2020-

Movement in the Brisbane CBD recovers quickly after recent lockdown, but Sydney & Melbourne lockdowns extended again

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 1-Sep-21

A special analysis of movement data in Australia’s Capital City CBDs since the COVID-19 pandemic began shows movement in the Brisbane CBD continuing to recover after the recent lockdown in early August. The average 7-day movement level in the Brisbane CBD was at 54% of pre-pandemic levels in late August, up from a low of 23% in early August and its highest since late May. In contrast, movement levels in the two largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne remain at only a fraction of pre-pandemic levels in late August as both cities endure extended Winter lockdowns which are set to continue well into September and even October. In late August average movement levels in the Sydney CBD were at only 12% of pre-pandemic averages and at only 13% of pre-pandemic levels in the Melbourne CBD. Movement levels in both cities is slightly above the record low of 8% reached in both cities in late July. The two cities closest to pre-pandemic ‘normal’ are the Adelaide CBD with average movement levels at 68% of pre-pandemic averages and the Perth CBD with average movement levels at 63% of pre-pandemic averages. In third place is the Hobart CBD at 55% of pre-pandemic averages. Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technology innovator UberMedia to aggregate data from tens of thousands of mobile devices to assess the movements of Australians as we deal with the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

Victoria records two COVID-19 deaths ahead of modest easing of restrictions

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Original article by Sumeyya Ilanbey, Melissa Cunningham
The Age – Page: Online : 1-Sep-21

Victoria has recorded 76 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, including 31 mystery cases. The state has also recorded its first COVID-19 deaths since 30 November, a woman in her 60s and a 49-year-old woman; it is not yet known whether they had been vaccinated or had underlying health conditions. Meanwhile, the state government is expected to relax some lockdown restrictions after conceding that its ‘COVID-zero’ strategy is no longer feasible. However, Premier Daniel Andrews says the aim will to get daily case numbers to as close to zero as possible to avoid overwhelming the hospital system. The state has 841 active cases, including 52 in hospital.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

PM: Christmas trips likely

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 25-Aug-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison contends that Australians should be able to travel interstate to spend Christmas with family and friends once 70-80 per cent of the adult population has been fully vaccinated. Morrison has again urged the states and territories to back his government’s four-stage plan for reopening the economy, reiterating that lockdowns will do more harm than good when the vaccination target rate has been achieved. Meanwhile, employers’ groups have urged the federal government to relax the restrictions on travelling overseas for business purposes, arguing that people who have been vaccinated should be allowed to do so and quarantine at home upon their return.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

COVID vaccine booster shots will happen in Australia

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Original article by Nick Sas, Sophie Scott
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 25-Aug-21

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation will provide the federal government with initial advice on COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in coming weeks. However, ATAGI’s co-chair Allen Cheng says the nation will not be in a position to start giving booster shots until all eligible Australians have received at least one vaccine dose. He adds that people who are immunosuppressed or in ultra-high risk categories are likely to be given priority for booster shots.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNISATION

Federal government errors contributed to Ruby Princess disaster, report finds

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Original article by Daniella White
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 25-Aug-21

The Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Rob Delane, has completed a review of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney that was caused by the arrival of the Ruby Princess cruise ship in March 2020. His report concluded that the federal Department of Agriculture’s failure to properly enforce biosecurity rules had contributed to the outbreak; amongst other things, biosecurity staff had not screened Ruby Princess passengers who were sick, and they were allowed to leave the ship after it arrived in Sydney. More than 663 passengers and crew subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, while 28 passengers died.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF BIOSECURITY

Sydney stevedores to block workers not yet vaccinated

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 24-Aug-21

Stevedoring firms Hutchison Ports and DP World Australia have told employees that they will not be able to work at their terminals at Port Botany in Sydney from 30 August if they have not had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The directives have been introduced in response to New South Wales government rules that require authorised workers residing in 12 Sydney local government areas to be vaccinated if they work outside their LGA, unless their employer uses rapid antigen testing. The Port Botany terminals are located within one of the 12 hotspots.

CORPORATES
HUTCHISON PORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DP WORLD AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Commonwealth announces financial support for childcare centres

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Original article by Katina Curtis, Sumeyya Ilanbey
The Age – Page: Online : 24-Aug-21

The federal government has announced new support measures for childcare centres and after-school care operators. Childcare centres in areas where state premiers have directed parents to keep children at home or that have been under lockdown for more than four weeks will receive 25 per cent of pre-pandemic revenue, along with the fee subsidies they would usually get if all children were in attendance; after-school care operators will get 40 per cent of pre-pandemic revenue. The new measures have been welcomed by the Australian Childcare Alliance and the Outside School Hours Council of Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHILDCARE ALLIANCE INCORPORATED, OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Banks eye mandatory jabs for staff

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 15 & 19 : 24-Aug-21

An Australian Banking Association working group is believed to have discussed the issue of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for branch-based bank employees. Some banks have adopted a policy of voluntary vaccination for frontline staff, while the major banks are also seeking legal advice about the issue of vaccinations and their requirement to provide a safe working environment. National Australia Bank recently began offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to its employees, with an initial focus on staff in local government areas that are at the centre of Sydney’s current outbreak.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BANKING ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

PM’s blast for slow-jab states

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Aug-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged state leaders to support the federal government’s four-stage plan for reopening the economy. He has reiterated that restrictions must be eased when 70-80 per cent of the nation’s population has been fully vaccinated, while he has warned that Australians must live with COVID-19. However, there are concerns that some states are falling behind in meeting the vaccination threshold targets; based on current figures, Western Australia is unlikely to achieve a full vaccination rate of 80 per cent until late November, while Queensland will not do so until late December.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Doherty target risks death of 25,000 people

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 24-Aug-21

The federal government’s plan to reopen the economy once 80 per cent of Australians aged 16+ have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is based on advice from the Doherty Institute. However, a group of economists and medical researchers has warned that this threshold is too low; they contend that the government should instead aim to fully vaccinate 90 per cent of Australians, including children. Australian National University economics professor Quentin Grafton says that retaining the 80 per cent threshold could potentially result in 25,000 deaths from COVID-19 and some 270,000 cases of so-called ‘long Covid’.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. PETER DOHERTY INSTITUTE FOR INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY