News Digest: Mosque murderer faces life, sex scandal topples AMP bosses and NT tops tipple poll

Queensland is the top of the coronavirus headlines this morning, after the Sunshine State declared much of south-east Queensland to be a ‘restricted area’ following the emergence of nine new virus cases on Saturday. Six of the cases were linked to a youth detention centre where a supervisor tested positive earlier this week. Queensland reported just one new Covid-19 case on Monday, the ABC reports. Gatherings have been restricted in the areas to 10 people (30 people are permitted outside the restricted areas) but there are no wider restrictions in Queensland on travel, sport, shops or entertainment facilities.

To see the full list of restricted areas and updated restrictions, click here.

Meanwhile, Victoria this morning reported 116 new cases and 15 deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the state’s death toll to 430. Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to address a media conference later today.

In business news, a sex scandal is rocking one of Australia’s biggest wealth management businesses. The Australian reports that financial services veteran David Murray has resigned as chairman of AMP amid a furore over the appointment of an executive, Boe Pahari, to a key role in the business while knowing that he was subject to a sexual harassment complaint in 2017. Pahari, who was appointed by AMP’s board in July as CEO of AMP Capital, had been fined up to $500,000 by the company over the complaint, The Australian had previously reported. This comes just weeks after AMP Australia CEO Alex Wade left the company, reportedly after sending lewd photos to a female colleague, amid other “poor conduct”, according to the newspaper. David Murray is best known as the former CEO of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and was also the first chairman of Australia’s Future Fund.

In Victoria, meanwhile, The Age reports that the state government will fund a team of financial counsellors to help households struggling to pay energy bills. The newspaper reports that around 9,000 Victorian households called their energy providers each week in July to ask for assistance in managing their bills.

And the NT News reports that the territory has the highest proportion of both risky drinkers and teetotallers in Australia, according to a poll by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education. Just over half of NT residents consumed alcohol with the specific intention of getting drunk at least once in the past year, compared to 45 per cent nationally. But a quarter of Territorians don’t drink at all, compared to 21 per cent nationally.

Internationally, eyes are on the sentencing of Australian mass killer Brenton Tarrant in the  New Zealand High Court today. The 29-year-old is expected to be sentenced to life in Auckland Prison for the massacre at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019. Tarrant has pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one terrorism charge, news.com.au reports.