As COVID-19 trudges through endless revisions of rules and regulations, Australia s response to the virus is beginning to resemble the blackest of farces.
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Investors bet on vaccine rollout to end border closures
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Investors are betting the start of Australia’s vaccine rollout has paved the way for a resumption of travel around the country, putting pressure on states and territories to keep borders open and stoke confidence in the economy.
Travel stocks surged on Monday, moves analysts pinned on the first vaccinations, which NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said would help the nation move past costly state border bans and even lead to the lifting of the tough international travel shutdown.
Health Minister Greg Hunt observes as COVID testing nurse Maddy Williams receives the first vaccination in the ACT on Monday.
World Leaders Decry Facebook’s ‘Anti-Democratic’ Censorship in Australia
World politicians have lambasted Facebook’s move to restrict Australians from sharing news on its platform, with some saying the tech giant has behaved in an “anti-democratic” way and more like a “dictator.”
Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, David Cicilline (D-RI), wrote on Twitter that the move made it clear Facebook was not compatible with democracy.
“Threatening to bring an entire country to its knees to agree to Facebook’s terms is the ultimate admission of monopoly power,” Cicilline said.
Cicilline is an outspoken critic of big tech companies. He is pushing for increasingly stricter anti-trust laws on Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple.
WA premier unveils $259 million clean energy plan18/02/2021|2min
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has unveiled a $259 million renewable energy policy which would see 1,000 standalone power systems made and installed in the state.
The Labor party policy would also see the manufacturing of wind turbines as well as e-waste banned by 2024.
“This is embracing renewable power and manufacturing in a responsible, achievable and affordable way,” Mr McGowan said.
This comes as the WA Liberal Party continues to promote its New Energy Jobs plan which aims to close state-owned coal-fired power stations by 2025 - a move which has concerned federal Liberal members.