* Australia is to spend half a billion dollars on an "advance purchase" of COVID-19 vaccines to help our regional neighbours bounce back from the pandemic, with the move hailed as helpful to our own economic recovery and health security.

* Some Melbourne office workers could be back in place before Christmas as Victoria's numbers remain low.

* The state initially reported one new case in a hospital patient but then declared it a false positive.

* Melburnian families can now drop by on each other at home but only one household can visit another household per day.

* Queensland has recorded no new cases on state election day and notched 50 days since its last locally-acquired infection.

* Annastacia Palaszczuk's decision to leave Sydney on the state's border blacklist has been mocked by Qantas boss Alan Joyce and her NSW counterpart, Gladys Berejiklian.

* Head of Sydney-based Wentworth Travel agency Anna McMurtrie says because Sydney is home to the bulk of NSW's population, especially those with disposable income, only reopening Queensland to other parts of the state will mean little.

* NSW recorded one new locally-transmitted case diagnosed from 13,134 tests, a previously reported teen who is a student at Cabramatta High School, which has been closed for deep cleaning.

* South Australia recorded four new coronavirus cases, all in returned overseas travellers. A man and woman in their 70s, a woman in her 50s and a child are all in quarantine.

KEY DATES

* November 2 - Regional Victorian residents allowed to travel to the Northern Territory if case numbers remain low.

* November 6 - Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry interim report due. Tasmania plans to open its border to NSW residents without quarantine. Queensland reopens to regional NSW.

* November 8 - From 11.59pm, the 25km travel rule scrapped and the Metropolitan Melbourne-regional Victoria border will end, reuniting the state. Gyms and fitness studios can reopen subject to density quotas, while patron limits for hospitality will increase.

* Western Australia will reopen its borders to all states and territories from November 14, but some restrictions will remain for people from NSW and Victoria.

--

AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* There were six new cases recorded in Australia: Four in SA, one in NSW and one in WA

* The national death toll is 907: Victoria 819, NSW 55, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states.)

--

GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* Cases: at least 45,920,740

* Deaths: at least 1,194,000

* Recovered: at least 33,250,000

Data current as of 1800 AEDT October 30, taking in federal and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.

Australian Associated Press