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A Chinese Australian writer tried in Beijing for alleged espionage has told supporters he pleaded for a judge to reject evidence of what he had said while being tortured by interrogators.

Yang Hengjun faced a closed trial on Thursday and the court deferred its verdict to a later date.

Australian ambassador to China on Friday labelled his incarceration since arriving in China in January 2019 as arbitrary detention.

READ MORE: China to allow families to have three children

The Associated Press on Monday saw the crime novelist and blogger's account of the legal proceedings circulated among his supporters over the weekend.

Mr Yang said he had a meeting with his trial judge three days before his one-day trial.

The judge refused his request to submit evidence and call witnesses during the trial but agreed to include almost 100 pages of defence documents in his case file.

"I made a plea to the judge to exclude my interrogation records from the court proceedings," Yang said.

"It's illegal. Torture. They had hidden camera records," Mr Yang added.

He did not say how the judge responded to his request.

Chinese Criminal Procedure Law prohibits confessions forced by torture or threats.

The prosecution case, "according to legal facts, is groundless," Mr Yang said.

READ MORE: Australian on 'totally baseless' spying charges at 'grave risk of torture'

The writer said he was "tired and confused" during the hearing and "didn't have the spirit to speak enough."

He estimated he spoke for less than five minutes in his own defence but said the hearing "gave me a sense that things are OK."

"The interrogations I had been subjected to, where I was told I had to confess, and the treatment I received for the first one-and-a-half years was (sic) much worse," he said.

Chinese authorities have not released any details of the charges against Mr Yang, who reportedly formerly worked for China's Ministry of State Security as an intelligence agent.

Mr Yang told his supporters at the weekend: "I served China when I was young, even secretly."

He has denied the accusation against him, and while a conviction is virtually certain, it isn't clear when the verdict will be handed down.

The espionage charge carries penalties ranging from three years in prison to the death penalty.

The trial comes at a time of deteriorating relations between the countries, brought on by Chinese retaliation against Australian legislation against foreign involvement in its domestic politics, the exclusion of telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G phone network, and calls for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus that was first detected in China in late 2019.

Vietnam plans to test all 9 million people in its largest city for the coronavirus and has imposed more restrictions to deal with a growing COVID-19 outbreak.

People in Ho Chi Minh city were only allowed to leave home for necessary activities and public gatherings of more than 10 people were banned for the next two weeks, the government announced on Monday.

Prior to the order, the city, also Vietnam's economic hub, shut down non-essential business last Thursday when cases started to increase.

READ MORE: Vietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strains

State newspaper Vietnam News said the city authority was planning to test its entire population with a testing capacity of 100,000 samples a day.

The newspaper said police had filed a case on Sunday for "spreading dangerous infectious diseases" against the couple who head a Protestant church mission, citing poor health protocols applied at the premises.

At least 145 cases of coronavirus infection have been reported with links to the Revival Ekklesia Mission, a Protestant sect, and the city district of Go Vap, where the church is based, has been locked down. Vietnam has since banned all religious events nationwide.

The newspaper said church followers gathered in small space for singing and chanting without proper distancing and mask-wearing. Ho Chi Minh City police said the mission had 48 registered members.

READ MORE: Sydney man's family plead for help to free him from Vietnam jail

The report said the husband and wife accused in the case were responsible for leading and organising activities at the church. They were not identified and were not under arrest.

Since the end of April, a surge in COVID-19 has spread to 31 municipalities and provinces in Vietnam with more than 4000 cases, almost double the total number that the country reported since the beginning of the pandemic.

Some recent patients in Vietnam were infected with a hybrid of the virus variants first found in India and the UK, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said on Saturday. He said the hybrid might spread more easily and could be responsible for Vietnam's recent surge.

Viruses often develop small genetic changes as they reproduce, and new variants of the coronavirus have been seen almost since it was first detected in China in late 2019.

The World Health Organisation has categorised the UK and the Indian variants, along with two others first found in South Africa and Brazil, as "variants of concern" because they appear to be more contagious.

Vietnam has vaccinated 1 million people with AstraZeneca shots.

It has a deal with Pfizer for 30 million doses to be delivered later this year. It is also in talks with Moderna that would give it enough shots to fully vaccinate 80 per cent of its 96 million people.

Record case numbers in Thailand

Thailand reported a record number of new coronavirus cases on Monday as the Governor of Bangkok announced an easing of some restrictions in effect for more than a month — including people visiting parks for exercise.

Thailand has been fighting to deal with a virus surge that began in early April in a group of nightclubs in Bangkok and has since spread around the country.

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration reported a record 5485 new cases, of which 1953 were in prisons.

Confirmed deaths increased by 19 to bring the total to 1031 since the pandemic began last year.

The total number of confirmed cases has now risen to 159,792, of which 82 per cent occurred during the latest surge.

Singapore restrictions 'on track' for relaxation

Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said on Monday that controls to lower coronavirus infections were working, while announcing a move to vaccinate students after a spate of transmissions in schools and learning centres.

Lee said controls banning dining out and severely limiting social gatherings were "on track" to be relaxed after June 13.

He urged the public to remain vigilant and only leave home if they must.

The government imposed the tighter controls this month after a number of local coronavirus cases were linked to malls, hospitals and the airport, up from virtually none earlier in the year.

A major overhaul is coming for Western Australia's hotel quarantine operations, after the McGowan government agreed to hire a private health logistics company to provide all doctors and nurses to the system.

Healthcare Australia, which is already contracted to the New South Wales and Victorian governments, recruits and trains medical staff specifically to manage and treat people in hotels.

"The Health Department has appointed Healthcare Australia to provide end-to-end health support services, including all GPs, nurses and nursing assistants," outgoing State Health Incident Controller Dr Robyn Lawrence said.

READ MORE: Hospital ignored 'graphic' warning signs before teens death

The company has had some role in WA's quarantine system since March, last year. Using their staff will allow public health care workers to return to frontline hospital duties.

While WA has largely kept COVID-19 out of the state, or quickly crushed any outbreaks, two lockdowns in Perth and the Peel region have been the result of the virus escaping hotel quarantine.

In January, a security guard caught the virus while guarding a floor of the Four Points Sheraton without wearing a mask because he was not required to.

And a man in a room opposite two guests with the virus at the Mercure Hotel was infected by airborne contamination in April.

Neither hotel is now being used for quarantine following a report into the two outbreaks.

"HCA clinical staff are trained in, and have been instrumental in the development of, current hotel quarantine procedures," Dr Lawrence said.

"The move will enable clinical staff to return to frontline healthcare services."

The McGowan government said last week it was still considering other ideas for quarantining passengers from overseas.

The federal government has ruled out using any Commonwealth facilities in WA.

Five people including an 11-year-old girl and her father have been rescued after their yacht sunk off the coast of Western Australia.

The group had first set sail from Busselton on a three-month expedition to Exmouth and spent a couple of days on Rottnest Island.

They were on their way to Sandy Cape, north of Jurien Bay, when treacherous seas swamped their yacht, capsizing it in the process.

READ MORE: Man found dead after boat washes aground at Bundeena

Glenn Anderson and his 11-year-old daughter, Ruby, became separated from the remaining three people onboard, all of whom were forced to abandon ship in 40-knot winds.

"All of a sudden there was a breaking wave outside of the boat and we tried to take evasive action but it was too late, and the wave knocked the boat flat," Mr Anderson said.

"It was like something out of a movie, the mast just went down in a matter of minutes."

During the ordeal, Mr Anderson suffered a heavy cut to his head while Ruby sustained a broken leg.

After two hours treading water, the group of three was picked up by a fisheries vessel while the search continued for Mr Anderson and Ruby.

By the time they were finally spotted they were just 200 metres from shore.

READ MORE: Stranded Aussie couple halfway home after six weeks in leaky boat

https://twitter.com/JurienBayPol/status/1398940699467280386

READ MORE: Family of Aussie sailor 'grateful' to teen who tried to save him

Tragically the yacht sunk with the family's nine-month-old puppy Banjo onboard.

Mr Anderson said his daughter was in a stable condition despite suffering from severe hypothermia and two broken bones in her leg.

"When she was first up on the boat she could barely speak and could barely say her own name," Mr Anderson said.

"She was severely hypothermic to the point the paramedics said he couldn't get a temperature reading from her finger because there was no circulation at all."

Maritime authorities say the group's use of lifejackets and an emergency beacon — or EPIRB — was instrumental in their rescue.

The Transport Workers Union faces an internal revolt over allegations its members' money was spent on alcohol and dinners, with recordings revealing ugly infighting.

The tapes, obtained by 9News, centre on accusations against TWU Queensland branch secretary Peter Biagini.

Mr Biagini is accused of spending union members' money to purchase "various things", withdrew nearly $500,000 to pay for a "sham redundancy" and also paid five officials to "silence them".

READ MORE: Christian Porter discontinues defamation action against ABC

Management is also divided over the state of the union's books, with decade-long relationships at the union disintegrating.

One senior figure is heard attacking Mr Biagani and assistant secretary Adam Carter over pay rises.

The recordings also reveal anger from some members over Mr Carter taking redundancy from his elected position, delivering him a reported six-figure amount.

Mr Carter told 9News the branch determined his position was no longer required, and he was paid out his lawful entitlements.

Mr Biagini is also facing accusations of awarding union contracts without disclosing conflicts of interest, one instance including the construction of a union headquarters.

Mr Biagini has since stood down, telling 9News he empathetically denies the allegations and is confident he will be cleared.

The accusations have caused unrest in the TWU, with bus, train and rubbish truck drivers now planning to demonstrate alongside port and airline workers against their union this weekend.

"God help us if our members find out what the bloody hell is happening in this room," one of the men on the tape is heard saying.

"Yep, agreed. We are meant to represent our members – not to carry on like this," another responds.

The Commonwealth's vaccine rollout for aged care residents and workers is back under the spotlight as Victoria's coronavirus outbreak worsens.

Eleven new cases were recorded in Victoria on Monday, including two aged care employees and a 99-year-old resident.

One of the positive cases, an Arcare Aged Care worker, did not receive the first dose on May 12 when other staff were receiving the jab, as she was on personal leave at the time.

READ MORE: Victoria records six further cases of COVID-19 as virus seeps into aged care homes

Following the three confirmed cases in aged care in Melbourne, Health Minister Greg Hunt said a review would be conducted into compulsory vaccinations for aged care staff.

"In relation to mandating for aged care workers, that had been previously looked at by the chief health officers of the states, along with the Commonwealth," he said.

"The Prime Minister and myself have asked the medical expert panel to review that decision. That was not recommended at the time.

"We have asked the medical expert panel to review precisely that question."

The Health Minister said some aged care residents had not agreed to receive the jab, and implored them to rethink their decision.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd confirmed for someone to be considered "fully vaccinated" they needed to have the two required jabs, but the first dose had "protective benefits".

The federal government's vaccine rollout came under fire for being too slow as Victorians set out in droves to get a jab amid the latest outbreak.

READ MORE: Multiple Melbourne schools close as positive cases confirmed

Last week, Mr Hunt said 85 per cent of aged care residents had taken up vaccines.

Today, he said "100 per cent of aged care facilities in Victoria have been vaccinated", while there were six facilities nationwide in which residents were yet to receive a first dose.

"At this stage we have had over 4000 visits to aged care facilities. We have worked on making sure that there is the consent from all of the families or the individuals themselves," Mr Hunt said.

"We really want to encourage all of the families and guardians of those that have not chosen to take up their vaccinations, of where consent has not been provided by families, to please reconsider."

At least four aged care homes in Victoria are under an additional lockdown, including Arcare, with residents confined to their rooms and staff wearing additional PPE.

Families of those in homes are understandably worried about their loved ones.

Melbourne man Tony visited his father Peter at Arcare in Maidstone today and said he was very concerned.

"We're all worried, we just don't know what the future holds, it starts with one and then just multiplies," he said.

Last year in the peak of the pandemic, 655 Victorian aged care residents passed away.

One of those was Maria Vasilakos, and her son Spiros said the possibility of another aged care outbreak was devastating and more should have been done to protect the elderly.

"I'm actually astounded, astounded that 12 months down the track, no lessons have been learned," he said.

READ MORE: Aged care worker revealed as woman who breathed on 9News reporter's face during Melbourne lockdown protest

A jury has found a champion kickboxer guilty of one of Melbourne's most infamous crimes – the 1994 Armaguard robbery.

Pasquale Lanciana has spent almost three decades professing his innocence over the Richmond Road Gang Robbery.

However, today a jury found the 63-year-old guilty of carrying out the heist.

READ MORE: Two sisters 'escape quarantine in Northern Territory'

In June 1994, a van carrying three Armaguard workers left the Reserve Bank on Collins Street with $2.3 million inside.

As the van entered the South Eastern Arterial, now known as the Monash Freeway, it was hijacked by five fake roadworkers – decked out in high-vis vests, hard hats and carrying signs.

They started up a loud concrete saw, positioned a ute to block other drivers from the scene.

READ MORE: Schools latest concerning exposure sites in Melbourne

They then entered the back of the van using a duplicate key.

The guards were handcuffed, had garbage bags placed over their heads and were driven to a nearby side street where the robbers fled with the cash.

Weeks later, Lanciana bought an expensive block of land in Williamstown.

A jury failed to reach a verdict in 2019, but after seven days of deliberations, a second jury decided he was one of the gang members.

The case against Lanciana rested on the evidence of a star witness who secretly recorded him, bragging about being the mastermind of the robbery.

He also revealed details about the crime that someone could only have known, if they were involved.

Lanciana has been taken into custody. He will be sentenced later this year.