BHP’s Tesla nickel deal a boost for carbon transition

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 25 : 23-Jul-21

BHP has struck an agreement with electric vehicle maker Tesla to supply it with nickel from its mines and refinery in Western Australia. BHP’s chief commercial officer Vandita Pant said it was delighted to sign the agreement with Tesla, and noted that demand for nickel in batteries is tipped to rise by more than 500 per cent over the next decade. The agreement with Tesla has led to further speculation that BHP plans to divest its oil and gas assets, in addition to the sale of its remaining interests in energy coal mines.

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BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, TESLA INCORPORATED

We’re full partners in Brisbane Olympics: PM

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Original article by Charlie Peel
The Australian – Page: 7 : 23-Jul-21

The federal government has committed to funding half the cost of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. However, in his first press conference after Brisbane was announced as the host city, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was at pains to stress that the arrangement between the federal and Queensland governments is a "50-50 partnership" rather than a "50-50 funding partnership", with the cost of staging the Brisbane Olympic Games expected to be at least $5 billion. The event is expected to generate around $18 billion in economic benefit.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

$4.6bn in JobKeeper went to businesses that increased their turnover at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic

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Original article by Dan Conifer
abc.net au – Page: Online : 23-Jul-21

The Parliamentary Budget Office has reported that 157,650 employers saw their turnover increase between April and June 2020, when compared to the same period in 2019. These employers received a combined $4.6 billion in JobKeeper payments during this period, and Labor MP Andrew Leigh says the figures show how much of taxpayers’ money was wasted on the wage subsidy scheme; he contends that these companies should return their JobKeeper payments.

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AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Two more deaths from AstraZeneca side effects

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Original article by Matthew Denholm
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Jul-21

The Therapeutic Good Administration has advised that 87 cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome have been recorded nationwide since the COVID-19 vaccination rollout began. Five Australians have now died from the rare blood clotting disorder that has been linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, with a 48-year-old Victorian woman and a 44-year-old Tasmanian man passing away in the last week. The death of a sixth person who had received their first dose of the AstraZeneca jab has been attributed to an even rarer condition known as immune thrombocytopenia, which involves a low platelet count.

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AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION

Thousands of COVID-19 close contacts in Victoria not yet tested

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Original article by Paul Sakkal, Cassandra Morgan
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Jul-21

Victoria has recorded 26 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, although only two of them were active in the community while they were infectious. Some 16 of the new cases have been partially vaccinated, while five are fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, more than 19,000 Victorians are self-isolating because they are close contacts of infected people or they have visited exposure sites. Professor Catherine Bennett of Deakin University has questioned why there is no legal requirement for them to be tested soon after going into isolation; at present they are only required to test negative on the 13th day of their two-week quarantine period.

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DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

AstraZeneca blitz: PM says get the jab now

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Original article by Olivia Caisley
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 23-Jul-21

Prime Scott Morrison says he is sorry that the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout has missed a series of targets. However, he says it is "totally focused" on turning this around. Morrison has also revealed plans to ramp up the number of pharmacies that are able to provide COVID-19 vaccinations, while he has urged younger Australians to get the AstraZeneca vaccine. Morrison contends that the emergence of the Delta variant in Australia means that the AstraZeneca vaccine should no longer be restricted to people over the age of 60, and notes that the Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved its use among people aged 18+. Meanwhile, the TGA is set to approve Pfizer’s application for its vaccine to be given to children aged 12-16.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ASTRAZENECA PLC, AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION

Consider getting AstraZeneca if you are under 40: Berejiklian

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Original article by Alexandra Smith, Lucy Carroll, Liam Mannix
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 23-Jul-21

New South Wales has recorded 124 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including 48 people who were active in the community while they were infectious. There are 118 people across NSW in hospital with the coronavirus, including 15 who are under the age of 35. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says people under the age of 40 should get the AstraZeneca vaccine if their GP advises them to do so, rather than wait for the Pfizer jab. Meanwhile, Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says lockdowns may not be enough to contain the Delta variant, so the AstraZeneca vaccine may be a good option for people under the age of 60.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Phantom pain as Opera Australia counts the cost

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Original article by Matthew Westwood
The Australian – Page: 3 : 23-Jul-21

Opera Australia has postponed a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ due to COVID-19 lockdowns. About $20m worth of tickets for an upcoming run in Sydney and Melbourne have been sold, and the musical would have helped offset the $7.1m deficit that Opera Australia recorded in 2020. Meanwhile, Live Performance Australia will lobby the federal government for additional industry assistance, with CEO Evelyn Richardson warning that the sector is likely to face ongoing disruptions for at least another 6-9 months.

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OPERA AUSTRALIA, LIVE PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

ABC admits staff numbers are on the rise

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth, James Madden
The Australian – Page: 3 : 23-Jul-21

The ABC has come under scrutiny after new figures showed that its headcount rose by 2.8 per cent in 2020-21, with the addition of 120 additional employees. This includes 95 temporary positions. ABC MD David Anderson recently told a Senate committee that he did not think the public broadcaster’s headcount had increased in the last financial year. Liberal senator Ben Small says the ABC has been exposed as deceiving the public on resourcing, and notes that it is taking on additional staff at a time when its commercial rivals are cutting jobs.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Three NSW regional councils go into lockdown

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Original article by Anna Caldwell
The Daily Telegraph – Page: 7 : 21-Jul-21

New South Wales has recorded 78 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including 29 people who were active in the community while they were infectious. Meanwhile, three local government areas in regional NSW will be subject to stage one lockdown restrictions for at least seven days in order to contain the spread of the Delta variant. A pet food delivery driver from south-west Sydney is believed to have been highly infectious when he recently visited a number of exposure sites in the shires of Orange, Blayney and Cabonne. Residents will only be permitted to leave their home for four essential reasons, although schools will remain open.

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