BusinessNZ is standing by the substance of its description of an international report that it said implied New Zealand could be in breach of international labour law – but has been criticised for distributing “misinformation”.The…

Two men are on the run after crashing a stolen car into a physiotherapy practice in Adelaide this morning.

Just before 11am, a red Kia sedan smashed through a Prospect physio practice, leaving two people inside injured.

They were each taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital with minor injuries.

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Police say the red car was stolen during a break-in at a Glengowrie home overnight.

The drivers, both described as males of African appearance, fled the scene on foot.

The stolen car has been taken in for forensic examination and investigations to find the men are ongoing.

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Doctors are pushing for indoor mask mandates to be introduced as COVID-19 numbers surge in several Australian states.

Earlier this week Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Omar Khorshid said Western Australia's health system would not be able to cope with a rapidly approaching 25,000-cases-a-day figure.

And in Victoria, the state branch of the AMA said people should voluntarily wear masks at the supermarket, theatres, concerts and football stadiums.

READ MORE: Scientists predict three COVID-19 scenarios over next five years

Infectious diseases professor at the Australian National University Sanjaya Senanayake acknowledged the public may not be so willing.

"I think the public are fed-up of masks, of COVID," Senanayake said.

"Indoor mask mandates are really a very minor intervention.

"The most important thing is for people to have their booster."

He warned the disease in people with mild symptoms during their infection can have lasting effects.

"Just because you don't end up in hospital with an illness doesn't mean you can't be sick," he said.

"It's in all our interests not to get COVID."

READ MORE: Surge in flu cases predicted amid low Australian flu vaccination rate

A rise in COVID-19 cases comes as the first major flu season in three years takes hold.

As the nation heads into winter, influenza is spreading fast around the country.

In Victoria, 20 people died with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Another 13,694 new cases were diagnosed.

Yesterday, five people died and 11,464 new cases were reported.

In NSW, 16 people have died with the disease.

In the past 24 hours, 10,972 people have tested positive.

That is a sharp jump from yesterday, where four people died and 8286 people tested positive.

Fewer Aussies are wearing facemasks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Only 78 per cent of Australians wore a face mask in the last week, the ABS found, down from 98 per cent in February this year.

Meanwhile, of those testing for COVID-19, 96 per cent used a Rapid Antigen Test, up from 90 percent in March 2022.

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Twelve candidates will contest the Tauranga by-election, the Electoral Commission confirmed today. Candidate nominations for the by-election closed at noon. The seat opened up after Simon Bridges announced his surprise retirement…

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A renowned dentist charged with flouting Covid-19 lockdown rules says he only saw patients who needed urgent and emergency care, including an elderly oral cancer survivor whose broken teeth were cutting her mouth.”She was in pain…

Federal elections are – by law – very personal events: the entire country gets out to their community centres, clubs and school halls to do their duty as a citizen of the country.

But this year is not a normal election. There's a pesky global pandemic hanging around, and not everyone will be able to leave their house to cast their vote.

So how do you vote if you're diagnosed with COVID-19? Here's everything we know.

READ MORE: Scientists predict three COVID-19 scenarios over next five years

Help! I'm positive right now for COVID-19 and will still be in isolation come Saturday May 21. How can I vote?

Two words: postal vote.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is leaving postal vote applications open until 6pm Wednesday 18 May.

You can apply to submit a postal vote via a link on the AEC website here.

Once the AEC has confirmed the receipt of of your application, it will send you a voting pack in the mail where you can fill out ballot papers at home.

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What if I test positive between Wednesday and Saturday?

You'll be able to vote over the phone – but the AEC has stressed that this is an "emergency measure" that should only be used as a last resort.

In fact the AEC has stressed the "last resort" point by not releasing the details of how telephone voting will work until the postal voting period has closed (6pm tomorrow night).

"People who test positive to COVID-19 from mid-week onwards, who haven't already voted, and have missed the postal vote application deadline, will be able to access a telephone vote," the AEC said.

"Information about the telephone voting service will be available to voters who need it once postal vote applications close."

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Voting over the phone – is that legal? Why can't we just do it online?

Electoral laws are not to be taken lightly.

Given the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, specific legislation was passed in mid-February that allowed for people in isolation to legally submit their vote over the phone.

The service is usually only open to vision-impaired voters or Australians in Antarctica.

Those same electoral laws do not allow for online voting, primarily due to security concerns.

FULL COVERAGE: Federal Election 2022

I'm not in isolation and plan to vote in-person on Saturday, but I'm immunocompromised and worried about the COVID-19 risk of having so many people jammed into a school hall. Is this a legitimate concern?

Your health is always a legitimate concern.

The AEC has pretty rigorous COVID-19 protocols in place for voting – much more so than what you would find down at your local shops.

At every voting centre there will be specific officials sanitising all surfaces and all pencils used to vote.

All polling staff will be wearing masks and have provided proof of their vaccination status to be employed.

Queues outside the polling centre will be socially distanced and there will be capacity limits inside all venues. Voting booths will likely be spaced so you're not standing right next to someone.

Voters themselves will not need to wear masks, depending on their local state or territory restrictions.