Victoria’s Government reveals how much it has fined people for breaching coronavirus laws, but says police have withdrawn some fines after being offered “sensible explanations”. Follow live.
People in one state alone have been hit with more than $8 million in fines for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
The figures from Victoria were released on a day which also saw Australia record its 100th coronavirus death.
Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak
Follow Tuesday’s events as they unfold.
Live updates
2mminutes agoBy Sophie Meixner
Key Event
NSW Premier expected to announce regional NSW travel can resume on June 1
The Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian is expected to announce tomorrow the state will be open for regional travel from June 1.
38mminutes agoBy Sophie Meixner
Queensland borders
Hi me again. Great response to my last question. Having read your response and the links to the government sites it would appear that since i am a qld resident i can fly on business to melbourne as long as not to a hot spot and then return to brisbane and not have to isolate. Is that right? If so then how does this correlate with the borders apparently being closed.-Keith
Victorian borders aren’t closed. However, Queensland borders are closed in most cases to non-Queensland residents. To a resident of any state or territory other than Queensland, Queensland’s borders are indeed closed (in most cases).
1hhour agoBy Sophie Meixner
Key Event
No new cases in SA or the NT
Are SA, Tas and NT late with their updates, or have you (understandably) been flat out on travel questions?-Numbers Nut
The NT numbers are out 0 new cases. And the SA numbers just came out too also zero!
We generally get SA numbers at around this time of an evening. Tasmanian numbers can come in anywhere in the next three hours.
1hhour agoBy Sophie Meixner
What about Western Australia?
Can I add to the travel confusion! What about for WA? I know our pal Marky Mark is big on the hard borders but I thought I would ask anyway – my partner lives in NSW, is there any chance I can pop in to see him for a weekend and make it back to work in WA the next week? Or are we banned from going anywhere? (I would only be landing and staying at his house – no big adventures)-Katie
Hi Katie, there is close to zero chance unfortunately. You would most likely not be let back into WA. You could try to apply for an exemption but your situation is very unlikely to be covered. Here’s the list of people who could expect an exemption, and your situation isn’t on it.
WA Government
Hi, I have my wedding booked September 26th. We have people waiting to see if they can fly over for it in WA. We have family / friends coming from QLD, Adelaide, Melbourne, VIC. What are your thought on if interstate travels into WA will be by Sept? will they have to self isolate once getting here?Thanks-Jess
Hi Jess, the best prediction I can give is the border will remain closed for “months to come”, according to WA Premier Mark McGowan. He didn’t provide any more specificity than that. September is four months away, so it could be cutting it fine, which I’m very sorry about for your sake.
“We’re going to keep the borders in place for as long as is required,” Mr McGowan said. “I expect the borders with the east will stay up for months to come.”
2hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
Key Event
A breakdown of travelling between Qld, Vic and NSW
I am sooo confused by the travel – even reading through these blogs. QLD says they wont open borders until September. But I can travel to anywhere in NSW without having to quarantine when I get back. Qantas just announced they will be reopening domestic flights on June 12th. From where to where? Just within each state?-Keith
OK, I’m getting a huge amount of questions regarding travel through and between NSW, Victoria, and Queensland. I feel like I’m *starting* to get a handle on the travel situation so I’m going to do my best to give you a brief rundown.
2hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
Germany and France to spend half a trillion Euros on European COVID-19 recovery
Italy, Spain and the UK have been some of the hardest hit countries in the region, and the Italian Prime Minister says it’s an important first step.
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, says the money will be allocated as grants.
“Europe must stand together, which means we need to aim for a swift economic recovery,” she said.
“And that is why we want to set up an open and shut fund to the sum of 500 billion euros. We’re convinced this is not only justified, but necessary.”
2hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
More travel questions
With travel, what if I’m driving from QLD to VIC? I retreated up here to be warmer during isolation but I’d like to come home now-Ben
Hi Ben, moving home or to a new place of residence is allowed. Neither NSW or Vic have border restrictions, meaning you can travel freely through the two. Presumably you’ll need to stay somewhere in NSW on your way down, which should be OK because it’s not for holiday purposes.
I have a food business in the Northern Rivers and Buy some of my goods from Q. Can I get an exemption to shop for supplies?-Jill Grove
Has there been any update on when the 14 day hotel quarantine programme will end for Australians returning from overseas? Or when its being extended to?-S
Hi S, there’s been no new update and the hotel quarantines are enforced by public health orders in respective states and territories. It may be likely they will be repealed at different times at different regions’ discretions. The relevant NSW Public Health Order, for instance, does not have an end date.
Hi Soph, as a South Australian I want the Eastern Staters to know we would LOVE to have your company in South Australia soon. But just not yet! It’s not about you…-Friendly Soul
Thanks, Friendly! I’ve never been to SA and I’d love to go when domestic travel re-opens again.
3hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
Lots of travel questions coming in so here’s some rapid-fire answers
Hi Sophie, is travelling interstate (QLD to NSW) to see your partner for their birthday considered essential? Seems like it might be reasonable grounds. Buuuut does it ultimately depend on who questions you at the airport? Are there police at the airports who will check where youre going? Thank you!-Kat
Hi Kat, technically you can do this and come back to Queensland without quarantining if you’re a Queensland resident and don’t go to any hotspots (of which there are currently none in NSW listed by Queensland authorities). Whether it’s essential, that’s a judgement call you’d have to make. I would say think very carefully whether you can’t just have an extra special celebration next year.
Why are NSW and Victoria asking other states to drop border restrictions when they aren’t even allowing overnight travel within their own states?-Greg
I would like to know if I can travel to NSW from Victoria to see my daughter and grandkids, stay with them for a few days and then return to Victoria.-John
The article at www.abc.net.au – Rethink travelling to Queensland or South Australia if you live in NSW. Unless there’s a good reason, you’ll be denied entry.But travel to Victoria and the ACT isn’t a problem.There is no need to quarantine or self-isolate back in NSW if you have travelled interstate. However, if you have symptoms, even mild symptoms like a cough, get tested.This infers that I can travel between Victoria and NSW.-John
Yes, there are no border restrictions imposed by NSW or Victoria. You can travel within each, but note the restrictions on overnight stays in NSW and the ban on social overnight visits in Victoria.
3hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
Difference in numbers
Hi Soph. The post for the 100th death (which I think is a great effort the hierarchy can be proud of) shows that it was the 49th for NSW but your at a glance list says 47. Also Qld shows 6 while elsewhere in my reading it shows 4. Is there reasons for this discrepancy? Thanks dear.-Goldie
In the post Australia records 100th coronavirus death it lists it as the 49th in NSW. You summary says 47 deaths. Which is correct?-Joey Pringle
Hi Goldie and Joey, the discrepancy comes down to an accounting issue. Basically, NSW and Qld authorities both claim two of those deaths as their own in their respective state figures. If ABC reported COVID-19 deaths as each of the states report them, we would have 102 deaths, which is inaccurate.
As my colleague Simon said over the weekend, we don’t want to over-complicate things for you, but it’s just a relic of our stat-taking.
3hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
Travelling within Victoria
Hi there what’s the latest on regional travel for Vic, do we know if taking a road trip will be possible soon?-Mia
Hi Mia, there are no kilometre limits on regional travel in Victoria, however you’re not allowed to stay overnight with friends and family for social visits and you’re not allowed to book holidays, either. So start looking up day trip road trips perhaps?
3hhours agoBy Sophie Meixner
Regional holidays in NSW
I want to take the gf up the coast in NSW, as we both live with our parents and it’s a bit annoying having them interrupt our games of Scrabble. Is there any sign of when we’re going to be able to play board games alone together?-Bruce
Hi Bruce, unfortunately your Scrabble games will have to remain happening under your respective parents’ roofs for the time being. The NSW Premier has repeatedly confirmed the state isn’t ready to allow regional holidays yet. Here’s what Gladys Berejiklian said on the matter about a week ago, and the advice hasn’t changed since then.
Unlike other states, New South Wales is not yet ready to have recreational holidays in regional communities. We’re not ready to ease restrictions as much as other states have. But what we will do is assure the community that so long as we keep working together, so long as we keep working hard, that we can continue to move forward…
You still cannot take a holiday in New South Wales. However, you can go outdoors for recreational purposes, which is a big shift. Until this point, our advice was stay home unless you have one of the four categories to go out. Now the message is stay safe. Think about social distancing, hygiene, and think about those closest to you.
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