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Scott Morrison says Australians need to do the right thing by their neighbours and abide by COVID-19 restrictions.
The prime minister and premiers on Friday discussed concerns about the Sydney outbreak, which has now seeded Delta outbreaks in regional NSW and other states and territories.
"We saw the cases, up in northern NSW, where someone just doesn't comply - look at the damage that causes," the prime minister told reporters after the national cabinet meeting.
"We've got to do the right thing by each other. We've got to do the right thing by our neighbours, our communities, our city, our country.
"You can do that by following the rules, staying at home, getting vaccinated and getting tested."
NSW chalked up another grim record of 390 new local cases on Friday, while two people died from the disease taking the national toll to 948.
Looking for a silver lining, Australia's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said vaccinations had lowered the death rates compared with last year's outbreak in Victoria.
"This is clearly our third wave in Australia," he said.
He said Victoria, Queensland and the ACT were experiencing outbreaks of lesser concern.
Professor Kelly believes targeted vaccination and compliance will drive numbers down.
"People need to have hope and patience."
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, whose state recorded seven new local cases, called for a clear containment plan from the NSW government.
"The last thing we want to see is this virus spread north, the virus spread south, and spread across the nation," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has repeatedly urged Ms Berejiklian to erect a "ring of steel" around Sydney to stop the disease escaping the city.
Melbourne recorded 15 new cases including four mystery infections on Friday, the third consecutive day of unlinked transmission.
The ACT is in lockdown until Thursday with six confirmed local cases, including a 14-year-old high school student.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said if her government was advised to do more to restrict people's movement in areas surrounding the ACT and on the south coast she would take action.
But she said it came down to people obeying the rules and getting vaccinated.
"Delta does not leave any room for even one or two people doing the wrong thing," she said.
So far 14.75 million people have received at least one dose, taking the rate of fully vaccinated Australians to 25 per cent.
Governments have agreed to start easing restrictions from a vaccination rate of 70 per cent and all-but ending the need for lockdowns from 80 per cent.
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A young humpback whale is heading south after experts managed to cut away most of a shark control net that entangled it off the Gold Coast.
But the mammal still has some of the gear wound around its tail.
Experts from Sea World and the Queensland government's marine animal release team have spent two days in the rolling swell off Coolangatta trying to free the whale.
They removed some of the net on Wednesday. By late on Thursday afternoon "most" of it had been cut away.
"This has been a significant joint operation out at sea over two days involving multiple vessels and crews," the government's shark control program manager Michael Mikitis said.
"We did not give up and stayed with the moving whale throughout today while cutting away a lot of the remaining gear before nightfall."
Conservation groups have long been calling for the removal of shark control nets, especially during whale migration season, saying swimmers can be protected with less damaging tools such as drones.
There has been one whale entanglement so far this migration season.
Last year, six whales that became entangled were successfully released.
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More than a quarter of Australians aged 16 and 17 are allowed to drink at home, a study shows, with researchers warning parents against supervised consumption.
The newly released longitudinal report, based on interviews with almost 3000 teenagers and their families across the nation in 2016, found 28 per cent of that age group were granted permission to drink at home.
Almost a fifth (18 per cent) of the surveyed teenagers within two years of the legal drinking age were also allowed to take alcohol to parties or social events.
Of the teens who had drunk alcohol before, 23 per cent of those with parental permission had experienced alcohol-related harm compared to 17 per cent of their counterparts.
Dr Brendan Quinn, lead researcher of the Australian Institute of Family Studies report, said the findings exposed the risks of underage alcohol use at home or parties.
"All alcohol use is associated with a risk of experiencing associated harms," he said in a statement as the report was released on Thursday.
"In some cases, parents may be allowing their teenagers to drink at home in the belief that supervised alcohol consumption could facilitate a more responsible relationship with alcohol and reduce potential harm.
"However research suggests early alcohol use could lead to harmful drinking practices, both now and later in life."
Instead of granting permission, he suggested parents should encourage their children to delay their first drink for as long as possible.
"Open conversations about alcohol between parents and their children will help prepare young people to make informed decisions for times when they encounter alcohol outside of the home," Dr Quinn said.
OTHER 16 TO 17-YEAR-OLD DRINKING STATS FROM THE STUDY:
* About 30 per cent in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods allowed to drink at home, compared to 24 per cent in the most advantaged neighbourhoods
* About 35 per cent in outer regional or remote areas allowed to drink at home, compared to 30 per cent in inner regional areas and 25 per cent in major cities
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The devastated aunts of a baby girl who died after her mother tried to protect her from a swooping magpie have described the feelings of torture she's been left with.
Baby Mia was in her mother's arms when a magpie swooped at them at a Brisbane park on Sunday.
The five-month-old suffered critical injuries when her mother fell during her efforts to dodge the bird. She later died in hospital.
Relatives have launched a Gofundme campaign to raise money to cover Mia's funeral costs and giver her mother, identified only as Simone, and her father, Jacob, time to process their enormous loss.
"Mia's arrival made Jacob and Simone's lives complete, they constantly doted over her, showered her with love, and shared her for all their loved ones to adore," extended family members wrote.
They said the accident sparked by the magpie attack, in Glendemann Park at Holland Park West, had shattered the hearts of everyone in their family.
"No words can begin to describe the torture Jacob and Simone are going through. A life cut so short, much sooner than any one of us expected. Mia was and forever will be the light of Jacob and Simone's lives."
Those behind the fundraiser identified themselves as Katie, Sophie, Claudia and Steph - all sisters of Mia's parents.
They said Jacob and Simone had not asked for anything but sparing them the burden of funeral costs and the pressure to return to work would give them the space to grieve.
"We love you both Jacob and Simone, and will forever love you Mia ... Fly high baby girl," the aunts wrote.
The campaign has so far raised more than $27,000.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will address the issue of magpies at a press conference on Tuesday, amid reports one resident who uses the same park had officially complained about an overly aggressive bird.
© AAP 2021
Image Credit: I Am birdsaspoetry.com / Flickr
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