World News – UA – Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria top official resigns as state reports 15 new cases of Covid

For Chris Eccles, remaining head of the Prime Minister’s Department and Cabinet would be « a major distraction » from the state’s fight against Covid; fears are growing in NSW over number of locally transmitted cases Follow all the latest updates

Chris Eccles, the former senior Victorian civil servant who has just resigned, previously held similar roles as a senior civil servant in South Australia and New South Wales

He admitted in a statement on Monday that he spoke to former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton on a phone call the day the decision was made to use private security companies to provide quarantine hotels

He had previously testified at the inquest investigating the failed hotel quarantine that he did not recall speaking to Ashton

The discussion between the two took place in a critical six-minute window during which, according to Ahston’s texts released to the inquest, the decision was made for safety, rather than safety. police, to guard the hotels Eccles said he did not have his phone records at the time he testified, but that those tapes indicated the men had spoken on March 27

In the statement, Eccles reiterated that although he spoke to Ashton that day, he had not made the decision to install private security guards in the quarantine hotels This means that the key question of who made the decision, described as a ‘creeping hypothesis’ by the investigating lawyer, remains unanswered

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the Independent Corruption Commission that she had « a close personal relationship » with former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire when he was forced to resign from parliament in 2018

Maguire is under investigation by Icac for allegedly abusing his public office in the pursuit of his own financial interests, in particular a company called G8way International Pty Ltd

Berejiklian was forced to appear after it emerged that Maguire gave her direct email address to race heiress and real estate developer Louise Raedler Waterhouse

But in the opening salvos of this hearing, we heard that Maguire and Berejiklian were involved in a « close personal relationship » before he was forced to resign The relationship was kept private from fellow parliamentarians, she told Icac, as she is « a very private person » and « didn’t think the relationship had enough substance to be made public »

Berejiklian said she kept in touch with Maguire after he was forced to resign “He was someone in a very bad state [and] after having known him for 15 years, I felt I had to check on her well-being, ”she said

Read more about Chris Eccles’ statement The official says he is’ adamant ‘that neither he nor the PMO made the decision to use private security in the quarantine of hotels

But he admits to actually calling Police Commissioner Graham Ashton – which was in dispute and was questioned about during the investigation

It is also with clarity that I reaffirm the evidence I provided to the Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 Hotel Quarantine and the Ministry’s concluding observations to Council

My testimony is categorical that neither myself nor the Prime Minister’s and Cabinet’s departments made the decision to use private security as part of the hotel quarantine program

I testified that although I could not recall whether I telephoned former Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton in response to a text he sent me at 1:16 p.m. on March 27, 2020, In addition, I may have testified that even though I did not remember calling Mr. Ashton at that time my usual practice was to go back to the then Chief Commissioner when he contacted me

In cross-examination, I provided an answer to a related question which was inconsistent with all of my testimony and the meaning I intended to convey It was not my intention, as I believe that my written statement and other oral testimony made it clear At the time I testified, I did not have my complete telephone records in my possession

Following a request from the commission of inquiry on Saturday October 10, 2020, I requested detailed telephone records from my telecommunications operator These recordings show that I called Mr. Ashton at 1:17 p.m. and spoke with him for just over two minutes At no time before October 10, 2020, did the Commission request access to these telephone records, and they were not in my possession before

Phone records do not in any way demonstrate that I, or indeed anyone within DPC, made the decision to use private security in the hotel’s quarantine program

I am absolutely certain that I did not communicate to M Ashton no decision regarding the use of private security, as I was not aware that such a decision had been made and I certainly had not made such a decision myself

There has been a lot of comment and speculation as to whether I or someone else at DPC spoke to M Ashton during this short period on March 27 It is now obvious that I have done « 

Some big news from Victoria Chris Eccles, who is the Secretary of the State Department to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, has just resigned

In a statement, he said staying in office « would be a significant distraction » to the state’s ongoing containment efforts against Covid-19

#BREAKING Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Chris Eccles has resigned, with immediate effect More info via @AAPNewswire

Demand at food banks jumped 47% during Covid-19 – mostly driven by casual workers and international students

The statistics come from a new report published today which follows the months of April to September This despite the doubling of the payment of the job seeker and the introduction of the job maintenance subsidy, the international students not eligible for both

Barnaby Joyce blasted his own coalition government for what he calls a ‘deal’ with Pauline Hanson after the One Nation leader was allowed to announce a $ 23million grant for a stadium in Rockhampton – with a check showing his face

Joyce told Guardian Australia: « I suspect it was a deal – obviously it has to be some form of support for another issue… and it’s a payment for it »

« It was a program that was put together by the Nationals, not by One Nation, » Joyce said

The kids are at the gates and the sun is shining My friend and I hit the air 😂💃🏻Best ever day in Melbourne for months! # COVID19Victoria #backtoschool picTwittercom / 9SrDEX4Kjt

Australian scientists have found that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces such as cell phone glass, stainless steel, vinyl and paper banknotes

The virus survived longer on paper banknotes than on plastic banknotes and lasted longer on smooth surfaces rather than porous surfaces like cotton

Today is the first day in more than two months that the Victoria state’s 14-day average has increased

Victorian restaurateur launches legal action against Victorian government lockdown, arguing it is unconstitutional

Julian Gerner, who owns a restaurant and bar in Sorrento, is represented by Brett Walker SC and Michael Wyles QC, and will argue that the lockdown was disproportionate and violated a constitutional right to freedom of movement in the states , according to age

There is an explicit right in the constitution of the freedom of commerce and commerce between states, but any right to this freedom within a state should be successfully argued as « implicit » by Gerner’s legal team

In a statement, Gerner said restrictions such as the 5 km radius were « not what we are committed to and are incompatible with a free society, representative democratic government and civilized life.

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Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is currently on ABC, speaking about his petition calling for a royal commission in Rupert Murdoch’s Australian media empire

He says people all over Australia are ‘scratching their heads’ because Murdoch-owned media ‘no longer offers anything comparable to balance reporting’

« There is only one side of the story told Murdoch controls 70% of the print media and here in Queensland owns virtually all the newspapers, » he says « The entire coast of Queensland belongs in Murdoch

« When you have today James Murdoch saying publicly in The New York Times that his reason for leaving News Corporation and the board of directors was because News Corporation legitimized the disinformation His words, not mine

« Why isn’t this coverage getting in today’s Murdoch media? Why do we avoid this as a central reporting? It’s breathtaking « 

Rudd says politicians and journalism are « afraid » of the Murdoch empire and are being blacklisted by him

« This is why we need the impartial analysis of a royal commission on what is wrong with the concentration of media power in Australia, » he says

« It’s time we stood up against the bullies and Murdoch and Michael Miller, Ben English, the editor of the Daily Telegraph, Chris Dore, the editor of the Australian, and all the other Voldemorts assistants who direct the operation; instead people are afraid and part of the petition is to make sure people are not afraid of them « 

Victoria has recorded 15 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, luckily with no new deaths

However, these new cases are still in double digits, and that means the 14-day moving average has now risen in the Melbourne metro

15 new cases were reported yesterday No lives lost 14-day moving average edged up in metropolitan Melbourne but remains stable in Victoria area More data will be available later in the month dayInfos: https: // tco / pcll7ySEgz # COVID19Vic # COVID19VicData picTwittercom / F1Ztgt9UFZ

Anyone who has attended is considered casual contact and should watch for symptoms and get tested immediately if they develop After testing, they should remain isolated until a negative test result is received

The state recorded three new cases of local transmission yesterday, with today’s numbers expected at 11 a.m.

« We are asking the community to come forward immediately for testing if you have milder symptoms like a runny nose or sore throat, cough, fever, or other symptoms that could be Covid- 19 « 

Blog captain extraordinary Amy Remeikis is taking a few days off this week – returning to the only slightly less stressful job of political reporting in Canberra She will be back on the blog next week

Today Melbourne Primary and VCE students will return to school in person for the first time in 10 weeks Over the weekend Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews delivered his 100th press conference , the state recorded 12 new cases on Sunday, and all eyes will be on today’s numbers to see if they can split into single-digit numbers

Meanwhile, a legal challenge to the state lockdown is due to be filed this morning in the High Court Restaurant Victoria Julian Gerner argues the lockdown was unconstitutional because it was’ brutal ‘and violated a right to’ liberty of movement ”and to interstate commerce

In New South Wales, Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian will appear as a witness at the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption today, as she testifies about the former colleague Daryl Maguire

NSW Health has also released more sites of potential Covid exposure in western and southwestern Sydney

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be in Queensland today to help the National Liberal Party campaign ahead of the Queensland state election on October 31

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Independent Commission Against Corruption, Daryl Maguire, Gladys Berejiklian, New South Wales, Prime Minister, Wagga Wagga, Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division)