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Former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns was allegedly three times over the legal limit when his car crossed to the wrong side of the road and crashed into a van in the NSW Hunter region.

The ARIA Award-winner was charged with high-range drink-driving after the collision on Wednesday night.

Johns later said in an Instagram post he had been struggling with panic attacks and mental health issues and would be going to a rehabilitation facility.

"I've been self-medicating with alcohol to deal with my PTSD, anxiety and depression," he wrote.

"I know this is not sustainable or healthy."

NSW Police said a grey SUV drove out of a service station on the Pacific Highway at North Arm Cove about 10.30pm on Wednesday.

A short time later, the northbound SUV collided with the southbound van after the SUV moved onto the wrong side of the road.

Both vehicles ended up on a nature strip.

Paramedics assessed Johns, 42, at the scene and he returned a positive roadside breath test to police.

He was later allegedly returned a second breath test of 0.157, more than three times the legal limit.

The van driver, 51, and his female passenger, 55, were treated at the scene and the passenger was taken to John Hunter Hospital before being released.

Johns said his "mental health is a work in progress" and "it's something I always have to manage".

"Over the past week I began to experience panic attacks," he wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

"Last night I got lost while driving and I was in an accident. I am ok, everyone is ok.

"I have to step back now as I'm self admitting a rehabilitation center and I don't know how long I'll be there.

"Appreciate your love and support as always."

Johns will appear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on April 11.

© AAP 2022

Late Australian music promoter Michael Gudinski has been immortalised with a statue in Melbourne.

The life-sized sculpture was placed outside Rod Laver Arena, a site Gudinski helped grow into one of Melbourne's prime entertainment venues.

"My dad loved this precinct, even when it was just one venue in the national tennis centre," Gudinski's son Matt said on Thursday.

"To see what it's become today was something that he was extremely proud of."

Gudinski, who died aged 68 on March 2 last year, was widely regarded as an Australian music icon.

He founded Mushroom Records in 1972, launching dozens of high-profile Australian acts including Skyhooks, Paul Kelly and the Minogue sisters.

Gudinski's Frontier Touring company, formed in 1979, also brought some of the biggest international artists to Australian shores.

"He'd be sad not to be here because he'd be glowing," Matt Gudinski said.

"Dad definitely didn't shy away from publicity or attention so I'm sure it would have been a special moment to share this together."

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Michael Gudinski was a true Australian icon.

"Michael was not only a good friend to me, but a great friend to all Victorians who loved music," Mr Andrews said.

"So many artists getting a start, being mentored, being nurtured by him.

"So many of the world's great acts coming to Melbourne and Victoria, and indeed by extension Australia, because of Michael."

Singer Jimmy Barnes said the statue, and its location, was perfect.

"From here, (Michael) can hear the roar of the crowds from the MCG," Mr Barnes said.

"He can see and hear the punters leaving the Rod Laver Arena, or AAMI Park shouting about being at the best show they've ever seen.

"I think that would put a smile on his face. Especially if it was a Frontier show."

© AAP 2022

Australia will get a manufacturing hub for mRNA vaccines as part of a multibillion-dollar agreement with pharmaceutical giant Moderna.

The announcement comes as the country's leading vaccine advisory group is set to hand down its advice on whether a fourth dose will be needed for vulnerable people.

The research and development hub will be based in Victoria at a location yet to be decided, and serve as the headquarters for the company's operations in Australia, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The hub will be the first of its type in the southern hemisphere, with construction to begin by the end of the year.

Production at the site is expected to start from 2024.

While the facility will manufacture COVID-19 vaccines, it will also focus on other respiratory illnesses, including seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus.

The manufacturing hub is expected to produce about 100 million mRNA vaccines annually.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the facility a "shot in the arm" to help protect Australians from future pandemics.

"What we're announcing today is absolutely essential for future pandemic preparedness, and we're already ranked number two in the world on pandemic preparedness," he told reporters in Melbourne.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the facility could potentially produce a combined COVID-19 and flu vaccine.

"Moderna has looked around the world and they partnered with Australia, and we have partnered with them," he said.

"mRNA isn't just about COVID, it isn't just about vaccines, it's also about the precision medicines of the future so we can literally tailor the treatments for individuals over the course of the next decade."

Mr Hunt said he expected to receive advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation on Thursday.

It is expected the advice will recommend a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for people aged over 65, as well as people who are immunocompromised.

The Doherty Institute, which will be part of the manufacturing program, welcomed news of the Moderna deal.

Institute director Sharon Lewin said access to the facility would be invaluable.

"We have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic the importance of being able to quickly create and deliver an effective vaccine," Professor Lewin said.

"By applying Moderna's mRNA technology, there are opportunities to revolutionise our approach to developing both vaccines and therapeutics."

Moderna's Australian boss Michael Azrak said the hub would help create pandemic resilience.

"Yesterday, it's COVID, but tomorrow it will be influenza ... and other respiratory viruses into the future," he said.

"Today's agreement will ensure Australians will be manufacturing respiratory vaccines right here in Melbourne."

LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA:

NSW: 24,803 cases, eight deaths, 1180 in hospital including 43 in ICU

VIC: 10,259 new cases, 11 deaths, 244 in hospital including 25 in ICU

QLD: 11,018 new cases, six deaths, 271 in hospital including 11 in ICU

TAS: 2009 new cases, one death and 28 people in hospital

ACT: 1278 new cases, 42 people in hospital including three in ICU.

© AAP 2022