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National Covid-19 update
Australia has recorded 58 deaths from Covid-19 so far on Saturday.
They include:
Albanese is asked why Labor’s share of the primary vote was so low. He says he is “confident Labor will have 76 seats on the floor of the House of Representatives” that “represents a majority government”.
“Some of this analysis is rather strange. We got 52% of the two party preferred vote. We by the time counting finished we’ll end up with that’s around about a 4% swing to labour at this election in a range of seats.
“People felt that labour was unlikely to win, like Kooyong was not on our target list better on was we had a circumstance whereby Labour’s vote was lower than it normally would be. And that’s that’s just a fact.”
“But the truth is that we have increased our representation in the parliament substantially.
Question now on reports that China is discussing building a training centre in the Pacific – I missed the exact phrasing of the question.
Albanese responds by laying out his plan for the region that includes defence training schools, a $500m boost to the aid budget, support for maritime security, “re-engaging on climate change” and more permanent migration.
“We’ll engage,” he says. “We will be proactive in the region and we want to engage. Australia has been the partner of choice for a long period of time in the Pacific and we continue to do that.”
Albanese is giving a report of the key events of the past week. He says the previous government had a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade submission calling for increased aid to Australia’s Pacific neighbours but did not act on it.
He says that during his attendance at the recent Quad meeting, he raised the issue of climate change.
“It is a national security issue and we need to act,” he says.
On inflation, Albanese says he wrote to the Fair Work Commission saying his government would make a submission to raise the minimum wage.
Anthony Albanese speaks in Sydney
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking now in Bennelong at the end of his first week in office.
“It’s been a very big week indeed,” he says.
I will hand over now to Royce Kurmelovs.
A reminder that the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, should be speaking in Sydney shortly.
Samoa signs bilateral agreement with China
Samoa has signed a bilateral agreement with China, promising “greater collaboration” as Beijing’s foreign minister continues a tour of the South Pacific that has sparked concern among western allies.
The deal’s details are unclear, coming midway through a Chinese delegation’s eight-nation trip – but an earlier leaked draft agreement sent to several Pacific countries outlined plans to expand security and economic engagement.
The mission has prompted western leaders to urge regional counterparts to spurn any Chinese attempt to extend its security reach across the region.
A press release from the Samoan government confirmed that Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Samoan prime minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa had met and discussed “climate change, the pandemic and peace and security”.
Greens candidate Stephen Bates claims victory in Brisbane
Stephen Bates is speaking now in Brisbane. He is, frankly, beaming.
He says:
The most important thing for me is being a loud and proud advocate for the community … something we heard over the doors and over the phones over the past months is that people don’t feel represented in Canberra.
Asked what his top three priorities will be in dealing with the Albanese government, he said that’s something that will have to be worked out with the party and with the community.
But he says the election is a “mandate for the Greens” to go stronger on climate.
Even if Labor does form a majority in the House we will still be in the balance of power in the Senate and that gives us such a powerful position to work with the Labor party to go better and go further on policies.
The top three issues voters in Brisbane mentioned to him, he says, are action on climate, housing and rental affordability, and issues of corruption – and he lists aircraft noise in Brisbane in that last one.
Bates said the mood for change was not just in Brisbane but “across the country”. “We’ve seen these swings away from the major parties.”
A reporter asked him to explain the Greens “domination” this election. He replied:
I don’t know about ‘domination’. Interesting word. It’s just a reflection of what people are feeling. And that’s all politics really is, just people expressing what they’re feeling.
He said voters told him that they were sick of “politics as usual”.
“The way things are doesn’t have to be the way they have to be,” he said. “I worded that badly.”
But just before the result in Brisbane becomes candidate official, it’s also Guardian official.
Electoral analyst Ben Raue says the Labor-Greens gap has not widened, and data shows on the current count that the Greens will beat Labor.
We’re just about to hear from Stephen Bates, the Greens candidate for Brisbane, who will declare victory in the seat.
He’ll be accompanied by Max Chandler-Mather, the Greens candidate-elect for Griffith, and one of three (THREE! Who would have imagined that!) Greens MPs in Brisbane.
Then we’ll hear from prime minister Anthony Albanese at 3.30pm. He’s in Eastwood in Sydney and will hold a doorstop with the candidate-elect for Bennelong, Jerome Laxale.
Adeshola Ore
VicHealth responds to Covid border closure criticism
The Victorian health department has responded to a report by the ombudsman which found the state’s Covid border exemption system resulted in “unjust outcomes”.
The investigation by the Victorian ombudsman, Deborah Glass, tabled in parliament last year, urged the government to publicly acknowledge the distress the restrictions caused.
The health department’s report, published on Friday, said the Victorian government acknowledged the distress and disruption the border restrictions caused.
Victoria closed its border with NSW last July after the chief health officer, Brett Sutton, declared all of NSW an “extreme risk zone”.
A Department of Health spokesperson said border restrictions for “extreme risk zones” addressed a “significant health threat” posed to all Victorians against the infectious Delta variant.
“The restrictions were needed to protect all Victorians, as only 17% of Victorians 16 and over were double-vaccinated at the time,” the spokesperson said.
It’s Antony Green official.
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