How lucky for Victorians who have holiday homes. We have in front of us five of the most critical days through to next Tuesday and I ask Tasmanians to abide by the rules. The professor said it yesterday: this is about protecting your community, your mum and dad, your pregnant sister, your children – protecting your community – and we have the benefit of being an island state ... We are in front of the pack. I want to keep us there but we can only keep Tasmania safe by following the rules. So unless you have a reasonable excuse to be out of your home, do not be surprised if the police stop you ... and do not be surprised if you face the full force of the law over this weekend. It is serious and we need to get on top of this. The north-west coast will effectively be in lockdown. The rules are strict. We ask people to abide by them. They will be policed. On those additional measures Queensland has put in place, Queensland residents who want to head into NSW will need a permit to return to Queensland. (Previously they did not need that.) Also they may be forced into the 14-day quarantine, which includes police checks. So basically, you can leave the state but getting back in is going to be a major pain. 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. For as little as $1, you can support us, and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Queensland just did this and is now having to deal with the fact it also included frontline health workers and teachers in the freeze. ‘Public servant” is not a one-fits-all term. Queensland introduces new border restrictions Queensland looks like it is implementing new travel restrictions for Queenslanders looking to travel into New South Wales. That’s after Queensland had to close some of its most famous Gold Coast beaches after it claimed Brisbane and Logan residents were flouting the physical distance restrictions. Well I’ve seen photos of concrete road blocks being put in place at “just-over-the-border-but-we-all-consider-Queensland” beaches like Dbar, so it looks like the restrictions are going further. In better news, just 10 Queenslanders were newly diagnosed with coronavirus since the last update yesterday. Anthony Albanese also takes aim at some of the “informed” commentary, saying Labor has been very constructive during the 2020 crises. I think any objective analysis – except for some august publications – have recognised the role we have played, and we have done that consistently since day one. Some of the absurd opinion pieces frankly, that haven’t bothered to look at what I have said and what Labor has actually said, speak for themselves, and I think do more damage to the authors, then they do to the Labor brand. Let"s not forget the sports rorts fiasco, Albanese says Anthony Albanese is also keeping an eye on the future – and the political issues which have been left behind “The gap between the rhetoric of this government and the reality has been extraordinary,” he said. “And we know that with regard to money, they treated taxpayer money in the lead-up to the election as if it was LNP money. We won’t let go and Australians shouldn’t forget the sports rort fiasco, the use of infrastructure money, the $3bn fund, to just marginal seats and LNP seats, the great spending in seats like Kooyong and Higgins, for example.” “I am not for a ramping up of authoritarian measures,” Anthony Albanese says, on whether road blocks need to be put in place to stop people from travelling into regional communities this Easter. It should just be commonsense, he says. “We shouldn’t need for that to be reinforced.” Anthony Albanese says Labor will continue to try to have more people included in the wage subsidy, including those on temporary visas who are unable to return home because of flight and border restrictions. “People can’t self isolate if they can’t have somewhere to self isolate,” he says. He says marginalised people, left without support, are also a health risk to the wider community. A lot of arts performers have fallen through the cracks of the government’s stimulus packages. This announcement may help some, but there will be many, many who still need assistance: “To help the arts sector deal with the devastating impact of Covid-19, which has seen performances cancelled, venues closed and many performers and crew hit by the loss of gigs, the Morrison-McCormack government is committing $27m in targeted support across three particularly vulnerable areas of specific need. “The government is providing $10m to help regional artists and organisations develop new work and explore new delivery models. The funding will be delivered through Australia’s regional arts fund. “In remote Australia, self-isolation due to Covid-19 means Indigenous arts centres are unable to receive visitors, and the income that many artists rely on to support themselves and their families has dried up. “To support Indigenous artists and arts centres, the government is providing $7m in additional funding. The funding will be delivered under the Indigenous visual arts industry support program.