Here’s everything you need to know about the prime minister’s latest press conference.
Changes to easing of coronavirus restrictions
There have been two major changes to Step 3 of the national cabinet’s roadmap to easing coronavirus restrictions, which will allow for much bigger social gatherings when states and territories move to that stage of the plan.
Morrison announced a change to the caps on gatherings, removing the 100-person cap on indoor gatherings and replacing it with a four-square-metre rule.
“That means for much larger premises that will provide much larger scope,” he said.
The 100-person limit will also be removed in place of the four-square-metre rule for both indoor and outdoor funerals.
“This is an issue as you know that’s caused great heartache across the community,” Morrison said.
“I’m sure we’ll enjoy this welcome change.
“If they’re larger funerals, they can have more people and if they’re outdoor venues, with proper seating they can have larger gatherings.”
Morrison also flagged that the rules would apply to churches and places of worship: “I know people will be looking forward to that. I know I am.”
For larger venues, such as stadiums, a 25 per cent capacity rule will apply for venues of fewer than 40,000 seats.
However, Morrison clarified that this did not apply to standing events, such as festivals.
Morrison said the changes still required more work before they are implemented in July.
“This is not happening straight away,” he said.
“We have to give venues time to prepare for that type of change.”
International students to return
Morrison also announced plans for a pilot program to bring international students back to Australia.
“We’ll be working closely with states and territories, firstly on a pilot basis, to enable, in a very controlled setting, for international students to come to Australia, but only on pre-approved plans for particular institutions,” he said.
“I’m not suggesting this is going to happen soon.
“There’s still a lot of work to do and that needs to get in place.”
Morrison warned that states which had not opened their borders to interstate travellers would be unable to take part in the program.
“You can’t expect to be bringing people in from Singapore if they can’t come in from Sydney,” he said.
Morrison said the re-entry of international students “has to be done with the appropriate quarantine entry arrangements and biosecurity”.
“That’s something that I know Border Force is working on,” he added.
The prime minister said the program could begin next month.
Apology for “no slavery in Australia” comment
Speaking on slavery comments he made earlier in the week, Morrison said he apologises if they caused any offence as he was trying to highlight and acknowledge that “hideous acts” had happened in Australia’s past.
Morrison said incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians was “heartbreaking” and “complex” and that “there was no shortage of funds being thrown at this issue”.
“Clearly the application of funds by governments over decades and decades and decades is not getting the results we want,” he said.
“I can assure you it’s not through a lack of will, it’s an admission of the complexity and the difficulty of the task.”
It comes after Morrison on Thursday said Australia has no history of slavery, a claim which has since been refuted by historians and Indigenous politicians.