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Sydney and cocaine: an illicit love affair for the ages

Crime reporter Fergus Hunter and Health Reporter Mary Ward provide insight into how large cocaine consumption in Sydney really is.
They cite surveys done by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center to provide statistics on how Sydney's consumption lines up with other large cities in Australia.
They explain that the amount of drug busts in the area have increased in recent years, as has consumption ratios.
Hunter and Ward go into detail about why it is so popular in Sydney, being a massive port that allows easy access.
While this article in informational, highlighting potential dangers of cocaine abuse and the cost of rehab, there is no explicit warning to the reader that they should not partake in cocaine use.
Cocaine is not glorified in this piece, both journalists do a good job in remaining informative and stray away from a persuasive approach.

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It was getting late at the work drinks when the boss emerged bearing a tray loaded with cocaine.

For the Sydney-based young professionals working at the relatively well-known company, relaxing together after a hard week, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Sydney has the highest rate of cocaine use out of all Australian capital cities. Credit:James Brickwood

Another corporate worker, based in the CBD, likes to text his cocaine dealer to arrange a quick delivery. His guy will show up promptly, pick him up for a short drive, and hand over the drug.

Sydney loves cocaine. For years, the city has demonstrated a remarkable appetite for the party drug and the demand continues to grow.

Recently released survey data from the National National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre shows the number of NSW residents reporting cocaine use increased from about one in 30 to one in 20 between 2016 and 2019, with men and women in their 20s most likely to have used the drug.

Even as consumption surges in other parts of Australia, it's Sydney that remains the nation's cocaine capital. As of October last year, according to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's wastewater analysis, Sydney was consuming 15 doses of cocaine per 1000 people on an average day. This compared to Melbourne's six doses per 1000 people, Brisbane's five and Canberra's 10. Of the 5.7 tonnes of cocaine the ACIC estimates the country consumed in 2019-20, 3 tonnes were consumed in NSW.

Drug syndicates are working hard to import cocaine to Australia, generally sourcing the drug from South America. Credit:NSW Police Media

The demand means criminal syndicates are working overtime to supply the drug, which is largely sourced from cartels in South America. The last decade has seen authorities make historic seizures of cocaine shipments being brought to Australian shores.

Law enforcement officials attribute Sydney's particular love for cocaine to a range of factors. One is that the city is a major port of entry for goods coming into Australia, whether they are legal or not, meaning products are widely available. Another is a high level of social acceptance of cocaine, particularly compared to other prohibited substances.

Shane Neilson, head of determination for high-risk and emerging drugs at the ACIC, says cocaine is viewed by many people as a safe recreational drug, especially compared to a substance like methylamphetamine - known as ice in its crystal form.

Neilson points to the "Hollywood portrayal of cocaine".

"It's almost as if it's synonymous with success, whereas in reality it's synonymous with enormous potential for harm to the individual taking it and it's also fuelling some of the most bloodthirsty organised crime groups in the world," he says.

NSW Police drug squad commander Detective Acting Superintendent Jayne Doherty says there is a "wilful blindness" or naivete among some users, who only see their favoured dealer and not the organised crime figures behind the scenes.

Drug researcher Amy Peacock, who led an analysis of NDARC's survey results, says while Sydney was always known for higher cocaine use its popularity has increased in other capital cities in recent years, suggesting increased availability - although survey responses indicate the high price still deters more frequent use.

"Cocaine users in Australia are typically not using at high frequencies: for the most part people talk about cocaine as something they're doing on a less than monthly basis," Peacock says.

Australians pay a premium price for cocaine, forking out a minimum of $300 for a gram - enough for up to 10 lines or doses. This makes the country among the most expensive markets for the drug. The average global price is $127, according to the Global Drug Survey. Americans pay $88, Colombians just less than $10.

Police have been making record drug busts in recent years.

A significant segment of the Australian price is the major profit margins being enjoyed by local organised crime groups who have facilitated the importation of the drug from international suppliers.

The stereotype of the cocaine user is well-known: a wealthy elite, perhaps working in finance or entertainment, and crime statistics indicate affluent areas are still hotspots for cocaine use. Possession offences in the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick local government areas are significantly more common than in other parts of Sydney, according to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistic and Research. In the year to December, there were 262 cocaine use offences per 100,000 people in Waverley, compared to 27 in Fairfield, 35 in the Inner West, and 36 in the Sutherland Shire.

But experts say the demand for the drug has broadened beyond the wealthy stereotypes and traditionally affluent areas of Sydney, with consumption growing in other areas and demographics where prosperity has increased.

And the ease of access is greater than ever, with the growth of "dial-a-dealer" exchanges that allow users to rapidly get their hands on cocaine.

"We get our food delivered that way now. It's just the way our society is moving," says Doherty.

Police warn people who use occasionally may enter a downward spiral and develop a dependency. As they build up a tolerance for the drug they will need to buy larger quantities to get a high, putting severe pressure on their finances.

Limkin and Peacock agree there needs to be more research into cocaine dependency treatment and its outcomes: unlike treatment for addictions to other substances, such as opioids or heroin, there is no pharmacotherapy - replacement medication - for cocaine, meaning care needs to manage withdrawal without that aid.

At The Banyans "luxury rehabilitation clinic" in south-east Queensland, about two in five people seeking treatment for cocaine addiction come from Sydney.

"The average patient looks like someone that you work with in the office day to day and you may have no idea they have developed a dependency," says chief executive Ruth Limkin.

The clinic, which has six registered doctors on staff and only takes eight patients at a time, is receiving "more and more inquiries" about cocaine addiction, Limkin says. People usually seek help after a crisis - such as a medical episode, relationship breakdown or run-in with the law - or an intervention from a loved one or workplace.

"We really treat it as a health issue, not that someone's done something bad," she says. The program involves a mix of medical and psychological support as well as wellness strategies and activities.

Fees range from $49,000 to $90,000 for a four-week stay followed three to 12 months of ongoing support through telehealth. It is expensive, but those who sign on have generally been spending $10,000 to $20,000 a week on cocaine. The clinic says people who take part in their program show improvement in an average of 74 per cent of their dependency measures.

Authorities warn the dodgy and unregulated production and distribution environment introduces major risks for cocaine use. To preserve their profits, suppliers will cut the pure cocaine with a range of substances, including chemicals and other drugs. This can make the consequences of consumption unpredictable.

The negative health impacts of cocaine use range from agitation, vomiting, delirium and acute cardiovascular effects through to an increased risk of stroke, cardiac arrhythmias, psychotic episodes and suicidal ideation in more frequent users.

Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, Sydney's love affair with cocaine continues unabated. And authorities have their work cut out for them in trying to convince users of the harms associated with the drug.

"People don't really see any problem," says one occasional user. "It's just coke."

Start your day informed

Fergus Hunter is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Mary Ward is a health reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Sydney and cocaine: an illicit love affair for the ages

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It was getting late at the work drinks when the boss emerged bearing a tray loaded with cocaine. For the Sydney-based young professionals working at the relatively well-known company, relaxing together after a hard week, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

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One man dead, another arrested following late night brawl in Haymarket
Crime reporter, Fergus Hunter, covers arrest that was the result of a relation to murder.
After a 3a.m. fight in an apartment complex hallway turns fatal, Hunter provides quotes from officers and detectives on the scene of the crime, as well as other residents of the complex.
This piece is very factual and still developing. The Detective Acting Superintendent, Paul Dunstan, was able to provide Hunter with comments on the probability of the survivor being charged, saying it will probably happen sometime that afternoon.
This piece wasn't designed to formulate an opinion from it. It was very informative of the situation that occurred and used sources close to the scene to get a closer look into the events that unfolded to reach the end result.

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A man has been arrested after a brawl that left a second man dead at an apartment complex on Castlereagh St in Haymarket.

Police are preparing to charge the 20-year-old man over the death, which occurred in the hallway outside his room at the Oaks Sydney Castlereagh Suites.

Police say a man is expected to be charge with murder following a deadly brawl in Haymarket. Credit:Edwina Pickles

The victim, a 43-year-old man from northern Sydney, was unresponsive when police arrived at the scene. Neighbours and emergency services attempted to revive the man, performing CPR for about 40 minutes, but they were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.

Neighbours had called police at about 3.15am after they heard a fight in the hallway and discovered the unconscious victim.

Following initial inquiries, police believe the men arrived at the apartment complex together an hour earlier. They were inside an apartment until the violent confrontation escalated in the hallway outside.

The men are thought to have wrestled and thrown punches and there is no evidence of weapons being used.

After arriving at Castlereagh St, police arrested the 20-year-old man close to the location of the brawl and established a crime scene.

Detective Acting Superintendent Paul Dunstan, commander of Sydney City police area command, said the 20-year-old was assisting police with their inquiries after being detained.

"It is anticipated he will be charged later this afternoon, " Detective Acting Superintendent Dunstan said, likely for "offences akin to murder".

Melbourne resident Petros Blatsis, staying at the Oaks short-term accommodation for the weekend, said he and a friend had returned from a night out to find ambulances and police cars, before learning the details of the incident. "It's not what you want to hear."

Felicia Lagoulis, another Melbourne resident visiting Sydney and staying at the apartments, was dismayed by the events. "It's a bit scary, actually."

Police are still looking into whether drugs and alcohol were involved and the nature of the men's relationship.

Neither of the men were known to police before the incident, Detective Acting Superintendent Dunstan said.

Fergus Hunter is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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One man dead, another arrested following late night brawl in Haymarket

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Updated first published at Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A man has been arrested after a brawl that left a second man dead at an apartment complex on Castlereagh St in Haymarket. Police are preparing to charge the 20-year-old man over the death, which occurred in the hallway outside his room at the Oaks Sydney Castlereagh Suites.

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‘Outrageous’: Disappointment turns to anger after Byron Bay Bluesfest axed

The Byron Bay Bluesfest was a highly anticipated music festival that would have been the first post-pandemic music festival, had it not been cancelled by the New South Wales' government.
Journalist, Helen Pitt took to Sydney residents and business owners to see how people are reacting to the news of this event cancellation.
From the headline, it is clear to see that there will be unhappy opinions included in this piece and in this case, they are heavily targeted at the government.
With Australia being almost completely Covid-19 free, there was a lot of excitement for this festival.
Recently, there was one positive Covid-19 case, and this case is the reason that the festival has been cancelled.
Many potential festival-goers expressed their anger towards the government because it was only one case, they didn't feel that it was a big enough issue to cancel the whole event.
This piece did not do much to provide the government's standpoint on the situation, it heavily covered the reaction of government decision and how it has affected people's plans.
Although it is not labelled an opinion piece, the headline and tone of the article allow enough insight into what side the author has taken on the issue.

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Byron Shire mayor Simon Richardson said while many locals were disappointed Bluesfest didn't go ahead, the vast majority felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

"It was a King Solomon's choice ... most people would rather we over-reacted than under-reacted," he said. "The last thing we wanted was a coastal Ruby Princess on our hands."

Accommodation providers such as Flash Camp, the on-site pop-up hotel at Bluesfest, which had assembled glamping tents for the expected 70 guests from as far away as Western Australia, had to stand down staff before they packed up tents.

"We had a 74-year-old man with osteoarthritis coming from Melbourne we had to turn away and we had to stand down our staff some before they had started work," said Flash Camp's Lisa Stratt.

"I am worried about our staff now as they can't even get JobKeeper anymore and because of our COVID unemployment crisis we have an accommodation crisis too ... some of our staff are living in their vans. This is devastating on many levels."

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Helen Pitt is a journalist at the The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Byron Bay 'Bunch of bedwetters': disappointment turns to anger

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Byron Shire mayor Simon Richardson said while many locals were disappointed Bluesfest didn't go ahead, the vast majority felt it was better to be safe than sorry. "It was a King Solomon's choice ... most people would rather we over-reacted than under-reacted," he said.

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How did Australia go from a country with no cases to one that can’t get the vaccine rollout right?

Federal Political Reporter, Rachel Clun provides information on where Australia is at with vaccine distribution and why it has taken so long to get to where they are now.
Clun uses quotes from multiple sources to provide opinions and express frustrations that many professionals and health ministers have.
With changing systems of vaccine distribution that have worked in the past and lack of transparency, there have been a lot of obstacles hindering vaccine rollout.
One source, a social scientist, Julie Leask, openly spoke against the government's decisions and stated that as long as there is politics involved, this process will not get any easier.
The headline shows the frustration the people of Australia are facing in regards to vaccine distribution. They are one of the only countries on the fast track to normalcy, yet the biggest thing that will propel back up is struggling to become efficient.
The sources interviewed expressed anger and frustration towards the government, and there is a subtle bias against the government's decisions.

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Roughly 14 months into the coronavirus pandemic, frayed tempers boiled over this week.

Doctors were frustrated. Some state health ministers were "extremely angry". Aged care providers were concerned and had no confidence they'd get vaccinations as planned.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says he fully supports the work of the state and territory governments. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

So what happened?

This week marked week six of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. Initially, the government planned to have all vulnerable aged care residents vaccinated by now, frontline health and border staff protected, and be well on the way to having millions more immunised across the country.

So far, fewer than 1 million people have had their first shot of a vaccine. Those early goals were scuppered weeks ago, as Europe repeatedly blocked the export of more than 3 million doses of AstraZeneca that were due to reach Australian shores by the end of February.

But beyond international shipment issues, there has been growing frustration from the states, GPs and people connected to aged care about the lack of communication around the rollout and scant forewarning about deliveries or cancellations.

Where has the tension come from?

Normally, states and territories control vaccine rollouts, says social scientist and vaccine specialist Professor Julie Leask, and with a major exercise such as a national rollout of a brand new vaccine, it makes sense to use existing systems.

Add the complications of ultra-cold storage, an adult vaccination program on a scale the country has not attempted before and two different vaccines so far, and using those state-run systems makes even more sense.

"I think it would have probably run more smoothly if we had harnessed the usual systems we have for the annual influenza vaccination program," Professor Leask says. "Now is not the time to be changing systems that work."

Instead, the federal government chose to take on the bulk of the rollout. It's kept responsibility for distributing vaccines to GPs and aged care facilities, as well as handing out supplies to states and territories. Later in the rollout, the government will send vaccines to pharmacies as more people become eligible.

In an Adelaide press conference on Friday morning, federal opposition health spokesman Mark Butler said the states were willing to help.

"The states at the moment have focused on vaccinating their frontline health workers, quarantine workers, the emergency services workers," he said. "But obviously, they've got some large vaccination centres that may be needed to start to accelerate this rollout beyond the current rate. And I encourage the Prime Minister and Greg Hunt to swallow their pride and to start those discussions with states about ways in which the states can assist with this rollout that's so far off track."

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said he fully supported the work of the state and territory governments.

"We have confidence in all of the states and territories. And they're all managing their programs as they best see fit, and they are working towards making sure that all of those vaccines are used," he said on Wednesday.

The government has also tightly controlled communications and vaccination data.

Under a national cabinet agreement, that data was released once a week, containing top-line information about how many doses had been administered overall as well as state and territory totals. Those updates had no detail about the number of doses distributed across the country.

That was until News Corp got hold of more figures and reported how many doses had been given to states and how many of those had been administered. The states were furious.

"I'm extremely angry and I know there are other health ministers in the country who share similar views - state and territory health ministers," NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Wednesday.

Professor Leask, who advises federal and state governments on vaccine hesitancy, says the governments need to work on a way forward.

"We will continue to see problems if we're keeping on this track," she says. "There's too much federal control, not enough information, not enough co-ordination and not enough relinquishment of information."

Sharing more data is also a decision that has to come from national cabinet, the Health Department says. Professor Leask says it's a tricky option for any government to take.

"It is hard to be quite open, particularly when there's politics, concern about public confidence, and particularly when there's votes involved," she says. "What needs to happen for transparency to occur is for the government to be able to put aside the politics so it can trust the public with information it might not normally feel comfortable sharing."

But progress is being made. On Friday afternoon, Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said vaccinations had trebled in the past two weeks, and in coming months the government expected Novavax to be added to the country's arsenal of COVID-19 vaccines.

And Australia has, with expert medical advice, come through the pandemic relatively well, with no deaths reported this year and a handful of local cases. It's a stark contrast to global numbers, with more than 685,000 confirmed cases and 11,700 lives lost in the past day.

Professor Leask says Australia learnt a lot last year, not only about the prevention and control of a new disease but also about transparency.

"We should bring those lessons from last year to this year's vaccines," she says.

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Rachel Clun is a federal political reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, covering health.

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How did Australia go from a country with no cases to one that can't get the vaccine rollout right?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Roughly 14 months into the coronavirus pandemic, frayed tempers boiled over this week. Doctors were frustrated. Some state health ministers were "extremely angry". Aged care providers were concerned and had no confidence they'd get vaccinations as planned.

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Street artist Anthony Lister charged with obscene Roxy Jacenko graffiti

Journalist Lucy Manly covers the   timeline leading up to artist Anthony Lister being charge for obscene graffiti being painted onto the side of businesswoman Roxy Jacenko's office building.
Manly does a good job of providing quotes from Jacenko herself on how she knew it was Lister and the actions she has taken since the obscene vandalism first occurred.
There was information provided on how Lister was eventually linked to the vandalism and how his connections to other artists in the area were ultimately his downfall that lead to his charge of "aggravated intentionally marking premises without consent."
Manly stays objective, providing information on Lister's defense in the case and Jacenko's stance as well.
The headline is neutral and informative, pairing well with the informative tone of the article.

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Two years after Roxy Jacenko's name was plastered across the eastern suburbs in profanity-ridden graffiti, charges have been laid against controversial street artist Anthony Lister and bitcoin trader Anthony Hess.

On Thursday both men were charged with two counts of "aggravated intentionally marking premises etc without consent", in relation to the graffiti that occurred on the April 24, 2019 at Jacenko's Paddington offices, and serval other locations throughout Woollahra, Paddington and Bondi Junction.

The graffiti attack was caught on CCTV but neither of the figures could be positively identified despite a social media call-out by Ms Jacenko.

A police facts sheet alleges Mr Hess and Mr Lister sprayed the graffiti between 1.38am and 1.40am, and then on a nearby skip bin on the night of the vandalism.

Mr Lister, 41, who Ms Jacenko has never met, has been likened to British artist Banksy. He is awaiting trial accused of drugging and sexually assaulting five young women he met through the art scene between 2015 and 2018. He has also been charged with drug offences.

The police investigation into Mr Lister's alleged sex offences was the pair's ultimate undoing, with footage linking him and Mr Hess to the graffiti allegedly recorded on Mr Lister's GoPro.

Detectives raided the artist's Darlinghurst home on March 10, 2020 last year for "an unrelated matter" and found a GoPro SD card. "Upon review of the SD card, police observed three videos of which depicted the vandalism," the police facts sheet alleged.

Mr Lister's lawyer Bryan Wrench said his client would be defending the charges.

"The matter is currently before court and will be dealt with there. However this is certainly not a Lister and our client shouldn't be given credit for this attempt at artwork," Mr Wrench said.

The other individual charged, 40-year-old Mr Hess, vehemently denied any involvement when Ms Jacenko accused him a year ago. Ms Jacenko made a private application for a restraining order against Mr Hess, claiming his campaign of harassment had her living in fear. Her application was dismissed by the court.

Last week Mr Hess was issued a summons to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on June 8 on two charges of aggravated intentionally marking premises without consent. However he is currently based in Los Angeles.

"Myself and my legal team Olivia Hitchins and barrister Greg James QC worked so hard to get justice giving so many pieces of evidence which matched every move and every piece of graffiti," Ms Jacenko said.
with Lucy Cormack

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Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here, The Age's here, Brisbane Times' here, and WAtoday's here.

Lucy Manly is a reporter and gossip columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald.

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Street artist Anthony Lister charged with obscene Roxy Jacenko graffiti

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Two years after Roxy Jacenko's name was plastered across the eastern suburbs in profanity-ridden graffiti, charges have been laid against controversial street artist Anthony Lister and bitcoin trader Anthony Hess.

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36 clinics for NSW as federal rollout falters
Journalist Michael Koziol successfully provides an informative piece on how New South Wales plans to tackle vaccine distribution and hopefully speed up the process that is set to be delayed by almost two months.
A big part of the slow vaccine distribution came from the lack of personnel to distribute it. With the absence of large vaccinations hubs where they can vaccinate mass amounts of people, the vaccination rate is not going as quickly as initially expected.
There are an expected 36 new clinics to be opened for vaccine distribution in the coming week and people are hopeful that this will aid in speeding up the process.
Koziol stays objective in his reporting of this story and writes with an optimistic outlook on the way the government is handling the situation and what the future holds in regards to vaccine rollout in New South Wales.

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NSW will dramatically escalate vaccination efforts this week and is eyeing mass inoculation hubs, possibly including Sydney's International Convention Centre, as federal government tender documents indicate the vaccine rollout in aged care is unlikely to finish until the end of May.

After the Morrison government accepted Premier Gladys Berejiklian's offer to help vaccinate the state's residents, NSW Health yesterday revealed it had been preparing behind the scenes and will open 36 new clinics this week.

Health Minister Greg Hunt, Tim Wilson MP, Dale Austin (patient) and Dr Nick Kokotis. Health Minister Greg Hunt in Sandringham visiting the Bluff Road Medical Centre. 29th March 2021 The Age News Picture by JOE ARMAO Credit: Joe Armao

Health authorities confirmed yesterday the delivery of the locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine will proceed as planned despite a rare blood clotting condition being found in a Melbourne man who received a dose in March.

Inquiries continue into that case and experts will meet again Wednesday to discuss the blood clot issue, which has caused Germany to pause the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine to under 60s and Canada to pause it for under 55s.

A NSW Health spokesperson said yesterday the agency had been preparing for a large-scale vaccine rollout "subject to the federal government accepting help and vaccine supply". Ms Berejiklian said Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated his support for that in a letter on Thursday night.

The 36 clinics to open this week will join 79 others operated by NSW Health.

While no formal discussions have taken place between NSW Health and the ICC, the ICC's chief executive Geoff Donaghy told The Sun-Herald the facility was ready and willing to become a mass vaccination hub if asked.

"As a major city facility, ICC Sydney is in regular discussion with the state government, particularly around how we can support during COVID-19," he said. "We would be able to operate part of the venue as a vaccination centre while still running uninterrupted client events should we be asked."

The pressure to ramp up the rollout comes as tender documents indicate phase 1a of Australia's coronavirus vaccine program could finish up to two months late as the Morrison government scrambles to hire more providers to deliver jabs in aged care homes.

The federal government began advertising two weeks ago for additional assistance - in every state and territory - to roll out the vaccine to residential aged care staff and other people in the 700,000-strong phase 1a cohort. The documents suggest Phase 1a won't be completed until the end of May.

That is despite Health Minister Greg Hunt saying on February 25 the government would complete phase 1a in six weeks. He insisted last week Australia's vaccine rollout remained "on track" and the pace of the program was increasing along with the domestic AstraZeneca supply.

Two Health Department "approach to market" tenders were published on the AusTender website on March 16 and 17 respectively, both with a closing date of April 30.

One asked for private companies to provide for the "safe, targeted and timely administration of approved COVID-19 vaccines (Vaccine) for the Phase 1a cohort across Australia by late May 2021" and the second asked the same for residential aged care staff by late May 2021.

At present four firms - Aspen Medical, Healthcare Australia, International SOS and Sonic Clinical Services - have been contracted by the Commonwealth to assist with the rollout, while the number of GPs delivering doses is expected to rise from 1000 to about 4000.

The tenders ask the private sector to supply services for the rollout including "all aspects of vaccine administration" including a trained workforce, inventory management, scheduling of appointments, cold storage and security.

The tenders suggest the government expects the first phase of vaccinations won't conclude until the end of May, something Mr Hunt has not stated publicly.

Questions to Mr Hunt's office were referred to the department. A spokesman said: "The vaccination program has been designed from the outset to continually expand, particularly with the certainty of supply available from the Australian production of the vaccine.

"The tenders enable further providers to join the vaccination rollout where they meet the safety accreditation and it is logistically possible to do so."

About 670,000 vaccinations had been delivered by April 1, well short of the 4 million jabs the federal government had projected. Only half the 190,000 aged and disability care residents who were due to be vaccinated had received the jab, as well as an unknown number of the country's 318,000 aged and disability care workers.

Europe's decision to block the export of more than 3 million AstraZeneca doses significantly slowed the rollout but onshore production of the AstraZeneca vaccine by Melbourne company CSL is slowly ramping up to 1 million doses per week.

On the blood clotting issue, Professor Kidd said authorities were still investigating the Melbourne case and "while at this time we don't have evidence of causality ... it is likely that the case reported yesterday is related to the vaccine".

Professor Kidd also said "if the states and territories have the capacity to be involved in now moving towards the vaccination of people within 1b, we're very happy to have those discussions with them".
with Ashleigh McMillan

Start your day informed

Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here, The Age's here, Brisbane Times' here, and WAtoday's here.

Connect via Michael Koziol is Sydney Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, based in our Sydney newsroom. He was previously deputy editor of The Sun-Herald and a federal political reporter in Canberra. Twitter.

Connect via James Massola is national affairs editor. He has previously been Sunday political correspondent and South-East Asia correspondent. Twitter, Facebook or email.

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NSW eyes mass vaccination hubs as federal documents show phase 1a two months late

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The federal government is looking to hire new coronavirus vaccine providers, as government documents suggest the first phase of the roll out could finish two months late.

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With South Korea being ranked 42 in the world on press freedom according to RSF, the partly free press is shown through Arirang TV.

Australia sits at the 26 spot on the World Press Freedom Index, with no explicit law for press freedom written into their constitution.

These two news outlets differ greatly from each other by content.

The majority of stories I selected from Arirang TV were about rising Covid-19 cases, differing greatly from Australia who is extremely close to being Covid-19 free.

While searching through the stories on Arirang TV, I discovered that pretty much all of the top stories are surrounding Covid-19 at the moment, with this being their greatest current issue.

With most of the world still battling Covid-19 it was no surprise that both news outlets had coverage on the topic, but Australia's Covid-19 content was geared towards vaccine distribution, where as South Korea is struggling with rising positive cases and implementing more restrictions, with a lower concentration of news stories regarding vaccine distribution.

The content is so different of these two outlets.

The Sydney Morning Herald top stories included issues with vaccine rollout, recent criminal activity, and coverage of top sports and events.

Arirang TV top stories were heavily focused on rise of Covid-19 cases and efforts to control this increase.

South Korea's National Security Act gives the government the right to regulate press when it is seen as a threat to national security.

Much like other countries with similar laws, the definition for a threat to national security is very vague, giving the government plenty of leeway to control the media as needed.

Journalists for Arirang TV appear to practice objectivity in the delivery of the stories, however it is fair to conclude that self-censorship practices likely occur in this news outlet.

In the stories I selected, there were few instances where an opinion was blatantly stated.

The biggest opinion driven piece was on the combined efforts towards denuclearization between South Korea and China. The opinions displayed in this piece were pro-South Korean lawmakers and came from the lawmakers themselves as well as the journalist reporting on the topic.

In contrast to Arirang TV, the Sydney Morning Herald did not have articles on the increase in Covid-19 cases.

One of the Sydney Morning Herald's top stories was about the love that Sydney has for cocaine, a topic that would likely not make it anywhere near the top news stories in South Korea considering the current high coverage of the pandemic.

In relation to Covid-19, the current issue they are facing is the distribution of the vaccine, as many different factors have slowed their process.

Arirang TV had some coverage on their vaccine distribution, and this is where they have some similarities.

Both news outlets inform that their country is still in the beginning stages of vaccine rollout. While they are for different reasons, this does connect the two.

Australia is still in the beginning stages due to shipment cancellations, issues with the vaccine in other areas, and lack of personnel to distribute it.

South Korea is newly receiving the vaccine and are just beginning their efforts in vaccinating the older population.

Both outlets seem objective overall, but with both countries having unclear press freedom laws and potential for intense repercussions upon reporting against the government, it is safe to conclude that self-censorship practices are occurring within both news outlets.

I chose these two sources from South Korea and Australia because while the whole world is still feeling the effects of the pandemic, these two countries are on complete opposite ends of the situation. Australia lifting restrictions and being almost Covid-19 free, and South Korea entering a fourth wave and applying even stricter policies to reduce rising cases.

These news outlets are similar in their reporting styles, but very different in the content of their news stories.

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S. Korea, China are inseparable partners in denuclearization process on Korean Peninsula: Lawmakers
News anchor Ali Cosell and journalist Kim Dami provided insight on what South Korea and China have accomplished and plan to accomplish on their way to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
Dami presents both South Korea and China in a positive light, encouraging the countries to continue their unified efforts.
Both countries want to act as a facilitator in the nuclear conversation between the US and North Korea, Dami agreeing that this is the best case.
This news story speaks in favor of the government of South Korea. Most of the content of Arirang TV comes across as objective, but this piece has a clear favor towards South Korean lawmakers and their decision-making process.
This opinion comes from footage of the meeting between lawmakers of both countries as well as from Dami.

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S. Korea, China are inseparable partners in denuclearization process on Korean Peninsula: Lawmakers : ARIRANG

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South Korea and China should continue to cooperate for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
This is what lawmakers of the two countries agreed during their virtual meeting on Mondaywhile also vowing to develop future-oriented ties between Seoul and Beijing.

"To solve issues related to the Korean Peninsula, South Korea and China should act as a facilitator for talks between Washington and Pyeongyang."

The lawmakers further voiced hope of opening the road towards peace and coexistence in Northeast Asia through Seoul.

"When South Korea functions as an exchange and cooperation platform between Washington and Beijing, it can contribute to human co-prosperity."

In addition, lawmakers underlined that Seoul and Beijing have continuously worked together with exchanges taking place especially during the pandemic.

"We've exchanged masks and medical products. It's an example of the saying that good friends wouldn't change each other, even for gold."

"South Korea and China should work on technical cooperation. We should work to create new standards while cooperating on future industries."

While recognizing that the boundaries of global cooperation are limitless and can even be applied to culture and sports, the lawmakers said Seoul can help Beijing with its hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China by sharing knowhow from the 2018 Pyeongchang winter games.
Kim Dami, Arirang News.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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S. Korea, China are inseparable partners in denuclearization process on Korean Peninsula: Lawmakers

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South Korea and China should continue to cooperate for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. This is what lawmakers of the two countries agreed during their virtual meeting on Mondaywhile also vowing to develop future-oriented ties between Seoul and Beijing. quot;To solve issue

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S. Korean gov't to enforce 'no eating' policy at sports arenas, libraries and kids' cafes
Journalist Kim Dami provides a successfully unbiased informational segment on new policies on eating that the government recently passed in an effort to combat the rising number of positive Covid-19 cases.
No eating policies are going into effect in recreational areas like theaters, museums, and libraries, as well as increased social distancing measures.
These increased restrictions also include a potential 90 USD fine for people who break them.
Dami does a good job remaining objective in her delivery of information, avoiding any discussion that could be considered antigovernmental.
The headline easily provides insight into the content of the news piece.
Throughout the video, visuals are used to show the viewers examples of places where these new policies will be enforced.
While this story doesn't talk down on the government, it doesn't give an opinion in favor of it either.

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S. Korean gov ̔t to enforce ̔no eating ̔ policy at sports arenas, libraries and kids ̔ cafes : ARIRANG

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Starting Monday, there'll be a total ban on eating at the kinds of public places like movie theaters and sports arenas that are subject to existing rules such as sitting one seat apart.
Eating had been allowed under levels two and one.five, which are now in force, but the new rule will ban eating regardless of the level.
Starting this week, the ban will apply at 21 types of places, which also include libraries, museums and kids' cafes.
There are exceptions, though for instance, if a museum has a designated area for eating, like a cafe or restaurant.
Violators will be fined a hundred-thousand won, or around 90 U.S. dollars, starting April 5th after a one-week grace period.
On top of the no-eating policy, entry to these places will require a temperature check, and there will be a person in charge of making sure the rules are enforced.
To stop the rise in virus cases, the health authorities have extended the level two social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area and level one.five in the rest of the country until April 11th.
That means still no private gatherings of five or more people, with certain exceptions like pre-wedding gatherings of the bride and groom's families, which can include up to eight people.
Kim Dami, Arirang News.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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S. Korean gov ̔t to enforce ̔no eating ̔ policy at sports arenas, libraries and kids ̔ cafes

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Starting Monday, there ̔ll be a total ban on eating at the kinds of public places like movie theaters and sports arenas that are subject to existing rules such as sitting one seat apart.

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Moon calls for swift distribution of relief funds and fair rollout of vaccines
This piece included a breakdown of what South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced in a recent Cabinet meeting regarding relief funds.
Most of the piece was the recording of the president explaining the distribution of relief funds to small businesses in an effort to restore the economy after the effects of this past year.
Moon adds that they plan to increase virus prevention efforts and urges the government to hurry up with vaccine distribution so they can speed up the return to normalcy.
With not much of this video being the anchor talking, he remains neutral in providing information.
Moon assures everyone that there is progress being made, but also voices the need for the government to work harder on vaccine availability.
While Moon provides his opinion, as a political leader most people will agree with him and he won't have to deal with any repercussions for his comments.

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Moon calls for swift distribution of relief funds and fair rollout of vaccines : ARIRANG

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This week, South Korea is paying out relief money to small businesses and freelancers that have been impacted economically by the pandemic.
President Moon Jae-in today called for these funds to be paid out swiftly so that the country can achieve an inclusive economic recovery.
Here's the president at this morning's Cabinet meeting.

"I ask you to pay particular attention to ensuring that the fourth round of emergency relief funds are paid out swiftly, and that farmers who are new to the business can also receive speedy support."

The government starting making the payments on Monday, funded by a 13 billion U.S. dollar extra budget.
The president stressed that the country is making strong progress toward a recovery, pointing out that the IMF has raised South Korea's growth forecast for this year by half a percentage point to 3.6 percent.
Also to support the recovery, Moon called for thorough virus prevention measures.
He noted that vaccinations for the general public will start next month, and called on the government speed up the process and to administer them to people in an order that is fair.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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Moon calls for swift distribution of relief funds and fair rollout of vaccines

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This week, South Korea is paying out relief money to small businesses and freelancers that have been impacted economically by the pandemic. President Moon Jae-in today called for these funds to be paid out swiftly so that the country can achieve an inclusive economic recovery. Here ̔s the pr

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Record level yellow dust: Analysis
Ali Cosell, Arirang news anchor interviews Korea University professor, Dr. Lee Mee-hye to break down the future of yellow dust storms and what actions have been/ need to be taken to avoid more intense dust in the future.
As someone living in Lubbock, I know that dust storms are no joke, so Dr. Lee did a nice job explaining the factors causing the increase of dust in South Korea, China, and Mongolia.
With a specialty in Earth and Environmental Science, Dr. Lee provided her expert opinion on what the future of yellow dust in the region looks like.
As somewhat who is not directly affiliated with Arirang TV, she was able to provide her opinion on the job the countries are doing to help fix this problem.
This segment was informative, providing statistics on the regular rate of yellow dust vs. the current rate.
Dr. Lee was able to provide her opinion, stating that she did not feel like either country was doing enough to prevent future increase of yellow dust, especially China considering that is where the dust is coming from.

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Record level yellow dust: Analysis : ARIRANG

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South Korea got off to a dusty start of the week with an unusually powerful yellow dust storm blanketing nearly all regions on Monday triggering the first nationwide 'yellow dust warning' in 11 years.
Some parts of the country are still shrouded in thick layers of the dust flowing in from China and Mongolia.
Why are we seeing record level of yellow dust concentration, and what are the implications?
Joining us live is Lee Mee-hye, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Korea University.
Dr. Lee welcome to the program.

Yellow dust is nothing new for South Koreans. It comes and goes every year, but the dust storm is unusually powerful this year. Why?

Rising temperatures of the inland deserts in China is being named as one of the main culprits that trigger a powerful yellow dust storm. Does this mean Korea will see thicker layers of the dust as years go by, given that the world continues to see a rise in global temperatures? What's your short-term and long-term forecast of future air quality covering the Korean Peninsula during the spring season?

The hourly average concentration of fine dust particles reached over 600 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul and many other cities on Monday. Could you tell us how serious these figures are in comparison to a normal, fine day? And also, is South Korea the only country, other than the place of origin, where such high concentrations are observed?

So there's the yellow dust, fine dust and ultrafine dust. Does yellow dust fall under the category of fine dust, and is there a correlation between fine dust and ultrafine dust?

Yellow dust is a transborder problem. How do you assess the joint efforts being made by South Korea and China about this issue? Are they enough?

Professor Lee Mee-hye at Korea University for us tonight. Thank you for your insights.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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South Korea got off to a dusty start of the week with an unusually powerful yellow dust storm blanketing nearly all regions on Monday triggering the first nationwide ̔yellow dust warning ̔ in 11 years.

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S. Korea to consider distributing at-home COVID-19 test kits
In this segment, anchor Ali Cosell updates the viewers on a lot of things surrounding Covid-19 in South Korea. This came out the day vaccine distribution began and while cases increased again.
She provides information on the potential future at-home testing kits and how effective they are compared to regular Covid testing.
She provided information on the recovery time for workers following vaccinations.
A clip of the Health Minister speaking on new technology that will show who has and has not been vaccinated added in the government influence. Cosell remained objective in her commentary on this clip.
South Korea's government has more influence on journalists now, so it makes sense for Cosell to continue to report objectively over what is happening and the government's efforts to make vaccine distribution efficient.

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S. Korea to consider distributing at-home COVID-19 test kits : ARIRANG

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The prolonged third wave of the coronavirus has prompted South Korean health authorities to consider distributing at-home COVID-19 test kits.
Although in discussion with experts, the government made clear today that PCR testing remains as the gold standard.
Meanwhile, those who get their Covid jabs start taking vaccine sick days from today with those experiencing side effects up to two.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said that South Korea will adopt a vaccine passport system.

"We've already developed a smartphone system that can easily prove that you've been vaccinated. Using blockchain technology, the data is impossible to forge and it doesn't store any personal information."

An official certification cell phone app for the system will be launched later this month.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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S. Korea to consider distributing at-home COVID-19 test kits

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The prolonged third wave of the coronavirus has prompted South Korean health authorities to consider distributing at-home COVID-19 test kits. Although in discussion with experts, the government made clear today that PCR testing remains as the gold standard. Meanwhile, those who get their C

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S. Korea confirms 543 COVID-19 cases on Sat.; health minister warns of fourth wave
Arirang news anchor provides information on the increasing Covid-19 cases in South Korea.
With this country just beginning their vaccine rollout, he relays the concerns that the South Korean Health Minister on how these increased cases will affect vaccine distribution.
This video was short and informational, not providing any subjective opinion on the rise of cases or the way that the Health Minister addressed the issue.
The headline including the comment of "health minister warns of fourth wave," urges the reader to be aware of what could potentially come from this increase of daily cases.
With a press that is considered partly-free, it is not surprising that there was no commentary against the Health Minister's statements about the current situation of the pandemic in South Korea.

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S. Korea confirms 543 COVID-19 cases on Sat.; health minister warns of fourth wave : ARIRANG

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South Korea has confirmed five-hundred-43 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours.
It's the fourth straight day that new daily infections have topped 500.
South Korea's health minister expressed concerns Saturday that this might signal a fourth wave is here.
He said that would be a significant obstacle to vaccination plans as the country only has so many health care workers.
There were three more COVID-related deaths, raising South Korea's death toll to one,740.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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S. Korea confirms 543 COVID-19 cases on Sat.; health minister warns of fourth wave

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South Korea has confirmed five-hundred-43 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. It ̔s the fourth straight day that new daily infections have topped 500. South Korea ̔s health minister expressed concerns Saturday that this might signal a fourth wave is here. He said that would be

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Councils embark on outdoor gym frenzy, but are they worth it?

Senior Reporter, Andrew Taylor provides a clearly objective article on the rising popularity of outdoor gyms.
With a title that poses a question, Taylor does a great job at not answering the question himself, but leaving it to the reader to decide their answer to the question upon reading the article.
Outdoor gyms have become increasingly popular in Sydney, with 14 in the city and plans for more to be built.
Hunter includes points made from sides in favor and opposing these outdoor gyms, successfully remaining neutral in the conversation.
Pros of these new gyms included encouraging healthy outdoor recreational activity and a free alternative to traditional gyms.
The opposing viewpoint argues that they do not appeal to a big enough audience and could be dangerous to the people that have access to them but do not know how to safely use the equipment.
There is enough information provided on both sides of the argument to formulate your own opinion on the issue.

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Sydney councils have embarked on an outdoor gym building frenzy with dozens of fitness stations installed across the city, but there are concerns the unmonitored facilities could injure newcomers.

Luke Del Vecchio, a lecturer in sport and exercise science at Southern Cross University, said outdoor gyms may encourage older adults and women to exercise but there was no clear consensus among researchers and the benefits were limited without guidance on how to use the equipment properly.

Tamarama's outdoor gym will be getting an upgrade alongside the new one at Varna Park: the seventh along Waverley Council's coastal walk. Credit:Louie Douvis

Waverley Council plans to build a new workout space as part of its upgrade of Waverley's Varna Park that will include a stationary exercise bike, lat pulldown and chest press, elliptical trainer and equipment for cardio, strength and stretching exercises.

A council spokeswoman said most residents who responded to a survey supported the installation of the outdoor gym "and council believes that this level of support strongly reflects the desires of the local community".

But opponents of the outdoor exercise equipment said the park was not an appropriate location for a workout space, while others said they did not think it would be used frequently or would only appeal to a small number of people.

The Varna Park facility will cost about $100,000 and is the seventh outdoor gym installed within the eastern suburbs council area.

Three fitness stations along the coastal walk at Marks Park, Tamarama and Gaerloch Reserve had been updated at a cost of $90,000 to $160,000, yet attracted criticism in 2019 from Sculpture by the Sea founder David Handley, who threatened to move the exhibition away from Bondi.

Outdoor gyms have mushroomed across Sydney, with nine installed by the Inner West Council at locations such as Camperdown and Leichhardt parks, Richard Murden Reserve in Haberfield and Sydenham Green.

Each fitness station cost about $140,000, including softfall, signage and water bubblers. "Outdoor gyms have been installed to encourage healthy active outdoor recreation. These facilities activate park spaces making them safer and more attractive to users," a council spokeswoman said.

There are 14 outdoor gyms in the City of Sydney, six in Randwick and nine in the Sutherland Shire.

Northern Beaches Council plans to build an additional six outdoor workout spaces and is providing QR codes that link to instructional videos at its outdoor gym at Lagoon Park in Manly.

"It is evident from engagement with the community that these types of facilities are more and more in demand and are a popular free option to commercial gyms," Northern Beaches chief executive Ray Brownlee said.

Dr Del Vecchio said the cost of installing outdoor gyms had to be weighed against the cost of physical inactivity, which a 2008 study suggested cost $13.8 billion a year.

He said older people had more time to visit an outdoor gym during the day and may believe they cannot afford a gym. Outdoor gyms also improved social connectedness, he said.

But the benefits were limited without guidance on how to use the equipment properly and safely, with the outdoor facilities lacking fitness trainers to oversee their use.

"It's certainly not good enough to install the equipment and leave it alone," Dr Del Vecchio said.

"You could say the benefit may be limited to older adults, given the level of exercise they require to improve fitness is lower than younger people. It is less likely to help younger people meet muscle-strengthening guidelines."

More than half of adult Australians did not meet physical activity guidelines in 2017-18, while only 17 per cent of people did sufficient physical activity and muscle strengthening exercises, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found.

Researchers found an outdoor gym in Perth was perceived to add value to an urban park, but it was predominantly used by people who ordinarily exercised rather than the physically inactive.

Start your day informed

Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here, The Age's here, Brisbane Times' here, and WAtoday's here.

Andrew Taylor is a Senior Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Councils embark on outdoor gym frenzy, but are they worth it?

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Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Sydney councils have embarked on an outdoor gym building frenzy with dozens of fitness stations installed across the city, but there are concerns the unmonitored facilities could injure newcomers.

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Covid-19 and Vaccinations: Analysis with Dr. Alice Tan
South Korea has began distribution of the Pfizer vaccine to people over the age of 75.
Since the pandemic is currently affecting the entire world, most news stations are going to provide a similar overall message with varying details depending on the country.
For this piece, the anchor interviewed Dr. Alice Tan, who works at Mizmedi Women's Hospital in South Korea.
Dr. Tan provides information on how and when the vaccine will be distributed along with comparing their vaccination rates to other countries, but her main concern she voices is the necessity for lowering the number of hospitalizations due to Covid-19.
This news story remains neutral and doesn't display an opinion for or against the government, probably due to the interviewee not having any affiliation with the news channel.
There was also an absence of bias because most of the information provided was statistics and facts, not much room for an opinion.

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Covid-19 and Vaccinations: Analysis with Dr. Alice Tan : ARIRANG

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South Korea began inoculating the general public today starting off with over 75s using Pfizer vaccines.
This, as the government reassured the public that Korea will be able to reach the goal of inoculating 12 million people by June amid rising concerns over vaccine supply.
All this and more on the latest covid issues. Let's talk about it on our In-Depth tonight with Dr. Alice Tan, an internist at Mizmedi Women's Hospital.
Always a pleasure to have you with us.

Daily new infections in Korea hit the 500 range for the second straight day amid a wide range of sporadic clusters both in and outside the capital region. KDCA Deputy director Kwon Jun-wook called it a 'crisis'. How do you assess the current situation in Korea?

Vaccine supply concerns are rising as India, the world's largest vaccine producer, temporarily suspended its vaccine exports. But Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun today reassured that the fixed amount of vaccines for the second quarter will be supplied on schedule, including AZ vaccine that have once been delayed.
Are you concerned?

Pfizer has announced that its vaccine is 100% effective in children aged 12 to 15, according its phase-2 clinical trial results conducted on over 2,000 adolescents. Is it absolutely necessary to inoculate the age group to reach herd immunity in any given country, including S. Korea?

Meanwhile, the controversy continues over the safety of AstraZenca vaccine on certain age groups. Germany has
suspended use of the vaccine for under-60s, due to renewed concerns over blood clots and France has also limited its use to people over 55. But Spain has put the limit to people under 65. What's causing the confusion, and do you think it's safe for all age groups?

Israel, the UK and Chile are among the top five countries with the highest vaccination rate per capita in the world.
Israel, apparently, may soon relax its strict outdoor mask mandate as early as this month, but not all countries with a high vaccination rate are enjoying such vaccine effects. Do you think Covid vaccines are proving to be effective in bringing down infection rate in general?

PM Chung also mentioned today that Korea will adopt a digital vaccine certification system, or 'vaccine passport' showing user's COVID-19 vaccination status sometime this month. What are your thoughts on global move to introduce a vaccine passport?

Thank you.

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The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation

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Covid-19 and Vaccinations: Analysis with Dr. Alice Tan

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South Korea began inoculating the general public today starting off with over 75s using Pfizer vaccines. This, as the government reassured the public that Korea will be able to reach the goal of inoculating 12 million people by June amid rising concerns over vaccine supply. All this and mor

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First stage of vaccine rollout set to finish nearly two months late

Many different factors have slowed down the rate of vaccine rollout in Australia, and Journalist James Massola provides the readers with information on why it has taken so long and new projected dates for distribution.
The biggest contributor to the slow of vaccine rollout highlighted in this piece is the large cancellation of vaccine shipment that occurred overseas.
Massola adds that while tensions began running high, state and federal governments began placing the blame on one another.
Australia remains in Phase 1A of distribution, and the delay of shipments combined with the issue of potential blood clots with the AstraZeneca vaccine have pushed back the chances of beginning the next phase even more.
The headline including the estimated delay adds a negative connotation to the content of the article. While there is no direct negative press towards the government coming from Massola, there is not much information in favor of the way the government is handling the situation.
This article provides one side of the argument, the side that us frustrated with the government and their approach to the vaccine distribution issues.

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Mr Hunt on February 25 said the government would complete phase 1a in six weeks. He insisted this week Australia's vaccine rollout "remains on track" and said the pace of the vaccination program was increasing as domestic supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine came on stream.

About 670,000 vaccinations had been delivered by April 1, well short of the 4 million jabs the federal government had initially projected.

Europe's decision to block the export of more than 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had significantly slowed the rollout but onshore production of the AstraZeneca vaccine by Melbourne company CSL is slowly ramping up towards the planned 1 million doses per week.

The federal government published two Health Department "Approach to Market" tenders on the Austender website on March 16 and 17 respectively, both with a closing date of April 30.

They suggest the federal government expects the first phase of vaccinations will not conclude until the end of May - something Health Minister Greg Hunt has not stated publicly.

The first asked for private companies to provide for the "safe, targeted and timely administration of approved COVID-19 vaccines (Vaccine) for the phase 1a cohort across Australia by late May 2021" and the second asked for the same for residential aged care staff by late May 2021.

The tenders ask the private sector to supply services for the rollout including "all aspects of vaccine administration" including a trained workforce, inventory management, scheduling of appointments, cold storage and security.

The AstraZeneca vaccine Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

At present four providers - Aspen Medical, Healthcare Australia, International SOS, and Sonic Clinical Services - have been contracted by the Commonwealth to assist with the rollout, while the number of GPs delivering doses is expected to rise from 1000 to about 4000.

In Victoria, vaccination hubs scaled back or closed over the Easter long weekend with the state government claiming it could afford to give its hubs a holiday timetable as it was so far ahead of its milestones that vials can wait in the fridge.

In NSW, the Morrison government has now accepted the Berejiklian government's offer of help to vaccinate the state's residents in a move designed to speed up the sluggish roll out.

Professor Kidd said on Saturday that "if the states and territories have the capacity to be involved in now moving towards the vaccination of people within 1b, we're very happy to have those discussions with them".

Questions to Mr Hunt's office about the pace of the rollout - and specifically, the end date being pushed back until the end of May - were referred to the Health Department.

A spokesman said "the vaccination program has been designed from the outset to continually expand, particularly with the certainty of supply available from the Australian production of the vaccine".

"The tenders enable further providers to join the vaccination rollout where they meet the safety accreditation and it is logistically possible to do so."

Labor health spokesman Mark Butler said it was "no surprise" the rollout appeared to be far behind schedule because "only one third of people in phase 1a have received a single dose and one tenth have received both doses".

Opposition health spokesman Mark Butler. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

"Our sense is that very few aged care workers anywhere in the country have been vaccinated."

Under the original rollout plan for phase 1a, the federal government was responsible for vaccinating aged care workers and residents while the states were required to vaccinate medical workers and frontline border and quarantine staff.

University of NSW epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws said the federal government needed to be more transparent about which cohorts of people had been vaccinated and that "more granular detail" was needed.

"The end of May is simply not fast enough," she said.

The number of Australians vaccinated now stands at 720,000 people, including 105,000 in aged care and disability facilities, across phase 1a (a cohort of 700,000 people) and 1b (6 million people) of the rollout.
with Zach Hope
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James Massola is political correspondent for the Sun-Herald and Sunday Age. He was previously south-east Asia correspondent in Jakarta and chief political correspondent. Before that he was political correspondent for the Australian Financial Review.

Ashleigh McMillan is a breaking news reporter at The Age. Got a story? Email me at a.mcmillan@theage.com.au

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First stage of vaccine rollout set to finish nearly two months late

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Mr Hunt on February 25 said the government would complete phase 1a in six weeks. He insisted this week Australia's vaccine rollout "remains on track" and said the pace of the vaccination program was increasing as domestic supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine came on stream.