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The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they do not cooperate with efforts to end a public health emergency.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks on Monday night that he had become exasperated with people who refused to get immunised amid a health crisis.

"Don't get me wrong. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency. If you don't want to get vaccinated, I'll have you arrested and I'll inject the vaccine in your butt," Mr Duterte said, adding he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents.

READ MORE: Sydney man stuck in Philippines for almost 15 months feels 'abandoned'

"If you will not agree to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines.

"Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America."

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra acknowledged on Tuesday that there was no Philippine law criminalising refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"I believe that the president merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible," Mr Guevarra said.

Human rights lawyer Edre Olalia raised concerns over Duterte's threat, saying the President could not order the arrest of anybody who has not clearly committed any crime.

Mr Duterte and his administration have faced criticism over a vaccination campaign that has been saddled with supply problems and public hesitancy.

After repeated delays, vaccinations started in March but many still opted to wait for Western vaccines, prompting some cities to offer snacks and store discounts to encourage people to get immunised with any vaccine.

Mr Duterte blamed the problem on wealthy Western countries cornering vaccines for their own citizens, leaving poorer countries like the Philippines behind.

Some officials said the bigger problem was inadequate vaccine supply more than public hesitancy.

Mr Duterte also walked back on an earlier remark that required people to wear plastic face shields over face masks only in hospitals as an added safeguard.

After experts briefed him on the threat of more contagious coronavirus variants, Mr Duterte declared it mandatory for people to continue wearing face shields indoors and outdoors.

The Philippines is a COVID-19 hotspot in Asia, with more than 1.3 million cases and at least 23,749 deaths.

Borders have started shutting on New South Wales, including a pause in the travel bubble with New Zealand, after the state's coronavirus cluster grew by 10 cases, one of which crossed the Tasman.

Victoria on Tuesday night declared a large chunk of Sydney a red zone, meaning non-Victorian residents are banned from entering the state and returning residents will need to apply for a permit quarantine at home for two weeks.

Queenslanders have been warned to reconsider travel to the NSW capital and it will be at least three days before quarantine-free flights between Sydney and New Zealand resume.

READ MORE: State-by-state travel restrictions as NSW cluster grows

NSW Health on Tuesday night revealed a confirmed coronavirus case had been linked to two flights between Sydney and Wellington.

Anyone who was on board Qantas flight QF163 leaving Sydney at 7.05pm on June 18 or Air New Zealand flight NZ247 leaving Wellington at 10.13am on Monday was considered a close contact and must get tested and immediately isolate for two weeks, NSW Health said.

Among the 10 new cases revealed on Tuesday, only one is considered a mystery as authorities try to link it to the cluster.

Though primary school student from a school in Sydney's east has not been linked, it's in the the same geographical area as Bondi Junction.

The new cases take the Bondi cluster to 21 and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian expects the number to continue to swell as more household contacts of cases test positive in coming days.

https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1407141304207765512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

"Unfortunately, a number of people who contracted the virus have done so in a very fleeting way, literally being within less than a metre of somebody but sharing the same airspace without any physical contact has still meant the virus has transferred," Ms Berejiklian said. 

"A very fleeting exchange or a very fleeting coexistence has actually allowed the virus to transfer and highlights how contagious it is." 

READ MORE: How to get vaccinated

EXPOSURE SITES: Get tested if you've been here

Ten new cases, some to be counted in tomorrow's figures

Of the 10 new cases revealed on Tuesday, seven will be part of Wednesday's official figures.

Six of the new cases were household members of previously recorded cases and were already in isolation when they tested positive.

Ms Berejiklian said the mystery student attended St Charles in Waverley, and the school was notifying parents.

"I urge parents to wait for instructions from the school because we are keen to make sure that students and parents have access to testing, and we want to make sure there isn't a rush with all parents descending on the school at the same time," she said. 

Almost 29,000 tests were carried out.

Among the other new cases were a woman in her 20s and a man in his 30s, both from the eastern suburbs, a woman in her 40s from Sydney's north who was already isolating, and a woman in her 60s from Illawarra who was also isolating.

NSW Health said there were 46 people with the virus in the state, with one person in intensive care but most others not in hospital.

The state is nearing two million vaccine doses injected.

Sydney mask mandate extended

Sydney's mask-wearing restrictions will remain in force for an additional week and have been extended to Greater Sydney.

The restrictions were initially set to lift at 12.01am on Thursday. 

The requirement means everybody in the metropolitan area will have to wear masks while at an indoor venue, including hospitality venues, grocery stores, or any indoor events. 

A person can only take their mask off at an indoor venue if they are eating or drinking. 

Masks are already compulsory on public transport.

The Prime Minister has blamed Queensland authorities for failing to resolve the "tragic" case of a couple left stranded in hotel quarantine while trying to visit a dying relative.

Mark Kilian and Anneli Gericke are stuck in isolation in Sydney after travelling from the US to visit Mr Kilian's dying father in Queensland.

A last-minute rejection from Queensland Health — following successful appeals to Border Force and NSW Health for exemptions — came through as the fully vaccinated husband and wife sat on the tarmac waiting to depart Los Angeles International Airport. 

READ MORE: Man hospitalised after allegedly scaling wall to escape Queensland quarantine

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a letter shared online overnight, chided Queensland authorities for their handling of the situation, saying Mr Kilian had done "everything you possibly can" to see his dying father. Frans Kilian, 80, was moved to hospital last week as his pancreatic cancer worsened.

"We didn't think he was going to make it through yesterday, I think he'd been holding on for us to get there,' Mr Kilian told 9News last week

"When he heard we weren't coming he just took a turn."

Mr Morrison said having farewelled his father last year, he knew how important times like these were to families, which was why the Department of Home Affairs granted an exemption for the couple to travel to Australia.

"I know what an important time this is for you and that you can never get these days back," he said in a letter to Mr Kilian dated June 22. 

"I am disappointed the Queensland Government has not found a workable and compassionate solution.

"However, the Australian Government does not have authority to step in and provide exemptions from hotel quarantine for travel into Queensland. Under our federation, these decisions are made by the Queensland Government."

READ MORE: Two trans-Tasman flights added to Sydney COVID-19 exposure list

https://twitter.com/TimArvier9/status/1407299109653041154

On Tuesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk admitted the situation was "absolutely tragic" but said her hands were tied by national guidelines on hotel quarantine.

However, she did allow a sliver of hope to shine through for the stranded couple.

"If the Federal Government wants to talk to both states, I'm happy to facilitate that," she said.

"But this [hotel quarantine] applies to everybody. This applies to everyone. Every single person."

Mr Kilian fears if he and his wife are made to complete their two weeks in hotel quarantine he won't get to say goodbye to his father.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian previously asked her counterparts to show compassion on border exemptions, calling for decisions about reuniting families to be based on "human dignity".

"My heart breaks when I hear about stories like this," she said, while refusing to intervene in individual cases.

"New South Wales has always tried to have a compassionate approach especially when there are circumstances such as this one.

"I just ask all of my colleagues to think carefully before preventing families from being united at a very difficult time."

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.

Australians have rebounded strongly from a traumatic 2020, but nervous eyes are fixed on various looming threats, with distrust of China at record levels.

That is, in brief, the picture painted by the Lowy Institute's Annual Poll for 2021, which gauges Australians' feelings on everything from the local economy to world affairs.

The phone survey, conducted in March of this year, found that 70 per cent of Australians felt "safe" or "very safe" – up 20 points on last year.

READ MORE: Why the US-China rivalry is extending from Earth into space

Of course, in March 2020, the world was reeling under what was then a terrifying, all-but-unknown threat.

"It speaks to the fact that in March 2020, Australia was just going into lockdown, and there was really a quite unprecedented panic," Lowy director of public opinion and foreign policy program Natasha Kassam told nine.com.au.

"The vast majority of Australians feel we've managed the pandemic well."

But the view wasn't all rosy.

Trust in China plunges

Only 16 percent of Australians said they trusted China "a great deal" or "somewhat" to act responsibly in the world – down from 52 per cent in 2018.

Most Australians now see China as a greater security threat than an economic partner, though there is a reluctance to join the US in any hypothetical conflict with Beijing, with 57 per cent of respondents opting for neutrality.

However, Australian distrust of China appears to be focused on government actions and policy, with most Australians saying Chinese history and culture, and Chinese people they meet, positively influence their view of the rising superpower.

READ MORE: Australia taking China to trade watchdog over wine tariffs

"The Australia-China story has changed dramatically," Ms Kassam said.

"In the 2019 election, foreign policy was not mentioned once – that simply wouldn't happen today."

She said while Australians had traditionally taken a dim view of Chinese authoritarianism, what had changed recently was that the nation's economic growth was increasingly being regarded as a threat (50 per cent agreed, up 31 per cent from 2016).

"China's targeted sanctions have had an effect on how Australians see its economic power," Ms Kassam said.

However, she pointed out that most Australians still recognised China as our biggest trading partner, with 72 per cent still maintaining it was possible to have good relationships with Beijing and Washington.

Threats on the horizon

As well as conflict with Beijing, Australians rated cyberattacks from other countries (62 percent) and climate change (61 per cent) as critical threats to the national interest in the next decade.

And 59 per cent rated COVID-19 as a critical threat for 2021 – but that was down 17 percent from 2020.

READ MORE: Thousands of school students strike to demand climate change action

"Support for action on climate change has been going up since 2013," Ms Kassam said.

"There was a minor dip in 2020, when people were obviously more focused on the coronavirus.

"But the vast majority of Australians think we should be doing more to confront the issue, even to the extent of supporting emissions trading or a carbon tax."

The good stuff

Australians are overwhelmingly optimistic about the economy, with 79 percent adopting a cheery outlook – up a record 27 per cent from last year.

And 97 per cent of people believe the national response to COVID-19 will have a positive effect on Australia's international reputation.

The federal government received a mark of 7.6 out of 10 for its response to the pandemic, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison (67 per cent) and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (56 per cent) also appeared to pass muster.

READ MORE: A 'complete refresh' for Australia's vaccine rollout

Around the world

Trust has increased in India (61 per cent, up 16 per cent since 2020) and Indonesia (48 per cent, up 12 per cent), but New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern once again took the crown as Australians' favourite national leader, with 91 per cent giving her a tick of approval.

Australians also appeared to welcome the election of US President Joe Biden, with trust in Mr Biden rebounding to 69 per cent, more than doubling last year's result of 30 perc ent for his predecessor Donald Trump.

And 58 per cent of Australians still agreed Mr Trump had damaged the US-Australia alliance.

READ MORE: Biden and Putin clash on cybersecurity but no 'Cold War'

"Trump was not popular in Australia," Ms Kassam said.

"But what we're seeing is that levels of trust and confidence in the US under Biden are not as high as they were under (former US President Barack) Obama.

"Trump's legacy has left Australians questioning the old alliance with the US."

The full results of the Lowy Poll can be found online here.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.