And that’s where we’ll leave you this Sunday evening. Here’s what we learned:
• Major flooding continued across Victoria despite the sunny weather, with some rivers still rising and yet to peak on Sunday evening.
• The prime minister Anthony Albanese visited flood-affected areas of Victoria with state premier Daniel Andrews today, promising 100 Australian Defence Force personnel on the ground to help out. Just over 9,000 Victorians have applied for one-off emergency assistance payments so far and there are 13 relief centres open around the state.
• There were 355 roads closed and 6,000 properties without power, mostly west of Mooroopna, due to flood waters breaching a levee on a local substation. Those outages could continue for up to a week, depending on the flood activity.
• An evacuation warning is currently in place for Shepparton, Mooroopna and Orrvale but the SES is advising it’s now too late to leave. Flooding is expected to peak overnight at 12.2 metres in the area – higher than the 1974 peak.
• There were also flood warnings issued for the Esk River in Tasmania and evacuation warnings for those staying in Moama caravan and tourist parks and Narrandera in New South Wales.
• In non-flood news, federal and state Liberal politicians have accused the Albanese government of “playing favourites” with infrastructure spending, complaining about the allocation of funding between states and the unpicking of controversial announcements by the former Morrison government.
• One in five swimming spots in New South Wales have been rated as having “poor” or “very poor” pollution levels, including Sydney’s popular Coogee beach, after the state experienced its wettest summer in a decade.
• And former prime minister Julia Gillard will lead a South Australian royal commission into early childhood education and care to improve the school system she credits with her ascent to the top job.
Thanks for sticking with us. We’ll be back with more tomorrow morning. Look after yourselves.
Updated
Floods force school closures in Victoria
About 120 schools and 100 early learning centres in Victoria will be closed tomorrow thanks to the flood disaster, premier Daniel Andrews has said. He’s shared some info on Twitter this afternoon:
There'll be lots of families thinking about school for the week ahead.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) October 16, 2022
Around 120 schools and 100 early learning centres will be closed tomorrow - those schools will be making contact with families directly.
Where it's possible the Department is making plans to have students attend a nearby school.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) October 16, 2022
I know it'll be particularly stressful for Year 12s heading into exams. We're going to try to make it as smooth as possible for you.
Updated
NSW ‘shortchanged’ by federal infrastructure allocation
Federal and state Liberal politicians have accused the Albanese government of “playing favourites” with infrastructure spending, complaining about the allocation of funding between states and the unpicking of controversial announcements by the former Morrison government.
The federal Labor government announced $9.6bn in infrastructure commitments on Sunday for next week’s budget, formalising numerous election promises and pledging to reform how money is spent on large projects.
But the New South Wales infrastructure minister, Rob Stokes, and the transport minister, David Elliott, claimed the federal government “shortchanged” their state, pointing out that other jurisdictions were receiving far more cash.
Elliot said:
It’s time for the federal government to stop playing favourites when it comes to allocating taxpayers’ money and prioritise the spending where it’s needed most.
Sunday’s announcement included confirmation of $2.2bn for Melbourne’s suburban rail loop, $1.5bn for Darwin’s Middle Arm precinct, $300m for the western Sydney roads package and $586m to upgrade Brisbane’s Bruce Highway.
But broken down by state, announcement allocated $1bn to NSW, $2.57bn to Victoria, $685m to Tasmania, $1.47bn to Queensland, $2.5bn to the Northern Territory, $670m to Western Australia and $660m to South Australia.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Sydney’s Coogee beach rated ‘poor’ for pollution
One in five swimming spots in New South Wales have been rated as having “poor” or “very poor” pollution levels, including Sydney’s popular Coogee beach, after the state experienced its wettest summer in a decade.
Twice the number of beaches, lakes and lagoons have been exposed to concerning levels of pollution and sewage since 2019, according to the annual state of the beaches report released by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
Eighty per cent of swimming sites had “good” or “very good” pollution ratings. But a number of popular beaches have been named as having poor water quality due to intense rainfall and flood water inundating waterways.
These include Sydney’s Coogee and Rose Bay beaches, Terrigal beach and Toowoon Bay on the central coast, Woolgoolga main beach and Emerald beach on the mid-north coast, and Caseys and Surf beaches on the south coast.
Coogee, Rose Bay, as well as Northbridge and Bayview baths were among those downgraded to having “poor” water quality after being rated as having “fair” or “good” water quality in last year’s report.
The director of the Australian Graduate School of Engineering, Prof Stuart Khan, said the results were concerning but not surprising after such intense rainfall.
Read the full story here:
Updated
The sandbag shortage in Echuca is being addressed, according to the SES.
A number of sandbags have been delivered to the Echuca area and more are on the way. This is a rapidly changing situation and we are asking the public to be patient as demand is high. Please note supply, locations and operating times may change at short notice. pic.twitter.com/je1oBkx6v4
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 16, 2022
ABS to release monthly labour force data on Thursday
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will be releasing its monthly labour market numbers on Thursday.
Attention will turn to what happens to the unemployment rate after a run of low figures.
The percentage of Australians out of work in August rose slightly to 3.5%.
Commonwealth Bank economists expect to see about 20,000 jobs added in September and the unemployment rate to hold steady at 3.5%.
ANZ economists think the labour market will tighten even further and unemployment will hit 3.3%.
– with AAP
Updated
More photos from around Shepparton.
Flooding around North Shepparton this morning. #vicfloods @sheppartonnews pic.twitter.com/RcRvK7YOwQ
— Megan Fisher (@meganfsher) October 15, 2022
Good morning Shepparton pic.twitter.com/8mV7laPO0L
— Dave Pinnock (@PinnockDave) October 15, 2022
The view from the hill at the Shepparton Art Museum over the lake and Wyndham St @sheppartonnews #vicfloods pic.twitter.com/yVEGNKzmS6
— Anna McGuinness (@annarmcguinness) October 15, 2022
Mobs of stranded kangaroos
People are advised to keep clear of mobs of stranded eastern grey kangaroos in the Goulburn Valley.
EVOLVING: Wildlife Vic has been engaged in ongoing cases in the Goulburn Valley Region. Mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos are stranded due to rising flood waters. We urge people to stay away from the area to reduce ongoing impact on the kangaroos. #vicfloods
— Wildlife Victoria (@wildlife_vic) October 16, 2022
Updated
A few more snaps from the prime minister’s visit to flood-affected areas.
And not a non-consensual handshake in sight.
Updated
NSW Liberals: feds playing favourites with Labor states on infrastructure spend
The New South Wales state government has responded to the Albanese government’s plan for a $9.2bn infrastructure spend, with accusations of favouritism.
The state minister for infrastructure Rob Stokes said the government has “shortchanged” NSW despite it being the country’s most populous state.
He said Victoria and Northern Territory will receive “more than double” the federal funding of NSW.
“That means $10,729 has been allocated for every Northern Territory citizen, while a mere $122 has been committed for every New South Wales citizen,” he said.
The minister for transport, veterans and western Sydney David Elliot accused the federal government of “playing favourites” by prioritising Labor states.
“We’ve handed the Albanese government a long list of infrastructure projects that desperately need funding in western Sydney, around the Aerotropolis and in regional NSW.”
Updated
CSIRO axed climate program despite ‘good progress’
Australia’s premier science organisation abruptly scrapped a fully funded, globally recognised program to predict the climate in coming years without consulting an advisory panel that had praised its “good progress” only weeks earlier.
Launched in 2016 with $37m in funding over 10 years by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the Decadal Climate Forecasting Project was meant to help industries from agriculture to dam operators and emergency services to better cope with climate variability and extremes.
“While current weather and seasonal forecasts can help predict conditions between several days and a few months ahead, we are currently missing a key piece of the puzzle: what will our climate look like anywhere between one year and a decade into the future?” CSIRO said. “That research gap is now being filled by our work in decadal forecasting, providing invaluable insights to industry and beyond.”
However, without fanfare and after having spent what one insider said was about $15m, CSIRO managers halted funding after June 2021.
For all the detail on this exclusive by Guardian Australia economics correspondent Peter Hannam, read the full story here:
Updated
What we know so far
The press conference has wrapped now but I want to briefly go back to the detail Wiebusch shared on the floods across the west and north of Victoria.
Authorities are expecting a major flood of 3.6m at Horsham, below the high peak of 4.7m. It is anticipated 74 properties, the local showground, a caravan park and aged cared facilities are at risk.
On the Evoca River, the Charlton township has a current evacuation warning and authorities are expecting a flood peak of eight metres today which will continue into tomorrow. Around 80 properties are expected to be under threat of flooding.
Along the Loddon River, floodwaters are moving down from Serpentine towards the Murray River. Pyramid Hill and Kerang will come under threat, with the floodwaters to peak at Kerang on Monday or Tuesday.
On the Campaspe River, the Rochester township has experienced “significant inundation” but water is receding – though major flood levels are expected to continue for the next few days.
At Echuca, evacuation warnings have been issued, but it is now too late to leave in some locations. Authorities are expecting around 1000 properties at that location will be either surrounded or inundated as water peaks at 9.6 metres.
Echuca will also experience a second peak on Monday or Tuesday as the water moves toward the Murray River, peaking at 9.5 metres.
On the Goulburn River, where it converges at the Broken, Seven and Castles Creek at Shepparton, the most significant impact is expected today and into the early hours of tomorrow. They are expecting the peak to be around 12.2 metres early Monday morning.
An evacuation warning has been issued for parts of the Shepparton area but it is too late to leave for people who have not moved into relief centres. It is expected around 2500 properties will see flooding above floor level. Another 1600 homes are at risk if the water continues to rise another 1.1 metres.
At Broken Creek, nearby communities are expected to see minor to moderate flooding rather than major flood.
In Seymour, floodwaters have receded to 7.67 metres. That water will continue to drop away from tomorrow with recovery efforts beginning.
On the Hopkins River in the south of the state, residents will begin to see localised flooding today.
Floodwaters at Mount Emu Creek are beginning to recede and recovery efforts are beginning.
On the Barwon River in Geelong, floodwaters peaked at 3.8 metres and are now receding. Residents of the nearby caravan park are no longer under immediate threat of major flooding but 15 to 20 businesses in the area have been inundated.
Updated
Albanese backs Victorian suburban rail loop
Albanese is back now talking about the government’s multibillion-dollar infrastructure announcement and $2.2bn funding for a suburban rail loop in Melbourne.
I made it very clear where I stood with the premier on a number of occasions about this exciting project, it is a nation-building project for Victoria.
On the need for the project Albanese says it will avoid the “hub and spoke approach” taken up by Sydney and Brisbane where people were forced to go into the centre of the city and then back out to get where they needed to go.
Why should you have to go into the city to then go out again? It will make an enormous difference to productivity.
Updated
9,000 Victorian seeking emergency payments
Andrews is speaking again now and says 9,000 people across Victoria are seeking the emergency payment “because their home has been flooded or isolated because of floodwater”.
We do not want finances in any way be limiting the care and support we give to those doing it tough. Those grants are a first. There will be subsequent steps to take and we will have more to say tomorrow.
Certainly thousands and thousands out of their homes. And we can be absolutely certain, sadly, that in places like Shepparton, places like Echuca, and others, that these waters will continue to rise and more and more homes will be flooded.
Updated
Anthony Albanese announced that “as of a couple of minutes’ time” an online system to claim disaster payments has gone live through my.gov.au. For more information people can call the Australian government emergency information line: 1800 226 226.
Updated
Andrews is also asked about the role a flood wall played in potentially directing floodwaters to people’s homes on the Maribyrnong River.
Andrews says a review will be conducted “at arms length” from the government.
The wall in question:
The Maribyrnong River in flood, Melbourne, 2022. #VicFloods #LaNina pic.twitter.com/TSMTpZgdXP
— Prof Emma L Johnston AO FAA FTSE (@DrEmmaLJohnston) October 14, 2022
Updated
A question about insurance and the potential cleanup
Andrews says the government has already spoken to the Insurance Council of Australia and the banks, the federal government and its agents.
This will will be a massive task. Some of it will fall to local government as well as us and the federal government.
Other elements of this will be people taking responsibility for their own property and they will need support and assistance and not everyone will be able to do that.
There will be a range of people who simply cannot do the bits that a homeowner may do, let alone tradespeople, and you are right there will be significant shortages of skills and expertise that we need.
That is why working together is so important and providing people with options to be housed elsewhere, particularly the vulnerable, to be housed elsewhere while we get the work done is a really important development.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is asked whether the 250 beds at Mickleham relief centre will be enough.
He says there is capacity for this number of beds to be doubled.
It won’t be for everyone. It is an option but the key point with this event, unlike others, is that because of just how sodden the ground is and full the catchments are and how significant the rainfall has been with more rain to come, these peaks, even once they recede off the high mark, there will still be … communities and houses uninhabitable for extended periods of time.
For some people, the notion of coming to Mickleham and being well cared for and focus on their wellbeing while the cleanup happens and flood waters recede, the passage of time will be really important with this, particularly as we see more rain, not just this week but that being a feature of the next month or two. It won’t be for everybody but it will be a really important additional tool that has not been available before.
Andrews says the government will provide transport options “as best we can”.
We want to make this as seamless as possible and it is an option, it is not mandatory and not something everyone will choose to do.
Updated
Wiebusch says Vic SES expects “about 100, 1200” properties to flood when the Murray River peaks.
“It will be similar numbers and the Campaspe River will still not have dropped below that major flooding level,” he says.
He also says that those who have not been able to evacuate from some areas will not be able to leave.
We believe there are hundreds of people have chosen for one reason or another to … stay in their homes and that is their choice. We have been appealing for them to move to family and friends and relief centres for quite some time but it is now unsafe and too late to leave.
Updated
Wiebusch asks residents to be aware and be cautious
As we go away from here today we cannot emphasise enough that when we issue emergency warnings we need the community to really look at the actual messages we are providing. We cannot afford for people to be attempting to drive through flash flood waters as the rescues that are occurring are likely to continue to put our emergency services under pressure.
The situation is also not likely to improve yet.
We are expecting to see further rainfall and the bureau has indicated we could see up to 50mm of rain, particularly over the north-east catchments in the later part of next week. We will come back to you in the next few days as the modelling firms up.
Wiebusch is going to questions now.
Updated
SES Victoria says emergency is ongoing
Victorian SES chief officer of operations, Tim Wiebusch, says the “emergency is far from over in Victoria” and floodwaters are moving down the Murray River threatening surrounding communities.
He is providing a comprehensive update on which communities are affected and how badly.
I’ll provide more detail on his update in a moment – the information is hard to keep up with and I don’t want to misreport something in an emergency.
Updated
Victorian premier says disaster recovery response underway
Daniel Andrews says the state government is starting its disaster recovery response by opening evacuation centres and other services in partnership with the federal government.
He says there are 13 relief centres open across the state and 55 sandbag collection points.
There’ll be co-located services like Centrelink and other wraparound services provided by the state government.”
Andrews says 9290 Victorians have applied for one-off emergency assistance payments.
There are also 355 roads closed across the state.
There are 6000 properties without power. Everyone’s doing their level best to get the power back on as quickly as possible and support those power-dependent residents on emergency payments.”
Updated
PM hails ‘the best of the Australian character’ in floods
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking now from flood hit areas of Victoria where an elderly woman has died.
He says 23 local government areas in Victoria have been affected, making them eligible for disaster recovery allowance. They are joined by 16 local government areas in Tasmania and an additional four areas in New South Wales, bringing the total there to 31.
Albanese also recognised the efforts of volunteers and emergency services.
I pay tribute to the volunteers and the people in those communities who are showing such resilience once again, in the face of enormous pressure that they’re under. Australians are coming together.
They’re helping each other out. Once again we are seeing at the worst of times, the best of the Australian character.
Updated
Julia Gillard to lead South Australian royal commission into school system
Former prime minister Julia Gillard will lead a South Australian royal commission into early childhood education and care to improve the school system she credits with her ascent to the top job.
Premier Peter Malinauskas announced Gillard’s appointment on Sunday, calling it a significant step towards delivering reform.
Julia Gillard has the depth of knowledge and the experience to lead the charge on this mammoth task.
This royal commission is a unique opportunity to understand what we need to do to establish our state as a place where all families have the support they need to give their children the best start in life.
Gillard served as education minister in the Rudd government and commissioned the Gonski report, intended to halt and reverse falling school achievement rates.
She said she was proud of the reforms, describing education as a career passion.
I am delighted to now have the opportunity to support the next important steps to improve the early childhood education systems in South Australia.
I am very conscious that I could not have become prime minister without my family’s focus on learning and the education I received at high-quality government schools right here in Adelaide.
Life chances are defined early and I want every child in SA to be set up for success.
The royal commission Gillard will lead is set to examine the support available for families in the first 1000 days of a child’s life.
It will also look at how the state can deliver universal preschool by 2026, provide better access to out of school hours care and increase workforce participation through improved access to childcare.
The inquiry would provide critical understanding of the gaps in the system with a focus on improving access, Education Minister Blair Boyer said.
We have a goal to create a system that makes it easier for modern working families, who might be grappling with the balance that comes with working and raising children.
The royal commission is expected to be complete by the second half of 2023.
- from AAP
Moderate flood warning for northern Tasmania
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a moderate flood warning for the South Esk River.
Areas affected include Carrick to Hadspen, Westwood, Travellers Rest, Blackstone Heights, Riverside and surrounds.
The Bureau expects conditions to change within the next few hours and has advised residents to monitor the situation saying evacuation of some properties may be required.
The Meander River is expected to remain above the major level.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been in flood-affected areas of Victoria this morning – and his Twitter account is posting the photos to prove it.
In Bendigo this morning with Minister for Emergency Services @MurrayWatt, Premier @DanielAndrewsMP and Lisa Chesters MP to receive a briefing on the Victorian floods. pic.twitter.com/JhSXcXhRSc
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 16, 2022
I’m in awe of the professionalism of the team coordinating everything from rescues to food and emergency accommodation. pic.twitter.com/AERHlW3FmJ
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 16, 2022
Federal funds have already started to be distributed, ADF troops are on the ground, and the government stands ready to provide whatever assistance we can to affected communities.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 16, 2022
Thanks to the team at the Epsom Incident Control Centre. pic.twitter.com/tBR5CBZxVl
Power outages west of Shepparton may last up to a week
Nearly 6000 properties west of Shepparton have lost power after floodwater breached a levee in the Mooroopna zone substation overnight.
The substation powers approximately 10,600 homes, but it had to be turned off early this morning after it was inundated despite the efforts of the power company, a spokesperson for Powercor said.
The company had sandbagged the site, constructed a levee and had pumps running in an attempt to keep the water out, but made the decision to shut the substation off this morning to minimise the danger to the community and any risk of long-term infrastructure damage.
As a result, 5,954 customers in Tatura, Mooroopna, Ardmona, Murchison and the surrounding areas have lost power. The outage will remain until water levels have receded and workers can access the site – which will be some days, and may be up to a week, depending on the flood conditions.
The power company has managed to maintain power to approximately 4700 households by routing them to other parts of the network.
Powercor is also monitoring conditions at the Charlton zone substation, which supplies electricity to Birchip, Charlton, Boort, Wycheproof, Watchem, Wedderburn, Korong Vale, Quambatook, Berriwillock, Culgoa, Sea Lake, St Arnaud, Donald and surrounding towns.
Sandbags, pumps and a levee have been in place at the Charlton site since Saturday, but Powercor is encouraging anyone in those areas to prepare for potential outages.
Updated
Major parties accused of copying each other in NSW election promises
Thousands of NSW teachers will be shifted from temporary to permanent positions under pledges simultaneously announced by the state government and opposition, AAP reports.
The two major parties on Sunday accused each other of copying the policy as both promised to move 10,000 staff into ongoing roles to fix shortages ahead of the March state election.
The government said temporary teachers and support staff in areas of need would be offered permanent positions to bolster classroom numbers.
Education minister Sarah Mitchell said the issue had been raised by both teachers and principals, adding that progress had been hampered by the current agreement with unions:
The department of education has been working to identify teachers and support staff in temporary roles who could be transitioned.
At least 10,000 roles have been identified and the department will continue to work directly with principals to identify more.
Opposition leader, Chris Minns, used a speech at the Labor state conference on Sunday to launch his party’s pledge to create 10,000 more permanent teaching roles by shifting temporary positions into ongoing jobs.
We can’t have a situation where teachers are leaving our schools because they don’t know whether they will have a job next term, or next year.
Labor education spokeswoman, Prue Car, accused the coalition of replicating the opposition’s approach, while Mitchell told the ABC it was a case of Labor “copying our homework”.
The government scheme differs in including support staff in its promise of permanent positions.
Updated
New carers strategy to give volunteers access to free support services
Social services minister Amanda Rishworth is trying to encourage more unpaid carers to take advantage of free commonwealth support services, as the government looks to a new carers’ strategy.
She says there are 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia, but only 1 in 5 know about the Carer Gateway program - a website that links people with peer support groups, counselling, tailored support packages, respite assistance, online skills courses and other resources.
There’s a new advertising campaign launching today that will look to boost awareness and use of that platform. Rishworth said Deloitte economic analysis found unpaid carers provided 2.2bn hours of care annually that would cost nearly $78bn if performed by paid workers.
“We know that carers are dedicated and selfless and National Carers Week is the perfect time to acknowledge the efforts of carers and to remind carers of the importance of looking after their own wellbeing,” she said.
The minister said the ad campaign, launching this week, would be “one of the first steps towards delivering a National Carers Strategy, a review of the Carer Recognition Act 2010 and better coordination of carer policy across government”.
On Channel Nine earlier, the minister said carers themselves needed more support.
“What we want to make sure is they are getting the help that they need. One thing we do know from a lot of researchers that often carers don’t identify themselves as carers and they don’t put themselves first in knowing where to go for help,” she said.
“We not a lot of carers are actually getting that support. So we want to increase the number of carers being able to access that support.”
Updated
Overcrowding in remote NT communities persists
The Northern Territory government has spent $2.65bn over the past 15 years to improve the quality of housing in remote Indigenous communities, but overcrowding remains a problem and many houses need repairs.
Under the national partnership for remote housing Northern Territory policy, the government was supposed to improve housing conditions and reduce overcrowding in 73 remote communities and 17 town camps around Alice Springs. But the most recent data on overcrowding in remote communities managed by the national partnership reveals it has only been reduced by 3.2% in five years.
None of this is new to Miriam Charlie. Since 2015, the Yanyuwa Garrwa artist has been capturing the state of housing across all four town camps at Borroloola, with her Polaroid camera.
“All them houses, they’re too small, overcrowded,” she says. “So I went around and took photos of everybody’s houses. What part wasn’t fixed and what part was fixed.”
For more on the extraordinary work of Miriam Charlie, read the full story by Isabella Moore:
Updated
Protest against planned nuclear waste dump in South Australia
The Barngarla nation are holding a protest in Port Augusta today against plans by the federal government to build a nuclear waste dump at Kimba in regional South Australia.
Jason Bilney, chair of the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation said on Thursday the community had been deliberately excluded from the planning process by the previous Coalition government.
“We do not want radioactive waste on our lands, we have been very clear about this,” Bilney said.
“Don’t dump in SA”rally in Poet Augusta ✊🏽🖤💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/6pnw9sREvc
— 💧MsMilera 🖤💛❤️ #ArabunnaKaurnaNarungga #BLM (@OriginalAussie) October 15, 2022
Updated
Senate inquiry into poverty starts Thursday
A Senate inquiry into the level of poverty in Australia will begin from Thursday with the first hearing expected to examine housing issues in Melbourne.
The inquiry is being chaired by Greens senator, Janet Rice, and will coincide with the start of Anti-Poverty Week.
As the Labor government has been working to frame its October budget, Rice said the decision not to raise social security payments was a “political choice” that would hit children living in poverty hardest.
Poverty is a political choice and the Labor government is choosing tax cuts for the wealthy instead of making life easier for these families.
Currently income support payments are up to $40 a day below the poverty line, and there are 300,000 female single parents relying solely on Centrelink as their source of income.
Updated
NSW opposition leader pledges locally built trains in fleet upgrade
New South Wales opposition leader Chris Minns has promised an elected Labor government will “build trains right here” to replace the ageing Tangara fleet.
On Saturday, NSW Labor promised the next generation of passenger trains will be manufactured locally, creating 1000 jobs.
Minns attacked the state government over the decision to buy trains, ferries and trams off-the-shelf from overseas, which he says has lead to costs rising up to 50% and delivery delays.
“The Liberals have always said that New South Wales is not good at building trains. They are wrong. NSW workers are great at building trains and under a Labor government we will build trains here again,” Minns said.
“I am determined to bring back rail manufacturing to New South Wales after a decade of the Liberals sending thousands of jobs offshore and buying trains, trams and ferries filled with defects, faults and failures.”
Under the plan, the replacement of the Tangaras and the Millennium trains will require at least 50% minimum local content in future contracts.
The party said the requirement would “act as a floor, not as a ceiling” and any project that goes above and beyond will be “looked on favourably” during the tender process.
Updated
National Carers Week begins
You might notice some new government ads from today, highlighting some of the support available to the 2.65 million Australians with caring responsibilities.
The national advertising campaign begins today for what is the 30th annual National Carers Week:
The ‘help for those who might never ask’ campaign will be translated into a number of languages, including 15 First Nations languages and is the first step towards the government meeting it’s promise to better support Australia’s unpaid carer’s workforce
Updated
As the floods have forced evacuations and emergency warnings across regional New South Wales, they are also forcing wildlife to move into urban spaces to avoid rising flood waters.
A couple of kangaroos hopping around McEwen Reserve this morning. #vicfloods @sheppartonnews pic.twitter.com/6Ns6VBBK2V
— Megan Fisher (@meganfsher) October 15, 2022
Updated
Around 600 properties in Shepparton area flooded
Reports this morning that the SES had confirmed nearly 8,000 properties had been flooded in the Shepparton-Mooroopna area may have been slightly overstated.
A representative for the SES told Guardian Australia that it’s been impossible to confirm how many properties have been inundated so far as the conditions are “quite complex” and still changing. Due to dangerous conditions, it’s been difficult to get impact assessment teams into those places, the spokesperson said.
However, the SES working in collaboration with Fire Rescue Victoria have been able to assess and confirm that just over 600 properties in the Shepparton area have been flooded so far. Assessments are still ongoing, so that number is expected to rise.
The spokesperson could not confirm how many people had been displaced or evacuated.
The immediate worry is the flood affecting the town. The Goulburn River is expected to peak at 12.2 metres at 4am on Monday morning – that’s higher than the 1974 flood peak, which was 12.09m.
An evacuation warning is currently in place for Shepparton, Mooroopna and Orrvale but the SES is advising it’s now too late to leave. They urge anyone still located in those areas to seek shelter in the highest location possible, and not enter the flood water.
Updated
Here’s video from Shepparton where major flooding has inundated parts of the town on Sunday morning.
Victoria Park Lake at Shepparton underwater this morning and starting to approach properties on the other side of Wyndham St - which is closed between Sobraon St and near Shepparton Art Museum. @sheppartonnews #vicfloods pic.twitter.com/teuaCyroPV
— Anna McGuinness (@annarmcguinness) October 15, 2022
It’s a similar story in Echuca.
Echuca Sunday 7.30am pic.twitter.com/Omug7BiPO4
— Paul Dowsley (@paul_dowsley) October 15, 2022
Updated
New evacuation orders issued in NSW and Victoria
New South Wales State Emergency Services have issued a new evacuation warning for those staying in Moama caravan and tourist parks to leave before 9am on Monday.
Moama Caravan & Tourist Parks flooding
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) October 15, 2022
EVACUATE before 9:00 am Mon 17 Oct.
👉 To read more visit https://t.co/BCnxAdPqqR for all Emergency Warnings.
📞 For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132 500. pic.twitter.com/278n0LLkLi
South West Narrandera flooding - EVACUATE before 6:00 pm Sunday 16 Oct Emergency Warning.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) October 15, 2022
👉 To read more visit https://t.co/BCnxAdPqqR for all Emergency Warnings.
📞 For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132 500. pic.twitter.com/09FRAFYtIc
Meanwhile people in the region around Echuca have received text messages advised them to leave immediately and an evacuation alert has been issued for residents of Charlton township.
Evacuate now text messages just sent to people in the Echuca area. @TheTodayShow @9NewsMelb @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/ZC1KSKfPkb
— Izabella Staskowski (@IzaStaskowski) October 15, 2022
This EMERGENCY WARNING - RIVERINE FLOOD - Evacuate Immediately is for Charlton Township.
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 15, 2022
If you live, work or are holidaying in this area, you should Evacuate Immediately.
More details at: https://t.co/tfE52EAbh3 pic.twitter.com/44twGu8DYH
Updated
Australian Defence Force deployed to assist with Victoria floods
Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed to Victoria to help respond to emergencies caused by flooding with prime minister Anthony Albanese flagging the possibility of extra support for Victoria.
“We’ve made whatever assistance has been requested available, there are now 60 Australian Defence Force personnel on the ground, assisting with evacuations, assisting with sandbagging, doing their bit as our defence forces always do,” Albanese told ABC Radio this morning.
We’ve also made available the commonwealth facilities at Mickleham to create a Centre for National Resilience, which will ensure that 250 beds are available for those people who’ve had to, unfortunately, evacuate their homes.
Albanese said there may be additional support from Services Australia. We’re expecting a press conference from him this afternoon.
Updated
Anthony Albanese to tour Victoria's flood-affected regions
Prime minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Victoria today to tour flood-affected regions. We’re expecting him to visit Bendigo this morning and then hold a press conference in Melbourne in the early afternoon, with federal colleagues and Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.
The federal government has pledged more support for recovery and cleanup efforts, with defence force staff deployed to the affected areas. Andrews had also asked for federal money to help prepare the controversial Mickelham quarantine facility (which only closed recently, not long after opening, due to a lack of need for specialised Covid quarantine space) as an evacuation area.
Albanese may also get some questions about the infrastructure spending in the upcoming federal budget, with a big set of announcements on that today as the government confirms a $9.6bn spend. This is all confirmation of already known election commitments, but the government is painting the announcement as a course correction for how the former Coalition government treated this area.
Albanese and infrastructure minister Catherine King said in a statement:
The budget takes an important first step in ensuring the commonwealth’s infrastructure spending is responsible, affordable and sustainable.
We are putting sense back into infrastructure planning and delivery.
Updated
Scale of Victoria’s flood recovery efforts will be ‘significant’: King
Conversation turning now to the floods and the damage to infrastructure. The damage bill hasn’t come in yet but King says it is possible to get a sense from some of the pictures coming in about the damage to roads.
The good thing is now the government – you’ve seen it in Queensland and New South Wales – is actually building back better.
King says she expects Victoria will have a “significant ask” when it comes to the recovery effort from the floods.
She closes on saying “our hearts go out to people in Shepparton and Echuca”.
Who would have thought Maribyrnong and Kensington underwater? Terrible.
Updated
King on Coalition’s overpriced car parks and discretionary grants
Asked for examples of these extraordinary rorts, King cites overpriced car parks and the $2bn Regional Acceleration Fund:
That one in particular was a strange one, frankly. I think Bridget McKenzie put forward – again she sort of ran around the country during the election campaign announcing all sorts of bits and pieces.
Certainly we will be keeping some elements of that, that sit with the agenda of the new government around training people, making sure we have good university funding, a large proportion of it we won’t.
On the Building Better Regions fund, the applications have closed in December and wasn’t assessed before government left. King says she “hasn’t made a decision about that yet”.
There will be a regional grants program of some sort. It will not be the sort of terrible, skewed program that we’ve seen in the past.
Updated
King criticises Coalition’s ‘fanfare’ announcing projects with little follow through
King’s using the interview to take a few digs at her predecessor while discussing sports rorts and the former Coalition’s government’s habit of making splashy announcements but not necessarily following through.
The previous government announced a lot, with a lot of fanfare, but when you look at the capacity constraints and amount of money available.
King said that many of the projects that were announced will need to be reviewed to ensure realistic delivery times and proper funding.
There will be cuts particularly in terms of those things we just saw, extraordinary rorts in terms of commuter car parks.
Updated
Federal government ‘in conversation’ with NSW about Warragamba dam wall
King is asked about how the infrastructure spend is being divvied up with New South Wales clearly getting less than Labor-lead states. King says the decisions were based on the projects that had been submitted to the federal government ahead of the budget.
We will work with the New South Wales government as we lead into the May budget.
Asked about the New South Wales Liberal government’s promise to raise the Warragamba dam wall and the lack of money for that. King says the federal government is “in conversation” with the NSW state government.
Of course we will look at it. At this stage we don’t have enough information from the New South Wales government on which to make a decision.
There is back and forth between Infrastructure Australia and the New South Wales department and I haven’t seen any of that yet.
We are open to the New South Wales government to talk about what their priorities are would be.
That would be a decision leading into the May budget and certainly not a decision I will make via media conference frankly.
Updated
King is asked about scathing reports the suburban rail loop has received from the auditor general and other criticism.
She says Infrastructure Australia is currently undertaking a “review” of the project.
This is for the early works of this project. We haven’t made any further commitments. We will talk to the Victorians around that as we go forward. They have an election they are facing and this will be a contested project, I’m sure, but something we have confidence in.
Updated
Labor is ‘committed’ to Victoria’s suburban rail loop project: King
Catherine King is speaking now and says this will be a “bread and butter” budget as the government looks to “reconcile the budget going forward”.
King is asked why Labor is setting aside funding for the suburban rail loop proposed in Victoria and not waiting for the outcome of the state election to see whether the proposal will be dropped.
We are honouring our election project. This project will be transformational for Victoria. We saw the prime minister was over in Perth with Metro Net which is a similar project.
We are looking at activating the suburbs and trying to actually build new hubs around those train stations and build new train stations, and that is really what this is about for Melbourne … a project we are really committed to. We certainly know that the Victorian state Labor government is committed to it. I certainly hope the Liberals are as well.
Updated
Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor is on the ABC Insiders panel this morning and has wasted no time pointing out the tension at the heart of Labor’s October budget.
I think the rhetoric now seems to have shifted to Jim Chalmers wanting to have an ‘adult conversation’. That really interests me. If he wants to have an adult conversation about the gap we want to pay in social services and the revenue we raise between October and next May’s budget … I think it is a laudable aim.
I think it is what we do need to do, but it is a hard thing to do, I think particularly since we haven’t done so well on adult conversations on these things.
Updated
Minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development Catherine King will be appearing on ABC Insiders on Sunday morning where she is expected to discuss the infrastructure spend.
Updated
Albanese wants $9.6bn infrastructure spend to be ‘lasting legacy’
Ahead of the October budget the Labor government has remained steadfast in its promise to carry through the stage-three tax cuts and has been warning “tough choices” will need to be made but also promised a $9.6bn infrastructure spend.
In a statement prime minister Anthony Albanese said he wanted the infrastructure spend to be a “lasting legacy” of his government.
It’s about making journeys quicker, but also making sure people can get home to their families safely.
Through our first budget, my team is getting on with the job of delivering projects in consultation with Infrastructure Australia and all levels of government to make a real difference to the lives of Australians.
The announcement includes:
$300m for Western Sydney Roads Package and $500m for the High Speed Rail Authority.
$2.2bn for the Suburban Rail Link in Victoria
$586.4m of additional funding for a major upgrade of the Bruce Highway to widen a 13km stretch through Brisbane’s outer northern suburbs.
$1.5bn for upgrading important freight highways, sealing the Tanami, and upgrading Central Arnhem Road, as well as the Dukes, Stuart and Augusta highways in SA.
$540m to upgrade Tasmania’s important road corridors, including the Bass Highway, the Tasman Highway and the East and West Tamar Highways.
$125m funding to help build an electric bus network for Perth.
Updated
Even as skies have temporarily cleared across Victoria, flood warnings remain active across the state.
Significant flooding continues along many rivers through #NSW, #Vic and #Tas as large volumes of water move downstream.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 15, 2022
⚠️#Flood Warnings remain current across the three states
Latest warnings: https://t.co/3VEWBoon6J pic.twitter.com/JyoZKk5FST
Major Flood - Watch and Act for Avoca River downstream of Charlton. You should Move to Higher Ground. For more info: https://t.co/DIyznIkwg4 #vicfloods
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 15, 2022
Major Flood - Watch and Act for Avoca River to Charlton Town. You should Move to Higher Ground. For more info: https://t.co/061qUXtKFZ #vicfloods
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 15, 2022
This EMERGENCY WARNING - RIVERINE FLOOD - Move to Higher Ground is being issued for Goulburn River Lake Eildon to Seymour. Leaving now is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous. More details at: https://t.co/VoRgLkr4p2 pic.twitter.com/KWU4XNlV24
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 15, 2022
Updated
It is especially worth stressing the reminder not to drive in flood waters and to be extremely careful if you’re on the road after things have calmed down.
Just outside Bendigo 🥺 pic.twitter.com/GhNVLl1ETx
— queen of cups (@queen_of_cups_) October 15, 2022
Updated
SES makes 450 rescues in flood-hit Victorian communities
Tim Wiebusch, SES chief officer of operations is giving ABC News an update on the flood situation in Victoria and is warning people to pay attention to flood warnings.
One of the challenges is that we’ve got what’s called blue sky flooding. The rain may have stopped and we might be seeing the odd shower, but it’s more obvious to people when there’s the heavier rain. So we are advising people – please listen to the warnings. Please act in accordance to the warning.
Wiesbuch said there had been over 450 rescues in Victoria, 88 in just the last hour. He asked people to not drive into flood waters.
The single biggest killer in flooding in Australia is people attempting to drive through flood waters.
That just ties up our emergency services that could be supporting more vulnerable communities that are under pressure with these floods. So again, turn around, find an alternate way to get there. Or if you don’t need to be travelling in those northern parts of Victoria, don’t travel at all.
Weisbuch said:
The Avoca River is currently at 7.7 metres and is expected to peak at 7.9 metres today.
Small communities around Lodden River are being warned to brace for approaching flood waters.
Flood waters are approaching Echuca and are expected to reach a second peak “mid-to-late” next week.
“Thousands” of properties have been inundated at Shepparton and Mooroopna.
There is flooding “in and around” Kyalla and Murchison “on the way up the Goulburn River” where emergency warnings are in place and where authorities are expecting records to be broken.
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
The flooding crisis has worsened in Victoria’s north with residents told to move to higher ground. Emergency services repeated warnings for Echuca and Echuca Village residents to leave immediately on Sunday morning after similar pleas on Saturday, AAP reports.
Meanwhile the federal government is expected to set aside $9.6b in the upcoming budget for new road and rail projects across the country. Prime minister Anthony Albanese said the infrastructure spend will create “jobs, builds opportunity and unlocks economic growth and productivity for our cities and our regions.”
I’m Royce Kurmelovs, taking the blog through the day. With so much going on out there, it’s easy to miss stuff, so if you spot something happening in Australia and think it should be on the blog, you can find me on Twitter at @RoyceRk2 where my DMs are open.
With that, let’s get started …
