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Australia expects to receive 1.2m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from its production centres in Europe before its Australian partner company CSL begins producing 50m doses from late March.
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16:49 Another resignation from the board of Crown
16:40 Victoria records no new Covid cases
16:09 NSW to ban toxic firefighting chemical, PFAS
15:55 Royal commmission ‘split’ over aged care reform
16:49
Another resignation from the board of Crown
Crown Resorts has just released a statement confirming that John Poynton, the chairman and director of its Perth casino and a director of Crown, had resigned with immediate effect.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority had advised Crown that it was appropriate Poynton step down due to a perceived lack of independence because of his past relationship with James Packer.
Non-executive directors John Poynton, left, and Andrew Demetriou in 2019. Both men have resigned in recent weeks. Photograph: David Crosling/AAP
Crown’s executive chairman, Helen Coonan, said:
John has been a member of the board of Crown since November 2018 and a director of Crown Perth since 2004. During that time, he has been enormously committed as a director, chairman of Crown Perth and through his service on board committees.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) has advised Crown that it considers it appropriate that John step down as a director of all companies within the Crown group, due to a perceived lack of independence arising out of his past relationship with Mr James Packer and CPH, notwithstanding the recent termination of John’s consultancy arrangement with CPH.
As a result, John has agreed to resign in the best interests of Crown and our shareholders, despite no adverse findings by the commissioner in the ILGA inquiry in relation to his suitability, integrity or performance.
On behalf of the board, I thank John for his contribution to Crown over many years.
There has been a string of resignations from Crown in recent weeks, including its chief executive Ken Barton, following revelations from a NSW inquiry which sparked independent investigations in Victoria and Western Australia.
Updated
16:40
Victoria records no new Covid cases
There are no new Covid-19 cases in Victoria today, for the third day in a row. Those testing numbers are fairly low though …
VicGovDH (@VicGovDH)
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 6,972 test results were received. Got symptoms? Get tested – #EveryTestHelps.
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/PEHa4QOA6h
February 28, 2021
Restrictions ease today on office workers with up to 75% of staff allowed back into private and public workplaces.
“That is very important, in terms of retail trade, hospitality, food and beverage – that whole part of the economy,” premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday.
Updated
16:36
Meanwhile, Australia’s own Chris Kenny is reportedly the warm-up act for former US president Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Florida.
Matthew Knott (@KnottMatthew)
CPAC attendees waiting for President Trump’s speech now enjoying a video about the CPAC Australia 2019 conference featuring clips of Chris Kenny on Sky News and left-wing protesters outside #CPAC2021
February 28, 2021
Updated
16:32
An utterly compelling court hearing will start in Hobart this morning: the final appeal of Sue Neill-Fraser, who was convicted of murdering her husband Bob Chappell onboard the couple’s yacht in 2009.
There’s a lot to unpack but basically Neill-Fraser was convicted entirely on circumstantial evidence, Chappell’s body has never been found, and much of the appeal is set to focus on why DNA from a troubled teenager was on the yacht.
It is also a test of right to appeal laws, which have been implemented in some states to allow for court hearings if new evidence emerges.
Here’s a story from AAP:
More than a decade after being convicted of murdering her partner, Hobart grandmother Susan Neill-Fraser has another chance to prove her innocence.
The body of Bob Chappell, who disappeared off the couple’s yacht on Australia Day 2009, has never been found.
Neill-Fraser, now 67, is serving 23 years in jail but has always maintained she did not kill the 65-year-old, her partner of 18 years.
Today she will embark on a landmark appeal hearing in the supreme court of Tasmania having convinced a judge there “fresh and compelling” evidence that was not heard at the original trial.
The reliability of the evidence – which centres on then 15-year-old homeless girl Meaghan Vass whose DNA was found on the Four Winds yacht – will be tested in front of a three-judge panel.
Vass denied being on the boat at the original trial but has signed an affidavit saying she was on board when Chappell was attacked.
Sue Neill-Fraser and Bob Chappell.
Neill-Fraser’s lawyers have also questioned evidence led by the prosecution at the trial relating to DNA and blood testing and a “misleading” winching reconstruction on the yacht.
It was found Neill-Fraser attacked Chappell, dumped his body in the Derwent river and then tried to sink the boat.
“It was a deliberate killing for the purpose of some sort of personal gain,” Justice Alan Blow wrote in sentencing remarks after her 2010 conviction.
The case against Neill-Fraser was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
If the appeal is successful she could face a retrial or her conviction could be quashed.
High-profile lawyer Robert Richter QC, who represented Cardinal George Pell, will lead Neill-Fraser’s legal team at the five-day hearing.
Vass is expected to give evidence via video link.
Neill-Fraser, who is eligible for parole in August 2022, won the right to a second appeal in 2019 under new Tasmanian laws that required “fresh and compelling” evidence to be brought forward.
Her first appeal was dismissed by the court of criminal appeal in 2012.
Updated
16:15
Matilda Boseley
The fabled “thylacine” photos are finally out and they are … pretty blurry.
Last week Neil Waters, president of the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, an amateur not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the elusive creature, took to YouTube claiming he had photos proving there were three Tasmanian tigers living and breeding in north-east Tasmania, which would be released on 1 March.
Matilda Boseley (@MatildaBoseley)
March 1st is finally here and that means Neil Water’s fabled thylacine photos have been released! An expert from the Tasmanian Museum says they are likely pademelons, what do you reckon? (Number 3 is considered the ‘smoking gun’) pic.twitter.com/3cwlfoPyVw
February 28, 2021
But before the photos were made public wildlife expert Nick Mooney from the Tasmanian Museum examined them and dismissed the claims, declaring the animals photographed were most likely pademelons – a wallaby-like marsupial.
At midnight Waters released a YouTube video where he shows the photos and they seem to be far from the “smoking gun” promised.
A nighttime photo shows two glowing eyes on an animal with an interesting jaw; another shows the back a small animal that, I’ll admit, does have some distinct stripes and looks a little tigerish, and the last is … well it sure looks like a pademelon to the untrained eye.
In the video Waters disagrees:
Again we have an interesting shot. ‘Yeah sure that’s a pademelon.’ Is it? Have another good look at it. There are some very telltale signs here that this is everything but a pademelon …
The mother and the father are clearly a little bit ambiguous; they’re not giving away many secrets. But why the hell would a baby thylacine – which I’m absolutely confident that this animal is – be the following a pademelon and being followed by a pademelon. Questions do arise out of this bizarre revelation.
The photos aren’t the crystal-clear Tassie tiger family shot that many might have been expecting, but the thylacine enthusiasts in the comments seem to be pretty jazzed nonetheless.
You can check out more Guardian Australia thylacine coverage here.
Updated
16:09
NSW to ban toxic firefighting chemical, PFAS
Michael McGowan
The New South Wales government will ban the use of firefighting foam containing the environmental contaminant PFAS, its environment minister, Matt Kean, has announced.
On Monday Kean said the ban would mean that from next month firefighting foam containing PFAS would be banned in training or demonstrations. Further restrictions including on the use and sale of the foam in portable fire extinguishers would be introduced from September 2022.
The use of firefighting foam containing PFAS has been one of the main sources of contamination from the substance, which has resulted in a series of class action lawsuits against the defence department after widespread pollution was discovered in residential areas. Its use has prompted hundreds of investigations into contamination at sites across Australia.
NSW environment minister Matt Kean. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
Kean said: “Firefighting foam is the key cause of PFAS contamination in the NSW environment with concentrations detected at airports, defence sites, emergency service facilities, training facilities, major hazard facilities and their surrounding environments.
“This ban on PFAS firefighting foam will significantly reduce the impact on our environment but still enable our emergency agencies to fight catastrophic fires that can have devastating impacts on life and property.”
The introduction of the ban is curious, given the defence department, most commercial airports, and state and territory fire brigades phased out PFAS-based foams several years ago. But a previous regulation impact statement issued by the federal environment department warned that legacy stocks of the foam are still used by private industry at places such as docks, oil refineries and dangerous goods storage facilities.
Updated
16:07
The health minister, Greg Hunt, revealed on Sunday that the federal government had established a myth-busting unit to tackle Covid-19 misinformation.
Health minister Greg Hunt speaking in Canberra last week. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
When we say Covid-19 misinformation, many of you probably immediately think of the former Liberal (now independent) MP, Craig Kelly. But the creation of this unit also made me think of the excellent Web of Lies series we have been running at Guardian Australia which you should definitely dig into.
Updated
15:55
Royal commmission ‘split’ over aged care reform
Well this is curious. The two aged care commissioners who presided over the aged care royal commission have reportedly arrived at different conclusions about how to reform the sector. The report is set to be released today.
St Basils in Fawkner during Melbourne’s second wave of Covid-19 in July. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AAP
This is part of a story from AAP:
The two commissioners charged with delivering the findings of the aged care royal commission have reportedly arrived at differing conclusions on how the sector should be reformed and funded.
The final report of the two-and-a-half-year federal inquiry was received by the government on Friday and is expected to include more than 100 recommendations.
However The Australian newspaper says the contrasting philosophical views of commissioners Tony Pagone QC and Lynelle Briggs has resulted in split findings.
Citing multiple sources, the paper says the report contains contrasting recommendations for a new model that would mean either higher taxes or greater-user pay contributions to fix funding shortfalls.
The Australian says the report will be released on Monday, with an interim government response to follow.
More detailed commitments are expected in the May federal budget.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the commission’s final report is “monumental” in its scope and vision.
“The full report … will be released as soon as we’ve had a chance to work through the eight volumes but that will be in the very, very near future,” he told reporters on Sunday.
The commission was told countless tales of abuse and neglect across two years of hearings, with its 2019 interim paper urging a complete overhaul of a “woefully inadequate” system.
It found there was an overuse of drugs to “restrain” aged care residents, while younger people with disabilities were stuck in aged care.
Pay and conditions for staff were poor, workloads heavy and severe difficulties existed in recruitment and retention, it also noted.
Mandated staffing ratios, increased regulatory powers and new laws to protect the rights of elderly people are among recommendations made by lawyers assisting the commission.
The sector, which is predominantly funded by the commonwealth, has come under increased scrutiny during the pandemic with 685 aged care residents dying from Covid-19.
Updated
15:31
Good morning all, it’s 1 March, 2021. Let’s see what’s happening today:
The federal health minister Greg Hunt has confirmed that the first 300,000 doses of the new AstraZeneca vaccine willstart rolling out by next Monday. He also revealed the government “quietly” set up a “myth-busting unit” last year to address what he’s called “plainly ridiculous” misinformation surrounding the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, amid increasing concerns about the spread of false information and conspiracy theories.
In other vaccine news, some experts think Australia’s goal of vaccinating the entire adult population by October might just be feasible, even though it would require an extremely high daily rate of 180,000 doses. Andnew data suggests the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity.
Legal experts are calling for an independent investigation of the historical rape alleged to have been committed by a federal cabinet minister, citing it as a “very serious” integrity issue. Anthony Albanese, while agreeing the matter is best handled by police, yesterday called it a “test” for Scott Morrison, who must decide if the minister should continue in his current position. He refused to say how he would handle a similar allegation against a Labor frontbencher, arguing that this was a hypothetical. But Liberal senator Sarah Henderson last night referred a rape allegation against an unnamed Labor member of parliament to the federal police.
The heads of hundreds of private schools across New South Wales will be briefed by the boss of the police sex crimes squad this week as the sector scrambles to address concerns raised by a viral petition that has gathered more than 3,000 testimonies of alleged sexual assault committed by high school students.
Two conservation scientists have been cleared of research misconduct by the University of Tasmania after a review sparked by complaints from logging industry representatives.
Chinese investment in Australia plunged by 61% last year, new data shows. But according to one researcher, this may be more about changed foreign investment settings than a strained economic relationship.
Thousands of Victorians may have missed out on early cancer diagnoses during the pandemic, potentially allowing the disease to progress past the chance of recovery and causing a “cancer spike” later on, the Cancer Council says.
Crown Resorts have just released a statement confirming that John Poynton, the chairman and director of its Perth casino and a director of Crown, had resigned with immediate effect.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority had advised Crown that it was appropriate Poynton step down due to a perceived lack of independence because of his past relationship with James Packer.
John has been a member of the Board of Crown since November 2018 and a director of Crown Perth since 2004. During that time, he has been enormously committed as a director, Chairman of Crown Perth and through his service on Board committees.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) has advised Crown that it considers it appropriate that John step down as a director of all companies within the Crown group, due to a perceived lack of independence arising out of his past relationship with Mr James Packer and CPH, notwithstanding the recent termination of John’s consultancy arrangement with CPH.
There are no new Covid-19 cases in Victoria today, for the third day in a row. Those testing numbers are fairly low though …
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 6,972 test results were received. Got symptoms? Get tested – #EveryTestHelps.
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