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headline

Last sighting of missing backpacker Theo Hayez

Vision of Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez's last known movements in Byron Bay on the night he disappeared has been played at an inquest.

Mr Hayez, 18, was seen holding a beer while he danced at Cheeky Monkeys in May 2019 before staff requested he leave the venue.

Counsel Assisting Kristen Edwards told the court the friends he was with at the bar did not believe he was significantly affected by alcohol and were shocked when they learned he had been ejected.

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The Hayez family has travelled from Belgium for the two-week hearing into the circumstances of his disappearance.

The court heard Mr Hayez had accessed directions on Google to his hostel but Google data revealed he walked in the opposite direction.

He spent seven minutes at cricket nets before he took a dark track and took a turn into bush.

Ms Edwards said police believe he may have decided to walk up a grassy side and dropped his phone.

Hayez

"The working theory of the police is that he tried to climb the cliffs near Cozy Corner, fell and was swept out to sea," Ms Edwards said.

Mr Hayez was described as a funny and friendly young man but was also known to be cautious.

https://twitter.com/Josie_Shannon_/status/1465094163653820416

Ms Edwards told the court his family believed he would not have climbed the dangerous slope unless someone was there to encourage him.

His phone has never been found and the court heard attempts to access his Snapchat, WhatsApp and Instagram accounts had so far been unsuccessful, which is an issue the inquest will look at.

A missing persons flyer is seen near a beach as the search continues for missing backpacker Theo Hayez at Byron Bay on the far north New South Wales coast, Thursday, June 20, 2019. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

"This information could genuinely and without exaggeration could save lives," Ms Edwards said.

The court heard there was no evidence to support various rumours about self-harm, drugs, a beach party and other theories.

"Almost all the evidence is to the effect that Theo had a great time in Australia but he was also ready to go back."

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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ATAGI to review Omicron booster advice ahead of 'crucial' National Cabinet meeting

Two "crucial" meetings scheduled in the next 24 hours could dictate if stricter quarantine and border restrictions are rolled out across Australia as the new Omicron coronavirus variant hits our shores.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will convene a meeting of National Cabinet within the next 48 hours to work on ensuring there is a "common understanding, common information and common actions" among all states and territories.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Kelly said the gathering of the National Security Committee tonight and National Cabinet tomorrow will be the "crucial moments where those decisions will be made".

READ MORE: What we know about Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant

Greg Hunt

Vaccine advisory body ATAGI will also review booster timeframes in light of Omicron, Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

"We will not hesitate to take additional steps if the medical evidence is that more are required," he said.

The Federal Government has been in touch with Pfizer and Moderna about Omicron and the vaccines, he added.

Professor Kelly said Pfizer and Moderna "can move quickly" if a new vaccine to counter Omicron is needed, but there is no indication that was required right now.

"At the moment, we have no definite evidence, either clinical or laboratory or at the population level, that the vaccines are less effective against this virus," he said.

"We have no evidence of that."

Pfizer and Moderna were already gearing up to tweak vaccines, he said.

The Pfizer vaccine could be approved for children under the age of 12 by Christmas as Australia ramps up efforts to protect more people from COVID-19.

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Australia primed to face Omicron unknowns

Mr Hunt reiterated Australia is in a vastly different position to when earlier variants wreaked havoc and deaths.

Professor Kelly backed that line, saying there have been other variants that often "lead to nothing".

"This is not the first variant we've seen," Mr Kelly said.

"This virus, we've learnt over the last two years, does change.

"Most of those changes lead to nothing."

Professor Kelly said Omicron appeared to have overtaken Delta as the dominant variant circulating in South Africa.

But he noted South Africa was a unique country, with a different health system, a much younger population and high rates of HIV.

Mr Hunt said that is because Australia is one of the most recently and freshly vaccinated societies in the world; Australia is one of the earliest nations in the world to have commenced a whole-of-country booster program; and Australia has very high levels of people fully vaccinated.

"Australia is one of the best-prepared countries in the world," he said.

Australia being "alert, not alarmed" was the correct position for now, he said.

Mr Hunt said Australians currently overseas did not need to rush home.

"There's no change in our travel advice, other than for the nine countries in southern Africa," he said.

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Returned traveller to NT tests positive for Omicron variant

A traveller who flew into Darwin from South Africa has been found to have the new Omicron strain of the virus, while the Northern Territory has recorded two new cases of COVID-19.

Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Fyles said a man who flew from Johannesburg, South Africa to Darwin on Thursday, November 25 had been found to have the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the first case of the strain in the Northern Territory.

Ms Fyles said the man had gone straight into quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience upon arriving in the country.

EXPLAINER: What we know about Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant in South Africa

The discovery of the case of Omicron comes after two cases of the new strain of the virus were found in Sydney yesterday.

Meanwhile, the territory's two new local cases of COVID-19 include a 17-year-old girl from the community of Binajri, who is a household contact of a previous case

She has been isolating within the Centre for National Resilience for her entire infectious period.

The second case is a 19-year-old woman, also from Binajri, who tested positive within the community.

The cases take the total number of cases in the Northern Territory's latest coronavirus latest outbreak to 58.

No cases have been detected in the small town of Lajamanu since it was sent into lockdown on Saturday evening due to positive wastewater results.

However, Ms Fyles said only 147 Lajamanu residents had been tested for the virus so far.

The town has a population of around 500.

"Everything is looking very positive for Lajamanu, but it's certainly very early days," she said.

The lockdown is set to continue until 6pm on December 11.

Meanwhile, Greater Katherine and Robinson River are undergoing a lockout and Binjari remains in a hard lockdown.