Australia news live update: Turnbull slams government’s plan for nuclear subs; Qld only to open international borders for ‘safe’ countries

If you’re looking for a wrap on the ongoing fallout from the French submarine deal, look no further than Katharine Murphy’s latest column:

And you can read Elias Visontay’s report on Cleo Smith’s rescue at the link below:

WA Police have released the incredible footage of the moment Cleo Smith was rescued:

An injunction to stop Victoria’s largest public health service from firing nurses who are refusing the Covid-19 vaccination or refusing to disclose their vaccination status has been thrown out by the federal court ahead of a trial challenging the vaccine mandate.

Nick Ferrett QC is representing about 90 nurses at Monash Health, and told the court on Wednesday that under Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, the nurses should be consulted before any disciplinary action is taken against them.

A directive from Victoria’s chief health officer under the Public Health Act makes it clear that health workers must be fully vaccinated, having received at least their first Covid-19 vaccine dose by 29 October, in order to work in a healthcare setting. They must provide evidence of vaccination to their employer.

But Justice John Snaden said there was “no evidence” that Monash Health was trying to prevent nurses from exercising their workplace rights by commencing disciplinary action to fire them.

You can read more on the court ruling in this report from Melissa Davey:

Sticking with Joyce for a second, he’s asked what he thought of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull saying Scott Morrison has a “history of telling lies”.

Joyce:

The marvellous thing about Malcolm is that I don’t think I would have ever heard John Howard say something like that, Julia Gillard, other former prime ministers. Malcolm, he is one-of-a-kind. I think he needs to reflect on what he is doing to his own legacy, and how people will remember him.

Wasn’t he talking about diplomacy? I mean, Malcolm, is this your example of … is this from the book, chapter one of Malcolm Diplomacy, that you will also get yourself on international television bagging the living so-and-so, and the nation you once was the prime minister of?

WA police are due to give a press conference on the rescue of Chloe Smith shortly, and you can keep up with updates from Calla Wahlquist at the liveblog linked below:

Foreign minister Marise Payne was just on 2GB to address the growing diplomatic stoush between Australia and France, echoing the prime minister’s indication that they want to move on.

Payne was asked about the strong language used by the French ambassador earlier today, and she stood behind the government’s decision:

I certainly understand that it has been deeply disappointing for France. We have acknowledged that, we’ve been very clear in saying we understand that.

But our job in working together as nations in the Indo-Pacific is to work to work through this and to prioritise, if you like, the security and the stability of this region. Certainly that is the the approach that we have been endeavouring to take and when we make a decision in Australia’s national interests, we will be clear with Australians as to the nature of that decision.

Asked what she thought of French president Emmanuel Macron calling Scott Morrison a liar, Payne pointed out that the PM “swiftly clarified that” and he “set out the timeline”.

A British woman who worked as a waiter in Sydney has won a long-running legal dispute against Australia’s “backpacker tax” in the nation’s highest court.

On Wednesday the high court ruled in favour of Catherine Addy, finding the tax which slugged working holiday-makers thousands of dollars more than Australians discriminated against her on the basis of her nationality and infringed upon a treaty Australia signed with the UK.

You can read more from Paul Karp’s report here:

South Australia has once again recorded zero locally acquired Covid cases. The state also has zero active cases for the first time since 1 February.

And a curt Scott Morrison wraps up his presser, but not before a journalist gets in one last question on what it would take to “work through this.”

The PM gave another short, almost irrelevant answer:

The objections to the Australian decision not to proceed with those submarines, and go forward with nuclear powered submarines, was made in the interest of Australia, those who have elected to that decision have objected for various obvious reasons, for various obvious motives, but I know what side I’m on. Thank you.