Qantas will remove the buffet from its lounges when 11 reopen on 1 July – but has come up with a host of innovative solutions to make them COVID-safe.

The airline says it only needs to raise $30 million to expland, and is so confident the target will be met that it's starting preparations "in earnest”.

Here's where the Australian states currently stand on border closures after Victorian coronavirus cases spiked in the last week.

Stephen Byron has continued his campaign to restart flights from the capital early by writing a formal letter to the government.