Australia live news update: Gladys Berejiklian to front NSW Icac hearing; Melbourne, ACT lift more Covid restrictions | Australia news

4.59pm EDT16:59

In case you missed it (which is understandable considering the news emerged at 11pm), but last night prime minister Scott Morrison spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron on the phone for the first time since dumping the submarine plans, with Macron telling him he “broke the relationship of trust.”

Macron also encouraged Scott Morrison to adopt a more ambitious climate policy, including a commitment “to cease production and consumption of coal at the national level and abroad”, according to a French government readout of the conversation.

The French government’s statement on Thursday’s phone call said Macron “recalled that Australia’s unilateral decision to scale back the French-Australian strategic partnership by putting an end to the ocean-class submarine programme in favour of another as-yet unspecified project broke the relationship of trust between our two countries.”

You can read more on the conversation in a report from Daniel Hurst here:

4.44pm EDT16:44

In yesterday’s explosive Icac hearing, former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire was played an intercepted phone call between himself and former premier Gladys Berejiklian in which she said she would “throw money” at his former seat.

The commission heard evidence that Berejiklian fed the MP information about projects he had lobbied for in his electorate, and continued speaking to Maguire following his resignation after an appearance at a separate Icac inquiry in 2018.

The hearing also heard the Maguire and Berejiklian were in love with each other and had discussed getting married and having a child.

You can read Michael McGowan’s report at the link below, and keep an eye out for the live blog later today:

Updated
at 4.56pm EDT

4.30pm EDT16:30

Good morning and welcome to another live news blog. Mostafa Rachwani with you today, and I’ll be taking you through the news for the first half of the day.

We begin in Melbourne, where Covid restrictions will be eased again this evening, with masks no longer mandatory outside, non-essential retail and gyms reopening and Greater Melbourne open to travel to the regions once again.

But concerns remain on transmission, after the state recorded 1,923 new cases yesterday and 25 deaths, a record for daily deaths this year. All eyes will be on case numbers today, specifically on spread in regional areas.

The ACT has also eased restrictions from today, with almost all businesses reopening for the first time in months, and with masks also no longer necessary outdoors. Households can have more visitors with restrictions on venues also lifted.

In NSW, all eyes will be on former premier Gladys Berejiklian, who is due to appear before the Independent Commission Against Corruption. We’ll have a live blog going separately from 10am, and I’ll be sure to link to it when it goes up.

Last night, the prime minister also spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron, just before he leaves for Europe, with reports on the conversation differing depending on who you spoke to. The French president apparently told our prime minister he “broke the relationship of trust” when he announced he was scrapping a multibillion-dollar submarine contract.

Of course, we will also bring you the ongoing debate around climate change in our government, with emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor yesterday declaring he would promote Australia as a good place to invest in fossil fuel projects at the climate change summit in Glasgow. Should go down sweetly.

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