Australia news LIVE Victoria records 860 new local COVID-19 cases five deaths no vaccine for under-12s until 2022 Pilbara rocked by aftershocks after earthquake on Saturday

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison is holding a press conference in St Marys in western Sydney now. You can watch it live here.

The ACT has recorded ten new cases of COVID-19 in the community, and one person is in hospital.

Nobody is in intensive care, and there have been no further deaths.

The ACT continues to lead the nation in vaccinations, with 96.4 per cent of the population aged 12 and up fully vaccinated against the virus.

NSW Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett says police are looking for the remains of missing boy William Tyrrell, who was last seen in 2014.

William, then aged three, was last seen wearing a Spider-Man suit at his foster grandmother’s home at Kendall on the NSW Mid-North Coast on September 12, 2014.

“We will be doing some operational activity in the coming weeks that will involve many hundreds of police officers ... [at] a number of locations,” Detective Chief Superintendent Bennett said.

“We are looking for the remains of William Tyrrell, no doubt about that.

“This activity is in response to evidence we have obtained in the course of the investigation, not speculative in any way. We are acting on behalf of the coroner and in conjunction with the coronial orders.

“We won’t be providing daily commentary about what is taking place. As you would understand, there is a large amount of work to be undertaken; we will be working specialist areas and people from outside the police force.

“We are very hopeful we can bring this matter to some sort of conclusion ... and I would also like to remind everyone from the public there is still a $1 million reward for information leading to the conviction of a person with regard to this.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Bennett said police were examining “three specific locations, and they are all in the Kendall area”.

NSW Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett from the State Crime Command held a press conference about a new search relating to the disappearance of missing boy William Tyrrell.

William, then aged three, was last seen wearing a Spider-Man suit at his foster grandmother’s home at Kendall on the NSW Mid-North Coast on September 12, 2014.

We will have the playback version for you shortly.

Queensland has recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, after two cases emerged on the Gold Coast last week.

From 5pm today, border restrictions in the state will change as Queensland hit a 70 per cent double-dose vaccination milestone on Sunday for people aged 16 and up.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Credit:Matt Dennien

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that from 5pm the state would be welcoming fully vaccinated people from interstate hot spots, provided they can show a negative COVID test in the 72 hours prior to travel. They must quarantine at a private residence for 14 days and must arrive by air, not road.

Prospective travellers from hotspots must still apply for a border pass.

Ms Palaszczuk said the state had reached the 70 per cent mark almost a week earlier than predicted, in what she said was a “mighty effort”.

“If those rates continue, we may see our date in December [80 per cent by December 17] brought forward as well, but it all depends on Queenslanders getting vaccinated,” the premier said.

The state recorded two new cases of COVID-19 in hotel quarantine today.

The Aboriginal Legal Service in NSW and the ACT has slammed a proposal by the states’ attorneys-general to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12, saying it should be lifted to at least 14.

On Friday, the attorneys-general supported developing a proposal to raise the age to 12, not 14, and have until Monday to agree to the wording. A formal announcement is expected early this week.

“This is a fig-leaf announcement designed to take pressure off politicians and give the appearance of action, without the substance. They know most Australians support raising the age to 14, as do Aboriginal organisations and the experts across the medical, legal, human rights and community service sectors,” said Nadine Miles, acting chief executive of the ALS.

“By putting politics over evidence, the attorneys-general are dodging their accountabilities to children and their constituents,” Ms Miles said.

“Aboriginal communities and organisations have been crystal clear that we expect the age of responsibility to be raised to 14 at the very least. The traumatic and life-altering effects of juvenile detention on Aboriginal children are vastly disproportionate. The NSW Government and Attorney-General have promised to close the gap in partnership with Aboriginal communities, and they owe it to these communities to listen and act,” Ms Miles said.

“At 12, many children are still in primary school. These young children are still developing cognitively, physically and emotionally. We will not accept this cynical attempt to continue locking up kids who are too young to be criminally responsible for their actions, and who deserve care and support.”

The ACT government is going it alone and is committed to raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14.

The Northern Territory government has already agreed in principle to increasing the age to 12, in line with a recommendation from a royal commission into youth detention.

There were almost 600 children aged 10 to 13 in detention in Australia in 2019-20. More than 60 per cent were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children. The Council of Attorneys-General, made up of attorneys-general from the Australian government and all states and territories, agreed in 2018 it would be appropriate to consider raising the age from 10 to 14.

A major split has emerged in the Senate communications committee charged with launching an inquiry into the complaints handling processes of the ABC and SBS, with the committee’s deputy chair Sarah Hanson-Young calling it a “witch hunt” and vowing to try and stop it from proceeding.

The Greens Senator said she was blindsided by committee chair Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg’s decision last week to announce the inquiry.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

“No, I didn’t know,” Senator Hanson Young told ABC Radio National on Monday when asked if she had forewarning about Senator Bragg’s plans.

“I’ll be moving as soon as Parliament gets back next week to stop this witch hunt from going ahead. It is an abuse of proper process. It’s an abuse of government arrogance. It’s an attack on the ABC [and] their independence.”

The federal government has also distanced itself from Senator Bragg’s decision. A spokesman for Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said: “This is entirely a matter for the Senate. The Minister has not been involved.”

Senator Hanson-Young said she would move a motion as early as Monday next week when Parliament resumes to abolish the inquiry, and called on Coalition senators to back it.

“If there are government members who are not happy about this inquiry, they should vote next Monday for my motion, which will stop this witch hunt in its tracks.“

Without government support, the motion faces tough prospects for success, requiring Labor and the crossbench, including One Nation, to back it.

The inquiry has provoked a furious reaction from ABC chair Ita Buttrose, who has accused Senate Bragg of trying to subvert a separate independent inquiry the board had launched into the broadcaster’s complaints mechanism, which will hand down its findings by April.

Calling it an act of “political interference designed to intimidate the ABC” on Sunday, Ms Buttrose doubled down on her criticism on radio on Monday and said the broadcaster’s relationship with the Morrison government was “strained”.

“I think it is strained and it’s a matter that concerns me very much,” she said.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has set out in greater detail the state’s road map to reopening the state once it hits a double-dose COVID-19 vaccination milestone of 80 per cent of people aged 16 and up.

From next Tuesday, November 23, fully vaccinated close contacts of confirmed coronavirus cases will only have to isolate for seven days, instead of 14. Masks will remain mandatory in indoor settings.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Fully vaccinated travellers from overseas and all states and territories will also be allowed to visit the state. Vaccinated international arrivals must complete seven days’ quarantine.

Unvaccinated authorised arrivals will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

Mr Marshall said that from next Tuesday there would be no threat of whole-of-state lockdowns.

The Austrian government has ordered a nationwide lockdown for people who are not fully vaccinated in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The move prohibits unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people aged 12 and older from leaving their homes from midnight Sunday (local time), except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping, exercise â€" or getting vaccinated.

Kurt Switil was vaccinated against COVID-19 in Vienna back in April. The Austrian government is now urging people who were vaccinated earlier in the year to come forward for a booster doseCredit:AP

The move follows a series of regional lockdowns last week.

Authorities are concerned about rising deaths and that hospital staff will no longer be able to handle the growing numbers of COVID-19 patients.

“We must raise the vaccination rate. It is shamefully low,” Schallenberg told a news conference announcing the new measure after a video call with the governors of Austria’s nine provinces.

“It’s our job as the government of Austria to protect the people.”

Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe: only around 65 per cent of the total population is fully vaccinated. Many Austrians are sceptical about vaccines, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third biggest in parliament.

AP, Reuters

Read the full story here.

More than a year after the devastating effects of the Ruby Princess COVID-19 disaster, the federal government has announced cruise ships may be returning to Sydney Harbour in time for holiday season.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday that as 83 per cent of the country is now fully vaccinated, health officials are reviewing the order under the Biosecurity Act that has barred international cruise ships travelling in Australian waters for the past year.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government was working with the states and territories to consider relaxing the ban on cruise ships in Australian waters. Credit:Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“I expect to be able to make a decision on cruise ships in the coming weeks once we’ve got the medical information, but it will require at least one state or territory to partner on that,” he said.

“We’re working with a number of states and territories, we’ll let them make their own considerations. But, we would like to see cruising back on before Christmas.”

In March 2020, the docking of the Ruby Princess in Sydney led to a devastating outbreak of COVID-19 resulting in 28 deaths and 662 cases.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the return of the industry would need to meet a range of health and safety criteria and also be approved by the Commonwealth before operations can begin.

Read the full story here.

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