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NSW records 935 cases and four deaths; protests over mandatory construction jabs in Melbourne – as it happened

This article is more than 2 years old
 Updated 
Mon 20 Sep 2021 05.46 EDTFirst published on Sun 19 Sep 2021 17.30 EDT

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Key events

Summary of Monday, 20 September

Righto then, once more with feeling. We are actually closing this news odyssey now. My usual thanks and best wishes. Be well, all of you.

  • Victoria’s construction industry is expected to be forced into a fortnight-long lockdown following violent protests in Melbourne over industry vaccination requirements.
  • The violence was orchestrated by “right-wing extremists and anti-vaccination activists” – not construction union members, the ACTU said.
  • Victoria will take receipt of “hundreds of thousands” of Moderna vaccines later this week.
  • Australia has fully vaccinated 47% of its population aged 16 and above, while 72% have received a first dose. Nearly 400,000 vaccinations were administered over the weekend.
  • The ACT leads the nation on double-dose coverage with 56.3 %, ahead of NSW at 53 % and Tasmania at 52.2 %.
  • Victoria and South Australia have vaccinated 44.1 % of over-16s whileQueensland and WA are on 41.8 %.
  • The NT has a 47.8 % two-dose vaccination rate.
  • Victoria recorded 567 new cases and another death on Monday.
  • NSW reported four deaths and 935 new local cases, the state’s lowest daily infection increase since late August.
  • There were seven new cases in the ACT, the first single-figure rise for almost a month.
  • Darwin recorded one new local coronavirus case in a man who returned from NSW via Brisbane.
  • The central west town of Cowra has gone into lockdown after an infected student attended a school campus.
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OK – the shutdown to Victorian construction has not yet been confirmed. But this is what we can tell you now:

The Victorian government is holding crisis talks with the construction industry and unions after a protest against mandatory vaccines for workers in the sector became violent.

Guardian Australia has confirmed high-level meetings were being held on Monday night and the state government was reportedly poised to announce a two-week shutdown of the construction industry.

There was likely to be some exceptions granted for major projects.

There is currently a 25% cap on the industry’s workforce in Victoria, with tradies required to have had their first dose of a vaccine by this Thursday in order to be allowed back to work.

Updates will go to this story here:

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And from the secretary of the ACTU:

The ACTU condemns the violent attack on @CFMEUVicTas office orchestrated by violent right-wing extremists and anti-vaccination activists.
This violent attack on union property which endangered union officials, staff and the public was reprehensible.

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) September 20, 2021

CFMEU says Melbourne protest was infiltrated by far-right extremists

The CFMEU says the crowd that attacked their offices, and police, in Melbourne today was “heavily infiltrated by neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremist groups and it is clear that a minority of those who participated were actual union members”.

The CFMEU statement pic.twitter.com/fIV0qwuWGX

— Compute This 💻 (@MixtUpMixy) September 20, 2021
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Victorian construction industry expected to be shut down for two weeks

Actually, we’re back. We’re expecting an announcement at 7pm on the Victorian construction industry – that it will be shut down for a fortnight.

Our reporter has confirmed government talks and an imminent announcement.

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With that, we’ll close this juggernaut of news for the day. Thanks all for your company, comments, and correspondence. Be well, all of you.

To leave you, a summary of today’s Covid news:

  • Protests over construction industry vaccination requirements turned violent in Melbourne’s CBD, orchestrated by “right-wing extremists and anti-vaccination activists” – not construction union members, the ACTU said.
  • Victoria will take receipt of “hundreds of thousands” of Moderna vaccines later this week.
  • Australia has fully vaccinated 47% of its population aged 16 and above, while 72% have received a first dose. Nearly 400,000 vaccinations were administered over the weekend.
  • The ACT leads the nation on double-dose coverage with 56.3 %, ahead of NSW at 53 % and Tasmania at 52.2 %.
  • Victoria and South Australia have vaccinated 44.1 % of over-16s whileQueensland and WA are on 41.8 %.
  • The NT has a 47.8 % two-dose vaccination rate.
  • Victoria recorded 567 new cases and another death on Monday.
  • NSW reported four deaths and 935 new local cases, the state’s lowest daily infection increase since late August.
  • There were seven new cases in the ACT, the first single-figure rise for almost a month.
  • Darwin recorded one new local coronavirus case in a man who returned from NSW via Brisbane.
  • The central west town of Cowra has gone into lockdown after an infected student attended a school campus.
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20/09/2021 6pm

🇦🇺 Total Cases 87,129🔺1,515 (4 HQ)

🔴Deaths 1,167🔺5
🔵Vent 162
🟣ICU 297🔺6
🟡Hosp 1,445🔻23
🟠Active 20,927🔺1,334
🟢Recovered 30,842 ↑ 165

NSW🔺936 (1 HQ)
VIC🔺567
QLD🔺2 (1 HQ)
WA🔺1 HQ
SA🍩
ACT🔺7
TAS🍩
NT🔺2 (1 HQ)

— COVID Australia (@COVID_Australia) September 20, 2021

Acting prime minister Barnaby Joyce has had a spirited conversation on ABC radio. He reiterated to host Patricia Karvelas he would support the return of the exiled Christian Porter to the ministry after a suitable (unspecified) time in “Coventry”, also known as the “corridor of the nearly dead”.

(I wonder how his backbench colleagues feel about their orbit being described in such terms). Porter should not have to reveal his mystery donors after his penance, Joyce reckons.

He quoted Hobbes (his time as acting PM will be brief, he conceded, but he hoped not “nasty and brutish”), he spoke of the power of redemption and forgiveness. It was – at once – everything and nothing, the yin and the yang, the sublime and the ridiculous. You know how these things can be ...

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More Aukus fallout: Australia seeking to soothe jangled nerves in the region. Southeast Asian neighbours, in particular Indonesia and Malaysia, are disquieted by Australia’s embrace of nuclear submarines...

As ASEAN’s oldest Dialogue Partner, 🇦🇺 is – and will continue to be – a committed supporter of #ASEAN centrality. Read @AusAmbASEAN’s statement following the announcement of #AUKUS ⬇️ https://t.co/OS5V9PoU2B pic.twitter.com/d148EQMDDL

— DFAT🇦🇺 (@dfat) September 20, 2021
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More on the fallout from the construction worker protests today...

Major crisis talks going on within the State Goverment tonight over construction. Shutting down the entire industry is not off the table after tradies walked off sites, across the state, angry over the closure of tea rooms and mandatory vaccination. @7NewsMelbourne

— Sharnelle Vella (@SharnelleVella) September 20, 2021
Paul Karp
Paul Karp

Acting prime minister Barnaby Joyce has endorsed Christian Porter to return to the ministry in future, just one day after the former industry minister resigned over his legal fees being paid by a trust with money from unknown donors.

On Monday, Joyce told reporters in Canberra Porter was “incredibly intelligent” and had been an “incredibly capable” minister, suggesting he could return after seeking re-election in his Western Australian seat of Pearce.

But while the second most senior figure in the government laid a red carpet for his return, Labor vowed the controversy over Porter was not over, insisting he must pay the money back or disclose the funds’ source.

Guardian Australia understands when parliament returns in October, Labor will seek to refer the matter to the privileges committee for a ruling and possible sanction for failing to disclose more details of the gift.

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