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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Taylor and Emily Wind

Ten must pay Wilkinson’s legal fees, court rules – as it happened

Victoria Melbourne AEMO Electricity Jason Heffernan Powercor AusNet CFA Jemena (Organization) Optus
Lisa Wilkinson arrives at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney
Lisa Wilkinson arriving at the federal court of Australia in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

What we learned, Wednesday 14 February

We are going to wrap up the news live blog here for today. Here’s what made the news:

  • Over 134,000 homes across Victoria are still without power after storms hit parts of the state on Tuesday. Power outages could last weeks.

  • A 50-year-old dairy farmer in Mirboo North in the south Gippsland area died in yesterday’s storm after being hit by debris, authorities say.

  • Lawyers representing the ACT government told a court that a columnist at the Australian, Janet Albrechtsen, should not be considered an “advocate” for Bruce Lehrmann who “infected” the head of an inquiry into his failed prosecution with bias.

  • Ten has been ordered to pay journalist Lisa Wilkinson’s legal fees in the Lehrmann defamation suit. The judgment in the suit is likely to be handed down in March or April, the court heard.

  • The Sydney Mardi Gras annual Fair Day was cancelled after the park in which it is held joined the growing number of sites in NSW to be discovered to have asbestos-tainted mulch.

  • Liverpool West public school will also be closed for weeks due to tainted mulch.

We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest in federal politics and news more broadly. Until then, have a safe evening.

Updated

House passes motion urging US and UK to allow Julian Assange to return to Australia

Federal MPs have voted in favour of a motion urging the US and the UK to allow the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to return to Australia.

A short time ago, the House of Representatives passed the motion with 86 votes in favour and 42 against.

Anthony Albanese and Labor MPs, the Greens and numerous crossbenchers voted in favour of the motion, while Peter Dutton and the Coalition voted against it. Liberal MP Bridget Archer crossed the floor to vote in favour of the motion.

We’ll have the full story soon.

Updated

Car: decision to close public school for weeks due to asbestos contamination taken ‘out of an abundance of caution’

The NSW education minister, Prue Car, has issued an update on the asbestos contamination at Liverpool West public school.

She said it will require the school to be closed for weeks for remediation work to clear the contaminated mulch. Learning will continue for students, with teaching taking place at the nearby Gulyangarri public school for the next few weeks.

She said:

The NSW government understands how frustrating this must be for parents and teachers at the school and I assure you the decision to temporarily close the school site was not taken lightly. We are acting with an abundance of caution and doing so quickly to ensure the safety of the school community.

Car said the Environment Protection Authority has said at this stage the school is the only school affected by the contaminated mulch, and NSW Health has said there is a low level of risk to health.

Updated

Timely advice for food storage.

Latest Victorian power update following major storms

Here’s the latest update on the storms from the Victorian government.

There are currently 134,952 customers without power across the state, 3,104 of those power-dependent (on life support or have medical reasons for needing power), roughly 12,423 in south-east Melbourne (including the peninsula), roughly 3,319 in western Victoria, and roughly 108,415 in eastern Victoria.

The fire threat is expected to ease today with favourable weather conditions across the state. The fire danger rating today is high in the Wimmera and moderate across the rest of the state.

VICSES have received more than 3,800 requests for assistance since 9am yesterday. The busiest volunteer units include Monash, Greater Dandenong and Emerald.

As of 3pm today, there are 80 school sites and early childhood services closed as a result of severe weather, access issues, and power, water and sewerage issues, including:

  • 14 government school sites.

  • 18 Catholic schools.

  • Two independent school.

  • 46 early childhood providers.

Most of the schools not operating today are closed due to lack of power. It’s still unclear at this time which schools will have power and will be able to reopen tomorrow – and some may not know until Thursday morning.

Updated

Mazda fined $11.5m for misleading consumers after four-year battle

Mazda has been fined $11.5m for misleading consumers about serious vehicle faults following a court battle with Australia’s consumer watchdog that lasted more than four years, AAP reports.

The federal court issued the penalty against the Japanese automaker on Wednesday for making 49 false or misleading statements to nine consumers over serious and recurring faults in their vehicles that occurred within two years of purchase.

The court heard Mazda rejected requests for refunds or replacements for the cars, even though they had undergone multiple unsuccessful repairs and, in one case, three engine replacements.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched a lawsuit against Mazda over its actions in October 2019. The commission’s deputy chair, Catriona Lowe, said she hoped the substantial fine would be a lesson to all car brands.

The nine consumers involved in the case owned seven vehicles, including a Mazda 2, Mazda 6, Mazda CX-5 and Mazda BT-50 that were purchased between 2013 and 2017.

After multiple attempts to repair the vehicles, the court heard Mazda offered to refund only a portion of the vehicles’ purchase price or to replace the cars if the owners made further payments.

Updated

NBN maintains connectivity in Victoria due to generators

The NBN is keeping all things internet going in storm-affected parts of Victoria with generators.

Updated

Multiple illegal gambling operations raided in WA operation

Three Crown workers have lost their jobs after authorities raided two suspected illegal gambling houses and seized thousands in cash and casino-style gaming chips, AAP reports.

Western Australian authorities also found a baccarat table cover and playing cards at a Perth business premise, where several people were allegedly playing and wagering in an unlawful game.

More than $128,000 was seized during the bust in April 2023 and police charged a 35-year-old man who allegedly organised the game with money laundering.

The WA gaming and wagering commission cancelled the licences of three Crown Perth employees, and others allegedly involved in the gambling operation were slapped with fines.

More than $60,000 in cash and gaming chips were seized during a raid in December on home in Perth’s east, where 16 people were found. Investigations continue into the alleged operation, with the possibility of charges under the Gaming and Wagering Commission Act.

The state’s racing and gaming minister, Paul Papalia, said the raids had resulted in two illegal gambling operations being shut down and several people who were employed in the casino industry losing their licences and consequently their jobs.

“Organisers and participants of unlicensed gaming events are now on notice that their activities will be investigated and action taken,” he said on Wednesday.

Gaming authorities and WA police are working to increase cooperation and enhance intelligence sharing in a bid to shut down illegal gaming operations.

Updated

Liverpool West public school to close for weeks as asbestos-tainted mulch is replaced

Asbestos-tainted mulch has forced a NSW primary school to close for several weeks as “disappointed” authorities wonder why recycled material was ever laid where children play, AAP reports.

The hazardous material was identified last week in recycled mulch put down at a playground at Liverpool West public school, a primary school in Sydney’s south-west. It has been linked to the same supplier common to 21 other sites across Sydney found with asbestos-tainted mulch.

While usually laid on topsoil, the mulch at the school was far deeper than usual and required a large operation to replace, the education minister, Prue Car, said.

“There is so mulch that needs to be removed that we need a couple of weeks to do that properly,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “It is an extremely disappointing situation.”

The 700 students have been taking lessons from home this week and will begin face-to-face learning at the nearby Gulyangarri public school in the coming week.

The playground was opened on 8 December after a recent school upgrade. But recycled mulch should never have been used at the site under education department rules for upgrades or new builds, Car said.

Updated

Wonthaggi and Phillip Island health facilities remain open despite outages

Bass Coast Health has said Wonthaggi hospital and the Phillip Island health hub at Cowes remain open despite the current electricity and phone outage, with all services but theatre operating.

Surgery has been cancelled for today and tomorrow, but patients are being contacted. Visitors can still attend to see family.

Updated

Telstra gives Victoria network update

Here’s the latest on service restoration from Telstra in Victoria.

We have made good progress during the day today, with around 70 additional mobile sites coming back online. There remains a lot to do though and our teams on the ground are continuing work to restore services following yesterday severe storms.

There have been 334 mobile sites restored since yesterday, with 159 still out. 4,517 landline phone services are out, but ADSL services have been restored.

Telstra regional general manager Steve Tinker said:

We’re making good progress restoring services following yesterday’s severe storms in Victoria.

We’ve brought a number of sites back online overnight and throughout today, but with the power outages continuing, there’s still a lot to do.

Many of our network sites have back up power that kept services running after the storms hit, but that back-up power may not last during extended power outages.

That is why we have teams on the ground deploying and refueling generators as quickly as they can. We are also working closely with power authorities and emergency services to access and restore power to affected sites.

Updated

Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Newcastle and Blue Mountains

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued with storm cells moving north-eastwards towards Newcastle. Warnings have also been issued for parts of the Blue Mountains and the Hunter region.

Updated

Emergency services attending incident on railway line in Sydney’s inner west

Several train lines heading out of Sydney today are delayed today due to an incident requiring emergency services at Macdonaldtown in the inner west.

Updated

Groovin the Moo regional festival tour cancelled

Regional music festival Groovin the Moo says it has been forced to cancel its planned 2024 tour across regional locations due to insufficient ticket sales.

The tour said it was “extremely disappointed” to have to cancel it, and said all tickets will be refunded automatically.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. Josh Taylor will guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage.

And to those impacted by yesterday’s extreme weather, please take care.

Updated

Learning lessons from Victoria’s widespread power outages

The Victorian government is quietly confident almost all the homes that lost power yesterday will have their electricity restored within about 36 hours – no mean feat given half a million households were cut off.

And while the pictures of crumpled transmission towers were dramatic, the loss of the 500kV line near Anakie (to Melbourne’s west) wasn’t actually the cause of most of the blackouts. (Networks quickly responded by avoiding the now kaput transmission line.)

Those outages came from falling trees and other disruption to local powerlines, with parts of eastern Melbourne, the Dandenong ranges and the Mornington Peninsula among those hit (all some way from Anakie).

AGL’s coal-fired power station was tripped by the transmission line failure but it wasn’t the generator’s fault. That said, other plants, such as solar, hydro, wind or even gas, are a lot easier to switch on and off.

Downed powerlines and branches near Lara
Downed powerlines and branches near Lara, west of Melbourne, after Tuesday’s wild weather. Photograph: ABC/AFP/Getty Images

The Victorian government also took steps after a similar transmission line loss in 2021 to work on more localised power hubs, such as setting up solar arrays and batteries in small towns. After yesterday’s events, we might expect more towns lobbying for such facilities.

One challenge is the Kennett Liberal government in the 1990s privatised the state’s networks and power stations. The Queensland government, by contrast, owns most of that state’s electricity industry, giving it much greater sway to set the course it wants.

After a summer of storms in Queensland and lately in Victoria, it’s likely grid resilience will feature prominently when the nation’s energy ministers gather on 1 March in Canberra for the first such meeting of 2024.

Updated

Updated watch and act for Bellfield bushfire

VicEmergency has updated its watch and act message for communities affected by the Bellfield bushfire at the Grampians national park.

It has listed a number of community meetings that will be held today, including:

  • Pomonal Community Hall at 3:00pm

  • Ararat Relief Centre, Alexander Oval, Waratah Ave at 4:30pm

  • Stawell Relief Centre, Grampians Community Health, 8-22 Patrick Street at 5:45pm

  • Dadswells Bridge at 7:30pm

The Bellfield bushfire is not yet under control. VicEmergency says firefighters have been able to slow the spread of the fire, but the situation could change at any time.

Communities across Bellfield, Halls Gap, Lake Fyans and Pomonal should monitor for conditions and be ready to act if needed. Leaving now is the safest option.

Updated

Ten must pay Lisa Wilkinson's legal fees in Lehrmann defamation case, court rules

Lisa Wilkinson has won her bid to have the Ten network pay her legal fees.

Justice Michael Lee has delivered his judgement in the two day cross-claim in the federal court:

This is not a case where Ms Wilkinson acted unthinkingly in retaining separate representation.

Wilkinson took Ten to court over its refusal to pay more than $700,000 in legal costs in the Lehrmann defamation case.

Updated

Australian funding helps Pacific athletes attend Olympics

Australian taxpayers will help fund Pacific nations to get to the looming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, AAP reports.

Sports in 13 Pacific nations will receive $1.47m funding from the federal government in partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).

The funding and logistical support will assist some Pacific rivals of Australian athletes at the 26 July–11 August Olympics and 28 August–8 September Paralympics.

Rugby sevens, boxing, weightlifting, swimming and athletics are among 15 sports to receive support from the government’s PacificAus Sports program.

The federal minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, said the program builds on a shared “deep and enduring love of sport” in Australia and the Pacific.

The government, which didn’t reveal the specific amount of funding, and the AOC said they hoped the program, described as a sports diplomacy initiative, would further strengthen Australia’s bond with Pacific nations.

Updated

Monsoon likely to bring more flooding to northern Australia, BoM says

The Bureau of Meteorology says a monsoon over Australia’s north is continuing to bring widespread rain.

Renewed flooding is likely, with a number of flood watches and warnings current.

The Bureau said there’s a moderate chance of a low over the Gulf of Carpentaria becoming a tropical cyclone from tomorrow or Friday, before weakening.

The Bureau said the tropical low is expected to move inland over parts of the Northern Territory from Saturday, bringing further heavy rainfall.

Daily rainfall totals of 20-50mm are expected across the NT flood watch area, with isolated heavier falls. Rainfall will increase across the Carpentaria Coastal Rivers from tomorrow, with daily rainfall totals of 50-150mm expected and isolated heavier falls above 200mm possible from Friday.

Updated

Victorian premier gives recovery update

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has posted an update to X about the state’s recovery from yesterday’s extreme weather events.

Here is what she said:

Emergency Management Victoria is now working to clear roads – and ensure power networks can get access and restore connections …

This weather event is the second time since the fires of Black Saturday in 2009, 15 years ago, to reach a catastrophic rating. It means it’ll take a bit of time for communities to get back on their feet.

I want to thank all the emergency service workers and volunteers who have done an outstanding job responding to this extreme weather event.

While the weather is expected to ease, you should continue to stay updated and follow instructions via the VicEmergency app.

Updated

Energy market operator says 174,000 Victorian homes still without power

Aemo says that around 174,000 homes and business across Victoria remain without power following yesterday’s storms.

As of 2pm AEDT, the outages could be broken down by distribution services as follows:

  • AusNet Services: 153,518 customers without power across the outer east and outer northern Melbourne area, plus eastern and northeastern Victoria.

  • CitiPower: 215 customers without power in the Melbourne CBD and inner suburbs.

  • Jemena: 11 without power in northwest Melbourne.

  • Powercor Australia: 6,320 in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne, and central and western Victoria.

  • United Energy: 14,920 without power in southeast Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.

At 10am, around 220,000 were without power.

Updated

Victoria police release statement on farmer who died during Monday storm

Victorian police have released a statement on the 50-year-old farmer who died during yesterday’s storm.

Emergency services were called to a property on Boolarra-Mirboo North Road in Darlimurla about 6pm yesterday.

Police understand a man was working on a roof when he was struck by debris. The 50-year-old died at the scene.

WorkSafe will investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the incident, however the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Updated

Island-dwelling birds more likely to be endangered

Birds living on Australian islands are among the species most at risk of extinction, according to a new study. Researchers say living on islands is one of three three major factors that increase the risk of extinction.

Tasmania’s swift parrot and orange-bellied parrot are examples of this, says the study’s lead author, George Olah, from the Australian National University’s college of science.

This may be because they are less well-prepared for the threats posed by introduced species like rats, cats and other mammals.

Only 750 swift parrots are believed to be left in Tasmania.

The Swift Parrot.
The Swift Parrot. Photograph: Karel Bartik/Shutterstock

Other factors heightening risk of extinction are the ability of the species to adapt to survive in agricultural areas, and the uniqueness of the birds.

Olah said birds that were able to adapt and find food in agricultural areas were less likely to be endangered.

The study was conducted by analysing a database of the birds’ biological traits, which were compared to explain what makes certain species more susceptible to extinction than others.

Australia is home to more than 750 native bird species.

Olah said 10% are facing an extinction threat, with eight already considered extinct by 2020.

The numbers are quite sad. But if we understand more about the factors that increase extinction risk we can better prioritise conservation efforts.

- from AAP

Updated

Victorian police now treating disappearance of Samantha Murphy as ‘suspicious’

Victoria police say there are “some suspicions” in the disappearance of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy after she vanished 10 days ago.

The police commissioner, Shane Patton, today said the Murphy’s disappearance was “suspicious”:

It’s certainly unusual when we haven’t been able to locate any trace of her or any other evidence within that period of time.

It’s suspicious, whether that means there’s foul play involved, or not, I don’t know, but obviously detectives are investigating a matter where a woman’s been missing for a significant period of time.

Murphy, 51, was last seen on Sunday 4 February, and little new information has emerged since then. She told friends she was planning a 14km run through the nearby Woowookarung regional park.

A CCTV camera in the family’s driveway captured her outside her Ballarat East home at 7am on 4 February, wearing a purple running singlet and black leggings.

Police had previously said they were not treating Murphy’s disappearance as suspicious.

On Saturday, police scaled back the official ground search for Murphy but said the investigation continued.

Updated

Victoria transport gives update on network after storms

The Victorian Department of Transport has provided an update on the impacts of yesterday’s storms on the transport network.

It said buses are replacing trains on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines between Blackburn, Mooroolbark and Belgrave due to an “equipment fault near Ringwood and a power issue near Upwey”.

Passengers should allow an extra 45 minutes for their journey, the department said.

Meanwhile, coaches are replacing trains on the Seymour line between Southern Cross and Seymour due to “ongoing power outages between Kilmore East and Seymour”.

Coaches are also replacing trains on the Gippsland line between Traralgon and Bairnsdale, due to fallen trees and power outages.

A “significant” number of traffic lights remain affected across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria due to the power outages. The Western Highway remains closed to through traffic between Ballarat and Horsham, due to fire activity, but local access is still available between Ballarat and Stawell only.

Other nearby closures include Murtoa-Glenorchy Road between Murtoa and Glenorchy, Stawell-Warracknabeal Road between Rupanyup and the Western Highway, Black Range Road between Stawell and Pomonal, and Ararat-Halls Gap Road between Moyston and Halls Gap.

The Ararat to Horsham coach service is diverting around these closures, adding up to 30 minutes to the journey, the department said.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology says a cold front is set to sweep across much of NSW today.

Windy conditions, showers and storms are expected across “much of the state”, and storms may become severe in the late afternoon across the east, including parts of metropolitan Sydney and Newcastle.

Every Melbourne police officer to carry a Taser

Some news from earlier this morning: all general duties police officers across Melbourne will be equipped with Tasers for the first time.

The Tasers are part of Victoria’s $214m non-lethal equipment rollout, with the weapons linked to an officer’s body worn camera, which is activated as soon as the Taser is drawn.

Victoria police’s chief commissioner, Shane Patton, said that any officer carrying a taser will undergo rigorous training:

More often than not merely drawing a Taser is enough to bring a situation to a safe conclusion. In many ways they are a negotiation tool. They’re about less force, not more.

The Public Order Response team will also be equipped with the Tasers for the first time.

The entire rollout is expected to reach more than 10,000 frontline officers and will be complete by 2026.

- from AAP

Updated

Farmers Federation says ‘lack of planning and resilience’ by Victorian government is crippling state following death of 50-year-old farmer

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has released a statement following news a 50-year-old dairy farmer died in Mirboo North during yesterday’s storm.

VFF’s president, Emma Germano, said:

On behalf of all Victorian farmers, the VFF extends its heartfelt condolences to the Mirboo North farmer sadly killed in yesterday’s wild weather. Our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones left to mourn after this tragedy.

Farmers and regional Victorians remain stranded, powerless and in some cases burnt out almost a day after terrible fires and thunderstorms. The impact on our industry and regional communities is immense and once again have been left to pick up the pieces.

Victoria is still feeling the impact of one of our largest-ever power blackouts and the complete lack of planning and resilience by the government is once again crippling our state. We must do better.

Updated

The emergency management minister, Murray Watt, has expressed his condolences for the 50-year-old farmer killed in Mirboo North last night during the storms.

He wrote on X:

Sad news this morning out of Victoria - my thoughts are with the family of a farmer killed in the storms. These conditions have proved challenging for communities.

We’re in close contact with Vic Govt and authorities. Please listen to all warnings & follow official advice.

Updated

Columnist Janet Albrechtsen not ‘an advocate’ who infected Walter Sofronoff with bias, court told

Lawyers representing the ACT government have told a court that a columnist at the Australian, Janet Albrechtsen, should not be considered an “advocate” for Bruce Lehrmann who “infected” the head of an inquiry into his failed prosecution with bias.

Albrechtsen’s “extensive communication” with Walter Sofronoff is at the centre of a legal challenge by the former ACT director of prosecution Shane Drumgold, who is seeking to quash adverse findings contained in an ACT board of inquiry report.

Sofronoff’s report made “several serious findings of misconduct” against Drumgold, saying he “at times … lost objectivity and did not act with fairness and detachment” throughout Lehrmann’s prosecution for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins.

Yesterday, Drumgold’s lawyer, Dan O’Gorman, told the ACT supreme court that Albrechtsen was an “advocate” for Lehrmann who may have “infected” Sofronoff with bias against his client during their 273 communications over seven months. He claimed these interactions may have led Sofronoff to “deal with matters other than on their legal and factual merits”.

This morning, the lawyer representing the ACT government, Kate Eastman, said that claim should be dismissed by Justice Stephen Kaye:

Your honour should not accept that there’s any proper basis for finding that Ms Albrechtsen could be characterised as an advocate.

Eastman did not dispute that Albrechtsen wrote extensively about the inquiry into Drumgold’s conduct during the trial of Lehrmann, but said the claim that Sofronoff was influenced by her articles was based on “assumptions”:

There is no evidence or, in our respectful submission, any proper basis to infer or make a finding that Mr Sofronoff read any of the articles ... was aware of those articles, or had any knowledge, either at the commencement of his inquiry or during the course of his inquiry, into the respect of Ms Albrechtsen’s bias.

Updated

Sophie Ellis-Bextor to headline Sydney Mardi Gras beach party; Mardi Gras fair day cancelled due to asbestos

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will star at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ Bondi Beach party as organisers confirm that the discovery of asbestos in a number of inner Sydney parks has impacted the annual festivities.

The Murder on the Dancefloor singer will perform to 15,000 revellers in Bondi on 24 February.

Mardi Gras Fair day, which was planned to take place in Victoria Park, has been cancelled after asbestos was found in mulch at the site.

Read more of our asbestos coverage:

Updated

Network Ten lawyer in witness box in Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial

Network Ten’s external lawyer, Marlia Saunders, is in the witness box now answering questions about the support given to Lisa Wilkinson by the network.

The federal court has heard Wilkinson was distressed when she was heavily criticised by the media for her Logies speech and the network did not say publicly they had approved her speech.

Saunders said she believed the network was supportive of Wilkinson.

She has admitted under cross-examination that she read an email saying Network Ten was being sued by Bruce Lehrmann but did not initially notice that Wilkinson was also being sued.

The solicitor agreed she had read the email to the point where it said Lehrmann had instituted federal court defamation proceedings against the network but did not read on to see the words “and Ms Wilkinson”.

“Yes, that’s what I say”, Saunders said.

Updated

Cool change on the way for NSW, bringing wind and storms

Those feeling the humidity in parts of New South Wales may be relieved to hear cooler weather is on its way – but the Bureau of Meteorology is warning that with the cold front come high winds and severe storms.

Parts of Sydney and Newcastle are expected to be impacted later today:

Updated

BoM says flood waters heading to Birdsville in Queensland

Moving to Queensland weather, and the Bureau of Meteorology has flagged flood waters are moving towards Birdsville.

Minor flooding is likely there today, with moderate flooding from later this week and further rises likely.

Updated

AGL hopes to have all of its Latrobe Valley power plant back online soon

AGL Energy, operator of Loy Yang A power station that tripped in Victoria yesterday, has provided an update to the ASX.

The coal-fired power plant dropped off line at about 2.15pm AEDT yesterday when a transmission line went down. All four of its units, with 2210 megawatts of capacity in total, shut down and so far only two have returned to the grid.

“It is currently expected that the remaining units will be progressively and safely returned to service over the next 24 hours,” AGL said. (Personally, I avoid “currently” when writing about electricity, but each to their own foibles.)

If all units are back up soon that will be a relief to operators, not least because the National Electricity Market doesn’t have a lot of spare capacity.

(Queensland’s Callide C coal-fired power plant suffered an explosion in 2021 affecting about 500,000 households – similar in scale to Victoria’s woes – and hasn’t returned to the grid since. As coal plants age, maintenance tends to get more costly even without external jolts like yesterday’s.)

As it happens, AGL’s share price was recently down about 0.5% for the day. That’s better than the overall market, though, which is off about 1.2%.

Updated

Jacinta Allan says she doesn’t expect electricity grid repair to affect Victorians’ power bills

Wrapping up the press conference, the premier, Jacinta Allan, says she isn’t expecting the repair of the electricity grid to have an impact on power bills.

She says:

The work that’s being done to repair and recover from this catastrophic event isn’t something that will necessarily impact on power bills … that is not something that we’d expect to flow through to power bills.

Updated

Lily D’Ambrosio: yesterday’s outage not about lack of electricity supply

Expanding on her last point, Lily D’Ambrosio says yesterday’s outage was not about a lack of electricity supply, but vegetation and trees collapsing on power lines:

Yesterday was not about a lack of electricity supply. We did not have a lack of generation availability to produce the power.

If I put it to you this way - if you have a road infrastructure and it collapses and you have a car full of petrol (or charged on electricity) and it has no road to travel on, it’s got the power and the supply, but you can’t take it to where you want it to go. That’s what happened yesterday. And most of it … is about vegetation and trees collapsing on power lines that go down people’s streets.

That is what we’re faced with today and that is about resilience and that is something that we’ll continue to work on and continue to have those national conversations …

Updated

Victorian energy and resources minister wants national conversation on transmission and power-line resilience

Lily D’Ambrosio:

I’ve also put on the agenda, nationally, the need for us to actually have a system-wide understanding, appreciation and a set of solutions [on] what is a national system.

Poles and wires just don’t stop at the borders. Transmission lines don’t stop at the borders. There was mention of climate change and more frequent and extreme weather events. It sadly means that we’re going to see more of that happening. What are the resilient measures that we need to embed in the system to ensure that we are better prepared, communities are better prepared, for such events.

Updated

Jacinta Allan says ‘no doubt’ there’s been a change in the timing of extreme weather events, but also their extremity

She says:

It’s February 14 today and already, just six weeks into 2024, we’ve had that extensive flood damage in central and northern Victoria, we’ve had the fires in the west of the state yesterday and the storm damage across the state, but again, largely impacting to the east of the Hume freeway. And then it was only in … October and November of last year, where in the space of a week, the commissioner was briefing me on fires in Gippsland, and then floods in Gippsland.

So there is no doubt that we are seeing not just a change in the timing of these extreme weather events but also the extremity of these weather events. And so that absolutely is being factored into the work that is particularly being led by the energy minister in terms of both addressing those issues around energy security, which is why that work on renewables is so critically important, but also the broader resilience of the system.

… The events of yesterday didn’t so much come from a supply challenge, it came from the fact that you’ve got, across large parts of the state, trees across local roads and power poles, and that is going to take time. That street by street work that is happening right now to get people connected back to the power.

Updated

Current power outages due to trees down on roads, not transmission lines, AEMO says

An AEMO spokesperson has provided an update on the energy connectivity situation:

I believe that at least half of the [Loy Yang A power stations] are already connected and I’ll just also add that the destroyed towers in between Melbourne and Geelong are not having any impact on customer supply at the moment either.

… these were absolutely destructive and catastrophic winds. I understand that the wind speed nearby was 122km/h. There were six high voltage transmission lines that folded but at the end of the day, the impact on … those customers that have power out at the moment, this is not about the transmission line. This is about trees down on roads, trees down on power lines, and our thoughts absolutely are with the emergency services people getting these power lines restored back to customers right now.

Updated

Jacinta Allan signals support for community in Pomonal and Ararat LGA

Premier Jacinta Allan said she spoke with the mayor of Ararat this morning and “indicated support for the families and the broader community there”.

Pomonal is within the Ararat local government area.

Allan:

We’re going to do that at the recovery phase, but we’re not at the recovery phase yet.

Updated

Death of 50-year-old dairy farmer in Mirboo North to be subject of police investigation

Nugent also provided some more information on the 50-year-old dairy farmer who died in Mirboo North yesterday:

I’m not sure how he was discovered. That will be the subject of a full police investigation and a report to the coroner. Early indication is that he was on a tractor and that he was hit by some flying debris.

Updated

Homes destroyed in Pomonal and ‘trees will continue to fall’

Rick Nugent said homes have been confirmed destroyed in Pomonal, but he cannot yet put a number on it:

Pomonal has homes lost. We don’t know exactly how many … There have been estimates [but] I’m loath at the moment to actually put a number on that. We have got to make sure that it safe to go in. Trees will continue to fall [so we need to] make sure that it is safe to go in and do a full assessment.

Updated

Mirboo North, site of confirmed fatality, isolated after storm

Rick Nugent says the town of Mirboo North – where a man has died – was isolated as a result of the storm yesterday, with roads closed.

The Country Fire Authority and others assisted with getting some water to that township, and that has since been restored.

I’m not aware of other areas at the moment where water’s not [available].

Updated

Emergency management commissioner Rick Nugent providing update

Nugent says the state control centre remains at a tier three, the “highest level we have for the state response”.

Nugent explains that the hot, windy and dry conditions yesterday led to many fires, with “almost all fires … started from the lightning strikes”.

At this stage it appears no properties were lost as a result of the Stapylton fire, but there was quite a significant impact on the Pomonal township “which then resulted in a number of residential homes being burnt”.

Impact assessments are still under way to ascertain exactly how many homes were lost in that fire.

Nugent also sent his thoughts to the 50-year-old man who died in Mirboo North yesterday.

Updated

Premier says 220,000 homes and businesses without power

The SES has now received 4,600 calls for assistance, Jacinta Allan says, all directly related to yesterday’s storm event.

As of 10.30am, around 220,000 homes and businesses were without power.

There are a number of schools and early childhood education facilities that are also closed today. They are largely located across central and western Victoria but also, too, in Melbourne south-eastern suburbs that received the brunt of yesterday’s storms.

Updated

Jacinta Allan: crews assessing damage from storms ‘street by street’

Speaking to the media, Jacinta Allan says it is still less than 24 hours into the emergency response and the situation is evolving quickly.

She acknowledges that many homes remain without power and crews are rapidly assessing damages “street by street” from the storms.

There is significant damage statewide caused by those storms and much of it is localised damage, which is why your power may be out … I think if you can look out the window or walk out the front door and see that trees are down across roads, trees are down and impacting across powerlines, that is possibly why the power is out and why the teams are out there undertaking the rapid assessments to get the power reconnected.

Updated

Jacinta Allan confirms one fatality as a result of the bushfires in Gippsland yesterday

The Victorian premier says a dairy farmer in Mirboo North in the south Gippsland area had died, expressing her condolences to his family and first responders.

Updated

Victorian premier on state’s bushfires and storms

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan is speaking to the media now on the state’s disastrous bushfires, storms and power outages.

She explained the severity of yesterday’s weather with this tid-bit:

To give it some context, yesterday was only the second day since the fires of Black Saturday in 2009, 15 years ago, that had that catastrophic rating. Only the second day in the 15 years.

Updated

Battle between legal teams in Bruce Lehrmann defamation case revealed in court

The behind-the-scenes battle between legal teams for Ten and Lisa Wilkinson in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case has been exposed in the federal court.

Ten was not happy with Wilkinson’s choice of Sue Chrysanthou as her personal barrister and internal letters read out in court revealed the animosity.

Network Ten’s head of litigation, Tasha Smithies, was back in the witness box on day two of the cross-claim in which Wilkinson is asking Ten to pay her legal fees.

On Tuesday Smithies denied her advice to Wilkinson that the Logies speech was “OK” had exposed Wilkinson to public criticism.

Justice Michael Lee is questioning Smithies directly about why she thought her advice was “OK” when it led to the trial being delayed.

Smithies:

It was my view that from the time after the broadcast of the story, Ms Wilkinson was inextricably intertwined with Miss Higgins.

And the words I would use is Ms Wilkinson became part of the story that continued through the justice march in 2021. It continued throughout 2021 and that continuing support continued through the anniversary of the story.

Lee also updated his prediction of when the judgment in the Lehrmann defamation trial would be delivered, saying on Wednesday it would be March or April.

Updated

Optus update

Optus says 225 of its mobile sites are without power right now.

Its general manager for Victoria, Jayson Grool, said Optus was monitoring the network and working with mains power authority to assess the deployment of generators to impacted sites:

A SatCat is being deployed to Phillip Island today.

In the instance of an emergency, customers should still attempt to dial Triple Zero.

We will continue to monitor power outages and deploy resources where necessary, and we will provide regular updates as they come to hand.

Updated

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan is due to address the media very shortly on the state’s disastrous storms, bushfires and the widespread power outages.

Emergency Services minister Jaclyn Symes, energy and resources minister Lily D’Ambrosio and the emergency management commissioner Rick Nugent are also expected to speak.

We’ll bring you the key updates here on the blog.

Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial live stream

We will continue to bring you the latest news around Victoria’s storm clean-up and outages, but will also start bringing you today’s news more broadly.

Amanda Meade is watching developments at the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial in the federal court, where a senior lawyer for Network Ten who approved Lisa Wilkinson’s Logies speech is giving evidence.

You can watch the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial live stream on YouTube here.

Updated

Outage update

Aemo has released another update on the restoration of Victoria’s electricity network.

As at 10am AEDT, around 220,000 homes and businesses were still without power. As mentioned previously, Aemo is flagging it could take “days it not weeks” to restore electricity to all of those impacted.

Here is a breakdown of the outages by distribution provider:

  • AusNet: 189,794 without power. This covers outer east and outer northern Melbourne, and eastern and north-eastern Victoria

  • CitiPower: 129 without power in the Melbourne CBD and inner suburbs

  • Jemena: four without power in northwest Melbourne

  • Powercor Australia: 9,958 without power in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne, and central and western Victoria

  • United Energy: 16,289 without power in southeast Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula

Updated

CFA firefighters trapped by fire at Pomonal suffer minor burns

In case you missed it: five country firefighters suffered minor injuries after their truck was involved in a burnover at a fireground at Pomonal last night.

Chris Hardman, chief of Forest Fire Management Victoria, told ABC News the firefighters had been pre-positioned in the town and tasked with protecting homes and critical infrastructure:

When the wind change came through, the fire moved very rapidly into Pomonal and those firefighters were caught between the firefront and the work they were doing in protecting communities.

This morning Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan said the crew were OK, aside from some minor burns. He told ABC News Breakfast:

At the peak of the fire operations yesterday in Pomonal, a CFA crew found themselves entrapped by fire. Thankfully, they are highly trained and highly skilled. We practise for this situation, in addition to our trucks being equipped to activate crew protection.

They managed to put their training into action and, despite receiving minor burns from cinders, they are OK. Certainly a close call for the CFA crew that got entrapped.

– with AAP

Updated

Thousands call SES for help

The Victorian state emergency service says it has now received 3,040 calls for assistance since midday yesterday.

It has urged callers to “please be patient” when calling for assistance and waiting for volunteers to respond:

Our volunteers are clearing all jobs as quickly as possible. There are also a significant number of power outages statewide.

The busiest volunteer units have included Monash, responding to 501 jobs, as well as Emerald (206) and the Greater Dandenong (172) units.

Updated

Transmission towers felled at Anakie

Here are some photos of those transmission lines that collapsed at Anakie yesterday afternoon due to the wild weather:

Damaged trees and transmission towers at Anakie in Melbourne
Damaged trees and transmission towers at Anakie in Melbourne. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP
A close-up of a damaged transmission line
A close-up of a damaged transmission line. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP
Road closures around power lines from collapsed transmission towers
Road closures around power lines from collapsed transmission towers. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP
Another view of the damaged transmission towers
Another view of the damaged transmission towers. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

Updated

‘There’s still a lot to do,’ Telstra says

Telstra has provided an update on the impacts to mobile connectivity after yesterday’s disastrous storms across Victoria.

Regional general manager Steve Tinker said a number of sites had been brought back online overnight and this morning but “there’s still a lot to do”:

Many of our network sites have back-up power that kept services in many areas running after the storms hit, but they can’t last for extended power outages.

We have teams on the ground across the state and we’re working with power authorities and emergency services to access and restore power to affected sites

We know how important it is to stay in touch with loved ones during times like this and we are working to get everything back online as quickly as possible where it’s safe for our technicians to do so.

Here are the latest stats from Telstra on its restoration progress:

  • 263 mobile sites restored since yesterday’s storms

  • 223 mobile sites now disrupted

  • 4,831 landline phone services disrupted

  • 22 ADSL services disrupted

We have also contacted Optus for an update.

Updated

Latest update

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has issued a new statement on the widespread power outages affecting Victoria.

Here is the key information from that:

  • As at 9am, about 250,000 homes and businesses are still without power

  • The majority are in Ausnet’s distribution area, affecting more than 220,000 customers

  • Vegetation clearing and repairs to damaged powerlines and poles is continuing, but “given the extent” of the damage it could take “days, if not weeks” to restore power to all those impacted

  • Several mobile phone towers have been impacted in the storms and these areas are being prioritised for restoration

  • One of four Loy Yang A power station units is now operational

Updated

Houses ‘completely smashed’, Clare O’Neil says

Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil has posted a video from Parliament House for her constituents in Hotham, commenting on the disastrous storms yesterday.

She said she had just spoken with her family in Victoria, who said there were houses in their street that have “been completely smashed with trees”, and cars destroyed in the wild weather.

O’Neil said she was doing “everything [she] can” to ensure there is adequate federal support for the cleanup efforts.

Updated

Wantirna without power and mobile coverage

A caller to 3AW radio from Wantirna said it had been without electricity since 2pm yesterday, and there was no mobile phone connectivity.

He said the suburb appeared to be an “epicentre” of lost connection:

We’ve got nothing.

According to Optus, one of its mobile towers “isn’t working” in the Wantirna area. And according to Telstra’s outage map, there are 4G and 5G outages in the area.

Updated

Schools near fire closed today

Three primary school campuses near an out-of-control fire that started at Newtown, west of Ballarat, yesterday have been closed to students today.

The Scarsdale, Smythesdale and Ross Creek campuses of the Woady Yaloak primary school will be closed on Wednesday, principal Corey Pohlner told parents and carers last night. The Snake Valley campus will remain open.

The fire started at Newtown and spread into the Ross Creek state forest. It’s now listed as an advice level, meaning there is no current threat to communities or properties.

Updated

SES crews assessing Pomonal fire

James Todd from the SES control centre just provided an update to 3AW radio.

He said the service had now received more than 3,000 calls for assistance as people begin to wake up and assess the damage to their properties.

He said it “could be weeks for some areas” before power is reconnected:

Because of the widespread impact on the electricity network including some of those high-voltage powers coming down … it could be some time before some parts of the state are connected again … It could be weeks for some areas.

Todd said he didn’t know the specifics about impacts to mobile phone connectivity but “can only assume the towers themselves have been impacted”.

Like others have said today he was aware of reported house losses in the Pomonal area but said there weren’t any figures yet:

This morning there are crews on the ground, as well as fighting the fire there will be other agency folk assessing the impacts.

Updated

CFA on fire danger

A moderate fire danger rating is in place for all of Victoria today, except for the Wimmera region, which has a high fire danger rating.

According to the CFA there are no total fire bans in place today.

Updated

Outages ‘could last weeks’

Let’s revisit a statement from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.

Last night the department said hundreds of power poles and lines were down across the state, and the wild weather collapsed six transmission powers near Anakie yesterday afternoon.

The Loy Yang A power station also tripped and was disconnected from the grid, leading to Aemo enacting load shedding to keep the power system secure.

Load shedding distributes demand for electrical power across multiple power sources. This was cancelled “after a short period”, the department said, and all 90,000 customers impacted by this have their power restored.

The department said last night:

The Loy Yang A power station is currently in the process of being reconnected to the grid … Crews are actively working to restore power to these impacted areas. However, given the extent of the widespread damage, it may take days if not weeks to restore electricity to all of those impacted.

Updated

Mobile services out on Phillip Island

A caller to 3AW radio from Phillip Island said the island was without mobile phone connectivity after yesterday’s disastrous weather.

According to the Optus network status map, an Optus mobile tower in the area of Phillip Island “isn’t working”:

Severe weather conditions are impacting this area, your mobile & nbn service may be interrupted during this time. Once the severe weather has passed, we’ll work on getting the network up and running again. We’ll let you know when everything is back in working order.

According to Telstra, it also has an unplanned service interruption in the area:

Our technicians are investigating the cause of a network issue that is affecting the 4G network in your area. Check back for further updates as we work to get your service back online.

Updated

School closures

A number of schools across Victoria are closed today amid the power outages, including:

  • John Monash science school, Clayton

  • Oakleigh South secondary college

  • East Loddon P-12 college

  • Lockwood primary school

  • Lockwood South primary school

  • Halls Gap primary school

  • Pomonal primary school

  • Woady Yaloak primary school – Smythesdale campus

  • Woady Yaloak primary school – Scarsdale campus

  • Woady Yaloak primary school – Ross Creek campus

A number of early-learning centres are also closed across the state. You can view the full list here.

It says school closures may be the result of “several factors including emergencies, bushfire preparedness, construction or other factors, such as insufficient demand or staff shortages”

Updated

Bureau of Meteorology’s first look ruled out tornadoes in Victoria

Reports of 120km/hour gusts in Victoria gave an indication of the ferocity of the storms that brought down half a dozen power transmissions towers – and many local poles and wires.

We asked the Bureau of Meteorology if they might have detected any tornadoes, like the twisters that blacked out South Australia in 2016.

A spokesperson told us late yesterday:

The Bureau of Meteorology does not at this stage have direct evidence of tornados having occurred.

Many severe thunderstorms carry with them a slight chance of tornado development. Predicting tornadoes is difficult and specific warnings are only issued if signs consistent with tornadoes occurring are visible on radar or direct observations are received.

We’ve asked them again this morning if they’ve spotted any indication that twisters were in yesterday’s wild weather mix.

Train delays

Melbourne commuters are continuing to face delays on train lines, due to power supply outages.

On the Belgrave line, buses are replacing trains. Metro Trains says it is not known when normal services will resume.

Most of the other metropolitan lines have resumed normal service but there are some minor disruptions, including minor delays on the Hurtsbridge line due to an equipment issue.

Updated

Aemo statement

Here is the full statement from Aemo on the power outages across Victoria:

Electricity network crews have restored power to a large number of properties that lost power due to a severe storm that damaged the poles and wires network in Victoria yesterday.

Approximately 285,500 homes and businesses are still without power in Victoria due to storm damage across the state, down from a peak of 530,000.

Vegetation clearing and repairs to damaged powerlines and poles continue. However, given the extent of the widespread damage, it may take days if not weeks to restore electricity to all of those impacted.

Emergency crews continue to endure challenging conditions to access and repair damaged powerlines and critical energy infrastructure.

For safety reasons, please do not approach fallen powerlines and call the faults and emergency number for your electricity distribution company on your electricity bill.

Updated

Power outage ‘one of the largest’ to hit Victoria

Aemo says the power outage affecting Victoria, which left half a million without power at its peak, is “one of the largest” outages to hit the state.

According to its latest update, 285,500 homes and businesses are still without power in Victoria. This is down from a peak of 530,000.

This can be broken down into:

  • AusNet: 236,901 without power. This covers outer east and outer northern Melbourne, and eastern and north-eastern Victoria

  • CitiPower: 12,400 without power in the Melbourne city centre and inner suburbs

  • Jemena: four without power in north-west Melbourne

  • Powercor Australia: 11,715 without power in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne, and central and western Victoria

  • United Energy: 24,572 without power in south-east Melbourne, and Mornington Peninsula

This data was current at 7.30am AEDT.

Updated

Pomonal blaze ‘very, very devastating’

Pomonal resident Phillip Vaughan, who has lived in the rural town on the edge of the Grampians for 25 years, was just speaking to ABC TV.

He said his family is “one of the very, very lucky ones” who’s house survived the blaze.

There’s substantial house loss in the town itself [and it’s] very, very devastating for all the people.

Vaughan said there could be “up to 20 or 30” houses lost. Earlier, CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said early indications suggest the figure is likely lower than this.

Vaughan said the firefront had passed now but lots of trees were still smouldering:

The fire brigade has been absolutely sensational. If they hadn’t had done what they’d done, there wouldn’t have been a house left in Pomonal.

[The fire] has burnt our paddocks and gardens … our house is still standing and there’s lots of friends and people in Pomonal who have not been that lucky.

It’s a devastating blow for the town. It’s not something that is gonna be easy to recover from.

Updated

Victoria’s power grid still a bit shaky after yesterday’s woes

Work crews will be busy this morning trying to reconnect hundreds of thousands of households that lost power during yesterday’s storms.

Signs that the power grid itself is still under strain include the Australian Energy Market Operator issuing a call for extra power to “maintain a secure operating state in Victoria”.

In this case, it’s not the capacity that Aemo is worried about but to have generating units that spin (rather than say solar farms, which don’t) to maintain stability in the grid.

By the looks of it, AGL’s 2210-megawatt Loy Yang A power station in the Latrobe Valley is not going to be much help for now.

The coal-fired power station tripped when transmission lines were blown down yesterday afternoon and it seems to have troubles getting all of its capacity back online.

Most of the grid, though, seems to be operating relatively normally across the national electricity market, at least if spot wholesale prices are any guide.

With another warm day ahead for Sydney, including the possibility of severe storms later in the day, grid operators – and Sydneysiders – will be hoping New South Wales doesn’t cop a repeat of what happened to Victorians a day ago.

Updated

Online outage tracker ‘experiencing overwhelming demand’

Ausnet, which covers the outer northern and eastern suburbs, and eastern Victoria, says its online outage tracker is “experiencing overwhelming demand”.

You can view the full list of outages here but some notable impacts include:

  • 22,173 without power in Beaconsfield

  • 17,753 in Ferntree Gully

  • 13,594 without power in Bairnsdale

According to Powercor’s outage map, it has 11,726 unplanned power outages. 19,659 United Energy customers are without power and 102 Jemena customers are affected.

Updated

‘I understand the frustration’

Tim Rourke, a director of Energy Networks Australia and chief executive of electricity suppliers CitiPower and Powercor, told 3AW Melbourne just earlier:

By the end of today, we’ll fundamentally have all our customers back on in UE, CitiPower and Powercor. There’ll only be a … couple of hundred off, and they’ll be single-premise wires downs.

We’ve got a very good electrical system and network. I do thank people for understanding [and] I understand the frustration. But this is fundamentally a storm event.

Updated

An estimated 260,000 homes and businesses still without power

Roughly 260,000 homes across Victoria are still without power, following last nights disastrous storm. At its height about half a million were impacted.

Gary Cook, the state response controller, told ABC RN earlier this morning there will be “some delays” in restoring power as “there’s a lot of damage out there that will need to be tidied up”:

[Affected customers are not] necessarily located in any specific area. That windstorm that went through yesterday was basically from the coast to the Murray River and traversed the state everywhere … particularly the eastern suburbs of Melbourne were hard hit.

We’ll let the power companies make the assessments of how quickly they can get customers reinstated. I couldn’t put a timeline on any particular area or any particular customer …

Updated

Welcome

Welcome to our live blog covering the fires and storm aftermath across Victoria. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll bring you our live coverage today.

Here’s what we know so far:

  • Firefighters are continuing to battle the Bellfield, Mount Stapylton and Newtown fires in Victoria’s west and central regions

  • CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said both homes and outbuildings had been lost in the fires overnight

  • Damage assessment crews will work to confirm the damage this morning

  • Roughly 260,000 homes are still without power, with the eastern suburbs of Melbourne particularly hard hit

  • Victoria’s state response controller Gary Cook could not put a timeline on when damage to power supplies could be repaired. At its peak, around half a million homes were without power

  • At this stage, no persons have been reported missing

  • The State Emergency Service received more than 2,750 calls for assistance between midday Tuesday and 6am today

  • The Department of Transport warned that “hundreds” of traffic lights were without power and flashing yellow across Melbourne and regional areas, urging motorists to drive safely and stay alert for hazards

Have you been impacted by the bushfires or storms? Send us your photos and experiences for the blog via X, @emilywindwrites or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

We’ll continue to bring you the latest updates throughout the day.

Updated

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