Australia’s Chief Medical Officer has apologised for his comments that an “illegal dinner party” contributed to the state’s outbreak. “I apologise to Tasmanian health workers for my comments, and welcome the positive outcome of the investigation,” he said. The north-west has seen a large cluster of COVID-19 cases, with three more health workers diagnosed on Tuesday. When talking about the outbreak during the New Zealand inquiry, Professor Murphy suggested the behaviour of health workers may have contributed. “We thought we were doing really well in the last week and then we had a cluster of 49 cases in a hospital in Tasmania just over the weekend,” he said. “Most of them went to an illegal dinner party of medical workers, we think.” He later walked back the claim, with union representatives saying the “baseless” rumours had distressed frontline health workers. There were reports workers had been verbally abused as a result of the dinner party speculation. At the time, Tasmania’s Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said contact tracing had not verified the claim and earlier this week a police investigation found there was no evidence the dinner party ever happened. Police said investigators had “determined that there is no evidence of such a gathering occurring” and thanked health workers for their assistance in the inquiry.
April 30, 2020
Another resident has died at an aged care facility in Penrith in Sydney’s west, pushing the national death toll to 90. The death marks the twelfth victim of COVID-19 at Anglicare’s Newmarch House at Caddens which has become a cluster for the virus. It also marks the 40th death in NSW.
April 28, 2020
A s.185 (Application for approval of a single-enterprise agreement) from St Vincent’s Private Hospitals Ltd for its St Vincent’s Health Australia (Private Hospitals) Qld Support Services Enterprise Agreement has been ratified by Fair Work Deputy President Asbury in Brisbane on 24 April 2020.
April 28, 2020
Yarram and District Health Services is facing a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) today before Fair Work Commissioner Wilson in chambers in Melbourne (Bennett).
April 28, 2020
The Commonwealth of Australia represented by the Department of Human Services has a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) to answer before Fair Work Deputy President Kovacic Australian Eastern Standard Time (ACT Time) 15.30 in Canberra (David-Milne).
April 27, 2020
The Community and Public Sector Union and Cerebral Palsy Alliance – Accommodation Northern Sydney Ltd have a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) standoff to resolve before Deputy President Boyce (by telephone) in Sydney at 2pm.
April 27, 2020
St Michaels Association has a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) with which it must contend before Commissioner Bissett in chambers in Melbourne this morning (Hunter).
April 27, 2020
Empowerability INC has a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) to face at 2pm in front of Deputy President Sams (By Telephone) in Sydney (Fulthorp).
