Here's what every journo who was at or watched the presser knows. The legislation enables the government to optionally extend the state of emergency four weeks at a time for a maximum of another 12 months. It *does not* extend the state of emergency for 12 months, like they said!

"We will extend the state of emergency provisions within the Public Health and Wellbeing Act" is *not* the same as extending the state of emergency, as media reported. Any competent person should be able to comprehend that, but the answer in the tweet above removes any doubt.

It was also made clear repeatedly in the presser that the state of emergency itself does not impose any restrictions, it just gives the government the option of doing so if needed. Again, any competent journo would have already known. But this too has been wilfully misrepresented

Any journalist who still didn't get it could find the answer in 5 minutes by consulting the Act as it currently stands. S198(7) on extending a state of emergency. And S199, "if the Chief Health Officer believes that it is necessary...serious risk
to public health...*may*..."

But I suppose 5 minutes of research is just too much to ask of people whose output is beamed out over mass media platforms to inform or disinform the public as a whole.

Have I mentioned I think our media fucking sucks? ABC, 7, 9, 10 and Sky all disinformed their audiences on this. Fair chance the papers will too. @ABCmediawatch