Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan has defended the imposition of an instant coronavirus lockdown that would cost the local economy around $ 70 million.

No new locally acquired cases were reported on Tuesday as Perth and the region of Peel emerged from the three-day lockdown.

The state has recorded four new infections among travelers returning from hotel quarantine.

Interim restrictions remain in place in WA until 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays, including mandatory wearing of face masks and limits on gatherings.

Some host institutions have chosen to remain closed until restrictions are relaxed, with early Treasury estimates suggesting an impact of $ 70 million on the economy.

“Obviously, if we were to go into a long-term lockdown, if we had the community spread, the cost would be many, billions and tens of thousands of jobs,” McGowan told reporters.

“It was the choice we were faced with.

“I know there is a lot of anger about the lockdowns, especially among some of the media commentators in the east and in some sections of the community. But the alternative, where the virus is rioting … is unthinkable. “

Two locally acquired infections were discovered from more than 37,000 tests after the virus leaked out of Perth’s Mercure quarantine hotel.

The WA health department was aware of the Mercury ventilation issues but believed the risk could be mitigated.

The outbreak has renewed concerns about quarantine in hotels and prompted the federal government to invest in purpose-built facilities.

Mr McGowan said nothing was preventing the Commonwealth from removing deportees from Christmas Island so that it could be used as a quarantine facility.

“They can obviously send them back to the prison they were in, and they can transfer them to any of the mainland’s secure establishments if they wish,” he said.

“I think they need a little more thinking, a little more flexibility and a little more effort to help find solutions to this problem.”

All direct passenger flights to Australia from India are suspended until May 15, as the subcontinent giant faces a growing coronavirus disaster.

McGowan had urged the federal government to implement such an initiative, describing India as “the epicenter of death and destruction.”

The guest from Mercury whose infection led to the epidemic had obtained an exemption to travel to India last December to get married.

He and his wife tested positive in quarantine in hotels upon their return to Australia earlier this month.

Genomic tests confirmed the virus had spread from the couple to several other guests in adjoining rooms, including a man from Melbourne who only tested positive after completing quarantine and spending five days in the community .

He then infected two other people.

Authorities identified 368 close contacts of confirmed cases and 255 returned negative test results on Tuesday.

WA’s cap on international arrivals will be cut in half to 512 per week for the next month, with McGowan not ruling out extending the reduction.

Australian Associated Press

Just two weeks before Josh Frydenberg hands over the budget, there is a growing wishlist for what it should contain.

But at this point, much of the treasurer’s own priorities would have been met.

A budget webinar hosted by the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association called on the treasurer to look to the long term with an economy currently recovering.

Investment initiatives, productivity and tax reform were seen as essential.

APPEA chief executive Andrew McConville said the type of investments in last year’s budget were rather short-term and focused.

“It will only give you a short-term shot of sugar versus the long-term protein we need to boost the economy,” he said.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief economist Ross Lambie agreed the economy is performing well above what was expected just a few months ago and the budget offers the possibility to build on that.

He said investments, especially non-mining investments – which have not been performing well for some time – will be essential.

“In the longer term, Australia’s prosperity will depend heavily on significant reforms to improve the productivity performance of the economy,” he said during the webinar.

“I don’t think reform is an option, I think reform is something the government has to go to.”

The Deputy Director of the Corporate Tax Association, Paul Suppree, used the cliché of “not wanting to spoil a crisis”.

“There is an opportunity here to fundamentally examine our tax system more broadly, and corporate tax in particular,” he said during the webinar.

He wants to see the tax composition shift more towards consumption-based taxes rather than income taxes.

He said a recent survey showed that out of 179 countries, only 14 countries have a corporate tax rate higher than Australia’s top rate of 30%.

“These 14 countries are essentially developing countries,” he said.

In a separate address, CUTA President Michele O’Neil called on the government to provide a budget for women with a series of measures to reduce the gender pay gap and improve safety.

“A better budget for women isn’t just a better budget for women – it’s better economic management, it’s better for men, it’s better for everyone,” she said. told the National Press Club.

Unions want free universal child care, an expanded 26-week paid parental leave program, 10 days of paid domestic violence leave and full implementation of the 55 recommendations of the Respect at Work report.

The Business Council of Australia has also supported an increase and better sharing of paid parental leave and improved childcare subsidies.

A government spokesperson said it was “absolutely determined” to support women’s participation in the labor force, noting that women’s participation had reached a record 61.8 percent under the coalition from 58.7 percent. percent under the Labor Party.

“We want it to continue to increase,” the spokesperson told AAP.

Meanwhile, advocates sent a joint letter to the prime minister calling for funding for dementia care.

Dementia Australia President Graeme Samuel said after 20 years of reviews and reports now is the time for the government to fund quality dementia care.

“We have written to the Prime Minister urgently to ensure that this unique opportunity to transform dementia care and the elderly care system as a whole is seized by the government,” said Professor Samuel.

“We expect a significant investment and transformation in Budget May that will make a profound difference in the experience of people living with dementia – now and for generations to come.”

Australian Associated Press

A firearm, vehicle and fraudulent device were reportedly seized from a house in Cartwright yesterday.

Last month, NSW Police received reports that a man wanted by Queensland Police on an outstanding warrant for a fraud-related offense had fled to New South Wales.

Police said the State Crime Command Financial Crime Squad then opened an investigation into alleged fraud-related offenses across New South Wales.

Following investigations, an arrest warrant was reportedly issued against a 23-year-old man for offenses such as dishonest obtaining of property or deception.

Financial Crime Squad detectives, alongside Liverpool Police, attended a house in Yambi Place, Cartwright, around 11 a.m. yesterday (Monday April 26).

Police say that once there, following negotiations, specialized police entered the premises and deployed a taser before the occupier was arrested.

The man was taken to Liverpool hospital with minor injuries.

Police executed a search warrant at the house and allegedly seized a Glock-style pistol and associated magazine and holster, swords, ax and Wi-Fi jammer. A Ford Explorer with license plates and special seers would also have been seized.

Upon discharge from hospital, the man was taken to Liverpool Police Station where he was charged with six counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception and a number of offenses related to the circulation.

Police will allege in court that the man used an electronic device to disconnect credit card terminals from financial institutions, which allowed him to fraudulently purchase goods.

He was denied bail to appear in local court in Liverpool today.

Investigations are continuing.

NSW MP John Sidoti has been accused of inventing evidence and failing to answer questions in a fiery end to his time on the witness stand during a corruption investigation.

The Drummoyne MP was excused Tuesday after testifying for five days at a hearing by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, which is examining corruption allegations against him.

He told the hearing that he was recently reminded of details of a meeting in which he was questioned during the investigation, after meeting with an associate “a few weeks ago”.

“I was promising the dog and he was driving by and he saw me and he stopped. He went out and said he saw the answers I gave, that I didn’t remember the meeting that had taken place, “said Mr. Sidoti.

“And he basically said, ‘Are you stupid?’ or something, “Have you lost your memory?” You set up the meeting for us. And then I said to him, “I was there? I just don’t remember” and he said “You were there, you stayed in your own office and you didn’t come in”. “

He said the meeting with Glen Haron, who was vice president of the Five Dock chamber of commerce, took place in the “first or second week of the investigation.”

However, Mr Sidoti did not begin testifying until last Tuesday, during the fourth week of the public inquiry.

“It just cannot be possible that Mr. Haron, having heard your testimony in the first two weeks, told you with some disbelief that you did not attend the meeting?” the investigating lawyer, said Rob Ranken.

“I suggest that you made up this proof of this conversation with Mr. Haron and it is false proof.”

“No, absolutely not. That is not correct at all,” Mr Sidoti replied.

Commissioner Peter Hall QC later accused Mr Sidoti of ‘obscuring’ when asked about how he handled conflicts of interest when making representations to local councilors on behalf of voters .

“Are you saying you were right to assume that everyone was aware of your family’s property interests in the Five Dock area and not make it explicit when you were making representations (to them)? ” Asked Mr. Ranken.

Mr Sidoti replied that “everyone knew”, but Mr Ranken insisted that he answer the question.

“That’s what you do. You assume and you are entitled,” Mr Sidoti replied dryly. “I know you don’t like my answer but that won’t change my answer.”

Commissioner Hall told Mr Sidoti that this was a “simple question”.

“You … have to cooperate with the commission to answer the question of whether you like it or not,” he said.

Mr Sidoti, who joined the bench before the ICAC investigation, denies any wrongdoing.

The investigation is investigating allegations that he failed to disclose some of his financial interests and abused his position as an MP.

He is accused of pressuring Canada Bay councilors in western Sydney to vote for town planning changes that would allow more development on the Five Dock sites owned by his family and friends .

Australian Associated Press

Australia must resist bullying from China and denounce the superpower’s widespread use of Uyghur forced labor, according to a parliamentary inquiry.

All Uyghurs in Australia have suffered from the anguish of having loved ones imprisoned or missing for the past five years, representatives of the Australian Uyghur community told the hearing on Tuesday.

“The genocide is indisputable and is happening as we speak,” said President of the Uyghur Association of Victoria, Alim Osman.

The Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Committee is considering an import ban on goods produced using Uyghur forced labor, under a bill introduced by Independent Senator Rex Patrick.

The president of the Australian Uyghur Women’s Association of Tangritagh, Ramila Chanisheff, said people were afraid to denounce relatives who were forced, separated from their children and sent to mass labor camps.

She said China intimidates countries like Australia not to speak out and slaps them with stiff tariffs.

Committee chairman Eric Abetz criticized Australian National University scholar Jane Golley’s plan to “debunk” reports of a million Uyghur Muslims working in concentration camps in Xinjiang province.

Prof Golley downplayed reports on Xinjiang and spoke last week of an article she received “anonymously” that suggested sterilization of Uyghur women should be considered family planning.

She heads the Australian Center on China in the World, funded by ANU taxpayers.

“Damn it,” Senator Abetz said, calling his naivety in the face of “overwhelming evidence.”

“He now sheds light on other critiques from others who have sought to shed light on human rights violations in China.”

University of Colorado researcher Dr Darren Byler said Professor Golley’s plea was an example of “sowing doubt or misinformation” by China.

He testified that Uyghurs were placed on a “trustworthy” list if they used “long-term birth control”.

Nurmuhammad Majid, president of the Australian East Turkistan Association and immigration lawyer, has two sisters jailed for more than 10 years, two brothers taken to an unknown location and 58 members of his extended family lost since 2016 .

“Australia has made no significant contribution to ending the atrocities against the Uyghur people,” he said.

“Australia is now a victim of China’s policy of economic expansion.”

Mr Majid said Australian Uyghurs have also been wrongly classified as terrorists by China for sending money to family members and that 14 people – including children – have been prevented from returning to their homes. families here despite their visas.

Analyst Vicky Xu said the Chinese government views any investigation into the working conditions of Uyghur workers as “crossing a red line.”

She co-authored the Australian Strategic Policy Institute report last year, which found more than 80,000 people were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019.

Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labor, Uyghurs and other minorities worked in factories linked to nearly 100 global brands in the tech, clothing and vehicle industries.

Mr Majid said China has established massive cotton production facilities where Uyghurs work 18 hours a day for less than 10 cents an hour.

Several witnesses told the committee that Australia’s slave labor laws did not meet what was required.

Australian Associated Press

Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan urged the federal government to halt flights from India, describing the South Asian nation as “the epicenter of death and destruction.”

Mr McGowan said on Tuesday that WA had emerged from its instant lockdown with a $ 70 million impact on the state’s economy, but no new locally acquired cases.

He said the state had recorded four new infections from travelers returning to hotel quarantine while raising concerns about the integrity of pre-flight testing in India.

“There has to be a suspension,” McGowan told reporters.

“We obviously have a problem with India … some of the tests conducted are not precise or are not credible, and that is clearly causing problems here.”

“People went there… for weddings, funerals or to play sports, and I don’t think it was necessary.

“This is a big risk to our hotel quarantine system and you can see the consequences.”

Interim restrictions remain in place in WA until 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays, including mandatory wearing of face masks and limits on gatherings.

Two locally acquired infections were found from more than 29,000 tests after the virus leaked out of Perth’s Mercure quarantine hotel.

The WA health department was aware of the Mercury ventilation issues but believed the risk could be mitigated.

The outbreak has renewed concerns about quarantine in hotels and prompted the federal government to invest in purpose-built facilities.

Mr McGowan also reiterated his wish for the Commonwealth to open air bases and Christmas Island to accommodate returning travelers.

He previously accused the federal government of wanting states to “do all the work” in managing return travelers.

“If they are not ready to do it, we will just have to drop the number of returnees in Australia,” he said on Monday.

“And it will be sad for many families, but we cannot go through these kinds of events.”

The prime minister apologized for the lockdown, but said he would not hesitate to implement such a response again.

WA’s cap on international arrivals will be cut in half to 512 per week for the next month, with McGowan not ruling out extending the reduction.

Federal officials insist that facilities such as air bases are not suitable for quarantine.

The prime minister’s office released figures showing 140,355 people had quarantined a hotel in the past six months.

Thirteen escapes have been recorded across the country, less than 0.01% of travelers quarantined.

The guest from Mercury whose infection led to the epidemic had obtained an exemption to travel to India last December to get married.

He and his wife tested positive in quarantine in hotels upon their return to Australia earlier this month.

Genomic tests confirmed the virus had spread from the couple to several other guests in adjoining rooms, including a man from Melbourne who only tested positive after completing quarantine and spending five days in the community .

He then infected two other people.

Authorities identified 368 close contacts of confirmed cases and 255 returned negative test results on Tuesday.

Australian Associated Press

Brisbane could know as early as July whether it has secured the rights to host the 2032 Olympics, the Queensland premier has said.

The state government on Monday reached a 50-50 infrastructure funding deal with the federal government for the infrastructure of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic bid.

Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said guarantees had been sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which could award hosting rights as early as the Tokyo Games in July.

“This is the next big step, there is another big step in May and of course there could be a decision as early as Tokyo on the allocation of 2032,” she said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison agreed to the Joint Funding Agreement, on condition that a jointly owned, funded and managed Olympic infrastructure agency be set up to oversee all projects.

He said it would be a “real partnership” with shared costs and responsibilities.

“It takes the Olympics out of day-to-day politics,” Morrison said in a statement Monday.

“It provides a platform for bipartisan support at all levels of government and allows those we jointly appoint to do this work, to just keep going.”

The Queensland government said it received the Commonwealth’s offer at 3.57 a.m. Monday afternoon, just over an hour before the 5 p.m. deadline for sending the guarantees to the IOC.

Ms Palaszczuk had called for the deal to be concluded for at least two weeks before the deadline.

She said IOC President Thomas Bach and lawyers reviewed Brisbane’s bid guarantees on Monday night and that the Olympics would be “ready to go”.

“I thank the Prime Minister for giving me such a quick response,” said the Prime Minister.

“He met the deadline, that’s the bottom line. Just keep going, come on.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the deal would allow the development of Gabba as a main stadium at a cost of over $ 1 billion, along with many other infrastructure, including sites, roads and community facilities.

She said the Queensland government had a solid track record of joint projects with the Commonwealth.

“We are doing this in Queensland with a whole range of projects, and we can certainly do it as far as the Olympics are concerned,” the Prime Minister said.

“So that’s going to prepare Queensland for decades to come. Sydney has had time to shine (at the 2000 Olympics), and in 2032, Brisbane, Queensland, it’s going to be fantastic.”

Meanwhile, Kennedy MP Bob Katter called out the Commonwealth’s investment in the Olympic bid, saying the funding could be better spent on infrastructure projects in North Queensland.

Mr Katter described the announcement as an unprecedented voice-buying campaign in public relations and said Australia should inject funds into areas that make the country more self-sufficient.

This $ 500 million would build the Hughenden Irrigation owner / occupant voting system and move 300,000 people out of the COVID rabbits of Australia’s metropolitan underworld, to the world’s best quality of life and feed half a billion people going to bed. starving every night, ”he says.

Australian Associated Press