What we learned today, 11 January 2025
With that, we’re wrapping up the blog. Before we go, here are the major stories from Sunday:
Tropical Cyclone Koji made landfall in far north Queensland early on Sunday before being downgraded to an ex-tropical cyclone. Flash flooding and heavy rains are expected.
Harcourt residents were told not to drink tap water over contamination fears.
Victorian authorities have warned the bushfires could burn for “weeks” as firefighters on the ground have faced another difficult day.
The Victorian bushfires have compromised air quality across the state with those sensitive to smoke advised to take precautions.
Multiple warnings were issued along the Victorian-New South Wales border after the Walwa fire spread north into New South Wales.
A family of three and their cat “Bubba” have been airlifted to safety after their home in the far north of Victoria was destroyed by fire.
Ten major fires have continued to burn across Victoria with 32 active blazes in the state.
Victorian authorities have asked people not to engage in “dark tourism” by visiting active firegrounds.
A mother and two children have survived after escaping their car when they followed Google maps into a road submerged in flood waters.
We’ll pick things up again tomorrow.
Updated
Human remains found as fires continue to burn across Victoria
Human remains have been found in the Longwood bushfire area, marking the first death believed to have been caused by the bushfires.
Victorian police confirmed the tragic find in a short statement released late on Sunday afternoon.
It said the remains were found 100m from a vehicle after police were able to access a fire-affected stretch off Yarck Road in Gobur this afternoon.
The person has yet to be formally identified and police are preparing a report for the coroner.
Updated
Clean-up begins in Yarck, Victoria
Here are some images coming from our photographer Steve Womersley as people return to their damaged properties and begin to clean up in Yarck, Victoria.
Updated
Adelaide festival did not dump Jewish columnist from 2024 program despite request from Randa Abdel-Fattah and others
The Adelaide festival board did not dump a Jewish columnist from its 2024 lineup at Adelaide writers’ week, despite being lobbied by a group of 10 academics – including Randa Abdel-Fattah – to do so.
On Saturday the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, claimed that the board had dumped the New York Times pro-Israel columnist Thomas Friedman in 2024, and reiterated his support for the festival board’s decision on Thursday to remove Abdel-Fattah, a Palestinian Australian academic, from this year’s program.
“I note the Adelaide Festival also made its own decision to remove a Jewish writer from the Adelaide Writers’ Week program in 2024 in very similar circumstances,” Malinauskas told the Guardian through a spokesperson on Saturday.
I support that decision, and the consistent application of this principle.
On Saturday News Corp publications picked up on the premier’s statement, reporting the apparent inconsistency between the public outcry against Abdel-Fattah’s removal compared with the alleged removal of Friedman two years earlier, which did not ignite the massive boycott the writers’ week is now seeing, making the 2026 event look increasingly untenable.
Abdel-Fattah and nine other academics sent the Adelaide festival board a letter on 6 February 2024, requesting it rescind the invitation to Friedman, who had published a controversial column days earlier, which compared the Middle East conflict to the animal kingdom.
However, in a letter seen by the Guardian, the festival board rejected this petition to remove Friedman.
For more on this story, read the full report by the Guardian’s Kelly Burke:
Updated
NBN services undamaged but power cuts cause outages
NBN services have not been damaged by the Victorian bushfires but cuts to power have affected the operation of the network, a spokesperson says in the latest update.
In an update on Sunday afternoon, an NBN spokesperson said there are now 27 fixed line and fixed wireless infrastructure sites offline due to power outages, disrupting services to approximately to 2,000 customers.
The spokesperson said services had been restored to 5,000 homes on Saturday evening as power was restored to 50 NBN fixed-line and wireless infrastructure sites.
Since the start of the bushfires, NBN services have been restored to approximately 46,500 premises in Victoria, primarily due to the restoration of local mains power supply.
There are 14 NBN fixed-line and fixed wireless infrastructure sites, serving approximately 4,000 premises, which are running on battery or generator power:
We will continue to monitor the situation, and we will endeavour to keep these sites operational if it is safe to do so. NBN Co expects impact to fluctuate as battery back-up power supply becomes depleted and as commercial power supply is restored.
Updated
SA sends firefighters to Victoria
About 150 South Australian firefighters have been sent to help fight the Victorian bushfires.
Personnel from the Country fire service, the SA Metropolitan fire service, the Department of Environment and Water, the SA ambulance service, the SA State Emergency Service and Fraser Fire and Rescue are being deployed to support firefighting and incident management operations in Victoria.
About 110 of these are from the CFS, including volunteer firefighters and incident management team personnel, with 60 deploying this weekend and approximately 50 firefighters from the south-east deployed to the Natimuk area near Horsham on Friday 9 January.
They will be involved in frontline firefighting, incident management, planning, logistics and safety roles as part of the Victorian response.
Rhiannon Pearce, the minister for emergency services, said the effort showed a strong coordination between the states when it came to disaster management:
South Australians can be proud of our firefighters from across the various agencies who are giving up time with their families over the holiday period to support their interstate counterparts.
Victorian firefighters are being stretched due to the number of fires across that state and South Australia stands ready to support them through this difficult time.
I wish all our firefighters a safe trip and look forward to their return.
Updated
Crisafulli says Google maps ‘important resource’ but on-the-ground knowledge is key during disasters
Crisafulli says Google maps is “a really important resource just not during disasters”.
Google maps is a really important resource, just not during disasters because they’re headquartered a long way away and you’ve got to place your faith in the hands of the locals on the ground who know. And that’s our message.
So I make that as a general comment in terms of the comment about the mum and her children, I’m just genuinely so thankful and grateful that they were able to get to safety. Human life is worth more than anything.
The premier has also warned people seeking to retrieve boats that have become unmoored not to enter the water.
I understand why people would want to go and retrieve those boats, but your life is worth so much more than your boat, and we want people to be safe and we want to support them. And the marine rescue and water police will help in those retrievals and will help people get back on their feet. We just want people to stay in one piece.
Updated
Rescues carried out from flood waters in Queensland
We are receiving more information about rescues carried out.
Off the coast of Cannonvale, near Pigeon Island, around 9.28am on Sunday, a vessel took on water and sunk rapidly. Two men had to abandon ship and swam to shore where they were rescued. They have been assessed by the Queensland ambulance service and have no injuries.
In the area of Bogie, 57km west of Bowen, a woman was following Google maps when she drove through flood waters with her two children in the car. The car quickly became trapped but the woman and her children were able to escape and get to a nearby home to call for help. Authorities have warned people to be careful when following Google maps as they have not been updated with flooded roads.
In another incident at Finch Hatton, west of McKay, rapid creek rises forced two men and five children to become trapped in a residence. Rising water forced them to climb onto tables within the building, but the water level fell before becoming critical. First responders and community members were able to extract the group.
A reminder that people should avoid driving into flood waters. For more on what can happened, and what to do if a vehicle becomes trapped, read more here:
Updated
Mother and two children pulled from Queensland flood waters
A mother and her two children have been pulled from flood waters on Sunday morning, west of Bowen at Strathalbyn.
I can’t express how glad we are that they’re safe and well. I always say in a disaster it’s people that come first and property can be replaced, people can’t. And to know that people are safe and well means so much to us. And that is our first, second and third priority in an event. I can assure you of that.
The operation was conducted by Swift Water Rescue but more detail will be provided shortly.
About 15,000 homes and businesses are without power, but crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.
Updated
Prosperine and Mackay airports remain closed
On aviation, the Prosperine and Mackay airports remain closed for now, with Townsville airport having reopened earlier on Sunday.
The North Coast rail line north of Bowne is closed and the ports at Abbott Point, Lucinda, Townsville and Whitsundays remain closed.
For information on local roads, residents are asked to check their local council’s website for the most up-to-date detail.
Updated
Flash flooding risk south of Mackay: Queensland premier
Flooding remains a concern for communities in the path of ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji, the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, says.
The premier is giving un update on conditions hours after the weather system made landfall in far north Queensland.
Crisafulli says an area south of Mackay, north of Rockhampton, has been affected, with a real risk of flash flooding as the result of swollen catchments.
If you’re in a low-lying area [make sure] that you do know your risks and just stay safe on the roads.
And as I have repeatedly said, the vast majority of people have conducted themselves in a really safe and responsible way, but also in a great way of mateship, the way that people have worked with their neighbours and just more generally in the local area.
And I just want to express my gratitude for that in the way that Queenslanders always conduct themselves in these events.
The premier says wind gusts of 133km/h were recorded at Hamilton Island with an ongoing risk of heavy rainfall.
Residents of the region should be aware that the Bruce Highway has been cut at Peters Flat just north of Bowen.
Updated
Work under way to restore power to Victorian fire-affected areas
Work to restore power in fire-affected communities is under way, with crews on the ground working to make repairs.
Powercor spokesperson Emma Tyner spoke to the ABC earlier on Sunday saying that 57 poles have been replaced in affected areas with another 173 needing work.
She said work was still under way, with crews beginning to get access to areas that have previously been cut off.
The biggest challenge really is accessing firegrounds. A lot of these fires are still active and it’s not safe to even access it. So we have to work very closely with CFA and other emergency authorities to be able to access these areas.
For example, yesterday we were able to get partial access to the Harcourt town with an escort from the CFA crews there, which allowed us to get on the ground, check out what was occurring and do some minor repair works, but it’s still active.
Tyner said people looking to understand what outages look like can find more information on their distributor’s website. There are SMS alerts also being sent out and representatives at relief centres to speak to people directly.
Updated
Flooding expected for Burdekin shire area
Flooding is expected for the Burdekin Shire Council area after ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji made landfall earlier today.
Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort is speaking to the ABC to provide an update about conditions and says the local community is well prepared.
Our community has done an incredible job preparing for this weather event and the preparations have paid off. But while we have avoided the worst of the tropical cyclone, the risk of flooding remains very real. So I’m asking people to stay alert and stay informed.
Cort said the community was still waiting for the situation to pass, but that her constituency was resilient.
We just seem to knuckle down and take what’s given to us. But this rain has been certainly very good for the cane farmers in our area. So they can sit back and relax. Unfortunately, they can’t go fishing at this stage, but the cane’s growing nicely and there doesn’t seem to be any great destruction from the winds that we’ve had.
Updated
Victorian family airlifted to safety with pet cat, after sheltering in shipping container
A family and their cat has been airlifted to safety after their home on a remote Victorian property caught on fire this week.
Two generations of the family were rescued from the burning building after two women, aged 59 and 82, and a 92-year-old man, called emergency services on Friday seeking help to evacuate their family from their home in Caveat.
The family attempted to manage the situation for two days, even after losing their home, but the 59-year-old called again for help over concerns about the health of her family members.
Victoria police say the family “bunkered down and sought safety in a shipping container on their property as the fire swept through the area on Wednesday”. The trio slept in their car Friday night.
The Air Wing carried out an evacuation at 7am on Saturday morning, with a chopper landing on the property at 8.30am.
All three were safely evacuated from the site, along with their cat, Grisha, nicknamed “Bubba”, and transported back to Seymour. They were treated by paramedics and Bubba was given water by a syringe.
The 82-year-old woman’s hair was scorched by fire and she was treated for burns on her hands.
Updated
Victorian bushfires: what we know so far
Here is a summary of the latest on the situation facing Victoria, as bushfires continue to burn across the state:
A $19.5m support package has been approved by the federal and Victorian governments for those directly affected by the bushfires.
The Harcourt fire is not yet fully contained.
There are 10 “major fires” in Victoria with 32 active firegrounds and 15 current emergency warnings in place across the state.
More than 300 structures have burned during the Victorian bushfires, after the worst conditions since the black summer bushfires.
Those looking to travel to the fireground as “tourists” have been asked to stay away out of concerns for their safety and that of others.
Up to 200mm of rain and power outages across Whitsundays region
Residents of the Whitsundays have bunkered down after a “pretty tough night” and up to 200mm of rain, the local mayor says.
Ry Collins, mayor of the Whitsundays Regional Council, spoke to the ABC on Sunday afternoon to provide an update about the situation in the region:
We’ve had a pretty, pretty tough night, you know, some really strong winds hitting the coastline of the region all the way from our Whitsunday Islands right up the coast. We’ve seen quite a bit of damage occurring, a lot of trees down, those sorts of things. And then also quite a lot of rainfall as well.
Collins said the situation is continuing even though Koji has been downgraded, with power outages across the region, including for his own home.
The winds are still quite strong at the moment, but we’ve just had our local disaster management group meeting in the last half an hour and they’re all ready to go. It’s just waiting for those conditions to become safe to get out and complete that work.
The mayor said it was still to early to discuss support payments and recovery with the situation ongoing.
Our concern is really around the continued rainfall. We’ve got plenty of water in those catchments now, most of our major rivers and creeks are rising as we speak. So really we want people to avoid those areas. We did have an incident earlier this morning involving a motorist that that had gotten lost and ended up in a creek, and they had to seek refuge at a nearby property to get a following rescue.
Updated
Koji weakens to below cyclone strength
Tropical Cyclone Koji has weakened below cyclone strength after it made landfall in the last few hours but the weather system is still bringing very heavy rainfall and strong winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore spoke to the ABC earlier where he gave an update on the latest saying there have been “huge rainfall numbers” in the last 24 to 30 hours.
Clark Range is approaching 500mm in the last 26 or 27 hours, with widespread falls of between 100 and 200mm in the last couple of hours, Narramore said. Around Mackay, winds are gusting at 85km/h with severe weather warnings current all the way down to Saint Lawrence, and inland towards Moranbah.
We’re likely to see hundreds of millimetres of rainfall, particularly in that feeder band, that band of rainfall that kind of wraps around southern sides of our tropical lows that are slowly moving south down the Queensland coast.
Narramore said major flooding is expected along with closed roads and the isolation of homes and properties over the afternoon and into the evening.
A big concern is that catchments and the ground in these areas are already full or saturated, he said.
We have flood watches current for huge parts of northern and central Queensland. Obviously we still have major flood warnings through western and north-western Queensland. They’re going to continue for weeks.
Updated
Power being restored in parts of western Victoria, as repairs continue
Power providers say they have made “significant progress” in restoring power to fire-affected communities in western Victoria.
Powercor said in an update that it has crews undertaking repairs on network infrastructure damaged by the Cobden, Streatham/Skipton and Natimuk fires, with more than 57 poles already replaced.
Another 172 poles were needing to be replaced.
In the area around Harcourt, crews coordinated with CFA teams to access the town and conduct some repairs.
About 2,100 customers are off supply following Friday’s severe weather and fires. These outages are caused by fire damage to poles, lines and other electrical assets.
Crews are continuing to assess damage on Sunday and rebuild extensive areas of the network. This work includes:
In Natimuk, 40 damaged poles and other assets are being replaced. Yesterday teams replaced eight poles and rebuilt the network to restore power to the township. Work is expected to continue into tomorrow.
In Cobram, crews are replacing 30 poles destroyed by fire. Most are expected to be completed today but some work is likely to continue tomorrow.
In Skipton/Streatham, crews are replacing more than 110 poles and rebuilding parts of the network. The extensive rebuild work will take some days.
In Shelford/Meredith, they are monitoring an active fire that has impacted parts of the network. Drones were used yesterday to assess parts of the work and work will begin once it’s safe to do so.
Updated
Victorian premier tells ‘dark tourists’ to ‘stay away’ from firegrounds
Jacinta Allan has strong words for people visiting firegrounds as “dark tourists”, telling visitors to “stay away”.
She adds that the presence of these tourists was part of the advice she received recommending that a state of emergency be declared.
Stay away, stay away. Our emergency services are working in the most extreme and difficult set of circumstances. There are fires still in these landscapes.
There are trees that are falling as a result of these fires. It is not safe and it is wrong. It is wrong to go into these firegrounds where it’s unsafe and you don’t belong there, and you’ll be dealt with by Victoria police.
It’s one of the key reasons behind the recommendation to me as premier, to declare a state of disaster. It is to give police the powers to stop people who do not belong there, do not have a property in the area, to not enter these dangerous fire areas.
For more on the phenomenon of dark tourism, you can read the Guardian’s previous reporting:
Updated
Australia spending more money on extreme weather events, PM says
Australia is spending more on extreme weather events, the prime minister says, pointing to the flooding in Queensland as well as bushfires across Victoria.
Of course we are, because there are more extreme weather events and they’re more intense. And the fact that we have, at one time, floods in one area, fires in another and heatwaves that do cause other issues as well, means there is a cost of the changing weather patterns that we are seeing.
It is worth noting that the continued burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal is changing the chemical composition of the atmosphere in a way that is driving more extreme weather.
Australia continues to approve new, large fossil fuel projects against advice from the International Energy Agency and other international agencies that the world does not need more oil, gas and coal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Updated
PM responds to criticism that government has not learned from black summer fires
The premier and prime minister are responding to criticism that government has not learned from the black summer bushfires.
The PM is pointing to the creation of the national headquarters that allows coordination between states and territories, saying the Commonwealth has “made an enormous difference”:
On the ground here in this centre, meaning that you don’t have to just coordinate and send an email. There’s someone here on the ground. So I’ve received two lots, now, of requests from the premier.
The request that we announce today was received just yesterday afternoon.
We processed that, we approved it through finance. Through all of that, I signed off literally first thing this morning after approval from the minister as well.
So I think in terms of the way that things are operating – and this applies just as well to Queensland at the moment as well, right across the board – I think that has been a major improvement.
Albanese says that the immediate support payments have been approved “well before we’ve been able to put in a cost”.
What we’re doing at the moment is we’re responding to immediate need.
Updated
No lives have been lost to date, emergency management commissioner says
Wiebusch is responding to questions now, where he says there has been no confirmation that any lives have been lost to date.
He says 15,000 responders have been on the ground across the state working “day and night along with aviation crews in the air”.
We had night fire last night on the Otway fires, so we’re throwing everything at it to, to try and contain these fires.
On the disaster tourists, Wiesbusch once again asks people to stay out of firegrounds:
Our clear message is: in the fire-impacted zones, these are not places for visitors, spectators, tourists. These are places for our emergency services and when safe to do so, local residents. We have seen people trying to get in and around the Longwood fire, and I can tell you our colleagues at Victoria police will take that very seriously.
Updated
Number of structures lost in Victorian bushfires tops 300
In terms of losses, Wiebusch says more than 300 structures have been lost across Victoria and he provides a breakdown of some of that damage:
Mount Mercer: one house and 12 sheds have been lost.
Natimuk: 30 houses and 40 sheds have been lost.
Ravenswood and Harcourt: 47 homes and three businesses have been lost.
Longwood fire: 150 structures have been lost, including those announced yesterday.
The commissioner says impact assessments are still ongoing so the actual number is expected to rise as it firms up.
The loss and damage assessment will continue for some days at this point in time. If I just give you one example with the Longwood fire, that fire has a perimeter of over 400km with active fire still very much in that landscape. So there are some areas that we’ve been able to get into and undertake damage assessments, but there are other areas that are still far too dangerous.
Updated
Victoria has 15 emergency warnings and 17 ‘watch and act’ notices in effect
There are now 15 emergency warnings and 17 watch and act notices in effect across Victoria, Wiebusch says.
That means there is still risk for community right now in our landscape. But I guess in good news, we are starting to get on top of some of these fires. We expect by the end of Monday that the Streatham fire, the Natimuk fire and the Mount Mercer fire will be contained.
Wiebusch says that it is important to understand that “contained” does not mean “out” and that those fires are still burning.
Updated
Emergency management commissioner denounces ‘tourism’ to fire-impacted zones
A change in conditions is bringing welcome relief across firegrounds in Victoria, says the emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch.
Wiebusch says the changing conditions will allow firefighters “to start getting on top of some of the fires that we still have in our landscape.”
But the commissioner has some harsh words over what he has described as “tourism” to the firegrounds:
Disappointingly, in the last 24 hours we’ve started to see some tourism or spectators heading into some of our fire-impacted zones.
I can’t emphasise enough the state of disaster is now in place for 18 local government areas and where those fire-impacted zones appear on the VicEmergency website, they are the areas that we do not expect to see visitors.
We only expect to see locals if it is safe to be in there at all. So please do not enter those fire-impacted zones. Stay well away from them until they are safe.
Updated
The PM ends with thoughts for Queenslanders in the path of Tropical Cyclone Koji.
This system is expected to bring large amounts of rainfall to coastal areas of north Queensland and potentially inland areas as well; dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is a major risk along a significant stretch of Queensland’s coast.
The situation is dynamic and likely to change regularly, so people should actively monitor local emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology for updates.
Once again, the federal government stands ready to assist the Queensland government, local governments and the people of Queensland during and importantly [through] the aftermath of the event.
Updated
Disaster Recovery Payment to provide $1,000 for each adult, $400 for each child
Albanese is now discussing the $19.5m support package announced by the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, saying it will provide emergency fodder, support for primary producers “based on the initial assessment and impacts of the bushfires”.
It’s estimated that thousands of head of cattle are likely to have been impacted and in need of urgent attention and care. This package of funding will assist primary producers with the extraordinary costs of undertaking fodder distribution to ensure humane treatment of stranded livestock.
He says the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment has been activated for the communities worst affected. This allows for a one-time $1,000 payment for each adult, and $400 for each child.
It is available to those who have been seriously injured or who lost their homes, or whose homes have been directly damaged. People are encouraged to check the eligibility requirements on the Services Australia website.
Updated
‘We’ve got your back’: Anthony Albanese promises Victorians support for recovery
The prime minister is speaking now, thanking those involved in the firefighting effort and talking about the changes that have been brought within government to enable better disaster response.
Anthony Albanese says “the last time I was here at this centre we were dealing with floods. Now we’re dealing with fires.”
The national aerial firefighting fleet that we established making a difference, meaning the action can be done quicker than it was a number of years ago because of those resources, because of the coordination and because of the planning that goes into events.
The PM acknowledges the situation in far north Queensland that has been dealing with flooding and a cyclone that has made landfall in the last few hours.
So here I think the remarkable stories of people following advice that we’ve heard neighbours helping neighbours, people really working with the best of intentions with each other as well.
My message to Victorians is pretty simple: we’ve got your back, not just during this crisis but through the recovery as well, and we’ll work cooperatively with the government to make sure we deliver what is necessary so that people and communities can get back on their feet after what has been a very difficult period.
Updated
Victoria to provide $19.5m support package for fire-affected communities
A $19.5m support package will be made available to provide immediate relief to people caught in the fireground, the Victorian premier says.
Allan says the package is being tailored to what they have been hearing on the ground in partnership with the federal government, but says the PM will announce further details.
I do also make the point that as we consider the recovery journey ahead, I say very clearly to the affected communities, we will continue to stand with you and support you on the recovery journey ahead. It’s going to be a long one, particularly for those communities that have lost a lot of property, and so we will continue to support you on the journey ahead.
Updated
Harcourt fire is 80% contained, but concerns remain for north-east Victoria
Allan says the Harcourt fire is four-fifths – 80% – contained, a significant change in circumstances given the conditions on the firefront at the same time on Saturday.
The Victorian premier says concerns remain for people with properties in the north-east in the path of the Longwood fire and the Walwa and Mount Lawson fire as they “continue to be very large and difficult fires”.
Also of concern are the two fires burning in the Otways around Cape Otway and Mount Carlisle that were sparked by dry lightning on Saturday.
The premier says thousands of firefighters are engaged in the fight and 350,000 hectares have burned.
That number will increase as we continue to see these fires continue. So we will see fires continue for some time across the state. And again, that is why we are not through the worst of this by a long way. There are fires that are continuing right now that are threatening homes and property.
Updated
Ten ‘major fires’ among 32 active blazes burning across Victoria
There are 32 active fires burning across Victoria, Premier Jacinta Allan says in a late-morning update from the Bendigo Incident Control Centre in Epsom.
Allan is speaking at a press conference alongside the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, where she says residents that the 10 major fire grounds are “continuing to have enormous resources deployed” to manage their spread.
To give you a sense of the ongoing danger that is presented by these fires, there are currently 15 emergency warnings that have been issued in terms of advising people to leave their local communities.
And then there’s other there’s a further 17 'watch and act notifications that are under way right now.
And if I at the outset can again ask Victorians if you are told to leave by the emergency services, if you are told to leave, do so because we know that is not only the best way to protect and save lives, it also supports the work of our emergency services who are out there on the ground as well.
Allan thanks the community for acting upon and responding to warnings to date.
Updated
We are expecting the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to speak to reporters regarding the bushfires in Victoria.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
Updated
Emergency warnings issued for NSW border areas
In New South Wales, emergency warnings have been issued for areas on the border with Victoria as the Walwa fire has spilled across state lines.
Residents of Nariel Valley, Cudgewa, Corryong, Towong, Thowgla Valley, Biggara and surrounds have been told to take shelter now.
Residents of Mitta Valley including Tallandoon, Eskdale, Mitta mitta, Dartmouth and surrounds have been told to leave immediately.
Residents of Tallangatta Valley, Bulioh, Koetong, Shelley, Berrignama, Lucyvale and surrounds have been told to take shelter now.
Residents of Granya, Bungil, Burrowye, Walwa and surrounds have been told to leave immediately.
Fires have started on Murray River Road at Talmalmo but no immediate action needs to be taken.
A watch and act notice has been issued for Georges Creek, Jarvis Creek, Bethanga, Old Tallangatta, Noorongong, Tallangatta and surrounds. Residents are advised to monitor conditions as they are changing.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Koji crosses the coast between Ayr and Bowen
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore said Tropical Cyclone Koji was crossing the coast “right now” between Ayr and Bowen, and was expected to move inland quickly.
Most of the heaviest rain was occurring south of Ayr and inland. Falls exceeding 300mm were recorded around the Clarke Range since 9am Saturday, with widespread falls of 100 to 200mm.
That’s bringing strong to locally damaging winds and also widespread heavy rainfall, that is going to lead to widespread flooding in the coming days.
There’s already a lot of flooding occurring through parts of Queensland, so this rainfall isn’t good news for those flood-affected areas.
Wind gusts of around 110km/h have been recorded at Hamilton Island.
Updated
North Queensland ‘well prepared’ for cyclone, says premier
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, said north Queensland was “well prepared” for Tropical Cyclone Koji, which was expected to make landfall near Ayr this morning.
He asked people to know the risks and look out for their neighbours, particularly as more heavy rain on sodden ground brought the potential for flash and riverine flooding.
Updated
Harcourt residents told not to drink tap water
Residents of Harcourt in Victoria have been told not to drink tap water due to the risk of contamination, by water corporation Coliban Water, which was unable to access a burst water main due to the fires.
We are asking all residents to not drink tap water until further notice.
The “do not drink” advice covered drinking, food preparation, preparing baby formula, brushing teeth or making ice.
Updated
Chris Bowen will lobby petrostates on fossil fuel phaseout
Chris Bowen wants to use his stint as the world’s chief climate negotiator to lobby Saudi Arabia and others to stop resisting progress at UN summits, heeding calls for a “hard-nosed” approach in dealing with big emitters obstructing the transition.
Appointed “president of negotiations” for Cop31 under the deal that handed Turkey hosting rights for the conference, Australia’s climate change and energy minister has told Guardian Australia a focus ahead of the summit would be talking to countries “with whom we don’t traditionally agree”.
Bowen mentioned Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich Gulf state accused of repeatedly obstructing efforts at UN summits to accelerate the phaseout of fossil fuels.
“We won’t get anywhere if we just have a jamboree of the willing,” Bowen said.
Read more:
Updated
Weather forecast for Sunday
Here’s the capital city forecast on Sunday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology:
Sydney: showers increasing, maximum 26C.
Melbourne: possible morning shower, maximum 20C.
Brisbane: partly cloudy, maximum 31C.
Perth: sunny, maximum 35C.
Adelaide: cloud clearing, maximum 26C.
Canberra: partly cloudy, maximum 27C.
Hobart: cloudy, maximum 21C.
Darwin: showers, storm, maximum 32C.
Updated
Widespread ‘poor’ air quality forecasts across Victoria
Statewide air quality advice has been issued for Victoria urging people to stay indoors due to smoke and ash from multiple bush and grassfires.
People could expect to see or smell smoke on Sunday, which may drift far from the fires.
The advice from VicEmergency said:
Your nose is an excellent smoke detector. If you can smell smoke, take the necessary precautions to protect your health.
People more sensitive to smoke are those with a heart or lung condition, including asthma; people over the age of 65 years; infants and children; and pregnant women.
If you are sensitive to smoke, limit prolonged or heavy physical activity. Where possible, try to stay indoors.
Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority has forecast widespread “poor” air quality, with “very poor” quality observed between 7am and 8am at stations in Bendigo, Bright and Mount Clear.
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Cyclone Koji bearing down on north Queensland coast
Tropical Cyclone Koji will cross the north Queensland coast this morning, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds.
Koji is expected to make landfall as a category-one cyclone, crossing between Ayr and Bowen about 200km south of Townsville.
The cyclone has sustained winds of 75km/h near the centre, with wind gusts up to 100km/h. A wind gust of 106 km/h was recorded at Hamilton Island this morning.
Heavy to locally intense rain associated with cyclone could lead to flash flooding, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which has issued major flood warnings for the Flinders, Cloncurry, Georgina, Herbert, Haughton, and Pioneer rivers. Six-hourly rainfall totals up to 150mm were likely.
The BoM has issued a severe weather warning for the north Queensland coast – stretching from Townsville to St Lawrence and extending inland – for heavy, locally intense rain and damaging winds, with the potential for gusts up to 100km/h.
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Jacinta Allan says firefighters facing ‘another difficult day’
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said the state was facing “another difficult day”, with thousands of firefighters and emergency workers battling blazes right across the state.
She said there were 32 active fires burning on Sunday morning, with 14 emergency warnings in place.
Take the advice to leave when you are told to do so.
Stay safe, and support our firefighters.
Providing food and fodder for livestock that have survived the fire was a “priority matter”, she said, with active fires continuing to restrict safe road access.
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Emergency-level bushfires burn across Victoria
Bushfires continue to burn across Victoria, as firefighters battle blazes that could rage for “weeks”.
Bushfires east of Carlisle river, west of Walwa and at Longwood continue to burn out of control.
At least 14 emergency warnings have been issued for bushfires across the state urging residents to “leave immediately” or “take shelter now”, according to VicEmergency.
About 60 bushfire warnings are in place across the state.
About 130 structures have been destroyed by fires, and more than 300,000 hectares of bushland burned.
A statewide total fire ban remains in place.
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Good morning
Welcome to the Guardian’s Sunday live blog.
We’ll continue to bring you the latest on the extreme weather around the country, with Victoria residents given fresh orders to leave immediately as bushfires burn across the state, tropical cyclone Koji bearing down on north Queensland, and severe heatwaves lingering across parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Canberra and New South Wales.
I’m Petra Stock and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
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