Australia news live: AFP to give update on identity of Medibank hackers; weekly Covid cases surge nationally as ‘fourth wave’ hits

AFP believe Russians responsible for Medibank hack

The Australian federal police are giving a press conference disclosing who is behind the Medibank hack.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told media earlier today he had authorised the AFP to disclose the information about who is responsible:

An AFP spokesperson begins the press conference:

I know Australians are angry, distressed and seeking answers about the highly sensitive and deeply personal information that is been released by criminals who breach Medibank Private database.

This is a crime that has the potential to impact on millions of Australians and damage a significant Australian business. This cyber-attack is an unacceptable attack on Australia and it deserves a response that matches the malicious and far-reaching consequences that this crime is causing.

The AFP is undertaking covert measures and working around the clock with our domestic agencies and our international networks including Interpol. This is important, because we believe those responsible for the breach are in Russia.

Our intelligence points to a group of loosely affiliated cybercriminals who are likely responsible for past significant breaches in countries across the world. These cybercriminals are operating like a business with affiliates and associates who are supporting the business. We also believe some affiliates may be in other countries.

Updated at 23.37 EST

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AFP believe Russians responsible for Medibank hack

The Australian federal police are giving a press conference disclosing who is behind the Medibank hack.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told media earlier today he had authorised the AFP to disclose the information about who is responsible:

An AFP spokesperson begins the press conference:

I know Australians are angry, distressed and seeking answers about the highly sensitive and deeply personal information that is been released by criminals who breach Medibank Private database.

This is a crime that has the potential to impact on millions of Australians and damage a significant Australian business. This cyber-attack is an unacceptable attack on Australia and it deserves a response that matches the malicious and far-reaching consequences that this crime is causing.

The AFP is undertaking covert measures and working around the clock with our domestic agencies and our international networks including Interpol. This is important, because we believe those responsible for the breach are in Russia.

Our intelligence points to a group of loosely affiliated cybercriminals who are likely responsible for past significant breaches in countries across the world. These cybercriminals are operating like a business with affiliates and associates who are supporting the business. We also believe some affiliates may be in other countries.

Updated at 23.37 EST

WA records six Covid deaths in past week, 176 people in hospital

There were 4,906 new cases in the last reporting period, and five people are in intensive care.

Updated at 23.18 EST

Australian researchers trial temporary sperm blocker for men’s contraception

Australian women rejoice!

Researchers at Epworth Freemasons in Melbourne have performed a world-first trial for men’s contraception.

The 25 men taking part in the study will have a hydrogel injected into the vas deferens – the tubes that carry sperm – to stop sperm travelling from the testicles.

Average age of Covid cases has increased with each successive wave this year in Queensland, CHO says

Gerrard gives a bit more information about the stats which have seen the average age of Queenslanders reporting positive Covid results increase with each successive wave this year.

Specific numbers are that in the first wave, this was the wave that occurred in February, the average age was 33 and you might recall this was when we saw lots of young people in nightclubs and socialising and also schoolchildren getting Covid at that very first wave. In the second wave, the April wave, at that age, the average age increased to 39. In the third wave, the wave that peaked at towards the end of July, the average age was 44. And so far the average age has been 47.

If you look at the top 25% of cases in the first wave, the top 25% was aged over the age of 46. And the top 25% of cases in this wave so far has been over the age of 63. In the first wave in February, the top 25% of cases was aged over 46 and in this wave, the top 25% so far has been aged over 63.

Older Queenslanders more affected by this wave than previous waves, CHO says

Gerrard is speaking about the high-risk groups:

Compared with the last week, the number of cases detected amongst aged care residents have doubled from 63 to 126.

The number of cases among people over the age of 70 overall reported … has increased by 88% in the last week from 400 to 825. Most of this rise has occurred since the weekend. It has been quite a rapid rise.

I would like to also share an important and interesting fact that is not widely known. The average age of Queenslanders reporting positive Covid results has increased with each successive wave this year.

We know that older people have been less likely to get Covid during the course of the year because they have been protecting themselves. But with each wave, we are seeing more and more older Queenslanders acquired infection.

Updated at 22.50 EST

Queensland experiences 61% increase in Covid-19 cases, as hospitalisations nearly double

Dr John Gerrard, Queensland’s chief health officer, has stepped up to speak in Brisbane on the latest Covid wave as the state has moved to an “amber” alert.

He says a new wave was always expected:

This was always expected and we continue to see waves of Covid-19 in the coming months and even longer. That is why we have devised the traffic light system so that Queenslanders can no when we are entering a wave and equally important, when we are living a wave, so they might modify their behaviour appropriately.

Gerrard moves on to the data:

The number of active cases continue to increase significantly. There were 7130 active cases reported this morning, up from 4438 reported last Friday morning. An increase of 61%.

There were 199 hospital beds occupied by people with Covid-19 yesterday, both public and private, which was a 97% increase on the hospital bed occupancy data reported a week ago.

Updated at 22.45 EST

South Australia records seven Covid deaths in past week, 83 people in hospital

There were 6,867 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and seven people are in intensive care.

Updated at 22.36 EST

Flood-affected NSW communities could see deja vu if peaks return in coming days

In NSW, communities still struggling with the effects of recent flooding are being told to prepare for more rain, as a low pressure system moves into the state this weekend from the north.

The storms are affecting the central and inland parts of the state today including Condobolin, Bourke and Hay.

Jane Golding from the Bureau of Meteorology said at a press conference today:

We are also seeing on our charts a cold front start to approach the state, which looks like it will move into New South Wales on Sunday. The cold front looks like it will produce widespread rainfall again over the inland of New South Wales, so unfortunately, that will affect areas that have seen major flooding four weeks now, on and off for weeks now.

There are concerns flooding levels could reach the major peaks towns such as Forbes only just saw, but the SES say it will depend on where the rain falls.

Carlene York from the SES said:

It’s possible that it could get to those major levels again. It does just depend on where the rain falls, whether it’s an intense rainfall near the town or falling into the catchment areas of the river – but at this stage, we are quite concerned about those river levels going back to some of those earlier peaks.

Updated at 22.25 EST

Franchise Council of Australia at IR inquiry

Mary Aldred, the chief executive officer of the Franchise Council of Australia, has appeared at the Senate inquiry into Labor’s industrial relations bill.

Aldred said it was a “very rushed process, with a huge volume of information to get across, and a significant lack of understanding of what’s coming”.

Senator Jacqui Lambie is very sympathetic to the arguments that the bill is being rushed. She said:

There’s all of about four weeks left. By the time this hits, if it was to get up, these businesses won’t know what’s hit them until it plays out – they wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on.

Labor’s chair, Tony Sheldon, and senator Linda White then really muscled up against the Franchise Council.

Sheldon read from Shop Distributive Allied Employees Association allegations in underpayment litigation against McDonald’s, one of its members. Aldred declined to answer questions about specific members and alleged underpayments.

Then there was a back and forth where Aldred had to take on notice how many of the Franchise Council’s members were franchisors (head office) or franchisees (the small businesses).

A parliamentary inquiry in 2017 noted it had just two franchisee members – but Aldred said this was out of date, and they now have a substantial role in its governance.

White suggested it was misleading for the Franchise Council to claim to represent 94,000 small businesses, when it only has a few hundred members. White then targeted the Franchise Council for drawing conclusions from a survey of just 60 franchisees.

Aldred replied that demonstrated the rushed nature of the bill – there hadn’t been enough time to get more responses.

David Pocock asked a few short questions, mainly focused on whether the submission reflected the 150 amendments the government made this week. Answer: no.

Updated at 22.19 EST

Victoria records 63% increase in Covid-19 cases this week

Speaking of Covid-19, the latest stats are in from Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, showing the state is seeing a spike in cases with a 63.1% increase in cases this week on the previous week.

The average daily number of new cases this week was 2,377, up from 1,461 last week. The number of active cases in Victoria on Friday was 15,653, up from 9,607 the same time last week.

Hospitalisations also saw an uptick of 18.1% which Sutton said was driven by the emerging Omicron subvariants including BQ.1 and XBB.

There is currently no evidence to suggest these subvariants cause more severe disease. However, hospitalisation rates are likely increasing due to waning immunity from past vaccination and the ability of these new subvariants to escape immunity from past infection.

Cases increased this week across all age groups.

The overall number of Covid patients in intensive care remains low, however the daily average has increased by more than 50% when compared to last week.

Updated at 22.05 EST

States vary approach to Covid-19 wave

We mentioned on the blog earlier that Queenslanders are again being urged to wear face masks as the state enters its fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

AAP has more on what’s going on elsewhere in the country, with most Australian states and territories holding the line on mask-wearing.

Mask advice has not shifted in NSW, with Premier Dominic Perrottet saying authorities are looking to health experts to get the balance right.

Perrottet told Sydney radio 2GB:

We do advise people when you’re visiting aged care facilities to wear masks and in hospitals.

Here in NSW, we’re open and free.

The Victorian deputy premier, Jacinta Allan, also said there had been no change to health advice in the state, despite a 62% uptick in cases over the past week.

But the government did say face masks remain a low-cost and highly effective tool to help reduce transmission. Allen told reporters:

It is a timely reminder. Doesn’t matter whether you’ve got the cold, the flu or Covid it just makes sense to stay home if you’re sick.

The Northern Territory is “strongly” encouraging, but no longer requiring, residents to get tested if they feel unwell. Face masks are still recommended in indoor settings.

University of South Australia biostatistics chair, Prof Adrian Esterman, said a mix of waning immunity and few public health measures was driving the new wave.

Esterman said:

Many people have had their last dose of vaccine over six months ago and by now have comparatively little protection against symptomatic disease.

The onus is now on the other states and territories to follow Queensland’s lead and upgrade their health advice.

Updated at 21.56 EST

Good afternoon!

I’ll be with you ‘til the close of the blog this evening. First off, here are some visuals of the Remembrance Day service which occurred in Sydney’s Martin Place this morning to mark 104 years since the end of the first world war.

Veterans attend a Remembrance Day service at Martin Place. Photograph: Getty Images Members of the public at the Remembrance Day service at Martin Place. Photograph: Getty Images Members of the defence force take part in a Remembrance Day service. Photograph: Getty Images

I spent a bit of time this week perusing the newly digitised archives of the Australian War Memorial, where you can find the letters and diary entries of Australians on the battlefields.

If you want to read what they experienced 104 years ago to the day, I put together some of those writings reflecting the diversity of experiences and emotions on the original Armistice Day:

Updated at 21.47 EST

And with that, I will hand the blog over to Natasha May, thanks for reading.

Sarah Hanson-Young says Murray-Darling Basin Authority head not being ‘upfront’

The Greens senator blasted Andrew McConville for turning up to Senate estimates without giving an opening statement.

Officials are not compelled to give opening statements before fielding questions from senators, but Hanson-Young claimed it was “extraordinary”, saying it was out of the ordinary for the MDBA not to do so in the environment committee.

Hanson-Young asked McConville, who was appointed head of the important river agency in the dying days of the Morrison Coalition government, to list his salary at the beginning of her questions to the MDBA chief executive. He said his salary was $455,000.

“And you didn’t think you should front SE, on your first session, to give an update, introduce yourself, ‘this is where I’m taking the authority, this is what I’ve done’?” Hanson-Young said.

“I felt if questions were raised, I would answer them directly,” McConville said, when asked why he didn’t give an opening statement.

McConville was CEO of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association before being appointed to the Murray authority in April, shortly before former prime minister Scott Morrison called an election. Guardian Australia reported in April that McConville caused consternation after sending an all-staff memo outlining his approach to the job which failed to mention the regulator’s environmental role.

Hanson-Young described his position as a “political appointment”. She claimed the chief executive hadn’t been “upfront” by not giving an opening statement.

“I believe I set out quite clearly in my answers to you what I’ve been up to,” McConville said.

Other senators in the hearing pointed out that few other witnesses before Friday’s hearing decided to give opening statements. Assistant energy minister Jenny McAllister, the minister representing the portfolio to answer questions in the environment hearing, said that in many other hearings, some senators had asked witnesses not to give opening statements in order to save time for more questions.

Chair Karen Grogan said only the secretary of the department had provided an opening statement during the day’s proceedings. Hanson-Young claimed it was unusual not to do so during MDBA appearances.

Updated at 21.31 EST

And speaking of Covid, Queensland has released its weekly case numbers, showing a slight lift in numbers week-on-week:

Kerry Chant: Covid fourth wave in NSW ‘taking off’ but ‘may well peak before Christmas’

There have been some discussions of the fourth Covid wave hitting NSW, with the chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant confirming to ABC TV earlier that the state is experiencing a spike in community transmission.

Chant added that she believed the wave may peak before Christmas, but urged people to take protective measures from now:

I can confirm we are entering the fourth wave of Covid.

The wave is taking off with some trajectory, it will be quite a steep wave and hopefully the decline will be equally as steep.

There is a sense that the wave may well peak before Christmas and we may be on the decline.

But the message is clear … this is an increased risk period for Covid so please, now is the time to take those protective behaviours.

Updated at 20.57 EST

Adam Bandt on small business exemption for multi-employer bargaining

Earlier this morning, Greens leader Adam Bandt appeared on Radio National and appeared to leave the door open to agreeing to a small increase to the small business exemption for multi-employer bargaining.

But Bandt conditioned that by saying that his party was unlikely to agree to a significant lift beyond 15 employees.

For workers working for businesses in the retail sector, for example, we’ve seen rents rise seven times faster than wages over the last couple of years.

We’ve got to make sure they see a pay rise as well. And so the exclusion of huge numbers of low-paid workers, young workers, women workers from the legislation is something that ultimately would concern us.

Updated at 20.35 EST