Protesters are being warned to stay home as Melbourne braces for its third day of demonstrations over mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and other restrictions for the construction industry.
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Chaos has engulfed the city centre over the past two days as demonstrators, mostly men dressed in hi-vis workwear, took to the streets voicing their distrust in the vaccine and anger at the government.
The violent mob of hundreds of people brought the city and the West Gate Bridge to a standstill on Tuesday, and at one stage police fired rubber bullets and smoke rounds to keep them under control. Victoria Police arrested 62 protesters, some for assaulting police, but most for breaching public health orders.
The ambulance union pleaded with protesters to think of others.
"The fight against COVID-19 is not in the street. For our health workers the fight is very real, very exhausting, very painful and very dangerous," the union said in a statement.
The NSW construction industry will return to full capacity from next week as the state's vaccination coverage continues to grow, with hope community sport will soon follow.
From next Monday, NSW will ease all capacity limits on construction sites while retaining the "four square metre" density rule.
One in 10 community sports clubs in Australia fear they will not survive beyond the pandemic with lockdown and restrictions decimating the financial bottom line and volunteer numbers.
Mr Hazzard told reporters he is "very keen" to see community sport resume,
Meanwhile, Australian children aged between five and 11 could receive coronavirus vaccines this year after trials showed promising results overseas.
It's expected US approval for COVID vaccines for children could be finalised as early as October.
Happy with your phone and internet? It seems so as Aussies made fewer complaints to the industry Ombudsman and the moving of call centres back home may have played a part.
Complaints about phone and Internet providers dropped more than six per cent for the past financial year despite many people challenging download limits and call quality while working from home. It was a third consecutive year of declines.
And COVID has claimed another event ... Sydney's New Years Eve family fireworks show has been cancelled for the second year in a row, despite plans to reopen the city in coming weeks.
The city's midnight display will go ahead, with discussions on potential crowd limits continuing.
On the sports field, the Matildas made a disappointing return to international football, slumping to a 3-2 loss to the Republic of Ireland in Sam Kerr's 100th cap.
- with AAP