Campaign posters for an independent candidate running for the south-west Sydney seat of Fowler at the federal election have been defaced and graffitied.

Corflutes with Dai Le's face on them have been cut up and scrawled with writing in Vietnamese accusing her of being an "evil killer" and a "communist".

Mobile phone video shows a woman dressed in orange cutting up Dai Le signs stuck to a fence in Canley Vale last night.

FULL COVERAGE: Federal Election 2022

Posters outside the NSW Vietnamese Association have also been destroyed.

Ms Le said she has replaced signs across the electorate three times already, and suspects a rival team is behind the vandalism.

"It's just been really disappointing," she said.

Her family fled communism in Vietnam after her family escaped refugee camps in south east Asia in the late 1970s.

The seat of Fowler is also being contested by NSW's first female premier Kristina Keneally, who has been accused of "parachuting" into the electorate.

Ms Keneally has also reported having her political signs defaced and stolen.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has tested positive for COVID-19.

Mr Albanese announced the diagnosis tonight, which will likely throw his election campaign into turmoil.

He says he plans to continue campaigning whilst isolating at home.

"Following a routine PCR test this afternoon ahead of interstate travel to Western Australia, I have returned a positive result for COVID this evening," Mr Albanese said in a statement.

"I have been testing regularly as part of my election campaign duties.

"I will be isolating at home in Sydney for the next 7 days and will continue to follow health guidelines and advice.

"While at home I will continue my responsibilities as alternative Prime Minister and will be fighting for a better future for all Australians.

"I am grateful to know that I will have access to the world's best health care if I need it, because of Medicare.

"I am feeling fine so far — and thank everyone for their well wishes."

On top of Mr Albanese's isolation, further tormenting the Labor campaign will be figuring out how many senior members of the party, especially candidates, have been in close contact with the leader.

Mr Albanese spent Thursday afternoon in the seat of Bennelong, meeting locals there with candidate Jerome Laxale.

Mr Albanese wore a mask earlier on Thursday during a visit to the Symons House retirement village, in Nowra, NSW.

More to come.

Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed he does not intend to extend Victoria's pandemic declaration past July.

Speaking to media on Thursday, Mr Andrews said he "certainly hoped" to allow the declaration to expire when current powers end on July 12.

"I don't know what expert advice I'm going to get in the days leading up to the 12th of July," he said.

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"It's my hope that we don't need that, or we see something less than that, or we need some other arrangement.

"That'd be terrific."

Pandemic declaration powers were further extended for three months earlier this month.

It comes as Victoria's COVID-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar announced he would stand down from his role at the end of this month.

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The Department of Health confirmed his departure today, thanking Mr Weimar for his contribution to the pandemic response.

"We thank Jeroen for his contribution to the COVID response – particularly his dedication, leadership and many hours spent keeping the Victorian community informed and updated," the department said.

His departure comes as Victoria's COVID-19 restrictions ease in the coming days, including the state's vaccinated economy and mandatory mask rules.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he is "deeply sorry" for comments he made during last night's debate after significant backlash from disability advocates, including Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott.

Mr Morrison said he was "blessed" not to have children with a disability during the debate.

Mr Morrison was being questioned about the Coalition's plans for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by the mother of a child with autism.

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The mother, Catherine, said she was grateful to receive support for her four-year-old son through the NDIS but, like many others, he recently had his funding cut.

"I've been told, to give my son the best future, I need to vote Labor," Catherine said to the prime minister.

"Can you please tell me what the future of the NDIS looks like under your government?"

After asking Catherine what her son's name was, Mr Morrison gave his response.

"Jenny and I have been blessed, we've got two children that don't — that haven't had to go through that," he said.

"And, so, for parents with children who are disabled, I can only try and understand your aspirations for those children.

"And then I think that is the beauty of the National Disability Insurance Scheme."

After being roundly criticised for his choice of words on social media by Labor, disabled people and the parents of children with a disability, Mr Morrison sought to explain his reasoning for the remark.

"What I was saying in good faith … I was just simply saying that it's tough and I'm grateful that there are these hardships that I and Jenny haven't had to deal with, there are other things but it's tough and it's hard," he told 2GB's Ray Hadley.

"There is no greater love than a parent has for a child and particularly a child that has special needs and it is a blessing but I was simply trying to say in good faith that I haven't walked in your shoes Catherine I'm not going to pretend to say that I understand it as well as you do."

Australian of the Year and disability advocate Dylan Alcott weighed in this morning, saying he was "very blessed to be disabled".

https://twitter.com/DylanAlcott/status/1516925572386988032

Mr Morrison this afternoon said he had spoken to both Alcott and to Catherine, the mother who posed the question.

He said he was "deeply sorry" for the remark.

"I meant no offence by what I said last night but I accept that it has caused offence to people … and I have been in contact today and I apologised directly to Dylan about that," he said.

"I think people would also appreciate that I would have had no such intention of suggesting that anything other than every child is a blessing is true.

"Every child is precious and a blessing to every parent.

"I don't think that's in dispute and I don't think anyone would seriously think that I had the intent of anything different to that."

Labor senator Katy Gallagher, who has a daughter with autism, was one of many parents who took to Twitter to express outrage at Mr Morrison's choice of words.

"I am 'blessed' to have a child with autism. She teaches me things every day. Our lives are enriched by her," Ms Gallagher wrote in a tweet last night.

Labor's shadow NDIS minister Bill Shorten was also quick to jump in.

"ScoMo says he is 'blessed' to have two non-disabled children. Every child is a blessing," Mr Shorten tweeted.

"The NDIS is there to help people with disability live their lives to the fullest.

"My suggestion to Scott Morrison is he apologises to people with disability and their families for his remarks tonight which were insensitive."

https://twitter.com/criprights/status/1516741878615769098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Disability advocate Carly Findlay also expressed her rage at the comment.

"I am blessed to be disabled – to be a part of a strong, supportive disability community (and to among many allies), to have a strong sense of disability pride, and to learn from many other disabled people," she tweeted. 

"I am not blessed to have an ableist Prime Minister."

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame, who has autism, joined in the criticism.

https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1516777256139386884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham told the ABC this morning Mr Morrison's comment had been taken in the wrong way.

"The PM, actually in that context, was talking about not having to deal with the many challenges of systems that you have to work through to get support," he said.

"It is simply the case that, as a country, all Australians, I think, understand the need for us to provide additional support and we can understand as well the circumstances for family members and for others helping people living with disabilities are not always easy circumstances.

"And that, for many of us, we are fortunate not to deal with some of the challenges faced in those cases."

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The WA Government has ordered an independent investigation into WA's ramping crisis after an elderly woman died while waiting three hours at Busselton Hospital.

The 75-year-old died on Tuesday after she was taken to Busselton Health Campus by ambulance, understood to be complaining of back pain.

For more than three hours she was held in the Emergency Department under the watch of paramedics – a process called ramping – instead of being transferred into hospital care.

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At some point during that time she suffered a suspected heart attack that killer her.

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has said the circumstances surrounding the woman's death will be thoroughly investigated.

Dean Meade has told 9News he experienced WA's strained health system first hand.

He said he was made to wait four hours in Joondalup's emergency ward while pleading for care through excruciating pain.

When he finally got a bed and underwent scans it was discovered he had a ruptured appendix and needed emergency surgery.

The father-of-three, who also suffers an auto-immune disease, said he believes he could have died.

"There was other people in the waiting room that had been there for up to 10 hours and more," he said.

Paramedics spent a whopping 5693 hours in March ramped outside WA hospitals.

The figure is up from 979 hours they spent ramping in March 2018.

Dogs could be banned from public parks under a new plan by a Victorian council.

Under the plan, which is currently a draft, Mornington Peninsula Shire council suggest at least 12 off-leash parks in the area could be scrapped.

Peninsula Positive Paws Dog Club's Karen Nicholls was "shocked" by the plans.

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"I walk with a number of people on a daily basis and we regularly come to a number of sporting ovals to exercise our dogs, not only for our mental health and wellbeing but also for our dogs to exercise them," she said.

"It is unfortunate that there are a number people who come down and visit the Mornington Peninsula, they don't pick up their dog faeces.

"The council as well should provide more waste bags to encourage people to pick up their waste."

Ms Nicholls said the ban would have "immense impacts".

"To ban us – there's not many other places we can get together as a group," she said.

Mornington Peninsula Shire has one of the highest dog registrations of metro councils.

With 26,734 dogs registered during the period of 2022 to April 2021.

Mornington Peninsula Mayor Anthony Marsh said compliance with owners picking up their dogs faeces was a issue.

"Dogs, like a few other issues, they're highly divisive," he said.

"We have a very split community and people say we have to represent the community, but on issues like this, there is no singe view."

Dog owner Sharon Richardson said the spaces were important for the community.

"We've been hearing about the council trying to shut down the leash free for some time and we've been very upset about that," he said.

"When we had the opportunity today to show just how much dog owners care – we couldn't get down here quick enough."

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A rescue operation is underway for a man who has fallen into a cotton harvester in northern New South Wales.

The 19-year-old man is "heavily pinned by the legs", according to Fire and Rescue NSW who are working to help the man at the irrigation farm, about 10 kilometres north of Walgett.

The man fell into the harvest about 12.30pm today, according to FRNSW.

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Ambulance, Police and State Emergency Services crews are also on site, with firefighters and paramedics trying to relieve the pressure on the injured teenager's thighs and carefully extricate him from the heavy machinery.

An ambulance helicopter is also responding.