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More than 250 people are facing charges after anti-lockdown rallies across the country.
In Melbourne, 235 people were arrested on Saturday at a protest that saw ten police injured in violent confrontations.
Across NSW 32 people were arrested, with about 250 protesters rallying in Byron Bay and a handful in Sydney's west.
In Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, thousands gathered to rally against restrictions despite Queensland not being in lockdown, while there was also a protest in Perth, a city subject to few limitations.
Victoria Police Commander Mark Galliott said bottles and stones were thrown at officers in Melbourne, and police had to use capsicum spray and batons.
"We saw angry young men that were just there intent on violence against police," he told reporters late on Saturday.
"It's incredibly frustrating, but more than that, it really saddens me to see people acting in that way towards police."
Also on Saturday, Australia's first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the country.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Moderna doses meant more GP clinics would be able to administer the vaccine.
"These are very important because they simply provide not only more vaccines, but more points of access for Australians everywhere," he said.
The most recent federal figures showed Australia has reached 70.5 per cent of over 16s with a first vaccine dose, while more than 45 per cent are fully immunised.
More than 1800 new virus cases were reported from outbreaks in NSW and Victoria on Saturday.
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NSW has reported 1083 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and 13 more deaths as the government grants communities in the council areas of concern the same recreation freedoms as the rest of Sydney.
Fully vaccinated adults in the 12 local government areas that have been subjected to stricter restrictions will from Monday be able to exercise outdoor with no limits and gather in groups of five for outdoor recreation.
That limit does not include kids under the age of 12.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian thanked people in the 12 LGAs who she said had been "doing it tougher" than the rest of the state.
"They have led the way in our vaccination rates, they have shown us the way, and what it means to be resilient and strong," the premier said.
Ms Berejiklian also said public pools could reopen in NSW from next Monday (September 27).
Of the people who died with COVID-19, one person was in their 40s, two in their 50s, two in their 60s, five in their 70s, and three were in their 80s.
There are currently 1238 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 234 people in intensive care, 123 of whom require ventilation.
Some 1700 officers were deployed across the state on Saturday to quash planned demonstrations against the ongoing stay-at-home orders.
They arrested 32 people across the state, in Sydney and Byron Bay. Police also issued 265 infringement notices.
"I'm pleased to see that common sense has prevailed and the vast majority of people have complied with the existing public health orders," Police Minister David Elliott said.
Meanwhile, the union representing prison officers says mandating COVID-19 inoculations for jail staff is "a job half done" and inmates need the jab too.
"To keep NSW jails safe from COVID-19 everyone in the justice system needs to be vaccinated, no excuses," the Public Service Association's Stewart Little said.
There are about 30,000 people in the NSW justice system and it is difficult to separate them from other inmates and staff at institutions, he added.
All prison officers are required to be double vaccinated by January in an edict finalised last week.
Meanwhile, the hair and beauty industry has called on the government to reconsider an incoming five-client cap when hair and beauty venues reopen at the state's 70 per cent double vaccination target.
Australian Hair Council Chief Executive Sandy Chong said the measure would not impact transmission within hair and beauty venues in any "meaningful" way.
"These restrictions are also completely inconsistent with other industries such as fitness and hospitality, which bear similar, if not greater risks of transmission, and will be able to operate without such a restrictive cap," she said.
© AAP 2021
Regional case numbers to 8pm last night are as follows
Illawarra Cases
There are 64 new cases reported in the Illawarra, bringing the total cases in the LHD to 676.
· 39 cases are from the Wollongong LGA.
· 18 cases are from the Shellharbour LGA.
· 7 cases are from the Shoalhaven LGA.
Hunter Cases
There were 13 new cases across the Hunter New England LHD to 8pm last night. This brings the total number of cases in the District to 434 since 5 August 2021.
· 9 are from Newcastle LGA
· 3 are from Lake Macquarie LGA
· 1 is from the Maitland LGA
Southern NSW cases
There have been 7 new cases reported in Southern NSW to 8pm last night:
· 3 new cases are in Yass and are close contacts of existing cases.
· 3 new cases are in Batemans Bay and are linked to the Batemans Bay cluster.
· 1 new case is in Goulburn and is a close contact of an existing case.
This brings the total cases in SNSWLHD to 69 since the start of the current outbreak in June.
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NSW recorded 1,331 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8 pm last night.
There have been eight additional deaths.
There have been 228 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021, and 284 in total since the start of the pandemic.
There have been 45,085 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in this outbreak was reported.
Of the 1,331 locally acquired cases reported to 8 pm last night,
- 400 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District.
- 326 are from Western Sydney LHD.
- 164 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD.
- 160 are from Sydney LHD.
- 75 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD.
- 47 are from Nepean LHD
- 40 are from Northern Sydney LHD.
- 30 are from Hunter New England LHD.
- 29 are from Central Coast LHD.
- 17 are from Western NSW LHD.
- 8 are from Southern NSW LHD.
- 6 are from Far West LHD.
- 4 are from Murrumbidgee LHD.
Images: NSW Health Twitter
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France has plunged into an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with the United States and Australia after it recalled its ambassadors from both countries over a trilateral security deal that sank a French-designed submarine contract.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement on Friday that the rare decision taken by President Emmanuel Macron was made due to the seriousness of the matter.
On Thursday, Australia said it would scrap the 55 billion dollar deal with France's Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines and would instead build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with US and British technology after striking a trilateral security partnership. France called it a stab in the back.
A White House official said the United States regretted the French decision and Washington had been in close touch with France over it.
The official said the United States would be engaged in the coming days to resolve differences with France.
Australia's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The foreign ministry statement made no mention of Britain, but a diplomatic source said France considered Britain had joined the deal in an opportunistic manner.
Le Drian said the deal was unacceptable.
"The abandonment of the submarine project and the announcement of a new partnership with the United States aiming at launching new studies for future possible nuclear propulsion co-operation is unacceptable behavior between allies," he said.
"The consequences touch the very concept that we have of alliances, our partnerships, and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried on Thursday to calm the French outcry, calling France a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific.
Earlier on Friday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected French criticism that it had not been warned about the new deal, saying he had raised the possibility in talks with the French president that Australia might scrap the 2016 submarine deal with a French company.
Morrison acknowledged the damage to Australia-France ties but insisted he had told Macron in June that Australia had revised its thinking.
The French announcement came as Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne was speaking at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington.
Referring to the submarine deal, Payne said such commercial and strategic decisions were difficult to manage, but, responding to a question, she said there was "no question" that France remained a valued ally.
"I absolutely understand the disappointment," she said.
Ms. Payne said, "My task is to work as hard as I can to make sure that they do understand the value we place on the role that they play and do understand the value we place on the bilateral relationship and the work we want to continue to do together."
France is about to take over the presidency of the European Union, whose new Indo-Pacific strategy includes seeking a trade deal with Taiwan and deploying more ships to keep sea routes open.
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