The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There were 94 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Australia on Sunday.
Of these, 74 were in Victoria, 14 in New South Wales and the remaining six in Western Australia.
All of the cases in NSW and WA were returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
"The six new cases, four women and two men aged between 40-64, were all passengers on a flight from Dubai which arrived in Perth on 1 July and returned positive test results following WA Health screening conducted on day two after their arrival," WA Health said on Sunday.
"All the new cases are returning Western Australians from the metropolitan area."
The health department is interviewing all passengers on the flight, who are also in hotel quarantine, "to ascertain if there were any close contacts to the newly diagnosed cases onboard".
According to the federal health department, there were 45,399 COVID-19 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 9pm on Sunday.
Of the more than 8200 coronavirus cases, 11.2 per cent are considered "locally acquired – contact not identified" and 1.7 per cent remain under investigation.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said 53 of the state's 74 new cases are under investigation.
Of the others reported, 16 are linked to outbreaks, four identified through routine testing and one new case detected in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.
The state has locked down nine public housing towers in Melbourne for at least five days while stay at home orders apply in a number of postcodes.
Residents in nine public housing towers in Melbourne who were told they would have to stay home for at least five days have received "detention directions" with an end date of July 18. 
There are 13 cases linked to North Melbourne and 14 linked to Flemington, home to about 3000 people in total. 
“The nine towers involved (five in North Melbourne and four in Flemington) are now closed and residents are required to stay in their homes at all times,” the Department of Health and Human Services states.
“This will be in place for at least five days to ensure we can test every single resident. The lifting of this restriction will be determined by our success in testing and tracking this virus.”
According to the detention directions provided to residents on the weekend, the rules “apply beginning at 3.30pm on 4 July 2020 and ending at 3.30pm on 18 July 2020”.
“Your detention will be reviewed at least once every 24 hours for the period that you are in detention, in order to determine whether your detention continues to be reasonably necessary to eliminate or reduce a serious risk to public health,” the documents state.

Florida and Texas reported record daily increases in confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, the latest sign that the virus is surging in many parts of the United States, casting a pall over Fourth of July celebrations.
Officials and health authorities warned people to take precautions or simply stay home on Independence Day, as confirmed cases are climbing in dozens of states. The U.S. reported more than 50,000 confirmed cases on Saturday for the third day in a row, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The U.S. has more than 2.8 million confirmed cases — about a quarter of the 11 million worldwide infections, according to the tally, which is widely thought to understate the true toll, partially because of asymptomatic cases and limited testing. More than 525,000 people have died around the globe.
While the rise in cases in the U.S. partly reflects expanded testing, experts say there is evidence that the virus is also spreading more as states reopen their economies.
Deaths have begun to rise in some states that have seen a surge in cases — including Texas, Arizona and Florida — and the coming weeks will be telling. Still, some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will ever return to the peak of around 2,200 deaths per day, hit in mid-April, because of advances in treatment and because more young adults who are less vulnerable to serious complications are among those diagnosed recently.
In another worrying sign, the World Health Organization said member states reported more than 212,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world on Saturday, the highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic. The Geneva-based organization said more than 60% of the confirmed cases reports it received were in the Americas, which includes the United States and Brazil.
WHO's count can differ from other global case tallies due to reporting delays.
The sobering updates came as local officials and health experts across the U.S. tried to minimize opportunities for the virus to continue spreading on a holiday weekend typically spent eating at backyard gatherings or crowding elbow-to-elbow to view parades and fireworks shows.
Many communities canceled those events and cautioned people against gathering on their own.
Texas, which reported a record daily increase of 8,258 confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, is retreating from what had been one of the country's swiftest reopenings. Much of the state began mandating face coverings Friday, with a $250 fine for scofflaws.
In Florida, which reported 11,445 confirmed infections on Saturday, bars statewide are shut down and some regional attractions, such as Zoo Miami and Jungle Island, have closed. Officials in South Florida — including in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys — closed beaches through the weekend.
Other beaches in the state remained open. At St. Pete Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, parking spaces were scarce Saturday afternoon and hundreds of people clustered in groups under umbrellas and in cabanas on the sand.
Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff's office patrolled on ATVs, telling folks they should stay with their own families or groups — and away from others.
Keisha Pereira came to the beach from Osceola County — more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) inland — with her daughter and two other children and said the group planned to stay away from others. She brought along hand sanitizer and masks in case they go anywhere other than the beach.
"We're going to stay with each other," she said. "I feel pretty safe outside."
In several of California's tourism-focused counties, economic woes prompted campaigns to convince state residents to travel  within its borders. But public health experts and mayors of popular beach towns Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay have pleaded with people to stay home for the holiday.
Crista Luedtke said demand has been "bonkers" since reopening the...

Jacinda Ardern says a trans-Tasman bubble could happen sooner if it happens state-by-state, rather than waiting for the whole country.
Australia's Tourism Minister says a trans-Tasman bubble may be in place by September, provided Victoria gets its Covid-19 spike under control.
The prime minister has previously said she'd prefer to open the border to all of Australia at once, but Ardern told Mike Yardley New Zealand could open up state-by-state with Australia, if state border restrictions remain in place.
"If they wanted to move as a state, that's for them, but if they wanted the whole country to go with travel, then it would be further off the horizon."
Any states New Zealand opened its border to would depend on them meeting our criteria, Ardern says. 
"Are you free of community transmission? Can we make sure that your travel routes are really confined, that you're directly coming out of that border with tight controls around it. No crossover."
Speaking to journalists yesterday, she defended the government's elimination strategy and national lockdown.
"Had we chosen another path, if we'd chosen to have an ongoing tolerance of covid and cases all around us in the community, I have no doubt we would still have restrictions in place that would be costing us in many, many ways.
"The health response has not ended. It will need to be ongoing as the pandemic surges around us," she said.
Ardern also confirmed that the wage subsidy scheme will end some three weeks before the election.
"We have clearly signalled the wage subsidy is not something can go on for the never-never," she told journalists after a rousing speech to around 600 Labour Party faithful and an online audience of thousands for the party's traditional election-year Congress.
Extending the wage subsidy beyond its current cut-off of Sept. 1 risked delaying "the critical work that businesses may need to do to pivot into the new covid environment."
"Businesses themselves have said that continuing for too long could run the risk of being harmful for the long term resilience of some of those businesses," she said.
The subsidy scheme has so far cost some $12.3 billion, according to the Ministry of Social Development's June 26 update, covering some 1.7 million employees.
Ardern pointed to the $400 million tourism recovery package the government is starting to enact and the existence of a covid-related employment loss benefit that is equivalent to the minimum wage, which is now available for people whose jobs no longer exist because of covid-19.
Her comments came as the government today announced the extension of one-off loans to small businesses, administered by the Inland Revenue Department, through to the end of the year.
Ardern used her speech to the Labour Party Congress both to lay out what she called a five-point plan for recovery and to argue the government's previous commitment to low levels of debt was justified because it made the response to covid-19 possible.
"New Zealand is a place where the unexpected can happen," she said. "That's why, when we were criticised for being focused on getting debt down to under 20 per cent of GDP, we steadfastly argued that it was necessary – it was for a rainy day.
"Thank you for your foresight Grant Robertson," she said. "You have been the Finance Minister New Zealand needed at this time, because that rainy day has arrived. Now is the time to put the umbrella up, to provide support to those who need it."
In a speech that effectively marks the start of Labour's campaign for the Sept. 19 election, Ardern took the most subtle of digs at her coalition partner, NZ First, which has styled itself a 'handbrake' on the government's agenda.
"Don't put on the brakes when now more than ever is the time that we need to speed up," she said, before invoking Labour's campaign slogan for this year: "Let's keep moving."
National Party leader...

Listen to the audio above as Mike Hosking is joined by Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby to wrap the week in news.
All Blacks and Blues superstar Beauden Barrett has signed a lucrative one-year deal to play for Suntory Sungoliath in Japan next year.
Barrett, who signed a four-year deal with New Zealand Rugby and the Blues last year, will miss next year's Super Rugby season and play for the Suntory club based in Tokyo, before returning to New Zealand for the 2021 international season. He will then remain in New Zealand for the rest of his contract until 2023.
The Japanese deal is reportedly worth $1.5m per season, which would make Barrett one of the highest-paid players in the world.
Barrett will link with New Zealand coach Milton Haig, the former coach of Georgia, and now head coach at Suntory Sungoliath, with current England head coach, Eddie Jones acting as consultant.
The plan to play in Japan in 2021 is part of Barrett's four-year deal agreed last year with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Blues.
"For me it made sense to go next year and then have two years back with the Blues and hopefully the All Blacks in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup," said Barrett.

Beauden Barrett of the Blues runs out during the round 3 Super Rugby Aotearoa match between the Blues and the Highlanders. Photo / Getty Images.
"My wife and I are excited to head to Japan next year. It is an appealing place for a young family and comparatively safe in health terms.
"The Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa competition has been an amazing experience. It's been brutal and demanding which is what you expect when New Zealand teams play each other.
"I'm loving every minute of it and having such big crowds turning out has been fantastic.
"I am loving the move to the Blues and we still have a job to do this season. It is an excellent environment with great coaching and an awesome bunch of dedicated players.
"While the excitement about heading to Japan will build closer to the time, I'll also be looking forward to being back later in 2021."
NZR general manager professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum said: "The arrangement is similar to what was in place for Beaudy's All Blacks teammates Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock who played in Japan this year. That flexibility in our contracting is key: it allows our top players to refresh in a different rugby environment but remain committed to New Zealand Rugby which, in the long term, is great for both parties."
Blues head coach Leon MacDonald said his coaching group had always planned without Barrett for the 2021 season.
"Our focus is fully on the current campaign but we have plans for next year without Beaudy. He will be a big loss but that is countered with what he is doing on and off the field this year, and that we get him for two more years.
"We have Otere Black playing terrific rugby, and Harry Plummer who has been coming off the bench, while we will have Stephen Perofeta back next season from injury."

So whether anything comes out of this business with Team NZ or not - what have the allegations done to the company and the event?
Will it still be as well supported as we would hope? Or do things like this stick to a brand and an organisation - even if they are just allegations?
Communications expert from Massey University Dr Chris Galloway joined Mike Hosking to share his thoughts on how Team New Zealand is handling the latest crisis.
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The tourism industry remains in the dark about where millions of dollars collected through the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will go.
Most overseas visitors are charged the $35 border fee through visa applications since it was brought in on July last year.
About $57 million has been collected so far with funding to be split between tourism and conservation.


Last August, the Government revealed its initial investment of about $18m for the year across four tourism and six conservation projects.
Close to $4m was earmarked for tourism projects in Westland.
Part of that funding has gone towards finishing a cycling and walking track that winds past riverbank and rainforest to showcase Fox Glacier after the only access road in was destroyed by a major landslide last year and repairing the damage was ruled out.
Fox Glacier Guiding chief executive Rob Jewell said he had already noticed the benefit.
"The [number] of visitors that have been using have has just been fantastic - I think far more than we actually expected. It also built car parks for servicing that access road. The popularity of it has been great, it keeps popping up on Instagram and we're really pleased with it. That was all IVL money so we're very pleased," he said.
As part of the August announcement, the Government confirmed an additional $23.4m would be invested to ensure ongoing conservation work over five years.



The levy has taken a hit after international travel came to a standstill - it was expected to bring in $80m a year.
But Jewell said the levy remained relevant.
"We're well aware that there's funds there - how best to use those ... maybe that's under consideration, but at this point the Government hasn't told us what their plans are. I would certainly hope that they would be working on something because those funds can probably be well used out in the country."
Support small businesses
Mo's Matakana Island Tours owner-operator Tangiwai Manihera-Palmer wants to see the levy supporting small businesses doing it tough.
"They can't just sit on that money and keep pushing it back.
"That's not fair on the rest of us who are trying to grow our business and recover from Covid. If we can all get together and let them know that there [are] places where that money would be well spent and used, even if it is a loan or a grant or a programme," she said.
An investment plan was expected last October, but that kept on being pushed back.
By mid-March, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis acknowledged the plan was running late but said it was only weeks away.
Then in April, he announced a reboot of the tourism sector including plans to review the levy.
Months down the track, Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said businesses wanted answers, as many remain in survival mode.
"What's happening with this money that's been collected from the international visitor levy? It seems an area that we haven't really had a strong explanation as to why it hasn't been spent, why the funding decisions haven't been made," he said.
"We'd love to have an explanation as to why the money's not been spent and ideally let's see it come out of that account and actually be put to good use."
Davis said there was no timeframe for the review because the Government was focused on the industry's recovery first and the levy targeted long-term, sustainable projects.
"So Minister Sage and I agreed to review the IVL investment plan and then, of course, Covid happened and the world has changed so we will be looking at that investment plan and we'll be making decisions in the future," Davis said.
"International tourism will start again at some time in the future and we still need to make sure we have funding there to invest in those long term, sustainable tourism and conservation projects."
The remaining $15m isn't...

New Zealand On Air is looking to find ways to instil a sense of belonging and identity in children.
The Children's Use of Media Study 2020 has found Kiwi kids are mainly watching foreign media platforms - like Netflix and Youtube.
Sixty five per cent of pre-schoolers don't have a favourite New Zealand TV show.
Head of funding Amie  Mills says as international platforms become more popular, it's increasingly harder to share New Zealand content.
But she says it's critical kids recognise themselves on screen.
Mills says the funding agency needs to look at getting local content onto international platforms.
Children's entertainer Suzy Cato joined Mike Hosking to share her thoughts on making Kiwi made television more appealing for children to watch.
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A slew of bombshell allegations about conditions at Victoria's quarantine hotels have been made by security staff and union representatives amid a deepening scandal.
On Thursday Kazim Shah from the United Workers Union said the use of private subcontractors without medical training to run the system meant many saw it as a "moneymaking" exercise and staff were not properly trained or given personal protective equipment (PPE).
"What happened was that the work was given to security companies which was then subleased to subcontractors where there was cost-cutting happening and they were making money out of this," he explained to the ABC.
"There was no training provided to these security guards which were placed in these hotels which have very highly infectious disease [in them].
He said some staff were given five minutes briefing and told their job was to simply stop people leaving the lobby.
Others were given just one mask and a pair of gloves for the day.
Many of the guards were too inexperienced to know better.
"What I believe what should have been done is they have medical professionals on the sites where 24/7 they were giving medical advice and instructions," he said.
"If proper experienced guards were working, they would have flagged all these issues."
The comments come as another security guard known only as Sam, who had been working across the quarantine hotels for the past two months, told Nine staff were told to avoid self-isolating.
"When I knew that there was positive cases in the hotel I have asked them, do I need to go for a test or something? And they said no, no, no don't worry, don't stress because we need people, so if you (go) for a test they will ask you to self-isolate, so don't go, we will let you know when to go for a test," he told the outlet.
Sam said the guards came into frequent contact with those in quarantine and would regularly share lifts with groups of travellers.
Despite being exposed to potentially infectious people, the guards would reportedly head out to public places during their breaks.
"On their break, guards were going for a break, and they were going to 7 Eleven, McDonald's, KFC, everywhere, and they were exposing everyone to that," Sam said.
He claims that on the occasion that guards were asked to self-isolate, many completely ignored the orders and even went on to work other jobs.
"I know some guards were doing Uber and Taxi, obviously, it's obvious the virus is going to spread this way," he said.
Sam said instead of controlling the virus, he believes "we were spreading the virus".
"We were trying to control the virus, but the way they have done everything, I think we were spreading the virus, not controlling the virus," he said.
The comments come amid a host of allegations about behaviour in the quarantine sites, including guards taking returned travellers to shopping centres and one even working as an Uber driver while employed at the hotel.
The Herald Sun reports one unnamed figure involved in the quarantine fiasco as saying the private contracts used to run hotels were effectively a recipe for disaster.
"The writing was on the wall from the word go," the figure said.
"You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. You end up with a guy who's being paid no dough. You get the bottom of the barrel."
It recently emerged that a significant number of guests and guards have become infected with COVID-19 and that as many as 30 per cent of guests refused to be tested.
Another whistleblower who worked at the hotels said guards were given only "five minutes" training and were not given sufficient protective equipment.
He told Nine's Today that along with insufficient training, guards were handed just one glove and one mask before being sent to look after an entire level.
Claims that guards had sex with infected guests at either the Rydges Hotel or the Stamford Plaza were also aired...

Black market tobacco is sidestepping $287 million in excise taxes - with the illegal trade making up 11.5 percent of the market.
New Zealand has strict laws on the sale and supply of tobacco, but it's estimated 230 tonnes are being marketed completely off the books.
The new law states you now can't import cigarettes and loose leaf tobacco to manufactures and roll your own cigarettes without getting hit with an excise tax.
NZ customs investigation manager Bruce Berry joined Mike Hosking to give us an insight into how the black market tobacco industry is operating.
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British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested by the FBI on Thursday on charges she helped procure underage sex partners for financier Jeffrey Epstein.
An indictment made public on Thursday said Maxwell, who lived for years with Epstein and was his frequent travel companion on trips around the world, facilitated Epstein's crimes by "helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse " girls as young as 14. It also said she participated in the sexual abuse.
Epstein, 66, killed himself in a federal detention center in New York last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell has, for years, been accused by many women of recruiting them to give Epstein massages, during which they were pressured into sex. Those accusations, until now, never resulted in criminal charges.
Maxwell, 58, was arrested in New Hampshire, where the FBI said it had been keeping tabs on her.
"More recently we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago," William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York office, said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The indictment included counts of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and two counts of perjury.
"Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable," Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney in Manhattan, said at the press conference.
She called the charges against Maxwell a "prequel" to the charges prosecutors brought last summer against Epstein.
Messages were sent on Thursday to several of Maxwell's attorneys seeking comment. She has previously repeatedly denied wrongdoing and called some of the claims against her "absolute rubbish."

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pictured in June 1991. The FBI says Maxwell, who was accused by many women of helping convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested. Photo / AP
Among the most sensational accusations was a claim by one Epstein victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, that Maxwell arranged for her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew at her London townhouse. Giuffre bolstered her allegations with a picture of her, Andrew and Maxwell that she said was taken at the time.
Andrew denied her story and Maxwell said in one deposition that Giuffre was "totally lying".
He was not mentioned by name in the indictment, and the charges covered Maxwell's dealings with Epstein only in the period from 1994 through 1997, a period well before Prince Andrew's alleged encounters with Giuffre in 2001.
Strauss said she would "welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us," but did not answer further questions pertaining to these charges and Andrew.
Brad Edwards, an attorney who represents Giuffre and several other Epstein victims said his clients were relieved by the charges. "Today is a very good day," he said.
The indictment focused on Epstein's alleged abuse of three specific girls at his Manhattan mansion and other residences in Palm Beach, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico and London. Their names were not revealed in court filings.
The indictment mirrored many of the claims previously made in civil lawsuits against Maxwell, saying she would "entice and groom" minor girls by asking them about their lives, their schools and their families.
"Through this process, Maxwell and Epstein enticed victims to engage in sexual activity with Epstein. In some instances, Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims," the indictment said.
The indictment said Maxwell repeatedly lied when questioned about her...