News

With over 400 passengers and 171 crew having tested positive for COVID-19, the Ruby Princess is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation in Australia.

This past week the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed arts and recreation is the hardest hit of all the sectors most affected by government-imposed shutdowns in Australia. At least 53% of the sector is no longer functioning and it is likely these figures will worsen in the coming weeks.

The government has told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to develop a mandatory code of conduct to address bargaining power imbalances between media companies and digital platforms such as Facebook and Google - and the question of payment for content.

Michelle Grattan talks with Assistant Professor Caroline Fisher (remotely) about the week in politics, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s strong stance on the issue of schools, the government’s rejection of a course of elimination, and the prospects of community support for a voluntary contact tracing app.

COVID-19 has taken Australia and the world by surprise

Parents have heard confusing messages from federal and state governments around sending children to school.

With commercial airline fleets grounded due to lack of demand, the Australian government will pay the nation’s two biggest airlines, Qantas and Virgin Australia, $A165 million to ensure they keep flying critical metropolitan and regional routes over the next two months.

The unprecedented restrictions Australians are living with are working, so far, to curb the rise in new COVID-19 cases.

Lockdowns work. That’s the evidence from many different countries now, including Australia.

After weeks of devastating reports of local newspaper closures and regional broadcast stations turning off local news services, media supporters and observers were united in joy as the Australian government announced a coronavirus relief package for local journalism.

Eliminating the coronavirus induced disease from the Australian mainland, even before a vaccine is developed, is a real prospect, according to a government backed study.

It is easy to assume Australia has a free press.

Tourism minister says: "I wouldn't put any guarantees that you could undertake that overseas trip in December."

If you’re a smoker, there’s really never been a better time to quit.

The UK has recorded over 80,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 11,000 deaths from the disease.

Here's why this is worrisome

Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the goal of the government’s suppression policy is the “effective eradication” of the coronavirus in Australia - while at the same time casting doubt on the possibility of eliminating it.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likened to a “war on two fronts” by senior government figures, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

As the coronavirus pandemic stretches on, a small proportion of Australians infected have now died, while most have either recovered, or are likely to recover over the next few weeks.

Health inequality was a major concern of 20th century social democrats in countries ranging from Britain to Sweden.

"We are getting Australians home, we are harnessing our relationships overseas, we are leveraging our fantastic network," Senator Payne said.

Government and two big airlines in effort to get as many Aussies abroad as possible home in face of coronaviris pandemic.

OPINION & ANALYSIS: Careful analysis of the full reasoning of the High Court is required to fully assess it. But, for now, this extraordinary outcome is strange justice indeed.

Court's decision to quash the child sex abuse conviction against Cardinal George Pell was unanimous.

The biggest poll-to-poll jumps for a PM in Newspoll history on both net approval and better PM.

OPINION & ANALYSIS: Suppose our health care system is overwhelmed and you didn’t follow the guidelines. You’ll be a culpable contributor to people’s deaths.

Governments around the world are looking at utilising GPS and Bluetooth to track individuals with coronavirus and advice users at risk to self-isolate.

SPECIAL FEATURE: We now know the coronavirus responsible for Covid-19 can live on surfaces for up to nine days, and those surface wipes you bought may not be up to the job.

An “unprecedented action” for “unprecedented times”, and a “uniquely Australian” solution, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

SPECIAL FEATURE: COVID-19 has already had a dramatic effect on employment – that much is evident from news images of queues at Centrelink.

Scott Morrison, announcing the new crackdowns, also told people to stay home, except when it was absolutely necessary to go out.

SPECIAL FEATURE: many Australians are wondering what role phones and mail and/or package deliveries may play in the risk of coronavirus transmission.

SPECIAL FEATURE: As we strive to get used to the strange new feeling of social distancing because of coronavirus, remember manners and respect are what make society work. This used to mean shaking hands, but now it means demonstrating our concern for each other’s health by not shaking hands.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Four experts answer readers' questions and bust some myths about coronavirus and Covid-19.

Government issues stark warning to any Australians overseas who wish to get back home because of COVID-19 - do it "as soon as possible".

SPECIAL FEATURE: It’s not always clear what self-isolation means in practice, and how it’s different to social distancing.

OPINION & ANALYSIS: Surely Australia has not experienced such a sense of crisis since World War 2. As the coronavirus cases escalate rapidly, there is an increasing feeling things are starting to run out of control.

As the coronavirus pandemic crisis continues to unfold, the Australian share market crashed 9.7% on Monday in its worst one-day sell-off since 1987.

SPECIAL FEATURE: How do we ration and distribute limited healthcare resources in the face of the coronavirus crisis? How many of our personal freedoms are we willing to forgo to contain the pandemic?

Scott Morrison said Australia is “as well prepared as any country in the world” to deal with the virus, and the health package “is about preventing and treating coronavirus in the coming weeks.”

In the face of the coronavirus crisis, Prime minister says: “We need your perseverance, planning and enterprise. We need your common sense, calm and commitment. And we need your patriotism."

OPINION & ANALYSIS: In some ways this crisis is more complex to deal with than the GFC. Aspects of the public panic are irrational and so very hard to calm.

Bog roll shelves around the nation have been stripped bare as Aussies prepare for the worst...

SPECIAL FEATURE: "When people hear about the coronavirus, they are afraid of losing control. And toilet paper feels like a way to maintain control over hygiene and cleanliness."

OPINION & ANALYSIS: The loss of AAP should be mourned not just by news men and women across the country, but by every single person who cares about democracy.

SPECIAL FEATURE: In the four scenarios where the epidemic goes global, Australia’s GDP which in the 12 months to December grew just 1.7%, would suffer a hit in the first year of between 2% and 7.9%.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said it was important for Australians to understand the use of certain powers may become necessary in the months ahead.

“There are some challenging months ahead and the government will continue to work closely based on the best possible medical advice to keep Australians safe,” says prime minister.

"And perhaps most disturbingly, hostile intelligence services have directly threatened and intimidated Australians in this country," says ASIO boss.

If Julian Assange does win the extradition fight and ends up deported to Australia, his lawyers have expressed concern the US could make a new extradition request.