Coronavirus Australia live news: some NSW pubs to open from Friday – as it happened

And with that, we’ll be closing the blog tonight. Thanks for reading and stay safe. We will be back covering all the developments tomorrow.

Here is what happened today:

• Some NSW pubs with restaurants and sit-down dining tables will be allowed to reopen on Friday. Only 10 people will be allowed in the premises, and tables will still have be 1.5 metres apart.
• The Queensland government announced it will bid for Virgin Australia, and that could include a “direct equity stake” in the airline.
• Worksafe in Victoria will investigate the coronavirus cluster at the Cedar Meats abattoir.
• The govenment’s Covid-19 coordination adviser, former Fortescue Metals chief executive Nev Power, is being paid $267,345 for six months’ work. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet had to correct its own evidence, after it told a senate inquiry Power was being paid $500,000. The money is an allowance for travel costs, not a salary.
• The Therapeutic Goods Administration has fined an Australian chapter of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing more than $150,000 for selling and promoting a solution containing industrial bleach as an alleged cure for coronavirus.
• Coronavirus tests brought to Australia by the mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest at a cost of $200m to the Australian taxpayer are not being used by most state and territory governments and have instead been sent to the national medical stockpile.
• Treasurer Josh Frydenberg tested negative for Covid-19 after a scare prompted by a coughing fit.
• The federal government appointed its first deputy chief ­medical officer for mental health, Assoc Prof Ruth Vine.
• Australia’s Covid-19 toll rose to 98 after an 81-year-old woman, who was a passenger on the Ruby Princess, died in NSW overnight.
• Australia recorded 13 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday – seven in Victoria and six in NSW.

Pubs with restaurants and sit-down dining tables will be allowed to reopen on Friday, as part of the NSW government’s already announced easing of restrictions.

Cafes and restaurants were already slated to reopen – and the NSW treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, has clarified this includes the dining portions of some pubs.

But only 10 people will be allowed in the premises at one time. And tables will still have be 1.5m apart.

The rules are still unclear, and are a matter for the public health order, but a spokesperson for the Treasury told Guardian Australia that pubs would, most likely, not need an entirely separate restaurant section to be able to open.

Pubs in which they served food at sit-down tables near a bar area would likely be allowed to open and operate as a restaurant, the spokesperson said.

Alcohol could be served with a meal, but the bar itself would still be closed.

And from earlier, here is Paul Karp’s full story on Scott Morrison’s explanation today on the sports rorts saga.

From our reporter Matilda Boseley, Worksafe in Victoria will investigate the coronavirus cluster at the Cedar Meats abattoir.

And on the news of Queensland’s bid for Virgin Australia, home affairs minister Peter Dutton has said the pitch is “laughable”.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called Labor’s shadow immigration minister, Kristina Keneally, a “closet One Nation supporter” after her recent comments and opinion article in the Sydney Morning Herald about reducing immigration.

In a speech in the Senate 30 minutes ago, Hanson said Keneally had proven that One Nation’s arguments were “so powerful” that “even a staunch opponent” would adopt them.

Hanson said:

Reading through some of the recent comments made by senator Keneally, I can only assume she has spent much of her time in quarantine reading through my speeches from 1996.

Perhaps senator Keneally might want to make an admission today that she is a closet One Nation supporter … I know it took Mark Latham a couple of decades to come out of the One Nation closet.

I want to say thank you … because I know she will not be getting much support from her Labor colleagues.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi tweeted that Labor had “normalised” anti-migrant politics.

The full statement on the remuneration of Nev Power, the Covid-19 coordination adviser, is now in.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has clarified that his true contract is worth $267,345 – almost half what the department told the Senate earlier today.

Earlier, Stephanie Foster, an associate secretary of the department, said Power had a six-month contract with “around $500,000” in allowances (not salary).

But in a fuller statement, the department said:

Mr Power’s flights, accommodation and other incidental travel costs are being covered in his role as NCCC chair – however he is not receiving a salary.

The PM&C estimated travel to and from Canberra valued at approximately $6,000 per return trip each week, $350 per night for accommodation and incidentals such as food and taxis, and additional extra expenses set to be incurred from other travel once internal border restrictions ease.

It is expected that Mr Power will perform his duties as chair of the NCCC for a period of approximately six months. This equates to $267,345 (plus GST).

In his statement, Cameron Dick also said that two airlines were “critical to Australia’s economy”.

The Queensland treasurer said:

We have the opportunity to retain not only head office and crew staff in Queensland, but also to grow jobs in the repairs, maintenance and overhaul sector and support both direct and indirect jobs in our tourism sector.

We saw the punishing increase to the cost of flights after the Ansett collapse, and this government will not stand by and let that happen again.

Queensland Investment Corporation, led by CEO Damien Frawley, will advise government on all aspects of the bid, including the optimal partner group, the quantum and structure of the state’s contribution, as well as probity and governance.

The Queensland state government will bid for Virgin Australia, the new treasurer, Cameron Dick, has announced.

In a statement, the treasurer said he has appointed Queensland Investment Corporation, a government-owned investment company, to pursue a bid that could include a “direct equity stake” in the airline.

“The government’s investment could take the form of a direct equity stake, a loan, guarantee or other financial incentives,” Dick said.