What we know today, Friday November 12
Police have arrested a man after he walked into South Australia from Victoria through a forest on Thursday.
- Police arrest man crossing SA-Vic border
- SA senator threatens to withhold vote over vaccination ‘discrimination’
- Vic records 1115 new COVID-19 cases, nine deaths
- Masterplan unveiled for $100m Mount Barker city centre
- New disaster payments on offer for hailstorm damage
- New attempt to cut lead in air pollution at Port Pirie smelter
- Global warming goal ‘on life support’: UN chief
- Aussies into T20 World Cup final
- Mourners ready for Bert Newton’s state funeral
Police arrest man crossing SA-Vic border
Police have arrested a man after he walked into South Australia from Victoria through a forest on Thursday.
The 36-year-old man with no fixed address was arrested around 1km inside the South Australian border and charged with failing to comply with a direction.
Police say they received reports around 10:30am yesterday that a man was walking through a forest adjacent to the Princes Highway.
The man attempted to conceal himself by wearing camouflage clothing, according to police.
He will appear before the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court today after being refused bail.
Police say he has since undergone a COVID-19 test and returned a negative result.
SA senator threatens to withhold vote over vaccination ‘discrimination’
SA Liberal senator Alex Antic has threatened to withhold his vote in federal parliament over what he claims is vaccination discrimination.
Antic posted on his Facebook page today that he would do so “until Australians are given protection from discrimination based upon their vaccine status and personal choice to refuse a vaccine”.
Antic claimed that Australians were being “coerced into taking COVID vaccinations against their will” and would soon be compelled to produce evidence of their vaccination status.
He said Australians “deserve the freedom to choose their own medical treatment and way of life” and not be discriminated against “based on their decision to submit (or otherwise) to a medical procedure”.
Vic records 1115 new COVID-19 cases, nine deaths
Victoria has recorded 1115 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths.
The figures, confirmed by the health department on Friday, bring the total number of active cases in the state to 16,098, including 426 in hospital, 82 of whom are in intensive care and 50 on ventilators.
The seven-day hospitalisation average has dropped from 559 on Thursday to 530 on Friday.
Some 67,925 Victorians were tested on Thursday and 9584 received a vaccine dose at a state-run hub.
Just under 93 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have received at least one vaccine dose and 86 per cent both.
Almost all restrictions are set to be scrapped for the fully vaccinated when the state reaches 90 per cent double-dosed, forecast to occur by November 24.
Masterplan unveiled for $100m Mount Barker city centre
The developers of the $100 million Mount Barker City Centre Project have released their masterplan for the site, detailing the designs of a new hotel, public library and town square set to be constructed in the burgeoning Hills town.
The proposed town centre – located in a 12,000m2 vacant space between Hutchinson Street, Morphett Street, Stephen Street and Druids Avenue – has been designed by Burke Urban Investments.
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The Franklin Street-based developers were engaged by Mount Barker District Council in November 2020 as the preferred developer for the site.
Burke Urban this morning unveiled their plans for the city centre, which will include a new town square, civic office, co-working hub and public library.
The masterplan also includes a 4500m2 commercial office, new hotel, residential units and a market shed for food and beverage outlets.
The developers expect the project to be formally launched mid-next year and anticipate the creation of 450 direct and indirect jobs during construction.
The new town square, commercial office, market shed and civic centre are set to be constructed first, while the developers expect the hotel and residential offices to be completed later in 2025.
In a joint statement, Bourke Urban co-directors Con Tragakis and Kym Burke said this “activated City Centre will add to the day and night economy, with activities focused on and responding to the four seasons providing the community an all-year-round destination and meeting place”.
“Following the community engagement for the Town Square over the coming month, the design concept will undertake further review,” they said.
Last month, Mount Barker Council signed off on a month-long community consultation on the project, which is running until December 8.
A community consultation open day and project launch will be held at the Kitchen Farm Pantry in Newenham on Saturday.
New disaster payments on offer for hailstorm damage
Disaster assistance payments jointly-funded by the Commonwealth and State Government will be on offer for South Australian growers affected by last month’s hailstorm, with new estimates of the damage caused by the weather event exceeding $350 million.
Golf ball-sized hailstones lashed the state’s northern suburbs and Riverland October 28, smashing through agricultural glasshouses and shredding crops in the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Plains.
The spring storm left around 30,000 households and businesses without power and forced national insurance provider IAG to pay out at least $169 million in claims.
Some growers in the Adelaide Plains estimate up to 90 per cent of their produce was lost in the storm, while those with shattered glasshouses have been forced to replant their entire crop.
The federal and state government this morning announced that new jointly funded disaster payments would be available in 24 council areas.
A new cross-government taskforce has also been created to examine the damage.
Minister for Primary Industries David Basham said new estimates of the damage caused by the storm exceed $350 million.
“In addition to supporting community members, the assistance being announced today will also help local councils cover the costs of the extensive clean-up and the restoration of essential public assets, including roads,” Basham said.
“Early indications are that the storm damage will be more than $350 million which is why we are moving as quickly as possible.
“This disaster assistance will be an important contribution to South Australia’s recovery as we rebuild and get back on track.”
The 24 council areas eligible for disaster payments are the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains, Barossa, Barunga West, Berri Barmera, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, Cleve, Coorong, Elliston, Gawler, Karoonda East Murray, Light, Loxton Waikerie, Mid Murray, Mount Barker, Murray Bridge, Playford, Port Pirie, Renmark Paringa, Salisbury, Tea Tree Gully, Tumby Bay, Wakefield and Yorke Peninsula.
New attempt to cut lead in air pollution at Port Pirie smelter
Nyrstar Australia says it will build a $23m facility at its Port Pirie smelter in a bid to reduce lead air concentrations, amid ongoing concerns about high blood lead levels among children in the mid-north city.
Lead exposure in children is linked to slower intellectual development and behavioural disorders. In February this year, SA Health said lead levels in the blood of Port Pirie two year olds had reached a 10 year high of 7.3 micrograms per decilitre of blood. National health guidelines say levels above five micrograms per decilitre should be investigated.
The EPA also reported that Port Pirie’s lead in air levels had increased in 2020 compared with 2019.
Under a new smelter licence agreement last year, the EPA lowered the plant’s annual average allowable emissions by 20 per cent, but Nyrstar breached the new agreement.
Nystar said today that construction of a 6850 square metre product recycling facility, partly funded with $7m from the state government, would begin early next year next to the existing site.
The company said the facility would be sealed and under negative air pressure, allowing materials used in production to be stored and mixed in an enclosed area and reducing the chances of lead-bearing dust to be discharged into the air.
Nyrstar vice president of Australian operations Dale Webb said the new facility was expected to reduce lead air concentrations in Port Pirie by up to 25 per cent compared to monitoring levels recorded in December 2020.
“Our process for storing, mixing and transporting minerals around the site will be improved fundamentally and will work together with other improvements already in place to deliver a sustained reduction in lead in air in our local community,” he said.
“The investment that Nyrstar Australia is making will act to improve both the environmental and operational performance of our Port Pirie plant, and we welcome the State Government’s support for this important project.
“Nyrstar Australia and its many talented people working in Port Pirie will continue to focus on how we can continue to improve our operations to reduce lead in air concentrations and complement the Targeted Lead Abatement Program (TLAP) and actions of the State Government, Port Pirie Regional Council and people of Port Pirie to reduce lead levels within the local community.”
The state government welcomed the project.
“The recycling facility is another significant investment by the Marshall Government and Nyrstar to effect real change to reduce lead in blood levels of children in Port Pirie,” said Mining and Energy Minister Dan Van Holst Pellekaan.
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“Despite the previous Labor Government promising that lead issues would be a ‘thing of the past’, it’s clear their efforts were not effective.
“Reducing lead in air requires a comprehensive approach that involves Nyrstar, the local council and the community working with the State Government to deliver a multi-pronged solution.”
Global warming goal ‘on life support’: UN chief
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C is “on life support” as UN climate talks enter their final days, but he adds that “until the last moment, hope should be maintained”.
Speaking to the Associated Press on Thursday, Guterres said the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland – set to end on Friday – will “very probably” not yield the emissions-cutting pledges he has said are needed to keep the planet from warming beyond the 1.5C threshold.
So far, the talks have not come close to achieving any of the UN’s three announced priorities.
One is cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about half by 2030 to reach the 1.5C goal.
The other two are getting rich countries to fulfil a 12-year-old pledge of providing $US100 billion ($A137 billion) a year in financial climate aid to poor countries and ensuring that half of that amount goes to helping developing countries adapt to the worst effects of climate change.
Guterres said the Glasgow talks “are in a crucial moment” and need to accomplish more than securing a weak deal that participating countries agree to support.
“The worst thing would be to reach an agreement at all costs by a minimum common denominator that would not respond to the huge challenges we face,” he said.
That’s because the overarching goal of limiting warming since pre-industrial times to 1.5C by the end of the century “is still on reach but on life support,” Guterres said.
The world has already warmed 1.1C, leaving far less than a degree before the threshold is hit.
Less than 36 hours from the scheduled close of the negotiations, Guterres said that if negotiators can’t reach ambitious CO2-cutting goals – “and very probably it will not happen” – then leaders of countries would need to come up with new pledges next year and in 2023 during high-level meetings.
He said it is “very important” that countries update their goals and send top leaders to the climate talks every year, however, he did not say at what point he thinks the 1.5C goal would have to be abandoned.
“When you are on the verge of the abyss, it’s not important to discuss what will be your fourth or fifth step,” Guterres said.
“What’s important to discuss is what will be your first step. Because if your first step is the wrong step, you will not have the chance to do a search to make a second or third one.”
Aussies into T20 World Cup final
Australia are into the Twenty20 World Cup final against New Zealand after pulling off a miraculous escape against Pakistan to chase down a tournament-high total with six balls to spare.
In a dramatic semi-final in Dubai on Thursday, Australia’s pursuit of Pakistan’s formidable 4-176 looked doomed when David Warner was incorrectly given out caught behind for 49.
At 5-96 and with Shadab Khan spinning Australia out, Wade and Marcus Stoinis then steadied the ship before bringing their team back into the match.
The pair let the equation get down to 62 from five overs before Stoinis (40 from 31) got the margin back to 22 from the last two overs.
Then Wade, dropped on the legside boundary with 20 needed from 10, hit the next three balls into the stands to seal a five wicket win with an over to spare.
The first was a scoop shot off Shaheen Shah Afridi, before he hit him long over the legside and then scooped the Pakistani paceman again to finish with 41 off 17 balls and claim the win.
It marked the biggest successful chase of the tournament and kept Australia’s hopes of a maiden T20 title alive ahead of Sunday night’s final.
But for so long in the second innings it looked as if it would be a different story.
Shadab’s 4-26 were the best ever figures in a T20 semi-final, as Steve Smith (5) and Mitch Marsh (28) both went sweeping.
Warner had Australia on top but then went in strange circumstances on 49 from 30, walking after being caught behind but with no sign of an edge on replays.
Glenn Maxwell followed Warner for seven in Shadab’s next over, leaving Australia on the brink before the heroics from Wade and Stoinis.
Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan had risen from his sick bed to put the previously undefeated Pakistan in control, hitting 67 from 52 after spending Wednesday night in hospital with a lung condition.
Australia were made to pay for dropping him twice, including once by Warner on zero with a tough diving chance at mid-off.
It was then the quicks who felt the pain, as Josh Hazlewood was hit for four sixes and went wicketless for 49 runs, while Pat Cummins finished with 1-30.
Mitchell Starc (2-38) eventually had Rizwan caught at mid-off, but copped some treatment from Fakhar Zaman late in his 2-38.
Again, Adam Zampa was Australia’s best with 1-22, building pressure alongside Glenn Maxwell to claim the key wicket of Babar Azam (39) and ultimately slow Pakistan down enough.
Australia will face New Zealand in the final on Monday (12:30am ACST) after the Kiwis knocked off England’s total of 167 in the earlier semi-final.
Mourners ready for Bert Newton’s state funeral
Hundreds of family and friends will farewell entertainment legend Bert Newton at a state funeral in Melbourne this morning, which will be broadcast live.
The man affectionately known as “Moonface” died aged 83 on November 30 at a private Melbourne clinic. In May, his leg was amputated due to a life-threatening infection.
Friday’s state funeral will be held at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne from 10am, for up to 500 guests.
While the public will not be able to attend due to COVID-safe requirements, the service will be streamed online and broadcast live on television networks Nine, Seven and Ten.
Melbourne-born Newton started in the radio business aged 12 and scaled the heights of Australian entertainment on stage and screen.
Alongside Graham Kennedy and Don Lane, he was part of a trio known as the kings of Australian television.
A stalwart of Australian theatre, Newton performed in Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, Annie, The Rocky Horror Show, Grease and Wicked.
Several Melbourne theatres dimmed their lights for one minute at 7.30pm on Thursday to honour Newton’s contribution to the industry.
-With AAP and Reuters
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