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Australia news live updates: PM welcomes Victoria isolation rule changes; Lismore MP says federal government needs to ‘step up’ flood support
Changes to Victorian Covid isolation rules would be ‘premature’, Jaala Pulford says, as Scott Morrison welcomes move; state member for Lismore questions federal flood support effort as NSW announces relief package; hundreds of thousands eligible for fourth Covid shot from Monday as Australia records at least 14 deaths from the virus. Follow all the day’s news
Scott Morrison’s predecessor Bruce Baird denies race claims against PMUninsured flood victims can receive up to $20,000 payment under NSW schemeFollow the Ukraine live blogSee all our coronavirus coverageGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingNSW has reported 15,572 new cases and six deaths overnight:
Bruce Baird, the former member for Cook, Scott Morrison’s current seat, has come out and defended the PM against allegations he racially vilified a contender in a preselection battle in 2007.
He [Morrison] worked with me for two years when I was on the Tourism Council and I never heard him use racist terms.
I’m sure that people who are opponents of Scott and of the Liberal party would raise it for their own reasons, and Towke was feeling concerned because he’d lost the preselection … but in terms of all my dealings, and I was around him all the time, never once did I hear that allegation.
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