One of the big gambling agencies is so desperate for a punt, it has opened up betting on the ASX. The Hotels with Hearts initiative is under way in WA. Homeless people are being housed in empty hotel rooms in Perth as part of a trial to keep some of the most vulnerable residents safe during the coronacrisis. About 20 people experiencing homelessness are being moved in to Perth’s Pan Pacific hotel in response to Covid-19 Rough sleepers are unable to self-isolate and many have chronic health issues The “Hotels with Heart” pilot aims to keep homeless people safe and out of hospital The new service model could be scaled up to support vulnerable people if the pilot is successful Calla Wahlquist has just pointed me in the direction of this update: Frontline health workers have written to Guardian Australia to say it was galling to see politicians receiving their flu shots when doctors and nurses are yet to receive theirs despite working with Covid-19 patients or preparing for Covid-19 admissions. The flu shot is recommended especially for vulnerable and high-risk groups such as health workers and those over 65 because the combination of being infected with the flu and Covid-19 would be devastating. While the vaccine is not usually recommended until mid-May, at-risk groups are being targeted early. From 1 May, all visitors to an aged care facility will be required to receive it. Victoria’s attorney general, Jill Hennessy, and health minister, Jenny Mikakos, are among those posting photos of themselves being given the shot on Twitter. But as one doctor told Guardian Australia, frontline health staff have been advised they won’t get the jab until mid-April at the earliest. “Surely vaccination of frontline staff should be a higher priority than politicians – especially given the challenge of a pandemic,” said the doctor, who works across three major Victorian hospitals. Labor has asked the government to step in and help children with no internet access at home to receive the connections they need to keep up their schooling. Most schoolwork next term is being transferred to online learning. Labor says that puts some of the most vulnerable Australian children at a massive disadvantage. According to the final Australian Bureau of Statistics household internet survey, 3 per cent of Australian households with children under the age of 15 did not have internet at home. This suggests children in up to 55,600 family households are potentially missing out on the benefits of connectivity. Recent developments with COVID19 are no doubt placing these children, their parents and their teachers under pressure. Labor is calling for a targeted initiative to support these families with free NBN broadband access for a period of at least 12 months. The small proportion of eligible households means incentives can be delivered in a targeted, responsible and compassionate manner to achieve a social and economic good. At a time when broadband has become a critical link between students, parents and their teachers, action is needed to ensure no child is left behind. This will build on good work being done by some state governments to provide laptops and other devices to support distance learning. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Make a contribution - The Guardian If you want to register to help as part of Queensland’s “care army” or if you need help, you can call 1800 173 349. Queensland reports that 40 more people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since yesterday. That brings the state’s total confirmed cases to 781. Supporting the vulnerable includes, Kate Jones says, making changes in your own families if necessary: We’re also calling on families to really think about how you can support your own seniors in your own family. For example, my mother normally, who is in her 60s, who normally looks after her children, is also the primary carer for my 91-year-old nana. We as a family had to make a decision that my mother can no longer see my children while she’s the primary carer of a 91-year-old. That’s a family decision. We’re calling on other families across Queensland to sit down, call each other, and really think about what is the best way that you can support the most vulnerable in your own family, to ensure they are getting the support services that they need. A free hotline will be established for those who don’t have family or friends close by to match you with someone who can help. About a million Queenslanders fit into the “vulnerable” stay-at-home category. The Queensland minister Kate Jones has a little more detail on the “care army” initiative: Last time we had a crisis, we asked Queenslanders to put on their gumboots. Today, we’re asking Queenslanders to make a call. As the premier said, we know the most vulnerable people in our community, that are most vulnerable to coronavirus, are actually our seniors. Queenslanders over the age of 65, with a chronic condition and, indeed, all Queenslanders over the age of 70. So today the premier is calling on all Queenslanders to mobilise our care army. What we’re saying very clearly is, our seniors are in the main doing the right thing. They’re listening to the advice and they’re staying home. What we need to ensure is that we are supporting seniors to stay in their own homes and to stay safe. So, we’re calling on all Queenslanders to think about the, in your own life, who are those people that are over 65, or over 70, that you know, that you can help them with key basics such as groceries, medicine and also companionship. One of the things we’re aware of, there’s many active people that are over 65, that might have a chronic illness, however, they’re still living very active lives. So to be told they have to stay home is a big change for them. We need to make sure we’re reaching out to them, giving them care, and showing we are with them during this tough time. Queensland launches "care army" to support vulnerable neighbours It is Annastacia Palaszczuk’s turn for a morning update. The Queensland premier is calling for a “care army”. I want Queenslanders to join our care army and support a senior in your suburb. We can all do this. Support a senior in your superb. What does it mean? It means basic things, there may be someone living next door, or down the road, it’s about checking in, getting their contact number, leaving something in their letterbox, or contacting a number we are going to give to you shortly, and hopping on the phone and saying, how are you? Do you want to have a chat about things? It’s also about doing some grocery shopping for them, and leaving it at their front door. And perhaps they may leave a script in their letterbox and you can go and get the script. The number of businesses registering their interest in wage subsidies for their workers is continuing to grow quickly. As of this morning, 370,000 businesses have registered their interest for the payment, which amounts to $1,500 a fortnight for each employee. The Australian Taxation Office has given us a bit more detail about the extraordinary surge in demand for information on the day the $130bn jobkeeper payment package was announced. A spokesperson told us the ATO website had registered about 1.1m visits on Monday – double the traffic experienced on the previous Monday. It’s nearly four times the number of visits to the ATO website at a similar time last year. The ATO confirmed that it had “reviewed and implemented increased system capacity” because it had anticipated large volumes of traffic associated with the announcement. The spokesperson said the ATO also fielded 50,000 phone calls on Monday, about 50% more than the same time last year, which were “well managed by the mobilisation of staff from across the ATO who assisted in talking the additional calls”. Readers will recall that the MyGov website was absolutely smashed last week after national cabinet announced forced shutdowns of a range of retail of entertainment, retail and hospitality businesses, as many people tried to register their intent to claim the jobseeker payment formerly known as Newstart. At the time, Stuart Robert, the minister for government services, said “my bad” for not boosting the MyGov website’s capability by enough to cope with the huge increased demand. News Corp has suspended printing of 60 community titles. It says advertising revenue has dropped to unsustainable levels and it has no choice. BaptistCare, which runs the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care home where a fifth resident has died after contracting Covid-19, has released this statement: We are saddened to report the passing of a 95 year old female resident from Dorothy Henderson Lodge after testing positive to COVID-19. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Dorothy Henderson Lodge is twenty one, with sixteen residents and five employees. “It is heartbreaking to learn of another resident passing away,” said BaptistCare CEO, Ross Low. “To be faced with this loss is incredibly difficult, especially knowing just how hard everyone is working to care for our residents and staff.” “I have spoken with the family to share my condolences with them during this devastating time. Their words of support to me and the staff at Dorothy Henderson Lodge were incredibly uplifting.” BaptistCare continues to work closely with NSW Health.