesday after Victoria recorded its 73rd consecutive day of no locally acquired cases.

The three household contacts of the man have tested negative to the virus and remain in isolation. The health department says testing continues for primary close contacts across several sites in Epping, Altona North and the CBD. No additional positive results have been reported so far.

Those affected include:

• Twenty-eight patrons and staff who attended the Curry Vault CBD exposure site. They have been identified as primary close contacts and 16 negative test results have so far been returned.
• Seventeen people who attended the Pact Altona North exposure site. These people have been identified as primary close contacts and 11 negative test results have so far been returned.
• Eight people who attended the Indiagate Epping exposure site. They have also been identified as primary close contacts and five negative test results have so far been returned.
• An additional 28 people who attended the Woolworths Epping exposure site have been identified as primary close contacts. Nine negative test results have so far been returned.

The people who have yet to receive negative results have been asked to self-isolate. The health department has also sent messages to 396,000 people who live in communities near exposure sites.

The Australian National University’s vice-chancellor has warned the sector will have no choice but to cut more jobs if international students continue to be excluded by border closures and the government does not provide financial help.

Here’s what Brian Schmidt, who won a Nobel Prize in 2011, said on the ABC: “You know, we’ve had the biggest financial shock that the sector has ever experienced. We are in real trouble.”

He is not exaggerating. Before the pandemic, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald reported how many of the country’s top unis were taking in more than a third of their revenue from international students.

“We have been having conversations with the government trying to make sure they understood the gravity of the situation and that gravity of the situation was expanded considerably last night at budget with the announcement that they expect borders to be closed well into next year,” Professor Schmidt said.

“That is a huge issue for the entire sector. For ANU we have literally decimated ourselves, one in 10 people have lost their jobs and these are some of the best people in the world and when you lose people out of university you don’t just bring them back on, it takes decade to rebuild that capacity.

“So if we are going to be looking at, you know, future jobs and growth for this country, the research capacity of universities like ANU will be critical. So I am not planning to make any rash changes right now but if things do not get better soon me and all the other vice-chancellors are going to have no choice.”

There’s been a huge volume of spin, outrage and salesmanship on the budget in the almost 24 hours since it was publicly unveiled.

To cut through all that, our national editor Tory Maguire sat down in Canberra with two of the best observers at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, David Crowe and Shane Wright. They’ll take you through the strategy and substance of the budget in today’s Please Explain podcast.

Businessman and former Geelong Cats president Frank Costa has been lovingly remembered during his state funeral at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium, locally known as Kardinia Park.

Mr Costa died on May 2 aged 83 after a life spent building his Costa Group fruit and vegetable business and supporting countless community groups. His time as Cats president resulted in the club ending its 44-year premiership drought with a grand final victory in 2007.

A large crowd was expected to attend the event at the football club’s home ground which Costa was instrumental in redeveloping and expanding.

Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino offered a personal tribute to Costa earlier today.

“Frank always said it’s only when you give that you receive and this is exactly how he lived his life, he gave to his family, he gave to his club and he gave to his community,” Mr Merlino said.

There’s been a public debate today in federal Parliament about wages. Labor, the Greens and unions are all angry at what they say is a “cut in real wages” from the budget.

Of course, that’s not government policy. It’d be politically disastrous if it was. Instead, the government wants wages to go up by getting more people into jobs and increasing competition for workers. So what’s going on?

The budget papers show real wages, which take into account inflation, are forecast to go down this financial year and next before staying flat for two years after that. They will go up a little in 2024-25, Treasury reckons.

That’s all a product of the market and the Fair Work Commission, which sets pay for minimum wage workers.