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Judge declines to overturn flight ban after hearing first half of legal challenge; Morrison government promises $4bn in infrastructure spending in budget; NSW Covid ‘missing link’ eludes authorities. Follow the latest updates
Foreign minister Marise Payne visits Afghanistan NSW aims to start vaccinating 40- to 49-year-olds with Pfizer ‘within weeks’ NSW Covid hotspots: list and map of Sydney case locations; what you can and can’t do under the NSW rules8.44am BST
Australia’s international travel ban is based on politics not science, health experts have told Guardian Australia’s medical editor, Melissa Davey.
She writes:
Vietnam has done a great job. South Korea has had a problem, but they’ll soon be under control again. Taiwan has done fantastically well, and they have a similar total population to Australia.
But politics rules. And therefore the governments at state and federal levels say they will respect and follow the medical advice, [but] some of it is based on rather anecdotal medical evidence. Some of it comes down to whether you respect one medical expert over another, and that’s when the government has the opportunity to take a political decision.
Related: ‘Politics rules’: Australia’s international travel ban not based on science, health experts say
8.26am BST
In Perth, the Crown casino royal commission has heard its first witness.
More from AAP:
I had to take the role on at obviously a short [notice].
I did what any new member would do when they’re appointed, which is to take advantage of the expertise of the department’s staff.
We were primarily focused on protecting the more gullible punter, I suppose, from a sophisticated casino operator.
The area which has opened up as a risk, clearly, is what is the source of money that people are using to gamble.
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