Serbian tennis star’s views on vaccination central to federal court case; Queensland tsunami alert cancelled but NSW remains on alert; Victoria records 13 Covid-19 deaths and 28,128 new cases; Perrottet warns of ‘difficult three weeks’ as NSW records 20 deaths and 34,660 new cases; Queensland records three deaths and 17,445 new cases; ACT records two deaths and 1,316 cases. Follow all the day’s news here
- Novak Djokovic says Australia’s immigration minister failed to ask him his views on vaccination
- Australia tsunami warning: NSW beaches closed after undersea volcano erupts near Tonga
- Djokovic’s vaccine stance leaves him short of support from fellow players
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In further Australian Covid news, the Morrison government has announced $24m in new funding to widen the use of telehealth for GPs and other specialists. The funding is a direct reaction to the infection rate from the Omicron outbreak. AAP reports:
The $24m will also cover the continued supply of personal protective equipment, such as masks, respirators, face shields and gowns for face-to-face consultations including patients that have tested positive through a rapid antigen test.
The latter aligns with national cabinet’s January 5 decision that RAT tests no longer need to be confirmed by a PCR test.