Australian PM Morrison delays opening of parliament amid coronavirus crisis

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison delayed the opening of Australian parliament for several weeks as the new coronavirus continues spreading through the country’s two most populous states. Morrison asked the speaker of the parliament to cancel a two-week out of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic. The request was seen as a formality because the speaker is a member of Morrison’s Liberal Party and the opposition Labor Party accepted the call. The next planned session is on August 24. Morrison said in a written statement, the government cannot ignore the risk to parliamentarians, their staff, the staff within the parliament and the broader community. 

Read: WHO sees record increase in Coronavirus cases.

Australia's fight against coronavirus

Victoria state reported 217 new infections. Neighbouring state, which is also the most populous state, South Wales has been struggling to contain the virus. It saw the emergence of 15 new cases. Victoria had forced nearly five million people into a partial lockdown for six weeks on July 9 to contain the virus. 

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said in a televised briefing, it is better to have a longer lockdown and even more restrictions for the safety of families and individuals of the Victorian community. Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg further added, that the government will issue income support to tackle decreasing confidence across the country, in addition to an existing A$70 billion in wage subsidies. Frydenberg told an international newspaper in an interview that there is a lot of uncertainty in the economic environment, and the Victorian situation is a significant setback. The government is expected to announce details of the support measures before sending them for a vote to the parliament, on thursday. 

Read: WHO records 1 million coronavirus cases in 100 hours

Australia has also resumed deporting New Zealanders based on the controversial 'character grounds' amid the pandemic which has stopped air travel. The controversial policy of sending back 'New Zealanders' on character grounds has infuriated New Zealand authorities. New Zealand authorities claimed that mose of these people have lived in Australia almost all their lives. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brought up the issue of deporting New Zealanders in February during a joint press conference with the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. She claimed that Australia is deporting its own people to New Zealand. To this, Scott Morrison replied, people who are not Australians and have violated Australian laws will not be alowed to remain in Australia.

Read: Australia decided to deport New Zealanders

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