Domestic Politics
New Zealand's Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, accused a laboratory workers' union of leveraging the coronavirus outbreak to settle a dispute with the Ministry of Health by going on strike. [NZ Herald]
Jacinda Ardern, from the center-left Labour party, faces a tough task to win re-election with the center-right Nationalist Party now eclipsing the Labour party by 5% in opinion polls. [CNA]
Society
Panic-buying continued in Australia, as consumers rush to buy toilet paper. Some online marketplaces have postings that are reselling toilet paper at over $1,000 per pack. Several retailers are now limiting consumers to one pack per family. [Al Jazeera]
Economy
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to announce a $10 billion dollar stimulus package to reinvigorate the Australian economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. The government is even considering cash handouts to citizens, wage subsidies to small businesses, and business tax incentives. The government was on course to announce a surplus, but has scrapped this plan to avoid a recession. [news.com.au]
The Australian market is going through its worst period since the Global Financial Crisis, with crude oil prices falling and the coronavirus scaring investors and consumers and stifling growth. Many are now selling vital assets, leading to over $440 billion leaving the Australian market. [news.com.au]
Law
The Australian Information Commissioner is taking Facebook to the country's Federal Court, arguing that over 300,000 Australians' personal data was sold during the Cambridge Analytica Scandal. [ABC]
Health
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Australia rose to 75, with 3 deaths. [The Guardian]
Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, warned of "larger-scale community outbreaks [...] across Australia". Authorities are currently testing people with respiratory systems who have traveled to affected countries or been in contact with patients that have contracted the coronavirus. [Sydney Morning Herald]
Image Source: New York Post
