The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Australians have woken to find travel and Christmas plans in chaos after a Covid-19 cluster exploded on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Contact tracers are scrambling to conduct genomic sequencing and interview the 17 people who have tested positive for coronavirus.
The timing of the outbreak could not be worse - occurring just one week out from the busy Christmas period that has many Australians due to cross state borders to visit loved ones for the first time in months.
New South Wales Health has advised residents north of Sydney's Spit Bridge up to Palm Beach to work from home and remain at home as much as possible, to avoid visiting friends or relatives in the area and avoid unnecessary gatherings.
This includes avoiding clubs, restaurants, places of worship and gyms.
Nearly 20 new venues and three Sydney train lines have been listed by NSW health as affected venues that require people to get tested and isolate immediately amid the Northern Beaches cluster.
The venues include supermarkets, a Mitre 10, shops, a chemist and a bank as well as three train lines. Those who have visited are advised to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive the results.
Authorities are frantically conducting genomic testing around the potential "super-spreader" event that led to the new community cases.
A cluster in Sydney's Northern Beaches has exploded to 17 cases. Photo / Getty Images
Chief health officer Kerry Chant urged anyone who has been at the Avalon Returned and Services League (RSL) to present for testing, with authorities believing it to be at the centre of the outbreak.
"Our working hypothesis is that someone at that RSL club was potentially the source of infection for a number of subsequent cases," Chant told reporters.
All but one of Sydney's community-transmitted cases are in the Northern Beaches, with contact tracers now in overdrive, attempting to bring the handful of mystery cases under control before Christmas.
Sydney was put on high alert yesterday after a 45-year-old man, who transports international aircrew from the airport, tested positive to coronavirus.
A few hours later, a couple, aged in their 60s and 70s from Sydney's Northern Beaches, also tested positive to coronavirus.
The infections are NSW's first cases of community transmission since December 3.
States move quickly to impose travel restrictions in response
States have been quick to change their travel advice amid the outbreak, with people who have been in the affected region likely to have their Christmas travel plans disrupted.
Here's a snapshot of what has been announced overnight:
Western Australia
From 12.01am Friday 18 December, anyone arriving from NSW will now be required to self-quarantine for 14 days and be tested for COVID-19 on day 11.
Anyone who has arrived from NSW from December 11 or was in NSW from December 11 and arrived in WA before Friday will be required to enter self-quarantine in a suitable premise as soon as possible, present themselves for a COVID-19 test and return to isolation until a negative result is confirmed. A further test will be required on day 11.
Northern Territory
The NT has declared the northern beaches area a "hotspot" and said anyone entering from there will need to quarantine for 14 days.
Tasmania
The island state has also slapped the Northern Beaches with a "hotspot" label and said anyone who has been in the area since Friday December 11, is not permitted to enter Tasmania.
Queensland
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said anyone who has been in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and is already in Queensland should get tested and quarantine in their home or accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches.
Furthermore, "anyone who was in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and...

Tropical Cyclone Yasa made landfall in Fiji overnight - with powerful gusts reaching up to 350km/h near the eye of the storm.
Photos and footage of the damage are starting to appear online, as Fijians wake up to the devastation left behind - with reports of houses flattened, trees ripped out of the ground and roads flooded.
There have been no reports of any casualties.
KKU The Fijian Artist posted a series of photos from his brother based in the Bua province - located in the west of the northern island of Vanua Levu, which was hit overnight.
"Big bro just (messaged) finally...thank God he is ok. Sent this in from Nabouwalu, Bua."
'Every single home was obliterated'

The Fiji Police Force is pleading with members of the public to be more cautious during this time of inclimate weather and heavy rain.https://t.co/k0Jg7J5WwT pic.twitter.com/kYmIT1Opj0
— Fiji Police Media (@fiji_force) December 17, 2020
Local journalist and correspondent, Lice Movono, said initial reports indicated mass devastation in the north.
"The words I'm hearing are 'absolutely terrifying, never seen anything like it before, it was so long and just so ferocious'," she told NewstalkZB.
"What I'm hearing is that the winds lasted for quite a while. it moved slowly as it was making landfall.
"I've heard of entire yachts disappearing from the harbour...and just trying to verify reports that in some villages, every single home was obliterated."
Early this morning, the Fijian weather authority said a hurricane warning remains in force for half of Vanua Levu, Taveuni and nearby smaller islands including Yacata, Nayau, Vanuabalavu, Lakeba and Moce.
Storm warnings are still active for the western part of Vanua Levu, Cikobia and the rest of the Lomaiviti group.
Gale, strong winds, storm surges and "damaging heavy swell" warnings all still remain in force also.
Locals are also being warned of potential floods and there are flash flood warnings in place for low lying areas also.
In its current state, weather experts say the eye of the cyclone is expected to have average winds up to 205km/h and momentary gusts to 285km/h.
It is now moving southeast at about 22km/h and is expected to be located near the Lau group about 9am local time.
The latest information issued by the Fiji Meteorological Service just before 11pm local time (shortly before midnight NZT) said Koro island was now experiencing gale-force winds.
Gusts of up to 109km/h were recorded at 9pm local time on the island - which has a population of just under 4000 people.
"It will soon start to experience hurricane-force winds," the Fiji Met Service said.
Maps now indicate that the cyclone is moving away from Fiji and towards New Caledonia and even getting close to New Zealand.
Despite last night's powerful winds and the storm around them, locals hunkering down have stayed positive - with photographs of smiling police officers getting people to shelters and videos of children singing throughout the night.
One video, posted on Twitter by Alisi Lutu, showed dozens of people on mattresses on the floor in a room - the children clapping and singing.
"About six families sheltering here," Lutu said.
"Spirits are high and positive as we look to our heavenly father to take us through the night. Pray for Fiji."
A state of natural disaster has been declared in Fiji and the nation has been told to prepare for incredibly strong, "damaging and destructive" winds.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Friday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Medical Wizardry/Too Ugly for Cafes/Three Man Christmas Party

It’s been long time coming, but Greater Christchurch takes full possession of a very welcome Christmas present this morning. Yes, the Christchurch Northern Corridor, the CNC, is finally and fully open. Am I excited or what? 
To put this in an Auckland context, this magnificent new ribbon of motorway is a bit like adding another harbour crossing.
The recently completed Western Corridor and the expanded Southern Motorway - two other Roads of National Significance - have dramatically enhanced journey times, particularly for commuters and cargo.
What I love about the CNC is that it disperses traffic across a variety of purpose-built routes, whether you’re hauling freight to Lyttleton, or you’re a North Canterbury commuter, bound for the city via Cranford St. That’s its beauty; a stress-busting circuit breaker, blitzing the reliance on the Main North Road and Marshland Road to service spewing traffic demand.
Commuters now have a sexy new route option. And as much as I am car-centric, the corridor is flanked by a massive shared walking and cycling path. The NZTA seems to think a lot of people might walk from Rangiora to Christchurch - bless them.
The only bum note ahead of today’s opening is the city council’s eleventh-hour sabotage.  As part of the corridor construction, Cranford Street has been dramatically widened. But because the council is infested with so many anti-car fascists, they have banned motorists from using all four lanes on Cranford Street, which feeds onto the corridor.
A key chunk of the street has had those lanes reserved exclusively for buses.  They weren’t even prepared to make them T2 lanes, because of their loathing of cars. I watched this council meeting, and it was like Meet the Glums.
Councillors bemoaned how the CNC would unleash a car invasion on the city. But despite their best efforts to ankle-tap, swift, efficient traffic flow, the CNC love affair will be instant. I’m just sad that it’s the last Road of National Significance we’re likely to see built in the Mainland for a very long time. And that's very sad news.

Miriam Margolyes is a legend of British screen and stage.
She is of course known as Professor Sprout on the Harry Potter franchise, but Margolyes has been a regular in the arts since the 1960s, including winning a Bafta as part of on Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence.
One of her recent project, the TV show Bucket, about a mother taking her daughter on a road trip to fulfill her bucket list, is out now on streaming service Acorn TV.
Margolyes joined Mike Yardley to discuss the show, and how she has dealt with the "bloody awful" 2020 and losing friends to Covid-19, and why she is avoiding the "dreadful" new season of The Crown. 
LISTEN ABOVE

You've still got time to mail your Christmas presents, but time is running out.
New Zealand Post workers are in overdrive to deliver gifts before the big day, in the wake of a shopping frenzy.
Online shopping is up 27 percent on the same period last year.
New Zealand Post spokesman Chris Wong told Mike Yardley there's still time to get your domestic presents in the post.
He says Monday is the cut-off date for domestic parcels and mail.
The cut-off date for courier deliveries is Wednesday.
LISTEN ABOVE

A children's advocate says youth justice residences are a relic of the past that have no place in New Zealand's future.
The Abuse in Care Royal Commission has revealed 250,000 young people could have been abused.
Assistant Maori Children's Commissioner Glenis Philip-Barbara says the problem could actually be far worse, as many institutions didn't keep a proper track record of numbers.
She told Mike Yardley large residences for young people need to be phased out.
"Many New Zealanders won't realise how many children are still living in places like this."
The commission will release a final report with recommendations at the end of next year.
LISTEN ABOVE

A top defence lawyer says it will be difficult to find a neutral jury, to hear a case about the Roast Busters.
It's now seven years since a group of west Auckland teenagers became notorious for bragging on Facebook about alleged sex acts with underage girls.
Two men have now been charged with sexual connections with a teenager.
Marie Dyhrberg QC told Mike Yardley she's concerned about how much media attention the group has already received.
She says finding a jury of twelve people who know nothing will be nearly impossible.
LISTEN ABOVE

The four nations of the United Kingdom faced mounting calls Tuesday to scrap. or at least limit, a planned easing of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas following a spike in new infections.
Talks between leaders from across the U.K. over the planned easing are set to resume on Wednesday, a day that will see London and some surrounding areas join other parts of Britain in facing much more stringent restrictions.
Michael Gove, one of the most senior members in the British government, which sets public health policy for England, held talks Tuesday with leaders from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Though no change of plan was announced, further discussions are set to take place on Wednesday.
The pressure on them to ditch the scheduled five-day easing — which would allow three households to form a so-called bubble in and out of the home — ratcheted higher through the day, with concerns voiced from across the political spectrum.
Perhaps loudest was a joint editorial from two of the country's leading medical journals. In only their second joint editorial in their more than 100-year histories, the British Medical Journal and the Health Service Journal urged a rethink of a “rash” decision that they said will “cost many lives.”
“We are publishing it because we believe the government is about to blunder into another major error,” they said.
Britain's Conservative government, along with the devolved administrations, agreed last month to allow a maximum of three households to mix between Dec. 23 and Dec. 27, regardless of what local restrictions are in place.
But with new infections rising in many parts of the country, there are growing concerns that the government's Christmas relaxation will see a further escalation in infections and deaths and put too much pressure on the already-stressed National Health Service.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, was one who called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to call an emergency meeting to review the decision.
“I understand that people want to spend time with their families after this awful year, but the situation has clearly taken a turn for the worse since the decision about Christmas was taken," he said.
Any potential easing over Christmas contrasts with measures being taken by other European nations such as Germany and the Netherlands, which have announced sweeping new restrictions for the holidays.
When the Christmas easing was first announced last month, Johnson was careful to stress that households should be "jolly careful, especially with elderly relatives.”
However, that easing announcement was predicated on an assumption that new cases would be on a downward trajectory.
But new infections have been increasing again, with another 18,450 announced on Tuesday. Though down a couple of thousand from Monday's tally, figures over the past few days have been consistently higher than those recorded in the preceding two weeks.
The resurgence has come despite a four-week national lockdown in England that only ended in early December, and other stringent measures taken in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In light of the rising number of cases, London on Wednesday will join other major cities in England, including Birmingham and Manchester, in the highest level of restrictions — Tier 3 — in which pubs and restaurants are closed apart for takeouts and deliveries. People in Tier 3 areas — which will soon include a majority of England's population — are not allowed to meet socially in private or at most outdoor public venues with anybody they do not live with.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was among those calling for a rethink.
“The concern is this — the rules have been relaxed for five days, allowing household mixing for up to three different households and inevitably when people are in their own households, they tend to be less vigilant,” he told BBC Radio.

Coroner David Robinson’s chilling findings about dopes on dope, behind the wheel, are stark. His review of nine fatal vehicle crashes is a wake up call to the aloof, who still think cannabis is harmless.
The coroner is warning of the menace of drug-impaired driving, after finding cannabis was implicated in six of the nine fatalities, he was required to examine.
Six in nine.
You only have to look at the fatal crash stats in Colorado to see the perverse surge in cannabis-related road deaths, after that state legalised recreational use.
Thank God the Chloe Swarbrick’s of this world were defeated and stopped at making our current plight, even worse.
The Coroner’s insights are further proof why rapid roadside drug-testing is so badly needed. It’s shameful that it has taken so long. When National was last in government, Stuart Nash hounded them to roll it out. And yet now, Nash’s crew are into their second term in power, and the wait goes on.
The public desire for real road enforcement against drug-driving is huge. Even Julie Anne Genter was recently forced to admit, that the drug factor in our road toll is horrendous. In July, she confirmed that over a hundred people died in crashes last year where the driver had drugs in their system. That drug factor in dead drivers, by the way, amounted to just under a third of all road fatalities last year.
And the AA has produced fatal crash data to indicate that drug-driving is an equal menace if not a bigger menace now, than drink-driving.
Finally, we have legislation before the house that will implement rapid roadside drug-testing, next year. We are light years behind the UK, the US, Canada and Australia in taking the fight to this scourge. Under our roll-out, it will be a two-step regime. There will be fines for drivers who test positive for the presence of drugs. And harsher criminal penalties if you breach the specified impairment levels. Roll on 2021. It cannot come soon enough.