What we learned today, Wednesday 4 October
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Yes23 deleted a social media post after the Australian Electoral Commission warned of “disappointing” tick and cross “confusion”.
Elise Archer resigned from the Tasmanian parliament, ending a stalemate that could have led to an early election.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has warned to “be prepared for a horror summer” as the Bega fire was downgraded.
An emergency flood warning was issued for the Macalister River near Lake Glenmaggie in Victoria.
A review of the visa system has urged a crackdown to stop “grotesque abuses” of temporary migrants.
Coalition senator Bridget McKenzie has asked what will replace fuel excise when EVs become dominant.
One backpacker was injured in a Darlinghurst hostel fire which started after a battery explosion.
Dozens of Qantas flights were cancelled in Western Australia due to a pilots’ strike.
Coles and Woolworths workers are set to strike on Saturday over “poverty wages”.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow morning.
Updated
‘Vote yes because no leads nowhere’: the powerful plea from Uluru
The Northern Territory’s Central Land Council has made a powerful plea for Australians to support the Indigenous voice referendum, spelling out a large “yes” in the foreground of Uluru today.
The CLC – “the elected grass-roots representatives of remote communities in Central Australia” – met today, again backing the yes vote. Numerous CLC members were also delegates and contributors to the constitutional convention processes that led to the Uluru statement from the heart, calling for a voice.
YES! Central Land Council! pic.twitter.com/aqFfVkuqxr
— Professor Dr Megan Davis (@mdavisqlder) October 4, 2023
“I was here six years ago, when we invited Australians to join us on a journey towards voice, treaty and truth-telling,” said the CLC delegate and Uluru traditional owner Sammy Wilson.
“Our council overwhelmingly voted yes this morning because we know that when decision-makers listen to our voices we end up with policies that help us, not harm us, and money is spent wisely.”
The CLC chair, Matthew Palmer, called the voice “our best hope in generations to turn our lives around”.
“It won’t come again in my lifetime, and I ask to you all to write yYes for all our children when you go into that voting booth,” he said.
In a post on its Facebook page, the CLC wrote: “Coming full circle: today our delegates cast their votes at the birthplace of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Vote Yes because No leads nowhere!”
Updated
Two more tuberculosis cases detected in South Australia
Two more cases of tuberculosis (TB) have been detected in South Australia, including a child and a woman in her 60s.
The state’s chief public health officer, Prof Nicola Spurrier, says the new case brings the Murraylands cluster to six, including two children and one historical case, with most of them close family connections.
The diagnosis of a young child was particularly concerning because children were at higher risk of developing severe and more widespread active disease, Spurrier said when the cluster was identified.
The other newly discovered case, although diagnosed in Adelaide, recently travelled while potentially infectious to Port Augusta and several APY Lands communities.
SA Tuberculosis Services says it is working quickly to identify high-risk close contacts associated with the new cases and provide specialist screening clinics.
– With AAP
Updated
‘I feel genuine happiness’: Lumumba shares joy over Collingwood win
The former AFL player Héritier Lumumba has revealed his joy at seeing his old club Collingwood win the premiership and praised the leadership of coach Craig McRae.
“Recalling the magic of 2010, it’s prompted deep introspection,” Lumumba said on X, formerly Twitter.
“In my first deep dive since retirement, I consumed everything leading up to the game. I was deeply immersed again. Memories of Grand Final weeks, playing at the MCG, and the electrifying feeling of tucking the ball under the arm, dodging & weaving, all came rushing back.”
Lumumba, who played 223 AFL games including in the Magpies 2010 premiership, has spoken out about his experiences of racism at the club and within the AFL as a whole, and had distanced himself from the game.
1/ 🏆 AFL Grand Final 2023: Recalling the magic of 2010, it's prompted deep introspection. In my first deep dive since retirement, I consumed EVERYTHING leading up to the game. I was deeply immersed again. #AFLGrandFinal2023 #Collingwood
— Héritier Lumumba (@iamlumumba) October 4, 2023
In his thread he highlighted the club’s investment in the Ghanaian-born Isaac Quaynor, and the “absolutely monumental” significance of the Indigenous player Bobby Hill winning the Norm Smith medal, “considering the club’s history,” and the joy of seeing his former teammates Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jamie Elliott succeed on the biggest stage.
“I feel genuine happiness for Collingwood supporters. The sheer satisfaction this win must’ve brought is unimaginable. Their dedication to the club is unmatched, so this victory must be the sweetest.
“Since 2021 Collingwood has pledged to undergo a metamorphosis, promising to confront & rectify cultural challenges. Fast forward to 2023, they’ve secured a premiership. On-field triumphs aren’t sole metrics of transformation, but they play a significant role in the narrative.
“As Collingwood’s influence grows post this victory, the question arises: how will they harness this newfound acclaim and power? Eagerly watching the club’s cultural evolution in the coming years. Floreat Pica.”
Updated
Paws-itive impact as therapy dog gets to work
Therapy dog Poppy has started full-time work assisting families and children involved in family law proceedings in Melbourne, the federal circuit and family court of Australia has announced.
Poppy will help provide comfort and emotional support to people in the justice system, give a sense of normalcy, assist with communication and “provide a healthy distraction from a trauma response and a physical source of calming touch”, the courts said in a statement.
The court therapy dog program comes after a pilot involving court dog Lucy ran between November 2022 and February 2023, the courts said.
Will Alstergren, chief justice of the courts, honourarily “swore in” Poppy on Wednesday. He said:
The courts are extremely pleased to welcome Poppy as our official court therapy dog. This is the first time that a therapy or facility dog has been used in Australian federal courts, and backed by behavioural science and the experiences of courts all around the world, the benefits to litigants will be significant.
A professionally trained facility dog can provide support to people experiencing stress and offer a positive and calming distraction to an overwhelming situation. Poppy will help the court experience be more trauma-sensitive and enable people to find their voice, furthering the administration of justice.
Another court dog, Zoey, is expected to start work in Hobart later this year.
Updated
No total fire bans tomorrow but 59 fires are still burning across NSW
As of 5pm, there were 59 fires burning across NSW, with 26 not yet contained, the Rural Fire Service said.
On X (formerly Twitter), the organisation tweeted:
There are over 700 firefighters and incident management specialists working to contain these fires. While will be hot and dry conditions tomorrow, there will be no total fire bans.
As of 5pm, there are currently 59 fires burning across the state, with 26 not yet contained. There are over 700 firefighters and incident management specialists working to contain these fires. While will be hot and dry conditions tomorrow, there will be no Total Fire Bans. pic.twitter.com/p8f0ScUeSY
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) October 4, 2023
Updated
NRL star Cameron Munster backs yes campaign
NRL star Cameron Munster is the latest elite athlete to back the Indigenous voice, donning an Uluru statement t-shirt in the yes campaign’s newest endorsement.
Munster - the Melbourne Storm, Queensland origin and Australian representative - appears in another Uluru Dialogue video on TikTok, speaking the message: “No voice, no choice. Come on Australia, vote yes.”
It’s the same message aired by Panthers grand final hero Nathan Cleary earlier this week. We’re expecting more star athletes to back the voice before the 14 October referendum day.
Yes23 spokesperson Rachel Perkins said yesterday:
I think we’re going to see more and more players coming out like yesterday ... I can’t tell you who, but stay tuned for more.
Updated
Bridget McKenzie asks what will replace fuel excise when EVs become dominant
On ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Senator Bridget Mckenzie was also talking about tax policies around vehicles and road usage. Asked if she would support the mechanism to charge drivers in CBDs more, she questioned how much EV users would pay for road maintanence.
As you know I am from rural and regional Australia, we have big rigs and we travel long kilometres. So I think as we move towards net-zero position, we will have more electric vehicles in our (fleets), particularly our passenger fleet.
Who pays for the road? The fuel excise is one way we all contribute to the construction of our road network across the country. EV users don’t pay that.
Updated
Tertiary bodies say education sector will need more investment to fill skills shortages
Peak tertiary bodies say the federal government’s annual jobs and skills report highlights the need for ramped-up investment in the education sector to fill growing work shortages.
The skills shortage analysis, released today, found more professions were grappling with shortfalls now compared with 2022, most of which were in high-skilled occupations.
Universities Australia’s chief executive, Catriona Jackson, says Australia is in a “major skills crisis” of which universities and vocational education providers do “a lot of [the] heavy lifting”:
We can’t keep doing our job for the nation without the right policies and funding.
Consistent changes ... have resulted in caps on university places, confused market signals for students and a lack of investment in infrastructure and research. The Albanese government has an opportunity ... to reverse a decade of poor policy decisions that are hampering universities. It’s time to act.
The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) executive director, Luke Sheehy, says moving Australia closer to a universal post-secondary education system could be key to addressing skills challenges.
More than 90% of jobs created over the next 10 years will need post-secondary school qualifications. If we ensure universal access to post-secondary education, it will provide broad benefits for the country, including delivering a skilled workforce for a stronger economy.
Updated
WA police fail to front inquiry into murdered children
Western Australian police have refused to attend a Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children.
Before the public hearing began in Perth today, Senator Paul Scarr and Senator Dorinda Cox – a former WA police officer - both detailed their disappointment. They said senior NSW officers had answered questions at a previous hearing in Sydney.
Cox said the police no-show was disrespectful to the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and children, many of whom had shared their tragic stories with the inquiry earlier this year.
First Nations justice can never be achieved in this country if people are not accountable, if our law enforcement agencies across this country are not transparent in their transactions in our communities.
I’m urging people to work with us in partnership so that we can ensure that we look at this issue so we can prevent deaths of First Nations women and children in this country.
Both senators asked WA police to reconsider and said they were willing to adjust the schedule to accommodate them.
Scarr told the West Australian that WA police justified their refusal to appear by referring to “the fact that there were different agencies, state-based agencies, which acted as checks and balances with respect to the performance of their duties”.
Scarr:
However the performance of these agencies and the interaction between the WA police and these agencies had been a matter that had been discussed in evidence provided to this committee.
These were areas which we, in discharging our obligation as a committee of the Australian Senate, wanted to pursue with the WA police. However, their failure to attend has denied us that opportunity.
Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905
Lifeline 13 11 14
- With AAP
Updated
Bridget McKenzie says Alan Joyce to receive summons to front Qatar Airways inquiry
Bridget McKenzie is speaking on Afternoon Briefing – she said the former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will receive a summons into the probe into the government’s decision to block Qatar Airways.
When he has finished with his business overseas he will receive a summons. We don’t have a Joyce tracker but he is a recognisable guy.
Even at the footy on the weekend, the number of everyday Australians who came up to me at the MCG and said keep going, go get them … there will be many eyes looking for Alan Joyce on his return.
She said the inquiry was in the process of drawing up recommendations and had heard prices were up 15% because of the lack of competition.
When the airfares are being kept arbitrarily high because of a lack of competition, Qantas can choose to run on certain flights through the Middle East to Europe with their partner Emirates, instead of Australians being able to access … Qatar direct to the Middle East and onto multiple destinations to Europe, that is a dampener on competition.
Updated
Multiple health organisations endorse inquiry into impact of harmful industries including gambling and vaping
Health organisations including Quit, the Food for Health Alliance and the Cancer Council Victoria have endorsed calls for an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the impact of harmful industries, led by Dr Sophie Scamps MP.
Scamps and other MPs called for the inquiry following an investigation from Guardian Australia that found young people are entering adulthood grappling with depression and debt due to the impact of gambling, and that gambling-related calls to Gambling Help Online from people aged 24 and under increased 16% in the last financial year.
The heads of peak bodies representing independent schools also told Guardian Australia they are trying to educate students and parents about gambling harms, with more students gambling on their devices. Meanwhile, parents and doctors have expressed concern about a growing number of dual vape/lolly stores opening close to schools, which they say are targeting children.
The Cancer Council Victoria’s CEO, Todd Harper, said he is alarmed by the “manipulative tactics used by harmful industries which threaten the future health of the next generation of Australians”.
“We’re in a situation now where fast-food companies give meal-deal prizes to kids who participate in sport,” he said. “Chicken wings ads are all over bus shelters. And vaping shops are selling lollies, and opening within mere meters of primary and high schools. This must stop.”
Quit, along with VicHealth, last week launched new data about the proliferation of vaping content on social media – with more than 18bn #vape posts on TikTok and 18m #VapeLife posts on Instagram.
Jane Martin, the executive manager of the Food for Health Alliance, said: “It is unethical for businesses to sell harmful products that can undermine young people’s health alongside products they should not be using”.
“That co-location of e-cigarettes and unhealthy foods like lollies and caffeine-laden drinks creates a new normal for young people. That is worrying.”
Updated
Emergency flood warning issued for the Macalister River near Lake Glenmaggie in Victoria
An emergency warning has now been issued for the Macalister River in Victoria. People in the area are being urged to leave now before conditions become too dangerous.
On the website, the BOM said:
The Macalister River D/S Lake Glenmaggie is currently at 5.75 metres and rising, above the major flood level. The Macalister River D/S Lake Glenmaggie is likely to remain above the major flood level (5.30 m) into Wednesday evening due to planned releases from Lake Glenmaggie.
Updated
Coles and Woolworths workers set to strike Saturday over ‘poverty wages’
Around 1,000 workers at Coles and Woolworths will walk off the job this Saturday to protest against what they say are ‘poverty wages’.
Staff represented by the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union will strike between 10 am and 12 pm on Saturday, with workers in Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, the ACT and SA joining the action.
In a statement, the union said:
Supermarkets workers want a fair deal. They are paid poverty wages - base rates of between $12 and $26 per hour. Offender abuse means workers are assaulted, threatened and abused every single day. Casual work is endemic. Workers want simple solutions to these critical issues.
Workers are asking for:
A living wage of $29 per hour.
Safety policies covering bullying, workplace harassment and discrimination, including to treat assaults and threats as crime scenes; and
Job security rights including conversion from casual to part time employment and protections in the case of redundancies.
Updated
PM says important ‘leaders be on the ground’
The PM has been asked why he is holding the press conference in Bega, not closer to where the fire is.
He answers that right after this, they are “going to Bermagui”.
We will provide whatever is necessary. Thats why it’s important leaders be on the ground, to hear from people providing services on the ground.
… that’s why we had the disaster preparedness summit just last week to work through those issues . It isn’t just an academic exercise, it’s so you can identify where those gaps are and fill those gaps. I have every confidence in the expertise and the commitments of these magnificent servants of Australia.
There are still 60 fires burning across NSW.
Updated
‘Be prepared for a horror summer’: Chris Minns after Bega fire downgraded
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has said people need to “be prepared for a horror summer”.
If you are on holidays on the New South Wales South Coast or you’re heading to the beach for the second week of the New South Wales school holidays, and it’s not your residential environment and not your natural environment, it’s extremely important that you understand where evacuation centres are.
Minns said there were 800 firefighters and emergency service workers who worked through the night to battle fires on the South Coast.
It shows their commitment to this community and the state owes them a hell of a lot.
Updated
Three homes lost in Bega Valley blaze
NSW Fire and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, are speaking from Bega.
Three homes have been lost.
The PM has thanked firefighters and volunteers.
At the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character. There [are] more than 200 people out there fighting fires as we speak. They are putting their communities first.
Updated
NSW anti-slavery commissioner welcomes Labor reforms to combat worker exploitation and human trafficking
New South Wales’ anti-slavery commissioner, Dr James Cockayne, has welcomed the federal governments reform’s to combat human trafficking and migrant worker exploitation.
The changes were announced by the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neill, and the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, earlier today:
In a statement, Cockayne said there are an estimated 41,000 people in modern slavery and human trafficking in Australia right now, yet only 300 reports to police each year – and only 31 convictions in two decades.
He said today’s reforms are an “important first step” to address the “crisis”, but more needs to be done:
… the fact that an alleged human trafficking kingpin, Binjun Xie, is being deported – not arrested and prosecuted – shows there is still more work to be done to make our detection and exposure systems fit for purpose.
Cockayne said reporting systems need to be “victim-centric” to break the silence around migrant worker exploitation and human trafficking.
The best way to ensure these reforms have the intended effect will be to consult closely with survivors of exploitation and human trafficking. They have the lived experience that can inform the reform process to ensure taxpayer funds are spent on solutions that will actually make it easier and safer for the tens of thousands of potential victims of modern slavery to come forward.
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. I’ll leave you with my colleague Cait Kelly, who will guide you through the rest of today’s news. Take care x
‘I dread coming into the office’: Antarctic scientists raise alarm about workplace culture
A member of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has told a Senate inquiry that the culture of the workplace is causing many climate scientists and staff angst.
Two independent reviews have criticised the division’s culture. The latest, led by Leigh Russell, exposed allegations of sexual harassment and abuse but also revealed a culture of widespread bullying, with 41% of staff interviewed saying they experienced bullying in the last 12 months.
Brian Miller, a senior research scientist at the AAD who was appearing before a Senate inquiry as a member of the Community and Public Sector Union, told the inquiry that the internal culture had taken a toll on him over 12 years.
It’s gotten to a point where I dread coming into the office. You know, I wake up with a knot in my stomach, thinking about having to go into a hostile work environment where there’s bullying, where the funding is uncertain.
But Miller told the inquiry he was confident the division’s new leadership team was slowly making cultural change.
There is a new head of division now and she’s trying to turn the ship around. I genuinely believe that. The ship is turning. I feel like things are getting better slowly.
12 months ago, I would have not appeared before this committee because I would have feared repercussions and feared that there would have been retribution and that my job wouldn’t be safe. But I feel comfortable appearing today on behalf of the union to appeal for help. We know there are still good people at the Australian Antarctic Division.
Miller told the inquiry that many people had left the AAD due to culture challenges in recent years.
Updated
Victorian historic child sexual abuse inquiry widens remit
An inquiry into historical child sexual abuse at a Melbourne primary school in the 1960s and 1970s has been expanded to probe allegations at 23 other state schools where the same teachers also worked.
The Victorian government in June announced a board of inquiry into historical abuse allegations at Beaumaris primary school in Melbourne’s south-east. The inquiry was due to investigate allegations at 18 schools. It can only investigate schools where there is a link to Beaumaris.
The inquiry has also extended its deadline for submissions until the end of the month.
Updated
Flood warnings issued across parts of Victoria
Seven watch and act alerts remain in place for flooding across Victoria, with a major flooding underway at Licola.
The Macalister River at Licola has reached 4.07 metres, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with major flooding underway.
Meanwhile, the Macalister River at downstream Lake Glenmaggie is steady at 5.19 metres, with moderate flooding conditions. VicEmergency said the situation is being closely monitored, and warnings will be updated as necessary.
Moderate flood warnings are in place for the following locations:
Goulburn River upstream of Lake Eildon.
King River at Docker Road Bridge.
Yarra River from Millgrove to Coldstream.
Yarra River from Coldstream to Warrandyte.
Buffalo River downstream of Lake Buffalo.
Seven Creeks to Euroa.
Updated
Dozens of Qantas flights cancelled in Western Australia as pilots strike
Thousands of travellers have had their plans thrown into disarray after dozens of Qantas flights were cancelled in Western Australia due to a pilots’ strike, AAP reports.
Pilots employed by Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation walked off the job for 24 hours today, with Perth airport’s website listing more than 40 flights to regional towns and mine sites as cancelled.
They are seeking a 50% pay hike and also want a significant pay increase comparable to the salary received by other Qantas pilots flying similar aircraft around the country.
The airline has offered 25%.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) said it was disappointed its members had been forced to resort to industrial action and it remained committed to reaching an agreement with the airline. Chris Aikens, a senior industrial officer, said:
The decision to embark on protected industrial action has not been made lightly. We had been hoping as recently as yesterday afternoon to resume discussions with the company to reach an agreement so that we did not need to take this action.
Qantas said the AFAP’s decision to return to the negotiating table had come too late to stop thousands of passengers having their travel plans disrupted.
The airline said it was able to provide services to about 3,500 travellers and charter flights for the resource sector using rerouted Qantas 737 jets for intra-WA flying and contracted aircraft from other operators.
Stranded passengers have been provided with hotel accommodation or fare refunds.
Updated
Uluru Dialogue says ‘youth will carry’ voice referendum
Marcus Stewart, a spokesperson for the Uluru Dialogue has urged young Australians to back the voice referendum, saying “youth will carry this”.
In a press conference this morning, Stewart said that a no vote would “mean nothing ... no is now.”
The opportunity to vote yes is an opportunity to change our nation. It’s an opportunity to move the dial and empower our grassroots community to have a say and for the government to listen on issues that disproportionately impact them.
So, that’s the opportunity and we know our youth will carry this. They’ll inherit the decision on October 14, and they’ll be critical in this.
Speaking alongside youth members of the Uluru Dialogue, Stewart said a yes vote would be “an opportunity to make up a better country”.
There’s an opportunity for Australians who are only tuning in just now to get informed, to understand what this simple ask is, and that’s simply for our politicians, our parliamentarians, to listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Thomas Mayo, another prominent yes campaigner who has been travelling nationwide, said he believed young people wanted change.
What I’m hearing from the youth is that they don’t want a country that, after more than 200 years of disadvantage for Indigenous people, continues that trend. A country that has proportionately the most incarcerated people on the planet, a country whose Indigenous peoples have twice the suicide rates and the huge disparities in health, education, and employment.
Updated
Flinders Island bushfire being brought under control: Tasmanian fire service
The bushfire at Flinders Island in Tasmania is being brought under control thanks to the efforts of firefighters, with no active threat to properties.
The bushfire, near Mount Tanner, has been burning for several days in a heavily forested part of the island.
The Tasmanian fire service’s deputy regional chief, Steve Richardson, said it was important for the communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka to stay informed:
Fire crews from multiple agencies … are making significant progress towards bringing [the bushfire] under control.
Over the last 24-hours we’ve seen around 47mm of rain fall on the fireground which has made conditions on the ground slippery for crews.
Richardson said crews were continuing to strengthen containment lines when conditions allow, working to slow progression on all edges of the fire.
We’re continuing to actively [monitor] conditions in the area and ask that anyone who evacuated and is planning to return to their property is vigilant, safe, and informed of current and changing conditions.
He said a caravan and two water tanks had been destroyed by the fire, plus 15 power-poles, which resulted in power being lost to the Mount Tanner Telstra tower.
The tower is currently operating off a generator, whilst crews work to restore power and infrastructure.
Updated
Man dies after being crushed by bulldozer in Queensland
A man has died after reportedly being crushed by a bulldozer at a work site in Queensland.
The Queensland police service confirmed a man has died following a workplace incident at Tarong, shortly before 9am this morning (local time).
According to a report in the Courier Mail, the incident occurred at a construction site near the intersection of Ridge Road and Tarong power station. Police will prepare a report for the coroner, the QPS spokesperson said.
The forensic crash unit will be assisting workplace health and safety in its investigation.
Updated
Bega Valley fire downgraded as conditions ease
The Bega Valley bushfire along the NSW south coast was downgraded to an “advice” level alert this afternoon.
The NSW RFS said firefighters and aircraft are still working to contain the fire, but conditions have eased.
The blaze is 5,118 hectares big and continues to burn near homes in the Cuttagee, Barragga Bay, Murrah, Bunga and Goalen Head areas.
Advice: Coolagolite Rd Fire, Coolagolite (Bega Valley LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) October 4, 2023
Firefighters supported by aircraft continue to work towards containment of this fire, with easing conditions across the fireground, the fire has now been downgraded to an 'Advice' alert level. https://t.co/uT0Vg60mIv pic.twitter.com/rEnZpAATCj
The minister for regional development and former Bega Valley mayor, Kristy McBain, said this has been a really confronting period for locals.
Thanks to the tireless crew for working towards containing this fire – and to the community for coming together to support people impacted!
Updated
Uluru Dialogue urges youth to host ‘picnic for change’ on weekend before voice referendum vote
The Uluru Dialogue is pushing to solidify the youth vote for the yes campaign, urging young people to host a “picnic for change” this weekend – a week out from the Indigenous voice referendum date.
The campaign, run by Megan Davis and Pat Anderson, has been activating their youth network to help drum up support for the voice among young voters. In association with Amnesty International, the Uluru Youth Dialogue is pushing for people to show support for the voice this weekend.
Bridget Cama, the Youth dialogue co-chair, said:
This weekend we’re calling for Australians to hold their own picnics on the 7th of October and join in the picnic for change. A national picnic led by young people but for really important conversations to be held. We know that yes is about positive change, it’s about hope. No delivers us nowhere, there’s no hope, there’s no solutions.
Allira Davis, also a co-chair, said youth support was crucial to the success of the referendum.
Young Australians will inherit the outcome of this referendum.
Throughout this campaign, we have seen their passion and enthusiasm for creating positive and lasting change. We know that we can rely on their support in large numbers but hope they will be buoyed to see this rallying by their peers.
We inherit the decisions, the injustices and the day-to-day problems that happen in our community and the issues we have in our community. So, we want to make sure that we’re going towards a better future for all Australians.
Updated
Dfat working with Italian authorities to confirm if any Australians involved in deadly bus crash near Venice
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) is working with local authorities in Italy to confirm whether any Australians were involved in a deadly tourist bus crash.
At least 21 people have died, and 18 were injured, after a tourist coach crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy about 7.45pm last night (local time). The coach was carrying a group of tourists who were returning to a campsite in Marghera, according to reports in the Italian media.
A Dfat spokesperson said:
The Australian government offers its deepest sympathies to those affected by the bus crash in Mestre in northern Italy.
Australian officials are in contact with local authorities to confirm whether any Australians are involved in the incident.
Updated
Service held for victim of suspected mushroom poisoning in Victoria
One of the women who died from suspected mushroom poisoning has been remembered as a patient mother and grandmother, whose beautiful smile brightened up a room, AAP reports.
Heather Wilkinson, 66, was one of four people who ate beef Wellington at Erin Patterson’s Leongatha home in Victoria’s south-east on July 29.
Her husband Ian, 68, attended the service after spending close to two months in the Austin hospital after becoming critically unwell following the Leongatha lunch. The Baptist church pastor returned home last month, in what his family described as a “moment of immense relief”.
Heather and Ian’s son David Wilkinson spoke at the service, describing his mother as a patient and kind person who loved to laugh.
She loved being a mum and she loved us well.
She was uncompromising but full of grace.
Heather died after the lunch, as did her sister, Gail Patterson, and brother-in-law, Don Patterson, both 70. Police believe the symptoms the four diners experienced were consistent with being poisoned by death cap mushrooms.
Updated
One injured in Darlinghurst hostel fire started after battery explosion, FRNSW says
Footage has been released showing the terrifying moment two backpackers were caught in a fireball when a lithium-ion battery exploded inside a Sydney hostel today.
As we reported earlier, a hostel in Darlinghurst caught on fire today, with 22 firefighters and six fire trucks responding to the incident just after 9am this morning. Fire and Rescue NSW says the blaze is suspected to have been sparked by a faulty e-bike battery left on charge.
Security footage from the hallway, released by FRNSW, shows a French backpacker standing in the doorway and talking to a friend (still inside the room) when a device suddenly exploded into flames.
Both men made a desperate dash to safety, before going to Kings Cross police station for help. One of the men in his 20s sustained minor burns to his leg and was transported to St Vincent’s hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, an additional 70 people were evacuated from the building while the surrounding streets were shut down as emergency crews responded. Fire crews contained the damage to one unit before extinguishing the blaze.
FRNSW are working with NSW police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Firefighters have previously warned of a ‘marked increase’ in battery fires.
Updated
Jobs and skills commissioner says migration should ‘complement, rather than compete’ with tertiary education
Circling back to the skills shortage speech at the press club today, Jobs and Skills Australia’s acting commissioner, Peter Dawkins, also proposed some new ideas to consider that might offer some reprieve.
One looks at the migration system, which Dawkins suggested could “complement rather than compete” with the tertiary education system. For example, Dawkins said student visas could be offered to migrants wanting to do an electrical apprenticeship, which is currently not allowed due to limits stopping international students from working more than 48 hours a fortnight.
Dawkins also said university degrees should offer work experience within a student’s course of study to better prepare them for employment in that field.
It is an ambitious agenda, but one that we hope will foster a virtuous cycle. A cycle where investments in enhancing skills across the economy can provide a fiscal dividend through increased productivity and participation, which helps pay back the cost of the up-front investment.
Updated
Labor and Greens clash over Antarctic funding during Senate inquiry
The Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has taken issue with comments made by Labor senator Catryna Bilyk during a Senate inquiry into the funding of Australia’s Antarctic program.
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) must find $25m in savings this year, which represents about 16% of the division’s operating budget. The environment department has also confirmed the division’s budget is lower than it was last year.
Labor senators have repeatedly denied the government has cut the division’s budget, saying instead that a temporary funding boost has expired. During a Senate inquiry this morning, Bilyk asked a scientist from the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, who had raised concerns about cancelled or delayed climate projects due to budget pressures, to describe cuts to the division’s budget as “alleged”.
Here’s what Bilyk told the inquiry:
There was some serious disinformation, misinformation and scuttlebutt over the fact that the Labor government had somehow cut funding.
I assure you - and this was flagged in the former government’s last budget estimates - that [the budget pressure] is due to the commissioning of the ship [RSV Nuyina]. That money was never going to be ongoing. It’s because of that.
In response to that statement, Whish-Wilson told the inquiry the temporary funding boost for shipping was only one aspect of the funding drop. He cited an email from the Australian Antarctic Division’s director, Emma Campbell, which stated an internal efficiency dividend imposed by the department was also a factor.
Here’s what Whish-Wilson told the inquiry:
The other factors actually were budget cuts. They were an inefficiency dividend [to find] whole of government savings of 5-6%, which are clear cuts to not only the AAD but to other sections of the [environment] department too.
I don’t think you were intending to be misleading when you said that, Senator, but … just to put that on the record when we are talking about budget cuts.
Nobody is buying this - especially not the Antarctic scientists who have their critical projects put on ice. The governments own department has admitted there are cuts, wake up Labor!! https://t.co/zjZ1DeHHSY
— Peter Whish-Wilson (@SenatorSurfer) October 4, 2023
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Are you a parent or teacher with a story about youth gambling?
This week a Guardian Australia investigation revealed children as young as 10 are getting hooked on gambling, with 16% rise in young people seeking help for gambling in the last financial year.
Are you a teacher, parent or caregiver concerned about youth gambling, and seeing it play out in your household, school or community? We want to hear your stories.
Share your experience with Guardian Australia through this form:
Skill shortage doubles since 2021, new figures show
The nation is experiencing a widespread skills shortage not seen since the 1960s, with the skills shortage crisis is now affecting more than a third of occupations in Australia, new figures reveal.
The figures, from the government’s workforce planning agency Jobs and Skills Australia, reveal a nearly-doubling of skills shortages across affected professions to 36% since 2021. Technicians and trade roles among the areas most in-need of workers.
Other areas looking to get people in the door included health professionals – nurses and GPs – along with ICT professionals and various types of engineers.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s acting commissioner, Peter Dawkins, is speaking at the National Press Club about these numbers now. The agency’s projections show around 2 million more people will be employed in the Australian economy in 2033 compared to today, with the care and support workforce growing by 145,000 roles in the decade alone.
Prof Dawkins said foundation skills, including digital literacy, were more important than ever.
Australians will need to acquire and continually develop the necessary skills, which will increasingly be high-level skills if we are to achieve the economic and social aspirations of a prosperous and equitable nation.
Dawkins said the road map had three high-level aims - minimising unemployment and underemployment, increasing productivity, labour force participation and real wage growth, and reducing disadvantage.
Increasing equity can be achieved by enhancing the ability of disadvantaged groups to obtain the skills and opportunities they need to be successful in securing and retaining good jobs.
- With AAP
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Man in tractor rescued amid Victoria floods
Victoria’s State Emergency Service has confirmed it carried out a water rescue for a man in his tractor overnight in the state’s north-east.
Victoria’s east is facing flood warnings after bushfires raged in the Gippsland region.
The SES says there was a water rescue involving Victoria police and the emergency services in Alexandra overnight.
Cooler temperatures downgraded bushfire warnings, but firefighters remain on the ground trying to contain the fires that began on Sunday.
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Clare O’Neil said she and immigration minister Andrew Giles were “acutely aware” of the “very significant responsibility” they had for managing the country’s immigration system properly.
We have undertaken an extensive agenda of immigration reform in the time we are in office, and today we announced five major changes that will see the Australian government [address] the issues that Christine Nixon has raised.
My colleague Paul Karp outlined these changes earlier on the blog, so you can scroll down to get all the details.
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‘Serious problems’ with abuse in migration system, O’Neil says
Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil is giving a press conference following the release of the Nixon review.
O’Neil said this review signalled the “most substantial reform to immigration compliance in decades”.
It also told us we had “serious and systemic problems with abuse in our migration system”, she said.
This system has been used to perpetrate some of the worst crimes to humanity, sexual slavery and human trafficking.
Delay and and dysfunction and poor management of the immigration system lie at the heart of the ability of people to commit these crimes and exploit the system in the way Christine Nixon has elaborated on
But how did this happen in public view?
It was lack of care, lack of attention and lack of basic interest in what is one of the most important things that the Australian government does, and the responsibility for a lot of these problems lies directly at Peter Dutton’s feet.
[He] oversaw the immigration system and its decline in resourcing, in capability and in its capacity to manage people coming in and out of the country in a lawful manner.
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Student visa refusals rising fast
The Nixon report found that refusals of international student visa applications are rapidly increasing, up from 15% mid-year to more than 35% in September.
On Monday the government announced that education agents would be banned from receiving commissions for poaching students enrolled in other institutions in a bid to improve the integrity of the international education system. A further announcement on unmeritorious refugee claims is expected on Wednesday.
The Albanese government is also working on its response to the migration review, which will lift the bar for international students and graduates, and is considering creating a firewall between the Fair Work Ombudsman and Home Affairs.
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Migrant exploitation normalised across job market, report suggests
More on the Nixon review:
The Nixon report suggests exploitation has become normalised in many sections of the labour market, with more than 45% of backpackers and more than 40% of international students victims earning less than $15 an hour, well below the minimum wage.
The government has already introduced legislation to strengthen employer compliance, with the power to issue prohibition notices to prevent them hiring people on temporary visas for a period.
However, Nixon recommended that powers to stand-down employers found to breach the Migration Act should result in them being permanently banning from further employing temporary migrants.
The report found that lengthy delays in reviews of refugee claims allows tens of thousands of asylum seekers to stay for up to 10 years accessing merits review and judicial review of their claims. In January Guardian Australia revealed the Refugee Council was also concerned about this effect of the backlog.
Nixon’s report said:
The volume of non-meritorious and non-genuine onshore protection claims needs to be reduced.
She recommended that protection claims must be made through a migration agent or lawyer.
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Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil said the issues raised in the Nixon report were “not new”:
The warning signs were there. Now, we are getting on with the job of cleaning up Peter Dutton’s mess.
In May, Dutton dismissed O’Neil’s claims that he had neglected compliance, accusing her of behaving “like she is still in university politics”.
Funding for our security agencies increased year-on-year when I was minister for home affairs.
I was proud to have continued the work the Coalition did to keep our country safe and secure.
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Labor to widen its powers to counter migrant exploitation
The Albanese government will expand its powers to cancel the visas of migrants who have been found to have exploited other temporary migrants.
The government will establish a new division in the Department of Home Affairs to focus on immigration compliance, spending an extra $50m to increase compliance resources in 2023-24 by 43%.
Operation Inglenook, an Australian Border Force operation targeted at criminals engaged in human trafficking and modern slavery, will be expanded beyond the sex industry.
The Nixon review found that on average 40% of migration agents used by those hoping to come to Australia were unregistered.
In response, the government will double the size of the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. It will gain new powers to impose conditions on migration agents, deregister migration agents for longer and increase penalties for misconduct.
The government will spend $27.8m on improved biometrics to improve verification of migrants’ identities.
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Review urges crackdown to stop 'grotesque abuses' of temporary migrants
Dodgy migration agents and employers will be in the firing line of a crackdown to prevent “grotesque abuses” of temporary visa holders, which Labor claims flourished under the Coalition government.
On Wednesday the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, and the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, released the review of exploitation of the visa system conducted by the former chief commissioner of Victoria police, Christine Nixon.
Nixon urged the government to protect temporary migrant workers from “grotesque abuses” including sexual exploitation, human trafficking and organised crime.
In a cover letter to O’Neil in the report, Nixon said exploitation had remained “secretive” seemingly because law enforcement were focused on “higher priorities … such as illicit drugs, tobacco and unauthorised maritime arrivals”.
The Nixon report founds that immigration compliance staff reduced from 380 in 2013-14 to about 200 in 2022-23.
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No Australian scientist ‘on the sea ice’ in East Antarctica for 10 years, inquiry told
The University of Tasmania and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies have warned that Australia is not thoroughly documenting record low sea ice in Antarctica, which has alarmed many scientists.
In a joint opening statement to a Senate inquiry into the funding of Australia’s Antarctic program, the two research organisations said there was an ongoing crisis in funding.
Prof Rufus Black, the university’s vice-chancellor, put it this way:
The last time we had scientists on the sea ice in East Antarctica was 10 years ago. This was a time when it appeared that Antarctica was more resilient to climate change than expected and the sea ice was actually increasing.
Black has also presented the inquiry with a summary of rapidly declining sea ice in the region. He said most of the world’s glacier ice is located within the region of Antarctica that Australia has an historical territorial claim to:
If the three main glaciers were to collapse and melt into the ocean, we will see sea level rises that would see where we are today [Hobart] underwater.
Melbourne and Sydney … would have very large tracts also underwater. These are just the three areas of ice that are, in a sense, Australia’s area of responsibility to understand and know about and the rate of their collapse will substantially affect Australia.
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Labor senator asks climate scientists to describe budget cuts as ‘alleged’
The secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water has acknowledged that the budget of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is lower than it was last year.
The AAD must find $25m in savings this year, which represents about 16% of the division’s operating budget. But the federal government has repeatedly denied it cut the division’s budget.
Earlier this morning, the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society told a Senate inquiry that cuts to climate science have come at the worst possible time and would hurt the nation’s international reputation.
Labor senator Catryna Bilyk has sought to assure scientists about the government’s funding commitments:
I understand that you’ve got concerns about alleged – and I just would like people to use the words ‘alleged’ – budget cuts.
But can I assure you – and this was flagged in the former government’s last budget estimates – that [the budget pressure] is due to the commissioning of the ship [RSV Nuyina]. That money was never going to be ongoing. It’s because of that.
A letter from department secretary, David Fredericks, sent last month and obtained by Guardian Australia, admitted that funding had declined.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to support everything we would like to do in Antarctica in any given season. The AAD must be deliberate in how it prioritises its work to achieve positive outcomes for Antarctica and the southern ocean whilst remaining within its budget.
In saying this, I do acknowledge there is less funding for the AAD in 2023-24. This is primarily the result of a terminating budget measure for the commissioning of RSV Nuyina. This funding was in recognition of increased costs with NSV Nuyina was unavailable, thereby requiring supplementary shipping.
Updated
Archer resigns from Tasmanian parliament, early election avoided
Tasmania’s former attorney general has announced she will quit politics, ending a stalemate that could have forced the state’s minority Liberal government to an early election, AAP reports.
Elise Archer had been reconsidering her decision to resign after being sacked from cabinet on Friday amid allegations of workplace bullying and for sending “inappropriate” messages.
Archer on Wednesday released a statement saying she would inform the governor of her decision.
I have decided to provide my resignation to [the governor].
This is done with an extremely heavy heart particularly given the outpouring of support I have received encouraging me to stay on.
To those who have personally contacted me, I am deeply humbled by your support and I wish to thank you sincerely.
However, this is the right decision for me personally, knowing the types of threats and tactics adopted by this government recently are likely to continue.
Archer’s decision to quit parliament will prompt a recount in her seat of Clark, which is likely to be won by a Liberal.
The Tasmanian government held 11 of 25 lower house seats before Archer’s sacking.
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Albanese spruiks social housing scheme
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has shared some photos on social media from this morning’s social housing announcement.
As my colleague Tamsin Rose brought us earlier, Albanese and premier Chris Minns today announced the first NSW project to be funded as part of the government’s social housing accelerator scheme.
Eleven homes for seniors will be built as part of a $6.2m redevelopment in Riverwood in southern Sydney.
The development will see three existing homes replaced by five one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units, with construction to begin this month.
On social media, Albanese said:
It’s the first NSW project to be funded by our Social Housing Accelerator, but it won’t be the last. We’re working with [Minns] and state and territory leaders across the country to redevelop sites like this.
These buildings might not look like anything special, but they’re some of the first of their kind in NSW.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 4, 2023
This site is getting a makeover, being transformed from three empty houses to 11 social homes for senior Australians. pic.twitter.com/Pwk2gm9QhU
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Flood warnings issued for more Victoria rivers
Meanwhile, two moderate flood warnings have been issued for nearby rivers in Victoria.
Moderate flooding is occurring along the Buffalo River at Lake Buffalo, while minor flooding along the Ovens River downstream is expected.
A watch and act message has been issued, replacing the flood watch issued at 6am.
Heavy rainfall is expected to cause a continued rise in water levels.
The Buffalo River is currently at five metres and “steady”, while the Ovens River at Bright is at 2.73 metres, below the minor flood level.
A moderate flood warning has also been issued for Seven Creeks at Euroa. It is currently at 3.9 metres and rising, and is expected to peak near 4.30 metres in the afternoon.
Minor flooding may occur along Seven Creeks downstream of Euroa, VicEmergency also warns. Kialla West is at 1.91 metres and may reach the minor flood level of 4.50 metres by Thursday morning.
Updated
Major flooding at Licola, Victoria
Major flooding is occurring at Licola in Victoria, VicEmergency has alerted, with the Macalister River currently at 3.86 metres and rising.
A major flood warning has been issued for the river, upstream of Lake Glenmaggie, and it has the potential to reach four metres today.
In the 24 hours to 9am this morning, up to 150mm of rainfall has been recorded at the Macalister River catchment, causing rapid river level rises.
VicEmergency said further rainfall was forecast throughout today and tomorrow, with a further 60-90mm possible.
This situation is being closely monitored, and warnings will be updated as necessary.
The Macalister River at Licola is currently at 3.86 metres and rising, and could reach about four metres today.
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Don’t miss out! Vote for Australian bird of the year before polls close
There’s no time like the present to cast your vote in our Australian bird of the year poll!
Early voting shows that a few favourites are in danger of elimination – the majestic wedge-tailed eagle, the plucky little penguin, and the goggle-eyed, freakish bush stone-curlew.
Voting will go dark tomorrow for the final 10 birds, where the winner will be decided through a simple poll (closing at midnight) before being crowned on Friday.
You don’t want to miss out!
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Calls for Catherine King to appear before Qatar Airways senate inquiry ‘a stunt,’ Albanese says
Circling back to prime minister Anthony Albanese’s earlier press conference:
During questioning with reporters, he backed transport minister Catherine King’s decision not to appear before the senate inquiry examining her decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request for extra flights to Australia.
When asked why she wouldn’t appear, Albanese said:
Because no house of representative member has ever appeared before a senate inquiry.
He echoed comments from King that requests for her to appear are merely a “stunt”:
This is a stunt, and ministers do not appear. No ministers in the former government did, everyone knows that who follows the senate.
Updated
Fire tears through Kings Cross hostel
A fire has torn through a hostel in Sydney’s Kings Cross district, however early reports suggest there are no serious injuries.
NSW Police said they were called out at 9.15 this morning. The fire was put out by fire crews, who then cleared the building.
NSW Ambulance said they hadn’t treated anyone in relation to the fire, but noted the situation was still unfolding. NSW Police suggested one person may have suffered burn injuries, however.
The Daily Telegraph reported that six fire trucks and 22 firefighters responded to the incident.
Updated
Cuts to climate science hurting Australia’s reputation, scientist tells inquiry
The Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society has told a senate inquiry that cuts to climate science in Antarctica have come at the worst possible time.
The senate inquiry has been called after reports in Guardian Australia about budget pressures leading to many crucial climate science projects being delayed or cancelled.
The Australian Antarctic Division must find $25m in savings this year, which represents about 16% of the division’s operating budget.
Dr Ian Allison has told the inquiry that the budget pressure is impacting Australia’s international reputation and the morale of scientists:
The cuts to the Antarctic Division will have a large and ongoing impact on Australia’s ability to monitor, understand and predict Antarctic and Southern Ocean environmental systems, Australia’s standing as an international leader and Antarctic and Southern Ocean science, and staff morale.
These financial cuts are coming at a time of unprecedented change in the Antarctic environment. These make it critical to be comprehensively observing the Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate system and its interaction with ecosystems.
With growing concern about climate change, it’s vital that Australia maintains and enhances its climate observing network and data archives as part of the global climate observing system, which is needed to support the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A reduction of science capability in the Australian Antarctic region would impact the early detection of key climate indicators with implications for understanding and prediction of climate risk for Australia.
Tasmanian premier threatens to call early election
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff has written to Elise Archer, requesting she advise whether or not she will remain in parliament by 9am next Monday.
In a statement, Rockliff said:
I have been clear: if Ms Archer cannot provide the Government a guarantee of supply and confidence she should stand down from Parliament to make way for a Liberal.
I have advised Ms Archer that if I do not receive a decision by [9am Monday, October 9] I will have no option other than to request the governor dissolve the parliament and issue writs for a general election.
Archer, the state’s attorney general, resigned on Friday after the Australian newspaper published text messages in which Archer had reportedly criticised her colleagues.
You can read more about the situation below:
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Public Health Association backs calls for inquiry into impact of harmful industries on children
The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is supporting the MPs calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the impact of harmful industries on young people following revelations by Guardian Australia of a 16% rise in youth seeking help for gambling in the last financial year.
Terry Slevin, the CEO of the PHAA, said the gambling industry “has gone way too far and they have to be reined in”.
The only way in which that can happen is the government to regulate.
Slevin said other countries where governments have regulated the gambling industry do not have the same rates of gambling as Australians who are the “biggest losers in the world”.
It really is as simple as that. They can’t be allowed to continue on unfettered, ruthlessly exploiting vulnerable people and particularly vulnerable young people.
Slevin said there are “extreme outcomes” from a health point of view. Harms not only include suicide associated with gambling, but also lead to individuals and families to prioritise money on gambling over the basics of life including food, rent and medical attention.
Now it’s on everybody’s device that everybody carries around 24/7 and so that accessibility, the ruthless marketing and pretending this is a great way to make mates or to make money - whereas neither are true - it has to be aggressively curtailed and governments are the only ones who can do that on behalf of the citizens and the people who vote for.
You can read more here:
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Conditions ease but Coolagolite fire continues to burn near homes, RFS say
The NSW Rural Fire Service has also provided an update on the Coolagolite fire in the Bega Valley, along the state’s south coast.
Conditions have eased following a southerly change that moved across the fire ground earlier this morning, the RFS said.
This brought cooler temperatures and rain that has helped ease fire conditions.
However, the fire continues to burn near homes. Crews continue working to contain it.
Watch and Act: Coolagolite Rd, Coolagolite (Bega Valley LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) October 3, 2023
The fire continues to burn near homes. A southerly change moved through the fireground overnight, bringing cooler temperatures and rain that has resulted in easing conditions. https://t.co/uT0Vg60mIv pic.twitter.com/lbebZvpM1n
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Severe weather warning for parts of NSW Riverina
A severe weather warning has been issued for parts of the NSW Riverina, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall expected.
Locations which may be affected include:
Nowra
Eden
Bega
Katoomba
Cooma
Albury
Hay
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, heavy rainfall is expected over the Riverina, and will extend to the southeast this evening.
Severe Weather Warning for DAMAGING WINDS and HEAVY RAINFALL. Locations which may be affected include #Nowra, #Eden, #Bega, #Katoomba, #Cooma, #Albury and #Hay.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) October 3, 2023
View all warnings: https://t.co/I4qsVXcFKG pic.twitter.com/EaTq7gsE4Q
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More than 600,000 people have placed early votes in referendum, PM confirms
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has wrapped up his press conference in Sydney, alongside NSW premier Chris Minns.
Speaking on the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, Albanese said more than 600,000 people have already voted.
I take great heart in that – that Australian’s are eager to vote yes in this referendum.
He compared the role of the voice to that of a P&C at schools:
You look at schools that are most effective and really dynamic, they’re the ones that have a really good P&C. They’re ones that talk to their teachers, their parents, the students themselves, and the businesses and communities around [them].
You get better outcomes, you get that uplift …
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No leads 53% to 38% in voice referendum, new YouGov poll finds
YouGov has just released its latest poll results, finding 53% of voters intend to vote No in the Indigenous Voice referendum, 38% intend to vote Yes, and 9% are undecided. The poll was conducted between 25 to 29 September with a nationally politically representative sample of 1,563 voters.
Yes leads among Labor voters (49% to 41% no), and Greens voters (70% to 24% no), but No leads among the Coalition voters (73% to 22% yes).
Yes leads in inner metropolitan electorates by 48%-41% but No leads in outer metropolitan electorates by 58%-31%, provincial city electorates by 56%-40% and rural electorates by 60%-34%.
YouGov director of government Paul Smith said:
With pre-poll voting on the Voice referendum starting today, No enjoys a commanding 15-point lead. While only a small majority of 2022 Labor voters intend to vote Yes, the referendum is having no discernible effect on voting intention, with Labor enjoying a slightly greater two-party preferred vote than the last election and Anthony Albanese enjoying a 17-point lead over Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister.
The poll finds Labor leading 53% to 47% for the Coalition in two-party preferred terms.
Updated
University of Melbourne students back week-long staff strikes
Students at the University of Melbourne have backed striking staff this week as the union ramps up its campaign for better pay and working conditions.
Staff across every faculty began striking for a full week on Monday, in what they believe is the longest running industrial action at the university since stonemasons downed tools to win the eight hour working day in 1856.
National Union of Students education officer Xavier Dupe said students were joining staff on the picket lines in support of the National Tertiary Education Union.
This week’s action is the second of the five day strike in recent months, with staff across several faculties walking off the job in late August.
Dupe:
All across the university sector, staff are overworked and underpaid, and students’ education has suffered. These strikes are fighting for an end to that, and they’re hitting management where it hurts. These strikes should be an inspiration to all students and staff.
James Gallagher, co-convenor of the UniMelb Students Support Staff Strikes campaign said staff and students would “keep fighting until we win”.
Poor working conditions for staff have a direct impact on students’ education. Satisfaction levels are low, class sizes are up, and there is less opportunity for face-to-face learning and feedback between staff and students.
The university claims that staff strikes are disruptive to students. But students and staff have a united interest in the strike’s demands for a better university with better paid staff and better quality education.
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‘Mid-summer conditions’ points to ‘hellish three months’ ahead, Minns warns
NSW premier Chris Minns said it was “concerning” to be experiencing “mid-summer conditions” in October.
This is concerning for everybody … it points to a hellish three months.
He assured that bushfire resilience plans are in place, and emergency service workers are speaking with local mayors to prepare for the bushfire season ahead.
It’s really important that everybody has a personalised emergency evacuation plan to protect lives and property, and understand where the risks and threats are [so] you know what to do quickly, in short notice.
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Minns advises NSW school holidaymakers stay alert for bushfires
NSW premier Chris Minns said there are a lot of holidaymakers on the south coast at the moment, with the school holidays underway.
He said it is vital they listen to the advice from firefighters, police and emergency services.
You need to be aware of where bushfire activity is taking place, where emergency service workers are currently operating and be aware of your circumstances in situations – have you got an evacuation route?
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NSW premier commends ‘same firefighters’ as black summer for battling south coast fires overnight
NSW premier Chris Minns is speaking to the media from south Sydney, addressing the state’s ongoing bushfire situation.
He said there are currently 73 fires burning across the state, with 16 yet to be contained.
On the south coast last night more than 800 firefighters and emergency personnel worked to battle the firefront, with 191 appliances or trucks on scene.
Minns noted that the town of Bermagui and wider south coast community had only just suffered through the black summer bushfires recently, and is still recovering:
So you’re talking about the same crews, the same firefighters working through the night to keep communities [and] to keep properties safe.
They’ve had a hellish 24 hours.
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Allan government ‘operating in chaos’ after Commonwealth Games revelation, opposition leader says
Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, says the Jacinta Allan government is in “chaos” just one week in, with revelations lawyers were engaged to cancel the Commonwealth Games weeks before the decision was announced. He told reporters outside parliament:
One week in and Jacinta Allan is off to a disastrous start, already engulfed in a scandal around the Commonwealth Games. We’ve got two new property taxes when Victoria is already facing a cost-of-living crisis. We learned today that contrary to what Jacinta Allan has told this parliament and the Victorian people … she obviously knew lawyers were engaged to get Victoria out of the Commonwealth Games … we have a government that is operating in a situation of chaos.
Updated
The prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced he will visit fire affected parts of the NSW south coast along with state premier Chris Minns this afternoon:
Prime Minister announces he and Premier Chris Minns will visit fire affected parts of the south coast this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Sn43Rxvu72
— Tamsin Rose (@tamsinroses) October 3, 2023
Yes23 deletes social media post after AEC warns of ‘disappointing’ tick and cross ‘confusion’
Yesterday the Yes23 campaign posted an infographic to social media, which has been branded “disappointing” by the Australian Electoral Commission for its potential to cause “confusion” about how to vote.
It’s been a matter of public controversy for a few months, but in September the federal court confirmed that ticks will count as yes votes but crosses will not count as no votes. Clive Palmer and Ralph Babet have appealed the decision. But still, voters are supposed to write “Yes” or “No” - not to use ticks or crosses.
The infographic depicted the consequences of a vote for no, using a cross to illustrate the argument that to “vote no” will result in the “same old failures”. It suggests that to “vote yes” will result in “better results”, illustrated with a tick. The “vote no” and “vote yes” statements are written in purple, a colour associated with the independent AEC.
The AEC asked that the post be deleted. It has now been removed.
It said:
We understand the instructions to ‘vote no’ or ‘vote yes’ is in your graphic. However, given the public discussion & court matters re ticks/crosses it is disappointing they feature prominently in this graphic. Requesting immediate removal to limit any potential confusion.
We understand the instructions to ‘vote no’ or ‘vote yes’ is in your graphic. However, given the public discussion & court matters re ticks/crosses it is disappointing they feature prominently in this graphic.
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) October 3, 2023
Requesting immediate removal to limit any potential confusion.
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Symes confirms major incident at Malmsbury youth justice centre overnight
Victoria’s attorney-general, Jaclyn Symes, has confirmed there was a major incident at Malmsbury youth justice centre overnight. She told reporters outside parliament:
My information is that no staff were hurt, but police were called to help deal with the incident. There’ll be consequences as a result of that.
Symes confirmed reports keys were stolen from guards in the incident, but would not say whether staff were taken hostage.
Three youth offenders were taken to hospital.
Updated
Victorian bushfire warnings downgraded, replaced by flood warnings and water rescue
Jaclyn Symes - who is also the Victorian emergency services minister - has provided an update on the state’s bushfires.
She says they’ve been downgraded and replaced by flood warnings in other parts of the state:
The situation remains dynamic. We have good news in that the emergency warnings for fire have been downgraded.
Obviously we’ve had a lot of rain across the state and that has brought flood concerns and flash flooding concerns. We have three current alerts out, predominantly related to rivers in the Eildon area.
Symes said there were more than 300 requests for assistance from the SES overnight, mostly in and around the Taggerty area.
There was also one swift water rescue in the Alexandra area, she said.
I don’t have details in relation to the specifics.
Updated
Victoria’s attorney-general to introduce bail law amendments
Victoria’s attorney-general, Jaclyn Symes, has confirmed she will be introducing amendments to her government’s bail laws in an effort to gain crossbench support.
Debate on the bill – which bans offenders charged with specific low-level offences from being remanded, as well as repeals a range of bail-related offences introduced in 2013 – will begin in the upper house on Thursday.
Symes confirmed she will be introducing several amendments to get it passed by the end of the day. This will include a statutory review of the bill two years after it comes into effect.
She said she was in discussions with the Greens and Liberals about their proposed amendments but was confident any “tweaks” to the bill will not change its purpose:
There are conversations ongoing on a range of matters but they are minor matters. Fundamentally, the bail amendment bill is about ensuring that low-level offenders are not unnecessarily remanded if they’re not a risk to community safety, but we want to maintain an appropriately tough approach on serious offenders.
This is all about community safety and community confidence in our justice system, but also [being] cautious that the current bail laws have cast a net too wide. They have captured vulnerable cohorts that … although they have committed a crime … being in custody is not the best response for those people. And that’s what those laws are designed to fix.
Updated
Australia ‘a long way off’ recycling 70% of plastic packaging by 2025 target, Tanya Plibersek says
Environment minister Tanya Plibersek spoke to ABC RN earlier this morning about the government’s targets for plastic recycling.
A review by the Australian packaging covenant organisation earlier this year showed Australia recycles just 18% of plastic packaging. Plibersek said the review was “shocking” and as a nation, we’ve “failed quite dismally” on past recycling initiatives.
The minister said she is working with environment ministers in states and territories to regulate packaging by 2025.
We need to use less than of it in the first place, and we need to make sure that the packaging we do use is able to be reused, recycled, reprocessed in line with circular economy principles.
Plibersek said Australia is “a long way off” its target of recycling 70% of plastic packaging by 2025, which is why this initiative is underway.
But “we need to do more than that” she added, with Australia taking part in international negotiations to rid the world of plastic pollution by 2040.
We know if we continue on this path, we’ve got really serious problems. In fact by 2050, we estimate that the weight of plastics in our ocean will outweigh fish in our ocean if we continue going the same way that we’re going. So we’ve got to do the work at home.
Plibersek denied Australia won’t meet its 70% recycling target by 2025, because efforts are being redoubled now and “we’re doing absolutely everything we can”.
Updated
NSW Rural Fire Service says properties lost on south coast
The NSW Rural Fire Service has just confirmed to us they have received reports of lost properties on the NSW south coast due to yesterdays bushfires.
However, no further information is available yet on how many properties have been lost, as building impact assessment teams are yet to assess the damage.
This work is due to begin today. Fire commissioner Rob Rogers told Nine’s Today Show:
We know properties were lost, we just don’t know how many and that work will obviously go on this morning.
The good news is there are no reports at the moment of anyone missing, which is good to hear, but we’ve got to confirm that everybody is okay in those areas because there’s a lot of scattered properties firefighters were struggling to get in to.
Updated
Ads targeting multicultural Australians to back voice launch
The yes campaign is making a concerted effort to reach Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek, and Italian communities, with a new series of ads launching today urging multicultural Australians to back the Indigenous voice referendum.
Referendum campaigning is turning a major focus onto Australia’s multicultural communities, with both the yes and no campaigns trying to reach voters who speak a language other than English. The yes campaign has a number of events in western Sydney today, with a particular focus on migrant and refugee communities.
The Victorian Women’s Trust, a major backer of the yes campaign, is launching an appeal through multicultural newspapers. Full-page ads, featuring the Trust’s “Women for Yes” open letter, will be published in the Neos Kosmos, Il Globo, the Australian China Daily, and the Adelaide Tuần Báo publications.
VWT executive director Mary Crooks said:
Women from migrant and refugee communities are likely to empathise with First Nations people, as many have also suffered dispossession, dislocation and tensions that harmed their loved ones and communities.
Sadly, they also understand what it means to be discriminated against in our country and to face barriers to resources, such as healthcare and education.
The open letter, to be published in the newspapers, states:
We see the Voice to Parliament as a simple, positive, and practical proposal. When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in policies affecting their lives, we can be more confident that their experience, knowledge, and wisdom will be heard, valued, and fashioned into more appropriate policies and programs which make a real difference to their lives as well as benefiting our entire nation.
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‘Reached its peak’: Katy Gallagher welcomes 4.1% interest rate decision
Earlier, finance minister Katy Gallagher spoke to ABC News Breakfast about the RBA’s decision to hold interest rates yesterday.
She said yesterday’s decision to maintain interest rates at 4.1% was welcome, given the impact that higher interest rates are having on households at the moment.
Asked whether further rises could be expected later in the year, Gallagher said:
[The RBA is] are pointing out that inflation has reached its peak, that we are seeing it coming down and that it is expected to go back to the target range across the forecast period, so that is very welcome.
But we recognise that at the moment it’s really tough out there, the cost of living is impacting households, the higher interest rates are impacting households, so that’s why the government is focused on doing what we can to ease those cost-of-living pressures through some of the measures we’ve introduced through the budget and our election commitments.
Updated
Early voting in WA looks ‘positive’ for yes campaign, Patrick Dodson says
Labor senator for Western Australia Patrick Dodson, often referred to as “the father of reconciliation”, says that early voting in remote Western Australia is looking “positive” for the yes campaign.
Speaking on the Full Story podcast, the Yawuru man says people attending remote polling stations in the Kimberley have told him “there’s a very positive return for the yes campaign”, which contradicts the narrative “that this is a lost cause”.
He also repeated his claims that Australia’s international relations will be damaged by a no vote.
There will be repercussions for us internationally and at the UN.
I think our status and our capacity to portray ourselves as a modern, outward looking, reformist type nation, accommodating diversity and difference would be seriously tarnished if we vote no.
It will affect our dealings with rich countries like China and other places. Our competitive, you know, trading capacity- I think will have some impact.
You can listen to the full podcast below:
Updated
Victoria bushfire affected communities to face heavy rain and potential flooding
Communities in Victoria still reeling from bushfires are set to face heavy rain and potential flooding today.
The latest from VicEmergency shows that watch and act alerts are active in three locations:
A major flood warning has been issued for Macalister River upstream of Lake Glenmaggie, with major flooding “likely”.
The Macalister River at Licola is currently at 3.26 metres and rising, with moderate flooding. At Licola, the river is likely to reach the major flood level (3.60 metres) around 8am today. Further rises are also possible with forecast rainfall.
A moderate flood warning has been issued for Acheron River. It is currently at 2.40 metres and rising, above the minor flood level (2.30 metres). It is expected to exceed the moderate flood level of 2.60 metres at Taggerty later this morning.
Meanwhile, a moderate flood warning has also been issued for the Goulburn River, upstream of Lake Eildon.
Additional rainfall is expected over the next few days, and may result in further river level rises. Moderate flooding is occurring at Tonga Bridge and minor flooding is occurring at Dohertys.
VicEmergency reminds people to be aware of potential hazards caused by flooding and never enter floodwater.
Updated
‘Never saw’ bushfires burning during night and day as ‘a young firefighter’, former NSW fire chief says
Former NSW fire chief Greg Mullins spoke to the 7am podcast this morning about the upcoming bushfire season.
In particular, he highlighted the role climate change is playing in prolonging fire seasons and leading to worsening conditions:
What I suppose is unusual is this early start now that in the last 20 years, our fire seasons have lengthened by about six to eight weeks, we’re getting the fires far earlier.
This is paralleled worldwide, [in] California their fire seasons are longer by months, and this is an impact of climate change.
He said the outlook for this year’s bushfire season, while seemingly dire, doesn’t appear to be quite as bad as the 2019-20 black summer season. This is because the black summer season started in July, whereas we’re now in October, and black summer began on the back of two years of drought.
Mullins, a member of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action group, also argued the government of the day makes a difference:
We have a government in Canberra we don’t have to argue the science of climate change with, they accept that.
Mullins is still seeing a lot of change compared to when he first started fighting fires decades ago. He said the occurrence of bushfire-generated storms is increasing, and while firefighters used to use nighttime conditions to gain an upperhand on blazes, this isn’t always possible now, with fires able to burn at night as if it’s day.
We never saw anything like that when I was a young firefighter.
Updated
Extreme bushfire warning for northern slopes region
In New South Wales, only the northern slopes region has an extreme bushfire danger warning for today.
Meanwhile, there are total fire bans in place for the northern slopes, north western region and the greater hunter:
Total Fire Bans are now in place for the Northern Slopes, North Western, and Greater Hunter areas. With hot, dry and windy conditions, extreme and high fire danger ratings are forecast for several areas in the north of the state. https://t.co/R9tDns8ts6 pic.twitter.com/02jBNa68T6
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) October 3, 2023
Updated
Bushfires affecting communities that dealt with black summer, NSW RFS deputy commissioner says
Peter McAfee spoke about how difficult it is for communities affected by the 2019-20 black summer bushfires to be experiencing bushfires again, as they are still recovering.
He also highlighted the work of firefighters working across the state yesterday, many of whom fought during 2019-20, facing “extreme” conditions yesterday:
The fire down there [on the south coast] burnt through some of the fuels that were previously burned in [2019-20 black summer fires], and we didn’t expect the level of fire behaviour we saw.
… It was certainly very extreme in terms of what we saw.
Updated
No property loss in hunter region bushfires, NSW RFS deputy commissioner says
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, NSW RFS deputy commissioner Peter McAfee also provided an update on the bushfires in the Hunter region.
He said it reached emergency warning level yesterday at Kearsley, but they have confirmed there was no property loss. It is now back to advice level.
McAfee also said an incident at Martinsville in the Watagans National Park was brought back to advice level late yesterday afternoon, with no reported property losses.
So some really great saves by firefighters in really challenging conditions.
We still have some high fire danger days right across northern NSW with with extreme up in the north-west, so it’s not over this period of fire activity, but some good news to see that change moving through the southern part of the state.
Updated
More than 70 bush and grass fires burning across NSW, Rural RFS deputy commissioner says
NSW Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner Peter McAfee just spoke to ABC News Breakfast to provide an update on the bushfires across the state.
He said there were still more than 70 bush and grass fires across NSW as of this morning, with 16 of them yet to be contained.
McAfee said the focus last night was on the south coast fire near Bermagui at Coolagolite:
It really was a serious incident there right into the evening, with crews protecting properties throughout.
He added that there are “unconfirmed” reports of properties being lost, but conditions were too dangerous to investigate and confirm last night.
We’ll have our teams in there at daylight this morning. They’re already getting in there, just looking at exactly what’s occurred. It’s [was] too dangerous to do all that work overnight.
As soon as we receive any confirmed reports, we will bring you the latest. But as for now, there is no confirmation around any loss of property.
Updated
Photos shared overnight of the NSW south coast bushfires
As we flagged earlier this morning, it was a long and nervous night for residents on the NSW south coast as fire crews battled to bring bushfires under control.
The Bega bushfire was downgraded to a watch and act status around 1am. The latest from the NSW RFS outlined that conditions have eased following a southerly move this morning, with fire crews working to contain the fire, which is still more than 5000ha in size.
A number of photos were shared on social media overnight from the fire-affected communities. This was taken from Coolagolite:
Coolagolite, just outside Cobargo tonight. My house is in there. pic.twitter.com/KvO5WErQQ6
— Zena Armstrong (@zenaarmstrong) October 3, 2023
These photos were taken from Bermagui, also on the south coast:
Back of Bermagui...still furiously raging towards two National Parks. Cold change has arrived but it could turn the fire around and head back to coast. Great support from Qld to coast. It's going to be a long night here. pic.twitter.com/Gs6ekYBvZL
— Sandy B (@jindy56) October 3, 2023
View of the fire glow across Bermagui township at sunset tonight. Southerly wind change later is expected to wheel the fire front around to bear down on town. Going to be a long night for many. @smh @NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/mVaf2Fpy7x
— Matthew Kronborg (@mattkronborg) October 3, 2023
And this photo was taken looking towards the fire, around 8.40pm last night:
Looking towards the coolagalite fire. Far south coast NSW pic.twitter.com/yWJeiwT9qe
— 💧Heather Cameron🕯️ (@HCameron33) October 3, 2023
Updated
PM says government closely monitoring NSW and Victorian bushfires
Overnight, prime minister Anthony Albanese said the government was closely monitoring the bushfires along the NSW south coast and Gippsland in Victoria.
In a post to social media, he said the government is working with NSW premier Chris Minns and Victorian premier Jacinta Allan to “provide whatever support is needed as firefighters battle these fires”.
This will be a very hard moment for families and communities. All Australians are wishing you strength in the days ahead.
The government is working with Premiers Minns and Allan and will provide whatever support is needed as firefighters battle these fires.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 3, 2023
This will be a very hard moment for families and communities. All Australians are wishing you strength in the days ahead.
To catch up on all the latest bushfire news from overnight, you can read this story from my colleague Adeshola Ore and AAP:
Updated
Senior homes set for $6.2m redevelopment in southern Sydney
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and premier, Chris Minns, will today announce the first New South Wales project to be funded as part of the federal government’s social housing accelerator scheme.
Eleven homes for seniors will be built as part of a $6.2m redevelopment in Riverwood in southern Sydney.
The development will see three existing homes replaced by five one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units, with construction to begin this month.
Albanese said:
This is the second social housing accelerator project we’ve seen kickstarted into action in just weeks across the nation, and we will continue working with the Minns government to get on with the job of delivering more social housing.
Minns said the announcement was “just the beginning”.
Updated
Many thanks to my colleague Martin Farrer for kicking things off this morning. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you on the blog today.
As always, if there is anything you think needs attention on the blog, you can send me an email at emily.wind.casual@theguardian.com.
And with that, let’s get started.
$1.3m added to bill for cancelling Commonwealth Games
Taxpayers have forked out more than $1.3m in legal fees and other costs to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Australian Associated Press reports.
That’s in addition to the $380m compensation payment from the state government to organisers.
Law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler was paid $1,265,982 for services and costs from June to September related to the withdrawal, according to a document from the Department of Premier and Cabinet tabled to an upper house parliamentary committee.
It also shows barrister Frances Gordon KC was paid $19,745 for her work in August.
On July 18, the former premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria would no longer hold the sporting event as he claimed hosting duties would cost up to $7 billion.
The document also shows two senior figures from the department who flew to the UK to handle negotiations over the cancellation incurred costs of more than $44,000 combined.
That included just over $27,000 in airfares.
Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Jeremi Moule flew out on 15 July, days before the public was told of the decision.
The new premier, Jacinta Allan, who was in charge of delivering the Games across regional hubs, did not back down from the cancellation when asked if she would apologise to crestfallen athletes and regional residents.
“I appreciate there was disappointment from some in terms of the decision,” she said in question time on Tuesday.
But it was the right decision, and it was the right decision because $6 billion to $7 billion to hold a 12-day sporting event didn’t stack up.
Opposition leader John Pesutto said it was an example of “torched” taxpayer money.
(It’s) another reason why Jacinta Allan needs to appear before the parliamentary inquiry and explain her role in the Commonwealth Games debacle.
Threat of NSW south coast fires downgraded to watch and act
Holidaymakers on the NSW south coast in the shadow of a dangerous bushfire have received a reprieve overnight after a cool southerly change moved across the fireground, AAP reports.
While the fire near the popular holiday town of Bermagui and the neighbouring Cuttagee and Barragga Bay is still burning, the threat warning has been downgraded to watch and act.
The NSW Rural Fire Service said on Wednesday morning:
A southerly change has moved through the fireground.
This change has brought cooler temperatures, increase humidity and some rain which has resulted in an ease in conditions.
The fire is still more than 5000ha in size and continues to burn near homes in the Cuttagee, Barragga Bay, Murrah, Bunga and Goalen Head areas.
Firefighters are working in the area to slow the spread of the fire.
Evacuation centres in Bega and Narooma remain in place.
Fire authorities are expected to enter areas affected by the blaze and conduct damage assessments from first light on Wednesday.
Conditions have also improved in other parts of NSW after fire crews battled around 80 bushfires on Tuesday.
For Wednesday, three total fire bans are in effect in the Greater Hunter and further inland in the Northern Slopes and North West areas where the fire danger ratings range from high to extreme.
Updated
Flood threat in eastern Victoria
Communities in eastern Victoria could be cut off if heavy rain causes flooding in areas still reeling from bushfires, Australian Associated Press reports.
Up to 60mm was tipped to fall on fires at Briagolong and Loch Sport today, adding to yesterday’s deluge.
A flood watch warning has been issued for eastern Victoria, with a risk of riverine and flash flooding.
Victorian State Emergency Service chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch urged anyone in the state’s east to stay on top of warnings.
“There’s so many communities that will be at risk of local isolation between 12-24 hours, too many to mention here, but particularly in the north east and also in that central to eastern part of Gippsland,” Wiebusch told reporters at the State Control Centre yesterday.
He told residents to secure loose objects around their homes such as outdoor settings and trampolines because they could become projectiles in wild weather.
There’s certainly an increased risk anytime we see large fire scars in the landscape followed by heavy rainfall.
There is the risk of increased debris flow and also localised landslides, particularly in the steeper terrain across Gippsland where some of those fires have not only been in recent days but also over the last couple of years.
A low pressure system was expected to form over the state’s east and bring up to 100mm of rain over the Eastern Ranges, according to Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Christie Johnson.
She said yesterday:
We are still expecting damaging wind gusts to be on the cards so there is that potential for gusts up to 90kmh or even a little bit higher.
A minor flood warning has also been issued for the Goulburn River, Yarra River and Seven and Castle Creeks.
Weather conditions are expected to ease from tomorrow but flooding was tipped to set in from later today and last until the weekend.
The flood threat comes after many residents in Gippsland were put on alert for fires.
About 700 firefighters spent three days battling two separate blazes, with one home lost in Briagolong but no reports of serious injuries.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer with some of our best overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind takes over.
The fire danger in Victoria has eased – replaced immediately by flooding fears across the Riverina. Up to 60mm was tipped to fall on fires at Briagolong and Loch Sport on Wednesday. We’ll have more on that soon.
Further north, residents and holidaymakers on the New South Wales south coast endured a nervous night after being warned to take shelter as fire crews battle to bring bushfires under control. As night fell on the east coast, there were 86 fires burning in NSW, with 29 not contained, and over 1,300 firefighters working to bring the fires under control. The latest this morning has the Bega fire in “watch and act” status, with the NSW rural fire service reporting that a southerly change lowered temperatures, increased humidity and helped firefighters who were working to slow the spread of the fire.
In other news, the yes campaign can still win the voice referendum, the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has said, adding that with only 10 days to go before the vote: “We’ve got nothing to lose.” We’ll be with yes campaigner Noel Pearson as he campaigns across Sydney today, including events in Marrickville, Harris Park and Campbelltown. And for our Full Story podcast today, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to Labor senator and Yawuru man Patrick Dodson about the need for courage after the referendum and how a no vote would “tarnish” Australia’s international standing.
The murky nuances of the government’s climate policy get a little bit murkier today with our exclusive story showing that 10 coalmines could increase their greenhouse gas pollution until 2030 while being financially rewarded. Scrutiny of the safeguard mechanism – the government’s main policy to deal with major polluters – will increase after analysis carried out for the Lock The Gate alliance shows how different facilities are treated, leading to the opposite effect of being rewarded for increasing emissions. It has prompted calls for changes to deal with this “perverse outcome”.
