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Greater Sydney's coronavirus lockdown is expected to be extended beyond July 9.

During her daily update yesterday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she would make an announcement today on when it would end.

Last night, 9News Political Reporter Chris O'Keefe said: "it does not look like we will not be out of this on Friday".

READ MORE: NSW records 18 new cases of COVID-19, decision on lockdown likely tomorrow

Cabinet held a crisis meeting yesterday afternoon and discussed extending current restrictions for a week or leaving significant restrictions in place.

Pubs and restaurants will remain closed.

What the Premier said yesterday

Yesterday morning Ms Berejiklian said the official word on whether the lockdown whether or not the lockdown would end as planned on July 9 would come today.

"We have been having various discussions with health experts and others in the last few days and that will continue throughout today and into the early evening," she said.

Ms Berejiklian said it was possible the lockdown could "continue for a period longer" but she refused to give any indication of an end date.

"We appreciate the stresses that parents go through in particular with having students at home, and we consider that in our decision-making and it will behave based on the health advice," Ms Berejiklian said yesterday.

"People want to know what life will look like beyond Friday midnight. And I am keen to provide that certainty to people tomorrow."

The Premier hinted some form of ongoing restrictions might remain until the end of October.

"The New South Wales government is not only thinking about when we come out of lockdown but what coming out of lockdown looks like," Ms Berejiklian said.

"In addition to that, what life looks like until the end of October when we have many more vaccines available."

Cluster has spread beyond Bondi

Although the latest outbreak started in Bondi and Sydney's eastern suburbs, cases have spread across Sydney.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said health authorities were concerned the coronavirus was spreading from Sydney's east to the city's south-west and western suburbs.

Dr Chant said Fairfield and Bossley Park, in Sydney's west, were areas of concern.

She called on residents of the suburbs to ensure "incredibly high testing rates in those communities" as NSW officials try to identify any unrecognised chains of transmission.

The boss of Sydney's Silverwater women's jail has been stood down after being accused of strangling and assaulting an inmate.

Tracey Mannix is an award-winning and highly respected guard whose career now hangs in the balance.

Today the 55-year-old was arrested at her Mascot home and charged over the alleged incident on June 15, which was captured by security cameras at the prison.

The jail cell encounter was first reported to Corrective Services before it was escalated to NSW Police.

Mannix has been stood down from the top job while the investigation runs its course.

She has spent 33 years guarding prisoners but was spared from joining them in the cells after she was granted bail.

The guard has fought similar battles previously and won. She was previously acquitted of assaulting an aggressive male prisoner during a staff strike in 2018.

Mannix will front court on the fresh charges on July 26.

Former federal Liberal MP Julia Banks has launched another scathing attack on Prime Minister Scott Morrison, while also alleging an unnamed senior cabinet minister touched her inappropriately at Parliament House.

Ms Banks, who was an ardent supporter of ousted prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, described Mr Morrison as being like a "menacing, controlling wallpaper" who was in control of "bully boys" who had hounded her.

Speaking on Today, Ms Banks said Mr Morrison was angry when she quit the Liberal Party in 2018 and claimed she had been the victim of media "backgrounding" to tarnish her reputation and attack the supposed state of her mental health.

READ MORE: Delta variant moving from Sydney's east to the west

Her relationship with the PM became untenable, she said, after she voted for former Liberals MP Julie Bishop instead of Mr Morrison when Mr Turnbull was taken out in a leadership coup.

"I was one of only 11 people who voted for Julie Bishop, and I understand I was the only woman who voted for Julie Bishop," she said.

"He wasn't thrilled about that."

Calling out what she claimed was a toxic culture in the party, with the coup the final straw, Ms Banks signalled her intent to quit.

That was when Ms Banks said she found out sources in the party had been backgrounding the media to claim she "had suffered an emotional breakdown" and that she was "a complete mess".

"Scott Morrison found himself in a tricky position," Ms Banks said, "because he wanted to keep my vote."

"He sort of needed me in Parliament."

But she declined his offer of a ministerial position and "an all-expenses paid trip to New York".

That was when "all the reprisals and the backlash" started, Ms Banks said.

"I was under fire," she said.

She said she was being called "a weak petal" and "a bully bitch".

"I was wanting to tell him to tell his bully boys to back off," she told Today.

READ MORE: Shark attack victim flown to hospital in 'serious' condition

Ms Banks moved to the crossbench as an independent MP after quitting the Liberal Party and later announced she would not contest her seat of Chisholm at the 2019 election.

She unsuccessfully ran as an independent against Liberal MP Greg Hunt in his seat at Flinders in the same election.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office this morning said: "The Prime Minister was disappointed in Ms Banks's decision to quit the parliamentary party and had several conversations with her to understand what she was going through to see what support could be offered before she made her decision."

"The Prime Minister absolutely rejects claims about the nature of those conversations," the spokesperson added.

In a new memoir, Ms Banks alleged an unidentified party colleague put his hand on her inner thigh and up her leg in an "astoundingly brazen" act.

Despite the allegation, Ms Banks said she would not make a statement or submission to the ongoing review of parliamentary workplace culture, which was triggered by the alleged rape of the former government staffer Brittany Higgins, because she did not trust the process.

"I am not the only woman who doesn't trust the process," she said.

"Because at the end of the process, because at the end of the day, that report is submitted to the government. It will be submitted to (Scott) Morrison.

"Based on my experience of backgrounding and leaks and confidentiality getting out, my view is I have said all I need to say in the book. And that was the most appropriate way for me to give that submission."

The alleged sexual misconduct occurred while Mr Turnbull was Prime Minister.

She claimed the reporting process of sexual misconduct in parliament was flawed and left women vulnerable and exposed.

At the time of her allegation, Ms Banks said "at least five other Liberal MPs" had called out bad behaviour but had since "gone underground".

The statement from the Prime Minister's Office said: "The Prime Minister is not aware of any allegations of sexual harassment Ms Banks faced. Any such behaviour is completely inappropriate.

"Everyone has a right to feel safe in their workplace, and the work currently underway by Kate Jenkins will continue to improve Parliament's workplace culture."

Watch the full interview with Julia Banks in the video player above.

An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Sydney aged care home continues to grow, with confirmation a fourth staff member has tested positive.

The staff member from SummitCare in Baulkham Hills, whose positive result was revealed on Tuesday night, had been in isolation since July 1 and was classed as a mild case.

The result brings the cluster to 10 cases, including six residents — all of whom SummitCare says are asymptomatic and off-site — and another staffer whose positive result was announced on Tuesday morning.

LIVE UPDATES: No new local Victorian coronavirus cases

The sixth resident to test positive is the wife of another resident, who she has been accompanying since he tested positive on Saturday, SummitCare says.

The couple had both been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and were transferred to Westmead Hospital on Sunday as a precautionary measure, the company said on Tuesday afternoon. It said woman hadn't tested positive until Tuesday.

The staffer identified as positive on Tuesday morning had since gone into isolation but did work while infectious, SummitCare said in a statement.

They worked in a discrete area of the facility, which had been isolated, the organisation said.

Overnight Monday, testing on residents at the facility has shown no further positive results.

So far six residents at the facility have tested positive and all remain asymptomatic in hospital.

READ MORE: Crucial days ahead for deciding future of Sydney lockdown after 35 new COVID-19 cases

"We didn't want to be the nursing home that had COVID come in," SummitCare chief operating officer Michelle Sloane said yesterday.

Two-thirds of the staff working at the aged care home at the centre of a new COVID-19 outbreak remain unvaccinated and it is not yet known whether the new case had received the jab.

Ms Sloane said 96 per cent of residents at the home had received a COVID-19 vaccine.

SummitCare said another 24 residents and staff were jabbed on Tuesday at the facility, which remained in full lockdown.

The Queensland Premier has defended her decision to fly to the Tokyo Olympics this month, as an online petition trying to stop her surpasses 30,000 signatures.

Many of those signing the Change.org petition are believed to be Australians stranded overseas who are calling for Annastacia Palaszczuk to remain in Australia until she changes her stance on cutting hotel quarantine numbers.

But Ms Palaszczuk says her attendance in Tokyo is crucial in securing the games for Brisbane in 2032 and helping Queensland recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

LIVE UPDATES: All the latest breaking news on coronavirus in Australia and the world

"It has been made very clear by John Coates(President of the Australian Olympic Committee), that it would be a disaster if the head of Queensland did not go and it is basically to go there, to make the pitch and to come back and then spend 14 days in hotel quarantine," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I think it is very important that we have that really strong representation of federal, state and local because even Thomas Bach, the head of the Olympic committee, has said the strongest thing going for our bid is the enormous cooperation of all three levels of Government."

Ms Palaszczuk said Brisbane would find out in just over two weeks if they have secured the 2032 Olympics.

The premier, who has had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, has lodged a travel exemption so she can fly to Tokyo for the meeting, then fly straight back home to hotel quarantine.

Those signing the petition are calling for Ms Palaszczuk to increase Queensland's hotel quarantine capacity after the premier has continually supported calls for a reduction in hotel quarantine caps in Australia.

Those stranded say it would be unfair for the premier to take one of their spots in hotel quarantine when she returns from the Tokyo trip.

"Annastacia Palaszczuk should not be allowed to steal a precious hotel quarantine space from a more deserving stranded Australian trying to return home," the petition reads.

"(She) has successfully advocated for a brutal and heartless halving of Australian quarantine spaces, making it even more difficult for stranded Australians."

Appearing on ABC's Q+A last week, Ms Palaszczuk said she had received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine in order to safely travel to Tokyo and the trip was an important step in Brisbane's bid to secure the 2032 Olympics.

READ MORE: National Cabinet set to slash the number of Australians allowed home

"This is a very important meeting and it is expected by the International Olympic Committee that a federal representative, the Premier and the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, attend to present, in front of the International Olympic Committee," Ms Palaszczuk said on the program.

The Palaszczuk Government has long pushed for the 2032 games to be held in Brisbane, with the potential for the international sporting event to pump billions of dollars into the state economy.

"It's worth about $14 billion and I would hope, by 2032, we would be back to a normal society of freedom – it would create over 100,000 jobs."

READ MORE: Queensland's bold plans to build two quarantine facilities

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick also supported Ms Palaszczuk's decision to fly to Tokyo, agreeing with the premier that the trip is crucial for the state's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

"We can't look to the short and medium term only, we need to look over the horizon to the longer term as well," Mr Dick said.

"That opportunity to continue Queensland's acceleration out of and through COVID is the 2032 Paralympic and Olympic Games. This is an unprecedented opportunity for Queensland. The boost to infrastructure, the opportunity to showcase our state to the world as a destination for a holiday and also as a destination for investment.

"Those sorts of things cannot be underestimated. We can see the finish line but we're not there yet and we just can't afford to stumble at the last hurdle which is exactly why Queensland needs to be represented at the meeting of the international Olympic committee in Tokyo in July."

Mr Dick said Mr Coates made it clear that it is imperative that Queensland be represented.

"Those people who don't want us represented, simply don't understand what is at risk for our state," he said.

"This pathway to future investment, this growing confidence in our state that can continue to accelerate and the jobs and the opportunities that will come from hosting the biggest event in the world right here in our home state."

Infectious disease expert Dr Paul Griffin said quarantine rules should apply to Ms Palaszczuk following her trip to Japan.

Speaking to Today this morning, Dr Griffin said anyone returning to Australia should have to follow quarantine protocols in place. 

"Anybody who is travelling, we want to make sure they can do it safely, to reduce the risk of introducing the virus into our community on their return," Dr Griffin said.

"We need to look to make sure the same rules apply." 

Ms Palaszczuk confirmed on the program that on her return, she would quarantine in a designated hotel facility, not at home or at the Lodge.

While defending the trip, Ms Palaszczuk again reaffirmed her stance that travel numbers should be cut and the topic would continue to be discussed during cabinet meetings.

The Queensland Government is pushing to ramp up the number of Pfizer vaccines being administered by the end of the year, with the potential for 24-hour vaccination clinics being introduced soon.

Australians stranded overseas have encountered another barrier to returning home, with some airlines appearing to jack up flight prices after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced arrivals caps would be slashed.

Flights from the US to Australia have taken a particular leap, with Google in recent days logging prices of up to $70,309 for a trip from New York to Sydney.

United Airlines' website reveals prices varying wildly in the coming months, from US$5762 ($7609) for a New York-Sydney trip on July 8 (New York time), to over US$21,000 ($27,730).

READ MORE: International passenger arrivals to be reduced by 50 per cent to ease pressure on quarantine facilities

They then dwindle back to US$2562 ($3502) by September.

NSW Central Coast resident Dave, 41, told nine.com.au that it was "mind blowing" he could fly to the Dominican Republic or Paris, but not back home.

He was shocked to find prices above $70,000 when he Googled flights back to Australia recently, following Mr Morrison's announcement of the cap slash.

"The rest of the world is moving on and Australia is being left behind," he said.

"I understand the Australian government is trying to do the right thing. I want to see my family. But cutting the numbers by 50 per cent makes the airfares unrealistic."

READ MORE: Scott Morrison outlines Australia's pathway out of the pandemic

David said the Australian government should be subsidising flights home for residents stuck overseas.

"The way the Australian government is handling it is completely insane," he said.

"They're just going to keep going into lockdown anytime a few people catch the virus. It's completely unrealistic."

Mr Morrison announced earlier this week that as part of Australia's "four phase" path out of the COVID-19 pandemic, international arrivals would be cut by 50 percent in order to reduce pressure on quarantine facilities

"Simply reducing the caps doesn't necessarily provide a fail safe, but because of the particular virulence of the Delta strain, it is believed that is a prudent action while we remain in this suppression phase of the virus," Mr Morrison said.

READ MORE: Home quarantine will be trialled for vaccinated travellers

However, the Commonwealth government will facilitate increased commercial flights in order to bring Australians home.

They will be taken to Darwin for quarantine at the Howard Springs facility.

"I would note in recent days and weeks that we have seen demand for those facilitated flights run by the Commonwealth having actually dipped and so those flights we have been bringing in have not been full because there hasn't been the demand to take those up," Mr Morrison said.

"I suspect that will change now with the commercial flight restrictions, then we will see that supply being fully taken up and we will be enhancing that."

The caps will be progressively increased as Australia moves through the plan's stages.

However, Australians still stuck overseas have slammed the decision.

A New Zealand academic says Twitter temporarily restricted her account after she mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping.University of Canterbury professor Anne-Marie Brady is an expert on China’s attempts to exert political influence…

More than a hundred students at a private boy's school in Sydney have already received a coronavirus vaccine, despite it only being officially available to those over 40.

The principal of St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill on the lower north shore confirmed 160 of its students were vaccinated with their first dose of Pfizer in May 2021.

Headmaster Ross Tarlinton said in a statement the college liaised with NSW Health about getting certain students vaccinated.

However, NSW Health said this afternoon the school approached it about getting indigenous students vaccinated.

All 163 Year 12 boarders were given the jab "through an error".

READ MORE: Pfizer jab now offered by GPs in next phase of vaccine rollout

"The College approached Sydney Local Health District in May 2021 to inquire about the possibility of vaccinations for students, given that we have a large number of boys who live in a residential community, which includes boys from rural, remote and indigenous communities," St Joseph's College Headmaster Ross Tarlinton said in a statement to 9News today.

"The approval and administration of the vaccine was endorsed and managed by NSW Health through the Sydney Local Health District.

"The College proceeded to make arrangements for the administration of the approved vaccine at a centre determined by NSW Health.

"Acknowledging that the College does not determine vaccination priority, it welcomed the opportunity to offer the vaccine for students given the approvals provided and for the reasons listed above.

"The College will continue to encourage and support members of its community to receive the appropriate vaccine as the opportunity arises," the statement said.

Currently, that vaccination is only officially available to people in NSW aged 40-49, or those eligible in Phase 1a and 1b of the rollout in NSW.

All Aboriginal people aged 16-49 are also eligible under the guidelines.

This afternoon, Dr Teresa Anderson, Chief Executive, Sydney Local Health District admitted NSW Health made an error and vaccinated all students in the group.

"Sydney Local Health District was approached by St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill in relation to the vaccination of Aboriginal students boarding at the school.

"All Aboriginal people aged 16 to 49 years of age are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Commonwealth Government eligibility criteria as they have a higher risk of acquiring, and developing severe disease from, COVID-19.

"It was agreed that the Aboriginal students would be vaccinated through the state health system at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's vaccination hub.

"Through an error, the wider group of boarders in Year 12, a total of 163 students, were also vaccinated.

"Sydney Local Health District apologises for this error," Dr Anderson said.

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