Albanese honours Queen amid jubilee celebrations; up to seven monkeypox cases detected; 59 Covid deaths reported – as it happened

With that we’ll wrap up our live coverage of the day’s news. Here’s a summary of the main developments:

• The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has presided over the renaming of Canberra’s Aspen Island to Queen Elizabeth II Island, in honour of her platinum jubilee.
• More than 28,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Australia on Saturday, along with a further 59 deaths to take the weekly toll to 292.
• There has been a fourth, and probably fifth, case of monkeypox detected in two New South Wales residents who recently returned from Europe.
• Australians planning an overseas trip are facing the possibility of cancelled or delayed travel plans as the Australian passport office buckles under post-Covid-restrictions demand.
  
• A Lismore family has been reunited with their lost cat 13 weeks after their house flooded.
• Biloela is preparing to party as the Murugappan family returns home, with a thousand extra people expected to attend the Queensland festival that will serve as their unofficial homecoming.

Have a great evening and pleasant weekend.

There has been a fourth, and probably fifth, case of monkeypox detected in two New South Wales residents who recently returned from Europe.

According to NSW Health, the two men in their 30s, who were travelling companions, developed mild illnesses several days after arriving back in Sydney.

Both men presented to a doctor with symptoms clinically compatible with monkeypox.

Urgent testing results for one of the men is consistent with monkeypox, making it the fourth case in NSW. His companion is likely to be confirmed as the fifth case.

Both men are isolating at home.

Victoria health department to officially take over pandemic management 1 July

As Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths remain high across Australia, Victoria is scaling back its dedicated pandemic response workforce, reports AAP.

The Covid-19 Response unit will officially transfer pandemic management to Victoria’s health department from 1 July, after gradually shifting responsibilities over the past few months.

Led by Jeroen Weimar until he stepped down at the end of April, the central bureaucracy has overseen the state’s test, trace and isolation system since it was set up in 2020.

The state government believes the time is right for the shake-up, with 70% of all Covid-19 vaccinations currently delivered by local GPs and pharmacists and more people opting to use rapid antigen tests.

Under the changes, local public health units will lead the delivery of Covid-19 services under the health department’s stewardship.

“The Covid-19 Response was always a time-limited operation,” a Victorian government spokesman said on Saturday.

Victorian health minister Martin Foley has acknowledged the state is facing a “challenging winter” as bubbling Covid-19 cases and the return of flu place further pressure on the system.

While Australia’s Covid-19 intensive care figures have fallen in the past fortnight, about 2,700 patients remain in hospitals across the country.

More than 28,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Australia on Saturday, along with a further 60 deaths to take the weekly toll to 292.

There were 192 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in the Northern Territory in the 24 hours to 8pm on 3 June 2022, the NT health department has announced.

Ski season starts early at some resorts after polar blast

The polar blast that hit south-eastern Australia this week has helped bring in the ski season early in some resorts.

In New South Wales, 60cm of snow has already fallen at the Perisher ski resort, enough to allow the site to open this week, a week ahead of its traditional Queen’s birthday weekend opening.

Perisher’s general manager, Belinda Trembath, told the Sydney Morning Herald the conditions were “too good to pass up”.

“It feels amazing – just like that people are skiing. It always is a long gap between seasons, it’s great to start early,” Trembath said.

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North Korea reported some 79,100 more people with fever symptoms and one additional death amid its first-confirmed coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reports, citing state media KCNA.

The reclusive country has been waging a battle against an unprecedented Covid-19 wave since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown last month, fuelling concerns over a lack of vaccines and medical and food supplies.

The total number of fever patients compiled across the country since late April neared 4 million, and the death toll rose by one to 71, KCNA said, using data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.

KCNA has said the epidemic has shown signs subsiding, after daily tallies of fever cases topped 390,000 two weeks ago.

North Korea has never confirmed how many people have tested positive for Covid-19, apparently lacking testing supplies. But experts have said the publicised numbers could be underreported, and that could make it difficult to assess the actual scale of the situation.

4 Jun 202223.51 EDT

Rebecca Ratcliffe

Pride parade comes to Bangkok amid new hope for LGBTQ+ rights

The event returns for the first time in many years on Sunday as the city appoints a governor vocal in supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

Read our story here:

I am going to hand you over to Elias Visontay now, who will take you through the news while I eat some lunch!

Albanese confirms he has moved into the Lodge

Anthony Albanese has revealed he has already moved into the Lodge in Canberra and promised to not neglect regional Australia, in an exclusive interview with ACM network:

I’m already at the Lodge,” he said. “I have moved most of my personal effects from my flat in Canberra there across to the Lodge plus some things down from Sydney.

It’s the national capital. And that is important. Family considerations are why I’ll spend time in Sydney as well.

Albanese said he would not leave regional Australia behind:

I think that across the government, I’m a great believer in regional economic development, taking pressure off the big capital cities.

And to do that you need to have proper planning, proper processes and work with local communities.

South Australia has recorded four deaths and 2,789 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.

There are 230 people in hospital and of that nine are in ICU.

Queensland has recorded 11 Covid deaths and 3,423 new cases in the past 24 hours.

There are 268 people in hospital, and of those six are in ICU.

Spirit of Tasmania ferries to leave Melbourne home in October

The Spirit of Tasmania ferries will permanently leave their Melbourne home later this year, the company has announced.

Station Pier has been the home of ferries between Melbourne and Tasmania since the Abel Tasman began sailings in 1985. The move to Geelong is part of a 30-year deal struck after the Tasmanian government criticised increasing lease prices at Station Pier.

The ferry operator has confirmed the ships will dock at a new terminal in Geelong from 23 October.

Windy weather to hit parts of Australia

Strong winds are expected across parts of NSW, the ACT, Victoria and Tasmania this afternoon:

How will Dutton and Littleproud reshape the Coalition?

Peter Dutton was elected opposition leader this week, with David Littleproud replacing Barnaby Joyce as deputy. Guardian Australia’s political editor, Katharine Murphy, and rural and regional editor, Gabrielle Chan, discuss the two new leaders, their history and how they may go about attempting to retake government with Full Story’s Laura Murphy-Oates.

WA has recorded 10 new deaths and a total of 6,242 new cases. There are currently 44,731 active cases in the state.

There are 278 people with Covid-19 in hospital, and of those 11 are in ICU.

The 10 deaths were a woman over 100, four women in their 90s, two men and a woman in their 80s, and two women in their 70s.

A union says production company Fremantle is refusing to pay out long-serving staff of cancelled Australian TV soap Neighbours.

Read our story here: