Contact tracing information in the Australian state of Victoria is accessible to third parties despite earlier government assurances that the data was secure, according to recently unveiled court documents. Victoria’s Acting Premier Jacinta Allan has since admitted that contact tracing information could be shared with third parties, such as police or government agencies, for public…

Commentary Demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions, mandatory vaccination, lockdowns, and border restrictions have occurred in most capital cities of Australia. In Melbourne, demonstrations turned violent when construction workers marched against the prolonged lockdown. Thousands of protesters assembled on Nov. 6, 2021, to protest the vaccine mandates of the Victorian government and its controversial Public Health and…

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the “extraordinary” powers given to state premiers during COVID-19 should slowly diminish as the economy bounces back and life returns to normal. “The pandemic’s been pretty unusual in the sense it’s elevated the role of premiers to a prominence, I suspect, they haven’t had for decades,” Frydenberg told The Australian…

Victoria is the latest Australian state to launch a home quarantine trial using a facial recognition and geolocation app. Health Minister Martin Foley called on Victorians 18-years and over and currently isolating at home to volunteer to participate in the trial that will run for four weeks. The trial is seen as an alternative choice to…

Melbourne police have curtailed another protest against lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations after pulling over and fining a group of Australian truck drivers. On the morning of Sept. 28, a convoy of eight trucks were moving slowly at 20 km/h (12.4 m/h) on the Tullamarine Freeway taking up one lane. Several trucks were seen with banners…

Melbourne may break the world record for the most prolonged COVID-19 restrictions after the city has endured six hard lockdowns spanning 232 days and counting as of Sept. 20. Currently, Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires holds the record at 245 days, after its citizens were subject to stay-at-home orders for the majority of 2020—from March to November—and…

The business community has come together and signed an open letter, calling on state and federal governments to work together to implement the planned path out of lockdowns once vaccinations reach 70 to 80 percent. The letter, published by the Business Council of Australia (BCA), is signed by the CEOs of over 80 major companies…

Accor Pacific CEO Simon McGrath has warned that hotels will soon close across all Australian states and territories without financial support from the government. “Across the industry, plans are rapidly accelerating today to hibernate and close hotels due to the lack of government support,” McGrath told The Australian. “Business owners are at breaking point, and…

A group of protesters gathered at Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station on Wednesday evening to oppose the extension of the state’s sixth lockdown. Protester numbers were not as large as last week’s protest, but Victoria Police reported that 73 arrests were made for breaching Chief Health Officer directions. Victoria police prepared patrol cars, riot vans, and…

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to see families together again by Christmas but has explained that getting to zero community cases with the Delta variant of the CCP virus would be incredibly difficult. New South Wales reported 344 new daily cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, while Victoria recorded 20 new cases forcing an extension…