The Informer: Submarines, sinking ships and ... hope?

Melbourne will remain in lockdown until late October, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced on Sunday, and fully vaccinated Victorians will have greater freedoms once 80 per cent of the state's population is fully vaccinated.

NSW eased restrictions somewhat for its twelve local government areas of concern, bringing them into line with public health directions for the rest of Greater Sydney.

Tensions had risen in the western and southwestern suburbs over sentiments that they were being unfairly restricted, while the rest of the city celebrated more freedoms.

Meantime, the ACT has remained foggy about what its next steps out of lockdown will be, with government leaders indicating that plans in Victoria and NSW are not concrete.

The federal government knows a thing or two about changing plans.

"C'est la vie," you know?

But that wasn't top of the government's list of concerns today, with Christian Porter tendering his resignation as minister after his recent blind trust scandal.

In other news, tensions continue internationally with France's Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault jetting out of Canberra, after being recalled over Australia's submarine spat with the European nation.

Mr Thebault would have preferred to be boarding a time machine, "and be in a situation where we don't end up in such an incredible, clumsy, inadequate un-Australian situation."

But Australia has #noregrets, with Finance Minister Simon Birmingham defending the federal government's decision to dump France for a US-UK courtship.

Sticking with the now-scrapped $90 billion submarine deal with Naval Group would have "betrayed Australia's long-term interests", he said.

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