Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has had another crack at Premier Daniel Andrews' over his handling of the state's second wave COVID-19 outbreak as the death toll climbed higher.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Victoria recorded another 114 infections on Sunday - climbing back above the 100-mark again - while adding another 11 deaths to the national death toll, which now stands at 611.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg accused Mr Andrews of over-reach for seeking a 12-month extension of his government's emergency power, adding to a litany of failures during the pandemic.
"I want to hear more about a message of hope for the people of Victoria,' Mr Frydenberg, himself a Victorian, told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.
"Daniel Andrews and the Victorian government need to be talking more about the road out than about a longer road in."
Premier Andrews said there were still two weeks to go before the stage four restrictions are scheduled to end.
"This strategy is working. We are going to defeat the second wave," Mr Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
"I don't think it's unreasonable to put forward a plan that is based on data, science and evidence and the best of medical advice."
The local argy-bargy came as the global COVID-19 death toll surpassed 840,000 with 25 million people having now contracted the virus, according to a Reuters tally.
In NSW, seven new cases were recorded including five more linked to a COVID-19 cluster in a Sydney city gym, which has now swelled to 28.
One new case is a returned traveller in hotel quarantine while a student at a western Sydney high school has also tested positive.
St Paul's Catholic College in Greystanes will be closed on Monday for cleaning, NSW Health said.
Queensland reported another four infections linked to a correctional services training academy in the state's southeast.
Western Australia recorded no new coronavirus cases overnight but authorities are set to come down hard on a man who skipped quarantine for a drink at a pub after flying in from Queensland.
Back In Canberra, federal politicians will need to pass legislation to extend the JobKeeper wage subsidy and the enhanced JobSeeker dole payment this week - two key planks of the Morrison government's response to the pandemic - as both existing schemes are due to end in September.
The federal parliament won't sit again until the October 6 budget.
Australian Associated Press
