When can Australians go back to the pub? Prime Minister hints at answer

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has given Australians the strongest possible hint about when they can return to their favourite watering hole.

9News Federal Politics reporter Fiona Willan put Mr Morrison on the spot during a press conference in Canberra today when she asked: "When can we go to the pub?"

He said the ticket to easing COVID-19 restrictions around social distancing was downloading the COVIDSafe app.

"Now if that isn't an incentive for Australians to download CovidSafe, on a Friday, I don't know what is.

"So I'd encourage people to do just that this afternoon.

"And I'd encourage them, if they're talking to each other on Zoom, if they're having a cold one later on today in that environment and if they're looking forward to doing it in a pub, well that is a prerequisite to even getting to that conversation," Mr Morrison said in the press conference that followed his National Cabinet update.

Next Friday the government will reveal the National Cabinet's to slowly ease restrictions put in place to combat coronavirus.