Queensland, West Australian and Victorian state police services have admitted trying to access logs of contract tracing services created since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – the other five state & territory police services denying having done so thus far

 

Crikey, 1 June 2021:

Police across the country are attempting to access personal data from mandatory COVID-19 check-in apps for reasons other than contact tracing, despite promises that the data would only be used for public health reasons.

Police in Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria have all owned up to trying to access logs of data created by Australians using check-in applications as part of their investigations, and enquiries by Crikey suggest that police in other states could also access this data using a warrant.

Privacy advocates have slammed state governments for lying to Australians about what the data would be used for.

“We were told this data would only be used for contact tracing. Police made that a lie,” Electronic Frontiers Australia’s Justin Warren told Crikey. “People will remember that next time governments want us to give them data about ourselves.”

One of the major tools in fighting the spread of COVID-19 and managing outbreaks has been contact tracing, which has been aided by various tech solutions.

When the federal government first proposed the contact tracing app COVIDSafe (which used Bluetooth to log close contacts), it responded to fears of a mass surveillance state by announcing the data would not be used by police.

But adoption of a QR code check-in system — the widely used, low-tech alternative now mandatory in many places around the country — was left to states to implement. As it turns out, these states did not assume the same protections for their citizens, meaning that data volunteered in the name of public health has been accessed for other reasons…..

Read the full article here.

Cartoons of the Week

 

Cathy Wilcox

David Pope

 

Mercury, 30 June 2021

Quote of the Week

“Climate change continues to influence Australian and global climate. Australia's climate has warmed by 1.44 ± 0.24 °C over 1910–2019, while southern Australia has seen a reduction of 10–20% in cool season (April–October) rainfall in recent decades.” [Australian Bureau of Meteorology, “Climate Driver Update” , Issued 22 June 2021]

Prime Minister Scott Morrison caught out in yet another lie about Australia's closed national border

“Australia's borders were slammed shut in March last year as the coronavirus spread across the world, with the federal government trying to take advantage of the nation's island geography to safeguard it from the worst of the deadly virus. In an interview with News Corp, Mr Morrison said he did not believe Australians had an "appetite" for opening borders if it meant having to deal with more coronavirus outbreaks, lockdowns and social restrictions. "We have to be careful not to exchange that way of life for what everyone else has," he said. In a later post on Facebook, he warned borders would only be opened "when it is safe to do so". [ABC News, 9 May 2021]

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has revealed more than 36,000 Australians remain stranded overseas with 4,860 considered vulnerable.…...In September, Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised to get as many people as possible on the list home by Christmas.” [AAP General News Wire, 24 March 2021]

If one reads the aforementioned quotes it would seem that Australia has had an all but impenetrable border since the COVID-19 global pandemic began and, that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made it his priority to repatriate his fellow citizens stranded overseas by travel restrictions.

Then as the country braces for what is feared will be a widespread outbreak of a highly infectious SARS-Cov-2 variant*, this appears in the media - revealing that after being thwarted by the National Cabinet in his desire to open the national border at the earliest opportunity Morrison then found an underhand way of doing so. 

Note: * the Delta variant of SARS-Cov-2 which causes a highly infectious form of COVID-19 came into this country via an infected overseas traveller.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 July 2021, excerpt:

The data obtained by the Herald and The Age is collated from incoming passenger cards and is designed to capture the main reason for the journey for both visitors arriving and residents returning to Australia. The government publishes the data online.

During April, 2226 cards listed the passengers’ reason for arriving as “business, conferences or exhibitions”.

In the same month, 8067 cards listed “visiting family or friends” and “taking a holiday” as the reason for travel. The number was down from its peak last December when there were 10,536 arrivals for those reasons in the lead up to the Christmas holidays.

Employment was given as the reason for 5200 passenger movements while 817 of the April arrivals were for education.

Seventy two people were “attending a conference” in April – marking 533 total trips for conferences made since July last year.

The Herald excluded travellers from New Zealand from the statistics, which accounted for many of the 53,872 arrivals recorded in April…..

It was revealed by the Queensland government that its latest outbreak spawned from an unvaccinated traveller allowed to “come and go repeatedly” between Australia and Indonesia, doing multiple stints in hotel quarantine.

Meanwhile, in South Australia, the ABC reported authorities allowed a family to fly in from Indonesia on a privately funded medevac flight after testing positive for the highly infectious Delta strain.

The data shows 2400 arrivals were citizens of the UK, 1900 were citizens of China, 1400 were citizens of India and 1100 were US citizens.

“Thousands of people are being allowed to travel here who are not stranded Aussies,” Mr Miles said.

“In addition to the non-Australians returning, every month about 40,000 Australian citizens and about 6000 permanent visa holders are allowed to leave the country.

“Many of them seek to return. Rejoining the queue, going back through hotel quarantine, putting our community at risk.”

However, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews accused the Queensland government of misrepresenting the data.

“The data from the Australian Border Force sets out very clearly that, on average, 80 per cent of returning travellers to Australia are either Australian citizens, permanent residents, or immediate family members,” she said.

She said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was “arguing against her own travel to Tokyo” to attend the Olympics.

In response to questions about the infected traveller from Indonesia, Ms Andrews said the government was “going through a process of looking at” exemptions allowing people to make multiple trips despite the border closures.

However, she did not believe it was necessary to lower caps on overseas arrivals.

“It’s one of the issues that we have to deal with now, which is dealing with specific needs of our economy while at the same time making sure that we are able to bring in as many vulnerable people and return as many Australians as we possibly can,” she said.

According to the Australian Border Force, between March 2020 and the end of May this year, 156,507 Australian citizens and permanent residents were granted exemptions to depart Australia, while 84,031 requests were denied.

Over the same period 49,017 foreign nationals were granted an exemption to travel into Australia and 104,507 had their request denied.

“More than half of these approvals were for those proving a critical skill to Australia,” a Border Force spokesperson said.

A request may cover more than one person and individual travellers may have made multiple requests.

ABC News, 1 July 2021:

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has expressed his anger at the "large group of people" leaving Australia during the pandemic to travel overseas, some of whom he said had been enjoying foreign holidays.

Mr McGowan said 82 people had been on four overseas trips, while eight people had left five times and two people six times.

"In other words, there's a large group of people who have been overseas on multiple occasions. And every time they go overseas, they increase the risk," he said.

The Premier said many of those trips were unnecessary, and allowing people to go overseas was "the biggest [COVID] threat vector" Australia faced.

"People book a conference in Europe, and then have a holiday while they're over there, and then come back and join the queue," Mr McGowan said.

"It's just not right. We need to crack down on this."

He said it was time to limit the number of people allowed to travel internationally.

"I actually think there is a strong argument that before anyone can go overseas, they should be vaccinated, and then we should actually crack down hugely on the number of people allowed to go overseas." 

This is nuts!!! I must find a conference, I guess. ::sigh::#auspol #COVID19Aus #Quarantine
Figures from just WA. McGowan reported today. pic.twitter.com/NZ019AU4XD

— 🍩🍩CreatetheWorldYouWant🍩🍩 (@JL_Whitaker) July 1, 2021

 

NSW Indigenous Leaders launch the Indigenous Political Party in June 2021 ahead of AEC registration approval

Indigenous Political Party, media release, 29 June 2021:

Indigenous Leaders Launch Australia’s First Indigenous Political Party

Uncle Owen Whyman, a Paakindji man from Wilcannia, has brought together a group of nine Indigenous people from across NSW to start the first political party in Australia that centres the concerns and rights of Indigenous people: the Indigenous Party of Australia.

The Indigenous Party of Australia has already recruited over 750 members, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. The 9 members on the executive are Indigenous people from Dareton, Broken hill, Wilcannia, Mutwinji, Newcastle and Central Coast of NSW.

Mr Whyman has run for parliament twice before as an independent and is now formalising his vision of an Indigenous party run by Indigenous people to tackle crucial community and environmental issues at the federal level.

The party’s strong environmental focus begins with their campaign Barka-Darling River. Emblematic of the ecological issues facing Australia, the drought impacted and now climate and farming impacted river has no flow of water; the river is stagnant and algae is growing, damaging the local community who depend on it for their lives.

Mr. Whyman says it’s time for Indigenous issues to take the centre stage.

"As a national Party, the Indigenous Party of Australia, has to cover a lot of ground and that takes funds. We must get the word out, from Fremantle to Darwin to Port Adelaide to Melbourne and Sydney, that Indigenous incarceration, the highest in the world, must end. Our rivers, like the Baak are ready to break as the natural waters are plundered and sacred sites destroyed. We need free homework centres, everywhere, that run every afternoon for Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids so they can have help with homework, improving reading, getting some fresh fruit. There is a lot of work to be done but we can make it with your help and support. "

Federally, a core element of the party’s platform will be re-designing the approach to education within Indigenous communities, emphasising that equal opportunities must be given to all young Australians, and matching the needs of students to a curriculum and structure that meets them where they are. 

Some public health order rules to follow in regional NSW if you don't want to become a COVIDIOT like Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. Plus those who chose to be COVIDIOTS and were stopped by NSW Police

 

NSW Police Public Site., Latest News, 28-29 June 2021, excerpts:

Commencing 6pm Saturday (26 June 2021), social distancing and mandatory mask wearing while in non-residential indoor settings became mandatory for regional communities in NSW.

Northern Region police are now urging the public to take responsibility to ensure the safety of others, as residents and visitors travel the region during the school holiday period.

Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna APM, said the public must not be complacent during this time and should comply with current NSW Health guidelines.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those around us, and to do that we have been advised to comply with the guidelines delivered by NSW Health,” Assistant Commissioner McKenna said.

“For the minority of the public who choose to disregard this advice within the Northern Region, police will be there to hold you accountable; be it on the road, at public venues or events…..

The following restrictions now apply to regional areas and will remain in place until midnight on Friday 9 July 2021, unless extended or repealed earlier.

• Visitors to households will be limited to five guests – including children;

• Masks will be compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings, including workplaces, and at organised outdoor events;

• Drinking while standing at indoor venues will not be allowed;

• Singing by audiences at indoor shows or by congregants at indoor places of worship will not be allowed;

• Dancing will not be allowed at indoor hospitality venues or nightclubs;

• Dancing will be allowed at weddings, but only for the wedding party (no more than 20 people);

• Dance and gym classes limited to 20 per class (masks must be worn);

• The one person per four square metre rule will be re-introduced for all indoor and outdoor settings, including weddings and funerals;

• Outdoor seated events will be limited to 50% seated capacity.

Anyone with information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of COVID-19-related ministerial directions is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A travel company has been issued a $5000 PIN for breaching a public health order after taking three busloads of tourists to a zoo in the state’s west yesterday.

About 9.30am (Monday 28 June 2021), three buses arrived at the zoo on Obley Road, Dubbo.

On board were 128 staff and guests – at least 76 of whom were not permitted to travel outside Greater Sydney under the current public health order.

Staff at the zoo refused to allow the travellers off the buses and police were called.

Officers from Orana Mid-Western Police District attended and spoke to tour operators, establishing the group had left Sydney last Friday (25 June 2021) and had continued to travel throughout regional NSW after the Public Health Orders were updated on Saturday.

The guests were directed to return home immediately and the tour company has been issued a $5000 PIN.

State Emergency Operations Controller, Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys, said the company owner told police he was aware of the public health orders but decided to continue the tour as planned anyway.

“But the staff at the zoo did exactly the right thing – they isolated the risk and alerted police. They did a great job to protect the local community,” Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.

Investigations into further possible breaches are continuing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other incidents, a man and woman have been charged with offences including assault after they allegedly refused to check in with a QR code when entering a restaurant at Forster.

About 7.15pm yesterday (Monday 28 June 2021), the couple attended the Wharf Street restaurant and were asked by staff to sign in using the QR code.

They refused and were informed they would have to leave if they did not comply. It is alleged the man again refused and picked up a bottle of water and threw it against a wall, smashing it.

The man was escorted from the restaurant and it is further alleged the man punched the owner, a 39-year-old man.

The woman allegedly bit a 44-year-old man who was attempting to intervene, causing bleeding and bruising to his bicep.

The owner sustained facial injuries and a suspected broken nose and was taken to Manning Base Hospital.

The man and woman left the restaurant; however, officers from Manning/Great Lakes Police District arrested both a short time later, and took them to Forster Police Station.

The 34-year-old man was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray, intimidation and malicious damage.

The 27-year-old woman was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They were granted conditional bail and are expected to appear in Forster Local Court on Wednesday 28 July 2021.

They were each issued $1000 PINs for fail to comply with noticed direction re section 7/8/9 – COVID-19.

In total, 34 PINs were issued yesterday and of those 16 were $200 infringements for failing to wear a fitted face covering.

Police continue to appeal to the community to report suspected breaches of any ministerial direction or behaviour which may impact on the health and safety of the community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two men are among 44 people issued with PINs for breaching a public health order yesterday, after they had to be rescued from the Royal National Park at Otford.

About 6pm (Sunday 27 June 2021), the men called for assistance after becoming lost in bushland during a visit to a remote beach.

Police Rescue assisted by the State Emergency Service, NSW Ambulance and Polair responded to the area, locating a 30-year-old man naked and carrying a backpack on the walking track near Lady Wakehurst Drive.

After a further search, a 49-year-old man, partially clothed, was also located. The men told police they were on a nearby beach when they ran into bushland after being startled by a deer.

They were taken to St George Police Station and issued $1000 PINs for breaching the current public health order prohibiting those from Greater Sydney travelling outside the region.

In other incidents, a café operator has been charged and is subject to strict bail conditions after being found allegedly breaching the public health order at Shellharbour.

About 9.40am, officers from Lake Illawarra Police District attended a café in Addison Street responding to reports staff were failing to comply with the current public health orders.

When officers arrived, they saw neither the staff or the operator were wearing face masks; the operator was reminded of her obligations under the current health orders but allegedly refused to comply.

The two staff members were warned and complied, putting masks on; however, a 38-year-old woman was arrested. She was taken to Port Kembla Police Station where she was charged with fail to comply with notice direction (not wear fitted face covering in retail/business premises), and operator not ensure hospitality workers wear fitted face coverings.

She was given bail conditions to strictly comply with the public health orders and not to incite or encourage others to defy them. She is due to appear in Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday 21 July 2021.

In a third incident, police stopped a car on the Hume Highway at Goulburn and spoke with the driver, a 33-year-old man from Ermington. He was issued with a $1000 PIN and was directed to immediately return to Sydney.

Police have received hundreds of calls from the public over the weekend reporting potential public health order breaches, and would like to thank the vast majority of the community for their cooperation with the new rules.

In total, 44 $1000 PINs were issued yesterday and of those four $200 infringements were issued for failing to wear a fitted face covering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Guardian, 29 June 2021:

[Australian Deputy Prime Minister & Liberal MP For New England] Barnaby Joyce has been fined $200 for not wearing a mask while paying for petrol at a service station in Armidale after he was dobbed in by a member of the public.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A word from the Australian Cartoonists Association.....

The Washington Post, 17 June 2021:

The five-person jury for the category picked the finalists but the larger Pulitzer Prize Board, which selects the winners for all the prizes in journalism and the arts, did not do so for cartooning because no consensus pick emerged. That happens every so often in various categories, but this was the first time in nearly a half-century that it had happened to political artists.

The Australian Cartoonists Association was not amused.....

 

To the Pulitzer Board.

I write as President, and on behalf, of the Australian Cartoonists Association, to express solidarity with our American editorial cartoonist colleagues, and to express our disappointment in the decision by the Pulitzer Prize Board not to award a prize for cartooning this year.

I note that the last year has been epic in the colliding of catastrophes, upheavals and conflicts both natural and man-made, and cartoonists, in spite of their precarious employment and challenging circumstances, have risen mightily to capture the moment(s).

In an era when the sharp line and elucidating perspective of cartoonists is more vital than ever to counter forces of obscurity and suppression of truth, we can ill afford to placate the powers for whom our silence and invisibility would be convenient. Cartoonists are necessary for a healthy democracy. Dictators hate us!

We could understand, having seen the work of contenders, that it may have been difficult for you to choose one over another. Could they have shared the prize? However, to not award a cartoonist this year suggests not an embarrassment of riches, but that no cartoonist was good enough.

And we think that is far from the truth.

Yours sincerely,

Cathy Wilcox 

President Australian Cartoonists Association president@cartoonists.org.au

27 June, 2021

Well said, Ms. Wilcox!