Talks are under way to convert the Western Australian holiday hotspot Rottnest Island into a COVID-19 quarantine zone as the state's border closure approaches and the number of confirmed cases continue to rise.
A $20 billion loan guarantee for small businesses, $31.9 billion of grants to encourage small businesses to keep workers and $18 billion of support for welfare recipients and people who lose their jobs are the key elements in the federal government’s second round COVID-19 economic response.
PM Scott Morrison announces further restrictions on indoor gatherings. He also announced a delay to the federal budget. Australia has recorded its seventh COVID-19 death. WA has 12 new cases.
The federal government will pour an extra $444.6 million into aged care facilities, including money to help them hold onto staff amid the coronavirus crisis.
BHP will hire 1,500 temporary workers across the country on six month contracts, with at least 400 to be at Western Australian iron ore operations, Business News understands, while Woodside has pledged to cut payment times for contractors.
Curtin and Murdoch universities have introduced early semester breaks to prepare students and staff for a transition to online learning, in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Wesfarmers has disclosed that nearly every part of its business has been affected by COVID-19, with Bunnings and Officeworks doing better while Target is suffering.
Small businesses impacted by the coronavirus crisis will be able to defer their loan repayments for six months under a plan put forward by the banking industry.
Telstra has frozen its job cutting program for six months, suspended late payment fees and disconnections, and has invited stood-down Qantas employees to apply for 1,000 temporary jobs to help virus-proof the economy.
The performing arts sector is coming up with new ways to ensure people are entertained, in light of government restrictions on indoor events attended by 100 people or more as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roger Cook confirms community transmission in WA. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has imposed a travel ban on all non-residents. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia has reached 514.
Two new facilities to support lending worth a combined $105 billion are key elements of the Reserve Bank and federal government’s plans to support the economy in response to COVID-19, while the RBA cut rates to 0.25 per cent and promised an unprecedented target on government bond yields.
Support for businesses to hold on to workers should be prioritised over cash handouts for households, according to Deutsche Bank, which forecasts Australia’s economy will fare better than most with a contraction of only 0.1 per cent in 2020.
Qantas is suspending all international flights, will delay its $201 million interim payout, and is standing down two-thirds of its 30,000-member workforce until the end of May in the face of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic.
Nine Entertainment, BlueScope Steel and more companies have joined the flood of listed firms cancelling their earnings forecasts as coronavirus chaos spreads.
A growing number of hospitality venues are either closing or revising their operations, after the Prime Minister announced the ban of all non-essential gatherings of 100 plus people. The ban is effective immediately and will impact religious services.
Australia has upgraded its international travel advice to the highest level, with all citizens being told not to travel overseas because of coronavirus. It comes as Virgin Australia suspended all international travel for more than two months.
UPDATED: Two John XXIII high-school students have returned negative coronavirus tests, while a third student in Year 12 is awaiting results, the school announced. It comes after one of the children's parents tested positive to COVID-19 on Tuesday.
The Australian Hotels Association WA has made a number of recommendations for the state’s hospitality sector to reduce the spreading of COVID-19, with Crown Resorts in Perth extending its social distancing measures to Perth.
This year’s Margaret River Pro surfing competition has been cancelled, while Cricket Australia has suspended the remaining Sheffield Shield series and the AFL is due to make a decision tomorrow on whether Round 1 will proceed this week.
Qantas will slash international flights by 90 per cent until the end of May in a fresh round of coronavirus-related cuts equivalent to grounding 150 aircraft.
Concerns over COVID-19 have led to the cancellation or postponement of more events in the state, including Australia’s largest annual mining conference Diggers & Dealers, along with the Anzac Day services. The virus has also led to more businesses changing their working arrangements.
A freeze on household bills, a slight rise of the payroll tax threshold and small businesses grants will form part of a $607 million state government stimulus package, while the Commonwealth and the Reserve Bank are considering further steps.
Chinese consul general Dong Zhihua is confident international trade won’t suffer long-term disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, and is pitching for local businesses to come to a trade fair in November.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has pumped extra liquidity into the banking system, part of a package of measures aimed at ensuring business and households have access to credit as the coronavirus causes chaos in global financial markets.
Western Australian schools will introduce new precautionary measures, including cancelling assemblies and staggering recess and lunch breaks, to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
