* Victoria reported six new cases of coronavirus but no new fatalities on Thursday, leaving the state's death toll at 816 and the national toll at 904.

* Pressure is mounting on the Victorian government to lift restrictions after Melbourne's 14-day rolling average fell to 8.9 on Thursday.

* The Melbourne truck driver who sparked the Kilmore and Shepparton coronavirus outbreaks has slipped through the contact tracing net, according to a senior Victorian health official.

* Three people are infected so far in the Shepparton outbreak, with 400 people isolating and about 4000 tests in the local community over the last two days.

* Premier Daniel Andrews said there were 1862 tests in Shepparton and nearby towns on Wednesday - usually the daily number had been around 60.

* Police are investigating after Mr Andrews' electorate office was vandalised for the second time in less than a month.

* NSW recorded 11 new cases - five in hotel quarantine and four local cases that are linked to a known case or cluster, as well as two with no known source.

* NSW has recorded more infections than Victoria for three consecutive days, sparking fears the state is on the cusp of an outbreak.

* The NSW state government wants more than 20,000 people tested each day after the rate fell below 16,000.

* Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed Queensland's tough COVID-19 border rules, despite the heightened state of alert in NSW.

* Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles says he remains concerned about the increasing number of coronavirus cases being diagnosed in NSW ahead of the potential reopening of the border with that state at the end of the month.

* One new case was diagnosed in Queensland overnight after a traveller returned from Africa and Papua New Guinea.

* A Victorian woman has been fined $4003 after she allegedly stowed away in a freight truck in a bid to cross Queensland's southern border.

* Accommodation vouchers to boost tourism across South Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic have sold out, with the 50,000 available snapped up in 90 minutes.

* SA reported no new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, leaving the state's total since the start of the pandemic at 479.

* Western Australia's coronavirus border closures remain "appropriate and proportionate" but should be reviewed at the end of the month, the state's chief health officer has advised.

* WA recorded five new cases in hotel quarantine on Thursday, taking the number of active cases to 24.

* Mr Morrison has foreshadowed new arrangements to allow more Australians to return home from overseas.

* More than 29,000 Australians have told the government they want to return home but are stuck due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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KEY DATES

* October 16 - New Zealanders can travel to NSW or the NT without having to undergo a quarantine period under a one-way travel bubble.

* October 19 - Some restrictions in Melbourne to be eased.

* October 26 - Tasmania's state of emergency due to expire.

* November 1 - Queensland border reopened to NSW visitors subject to conditions being met.

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

* November 6 - Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry report due.

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AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* There were 23 new cases in Australia, including 11 in NSW, six in Victoria, five in Western Australia and one in Queensland.

* The national death toll is 904: Victoria 816, 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.)

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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* Cases: at least 38,400,000

* Deaths: at least 1,090,000

* Recovered: at least 26,600,000

Australian Associated Press