Live: ‘It’s time to give Australians their lives back’: PM outlines travel plan

By Bridget Judd

Today’s COVID case numbers and press conferences

• NSW: 864 local cases, no press conference today
• QLD: 2 local cases, press conference: watch it here
• VIC: 1,143 local cases, press conference: watch it here
• TAS: Case numbers TBC, press conference: watch it here
• ACT: 52 new local cases, press conference: watch it here
• SA: 1 new case, press conference: watch it here
• WA: No new cases, press conference: watch it here
• NATIONAL CABINET: press conference: watch it here

This post will be updated throughout the day. If you don’t see your state or territory here yet, don’t worry — some numbers aren’t reported until later in the day, and press conferences aren’t always held.

If you don’t want to keep checking back, download the ABC News app and subscribe to our news alerts and we’ll send the big news straight to your phone.

It’s looking like there won’t be an update

What’s going on with nashy cab today? Did it happen/will there be a press conference??

-Is nashy cab feeling left out?

It did indeed happen, but it’s increasingly looking like we won’t get another press conference. We did get an international borders announcement, so that may be it. 

Disability providers welcome Andrews’ vaccine mandate

That’s it for WA. Meanwhile, over in Victoria, disability providers Able Australia, Oncall Group Australia, Wallara and peak body National Disability Services have issued a statement in response to Premier Daniel Andrews mandating vaccines for all authorised workers.

Karen Stace, senior manager at National Disability Services, said the announcement was “a huge relief”.

“After months of advocating on this issue, with the safety of our most vulnerable community members and disability support workers front of mind, we are thrilled to see this news. Prior to this announcement, some providers had already begun to mandate vaccination for their workers, so this will bring much-needed uniformity to the Victorian sector.”

But she said it was disappointing there was not yet “a country-wide commitment”. 

Paul Guerra, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive, also welcomed the mandate, saying it was “fundamentally important for the whole state … and for the city to come back to life”.

“Businesses can open again, events will start coming back and we can start living our lives again.”

Reporting by Nas Campanella

WA to reopen internationally ‘at some point in time’

Mr McGowan is being asked about international borders reopening and when WA will open. 

He said the state wasn’t going to set a date at this point in time, and that it was “really a NSW thing” because they had enough COVID in the community that travelling overseas and returning didn’t really add to the risk profile.

“WA will open up internationally at some point in time,” he said, adding it was “probably just a difference of months” between the state and NSW and Victoria.

He said a date would be set once the state reached a vaccination rate between 80 and 90 per cent. 

“What we’re trying to do here is set a pathway that has a soft landing from COVID,” Mr McGowan said, with minimal deaths and hospitalisations.

He baulked at the idea of allowing returning travellers to quarantine at home for a week.

“Seven days quarantine at home is not endorsed by all of our chief health officers,’ he said.

“That is not the policy of our chief health officers across Australia. they have not endorsed that, so it’s been referred to them to consider. Let them consider it and hear what the health advice is from the chief health officers of Australia.”

No new cases for WA

WA Premier Mark McGowan is up now.

No new cases for the state. The state’s total remains at 1,096, with three cases in hotel quarantine.

WA has reached 1 million double doses of the vaccine, he said.

WA Health is reporting compliance rates of tier-one health workers having at least one dose of the vaccine is in the high 90s. They must be fully vaccinated by November 1.

Watch the WA update

You can watch the WA COVID update in the stream above.

WA COVID update at 3:20pm local time

We’ll be hearing from WA health authorities at 3:20pm local time (5:20pm AEST). We’ll bring that to you as it happens.

New truckie case not vaccinated

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier is up now.

She says the new case is a Victorian man in his 30s who entered the state and has since left. He was not vaccinated.

There are only two new public exposure sites – two petrol stations. The Liberty service station in Glenunga and the Coles Express at Tailem Bend, early this morning.

Fifty-six contacts have been identified from the case yesterday, she says.

She also noted there were a growing number of exposure sites in Queensland and urged anyone who had been to the exposure locations to quarantine. Four people have been identified so far.

Another truckie tests positive in SA

We’re now hearing from SA Health Minister Stephen Wade. 

He says another truck driver has tested positive – that’s two in two days.

“COVID is coming to SA and we are preparing for that inevitability. We will be ready, but we are relying on South Australians to be vaccinated.”

Watch the SA update

You can watch the South Australian COVID update in the stream above.

Japan emerges from COVID state of emergency

Let’s take a moment to take a quick look at what’s happening overseas – in Japan, for instance.

The country fully came out of a coronavirus state of emergency for the first time in more than six months as it starts to gradually ease virus measures. Those restrictions, in place for more than half of the country including Tokyo, ended on Thursday following a steady fall in new cases over the past few weeks, helping to ease pressure on Japanese health care systems.

  

Japan is eager to expand social and economic activities while balancing the need to prevent another wave of infections as the weather turns cooler. Officials say the government still needs time to create more temporary COVID-19 treatment facilities and continue vaccinations to prepare for any future resurgence. 

  

The emergency measures have mainly involved requests for eateries to curb alcohol and hours. They can now serve alcohol and operate an hour longer but still have to close at 9pm.

  

Daily reported cases have fallen to below 1,600 as of Wednesday nationwide – less than one-tenth of the mid-August peak of around 25,000. Nearly more than 59 per cent of Japanese people have been fully vaccinated. Japan has had about 1.69 million cases and 17,641 deaths from COVID-19.

SA Health COVID update at 4:15pm local time

I’ve just got word from my South Australian colleagues that we’ll hear from South Australian Health Minister Stephen Wade and Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier at 4:15pm ACST (4:45pm AEST).

Andrews keen for international opening

We’re seeing more reaction to the PM’s announcement trickle in from the states and territories – Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he supports the plans for international borders to open to fully vaccinated travellers.

It comes as the federal government announced it will lift Australia’s ban on international travel from next month. 

Mr Andrews said his government is keen to take part in home quarantine trials, and hopes travel between Victoria and New South Wales can resume soon.

“New South Wales and Victoria will not only be open to each other and open internally, we’ll be open to the world. And I think that’s a very, very good thing.”

The new rules as Victoria’s construction industry reopens

After a fortnight-long closure, the Victorian government has announced how the state’s construction industries will reopen on Tuesday with up to 25 per cent capacity of workers.

But the road to full capacity is a slow one and there are different rules depending on what type of construction is involved. 

Here’s what we know about the rules and the timeline.

Some vaccination stats

Our very own Casey Briggs has been doing some number-crunching (as he is wont to do) and says just over 341,000 vaccine doses have been administered today. By state/territory:

• ACT:10,480

• NSW: 121,763

• NT: 2,042

• Qld: 58,908 (a new daily record!)

• SA: 18,469

• Tas: 6,848

• Vic: 94,259

• WA: 28,360

He says NSW is about six days from reaching 90 per cent first dose, SA is about four days from 70 per cent, Qld is about seven days from 70 per cent, and the country is about three days from reaching 80 per cent overall.

Qantas to kick off international flights early

Start packing those suitcases… Qantas has announced it will bring forward the start of its international flights to November 14 after the PM’s announcement this morning.

It will operate three weekly return flights between Sydney and London and three weekly return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles. More flights will be added to meet demand if needed.

Once the federal government announces the exact date that the international borders will reopen, those dates can be moved forward or back as necessary.

At this stage, all other international routes that were scheduled to resume from December 18 will continue as planned.

All passengers will be required to be fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine (some exemptions for medical reasons and children). They will also be required to return a negative PCR COVID test 72 hours prior to departure.

Tas Premier on border announcement

Are we expecting to hear reactions from state and territory leaders to the international border announcement?

-WA

Hey WA, I’d expect so – in fact, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has already had something to say.

He said he would not reopen the state’s borders until everyone has had their chance to be vaccinated.

The federal government has called on states to consider relaxing travel restrictions once 80 per cent of the country’s eligible population is fully vaccinated, however, Tasmania has set a target of 90 per cent.

Mr Gutwein said he could in good conscience let the virus in until that mark was met. But he said he had no control over Tasmanians heading overseas once the travel ban was lifted.

“I’m certain there are some Tasmanians that would like to go overseas. If they want to be double vaccinated and they want to travel to … whether it’s a safe country or a not-so-safe country … that’s a matter for them. It’s the rules when they get back in terms of quarantine that they’ll need to navigate.”

Man arrested as pro and anti-mandatory vaccination protesters converge in Perth

Meanwhile, over in WA, one man has been arrested and police were forced to briefly close a street in East Perth as pro and anti-mandatory vaccination advocates rallied outside the state health department.

The anti-mandatory vaccination rally, which attracted around 200 attendees, was one of many around the country arranged by those opposed to vaccination requirements for certain frontline industries.

About 50 pro-vaccination supporters shouted at those rallying against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination on Royal Street, claiming they had links to far-right groups.

You can read more here.