Australia live news updates: NSW Covid cases surge to new national record amid Omicron outbreak; Victoria records seven deaths; SA reports 73 infections

NSW's 2,482 new Covid cases the worst total of any Australian state or territory since pandemic began; Queensland records 31 cases

• A hell of a decision to make': why Covid cases are exploding across NSW
• NSW considers shortening Covid booster shot interval to four months as Omicron spreads
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The chainsaws outside my window have now been replaced by leaf blowers. Who authorised this?!

Ahead of the prime minister's appearance in Tasmania today, I highly recommend reading Katharine Murphy's latest analysis of Morrison's strategy so far in the lead-up to next year's election:

When he's not trialling new made-for-TV grabs (a new shake and bake" analogy, which I think was invoked first in relation to emissions reduction, and now has morphed into something broadly economy adjacent, or jabs and jobs" which was Friday's innovation), the prime minister has taken to listing things.

Morrison's current list includes saving lives during the pandemic. Shoring up the health system with more than $33bn from the federal government in additional investment". Saving livelihoods with the single largest economic rescue package in our history". Presiding over economic recovery after the waves of the pandemic - more than 350,000 jobs created in a five-week period after the lockdowns were lifted, and through the crisis, we have maintained that AAA credit rating".