Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Taylor, Stephanie Convery and Natasha May (earlier)

More major warnings issued as focus turns to mid-north coast – as it happened

Sydney Covid-19 Australia Flood Jim Chalmers
Hawkesbury River overflows
Residents look out at the overflowing Hawkesbury River in the north-western Sydney suburb of Pitt Town. Photograph: Muhammad Farooq/AFP/Getty Images

The day that was, Wednesday 6 July

That’s all for today on the live blog. Thanks for reading.

Here’s what happened:

  • The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet have visited flood-ravaged parts of New South Wales, as flood disaster payments of $1,000 for adults, and $400 for children will be made available from 2pm tomorrow.
  • Rain has eased in Sydney areas hit by flooding but concern remains for the mid-north coast of NSW.
  • The MV Portland Bay arrived safely in Port Botany after two days of being stranded off the coast south of Sydney.
  • Atagi has been asked to consider whether a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine should be extended to all adults, as the TGA grants provisional determination to two Pfizer vaccines targeting the Omicron variant.
  • There were at least 44 reported Covid-19 deaths.
  • ANZ, CBA, NAB, Westpac and Macquarie Bank all announced they would pass on the 0.5% interest rate rise.
  • The federal government stepped up biosecurity measures at international airports in response to the highly-contagious foot and mouth disease being detected in Bali.
  • The NSW health department has confirmed 11 cases of monkeypox in the state, with two of the cases suspected of being transmitted within Australia.

Until tomorrow, I hope you stay safe and warm.

Updated

Portland Bay first responders praised for ‘tireless efforts’

First responders have been commended for the successful operation to move the MV Portland Bay safely into Botany Bay this afternoon after its engines failed.

The Port Authority of NSW CEO Philip Holliday acknowledged the “heroic efforts” of towage crews who worked day and night to keep the ship’s crew safe.

From the moment Port Authority was appointed incident controller at 10.20am on Monday ... the professionalism and skill of the mariners involved were on display for the world to see in truly atrocious conditions. Thank you for your tireless efforts.

Behind the scenes, a multifaceted group of professionals worked tirelessly to make this operation a success – too many to call out by name but know it was the cumulative impact of everyone’s efforts together that made the difference.

Keeping the vessel stable and away from the coastline, then ultimately, bringing the vessel in for further repairs was a complex task in very challenging conditions.

The crew are reported to be well and “relieved” to have reached the safety of the port where they will conduct further repairs. AMSA has now assumed responsibility for the ship.

Updated

A couple more flood warnings.

Penny Wong: Australian ministers ‘open to engage’ with China

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says she remains open to discussions with her Chinese counterparts during upcoming G20 talks, AAP reports.

Wong is set to travel to Bali for the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting beginning on Thursday.

While recent years have seen a diplomatic freeze between Australia and China, Wong said she and other cabinet ministers would welcome talks.

“Obviously, these arrangements are very fluid, but that stance of being open to engagement, that willingness to engage remains our position, including at the G20,” she told reporters in Singapore during a joint press conference with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

“Australian ministers remain open to engage, and that extends to the G20.”

Wong said the new federal government would remain calm and considered in terms of its relationship with China.

We were upfront that there are obviously challenges in that relationship, it’s a complex and consequential relationship.

We believe that both countries have an interest in stabilising the relationship.

However, the foreign minister indicated Australia still had concerns about trade sanctions imposed by China on Australian products such as meat, wine and coal.

Updated

Scott Hinks’s back yard is underwater. Again.

Since March 2021, it’s happened four times. Windsor, on Sydney’s north-west fringe, has become a byword for the flood emergencies which have ravaged Australia’s east coast with unnerving regularity these past months and years.

“It’s different this time,” he said on Wednesday as he showed journalists photos of the debris littering his property.

“People say, what’s happening with the locals? Well, they’re not talking any more. ‘Are you OK?’ ‘Yeah, sure.’ But they’re not talking, because they’re fed up with it. It’s like a prizefighter who’s run of steam.”

'Total crap': Murray Watt calls out David Littleproud over FMD claims

And the agriculture minister Murray Watt responds to his shadow, David Littleproud’s earlier call for the government to do more to stop foot and mouth disease, calling his claims “total crap”.

He says Littleproud received a briefing on the measures being introduced earlier today.

Updated

Westpac last of big four to raise rates

Westpac has joined CBA, NAB and ANZ in passing on the full 0.5% interest rate rise announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia yesterday.

Westpac says it will increase home loan variable interest rates by 0.5% per annum from 20 July.

The standard variable base rate for Westpac live savings customers will also increase by 0.5% from 22 July to 1.35%. A term deposit offer of 2.5% will be available for deposits between 12 and 23 months from 8 July.

Westpac CEO of consumer and business banking, Chris de Bruin says most home loan customers are ahead on repayments and are in a good position to adapt to interest rate changes, but some may find it more challenging.

He said:

We have a dedicated team to assist customers potentially facing financial difficulty, who provide personalised support including giving customers more time to get their finances back on track. We’re also engaging with our customers coming off fixed-rate terms to help them understand the home loan options available and plan for future adjustments.

Updated

The shadow minister for agriculture, David Littleproud, is calling on the federal government to do more around protecting Australia from foot and mouth disease.

Updated

Adelaide shipbuilding workers demand pay increase in line with inflation

Naval shipbuilding workers have walked off the job in Adelaide over a pay and conditions dispute amid assurances from the deputy prime minister that their jobs are critical to the future of the nation, AAP reports.

More than 200 BAE Systems staff working on the offshore patrol boat and frigate programs at the Osborne shipyards held a stop-work meeting on Wednesday.

They are fighting for pay increases in line with inflation.

The company has offered a 5.4% rise over three years as part of a new enterprise agreement, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union says.

“Despite executive salaries and profits going up, workers are being asked to cop an effective wage cut. It’s not on,” AMWU SA assistant state secretary Stuart Gordon said.

“Family budgets are under more pressure than ever. We have young local families struggling with mortgages and basic expenses.”

Touring the shipyards with SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, Deputy PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles told staff the Osborne workforce was critical to building Australia’s maritime capability.

“They are critical workers in terms of our national mission, in terms of building Australia’s strategic space, in terms of responding to the complex strategic circumstances that our country faces,” Marles said.

But on the question of a new enterprise agreement, Marles said that process would play out “in the normal way”.

Updated

Biosecurity measures stepped up at airports to detect FMD

Biosecurity measures have been strengthened at Australian airports after the highly contagious foot and mouth disease was found in Bali, AAP reports.

Detector dogs will operate at Darwin and Cairns airports and biosecurity officers will begin boarding flights from Indonesia in coming days to try to stop the livestock virus arriving here.

Indonesian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that foot and mouth disease (FMD) had spread to the tourist destination of Bali.

Agriculture minister Murray Watt said on Wednesday that biosecurity had already been ramped up at major airports servicing travel from Indonesia after the disease was detected on the archipelago in May.

All flights from Indonesia have operated with biosecurity profiles flagging higher-risk passengers for screening.

“Australian biosecurity and particularly the threat posed by FMD is a top priority,” Watt said in a statement.

“High-level discussions have been occurring on an ongoing basis between Australian and Indonesian authorities as well as with local industry.”

Updated

Eleven cases of monkeypox confirmed in NSW

There are now 11 confirmed cases of monkeypox in NSW following likely transmission in Australia, the state health department has said.

Nine of the cases were likely acquired overseas, with two said to may have been acquired locally.

NSW Health’s executive director of health protection Dr Jeremy McAnulty warned people to be alert for the symptoms, particularly among men who have sex with men.

He said:

People need to be aware of the symptoms of monkeypox, which can include fever, headache, body aches and a rash or lesions on the genital area.

So far, in the cases we have seen in NSW, monkeypox is not presenting the way some people expect, such as an extensive rash or lesions all over the body.

It could just be a couple of what seem to be pimples in the genital area or buttocks, so people need to pay careful attention to any potential symptoms. Most of our cases to date have presented to sexual health clinics, rather than GPs.

People should immediately call their GP or sexual health service if they have any of the symptoms, and wear a mask as a precaution.

The virus is mainly spread through skin to skin contact with the lesions or rarely through close contact with large respiratory droplets from a person early on in their infection.

It is important that people with symptoms avoid close contact with others, including sexual activity, as condoms are not effective at preventing the transmission of monkeypox.

Symptoms usually begin seven to 14 days after exposure, and most people recover within a few weeks.

Updated

Andrews on quotas: ‘I would prefer to be selected on merit rather than my gender’

On getting more women to win seats for the Liberal party, Andrews says she is not committed to quotas, but she is open to a discussion on how to get more women to stand in winnable seats.

Now, there’s a lot of concern amongst party members here about quotas and, quite frankly, I’m really of the view myself that I would prefer to have always been selected on merit rather than on my gender. And I am concerned that women just being popped into seats because a number is required there is not doing any particular service to that woman. It’s not doing any service to the electorate. And ultimately, it’s not doing a benefit to the Australian democracy.

Karen Andrews during a shadow cabinet meeting in Perth
Karen Andrews: female candidates should not be parachuted into seats. Photograph: Trevor Collens/AAP

She says she is not a fan of candidates being parachuted in, pointing to Labor’s Kristina Keneally losing the safe Labor seat of Fowler after being parachuted in.

So I think that’s a very good warning to many people who are fans of people being parachuted into seats – that you should never, ever, ever ignore the views of the local party people.

Updated

Karen Andrews concerned at possibility of ‘watering down’ 501 visa tests for NZ citizens

Andrews is asked about NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s call for changes to the controversial 501 visa character test cancellation policy for NZ citizens who have lived in Australia for a long time.

Andrews says she’s “very concerned” about “any watering down” of the policy.

I am very concerned about any relaxation in relation to cancellation of 501 visas. The Coalition was very strong in relation to 501s and making sure that people who did not pass character tests, for example, would be deported. That is so important. I mean, we want to make sure that Australia is safe for Australians. And if there are New Zealanders or people from any other nation that do not meet our standards here in Australia, if they have taken sufficient action to cause a 501 character cancellation, then of course they should be deported. And I am very concerned that there would be any watering down, there would be any deals being done, that would put Australians at risk.

Andrews indicates she doesn’t think it matters if they don’t have any connections to NZ:

Well, why should they be allowed to remain in Australia? I think that’s the better question to be asking. And I can’t see any reason for them to be able to remain in Australia. If their visa is cancelled, they should be returning home. So they should not be allowed to stay here. And I’m very strong on that point.

Updated

Shadow home affairs minister will be ‘very happy’ to see the end of face masks

The shadow home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, says she will be “very happy” to see the end of masks in Australia, but says it will depend on the advice of the health officials.

On the changes to the border removing the vaccination requirement, she says it will be a “matter for the current government” to decide what happens to the people who have been barred from entry to Australia for three years – like Novak Djokovic – under the old policy.

Updated

Support arrives from interstate to aid recovery

Sullivan says support from across Australia has begun to arrive to assist with the flood rescues and recovery.

He said:

The ADF were activated very early. A few days ago, we had the first hundred brought online to give us assistance. And we’ve had the ADF helicopters supporting the New South Wales SES with night-time rescue capability from the air, from their helicopters. We’re very appreciative of that support today. We’ve seen an extra 100 come online. We’re pushing into the few hundred ADF troops that are out supporting New South Wales communities. And as I said, yesterday we started to see our first Victorian colleagues arrive. Today, more Victorians arrived early this morning, along with support from South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland. So we’re really digging deep, calling on all of Australia to give us a hand. We’re lucky that we’ve got that support.

Updated

NSW SES has received almost 7,000 requests for assistance since current floods began

New South Wales SES deputy state duty commander Ashley Sullivan tells ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that there have been nearly 7,000 requests for assistance since the start of the flooding event in NSW, with 370 flood rescues, and 1,100 calls and jobs in the last 24 hours.

A man is rescued by the SES from his flooded vehicle near Richmond west of Sydney.
A man is rescued by the SES from his flooded vehicle near Richmond west of Sydney. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

He said:

So the workload still remains very high. We have seen a reduction in the evacuation orders, which is great news. So we’re down to 82 evacuation orders covering about 50,000 people with 50 evacuation warnings covering about 30,000 people. This event is still causing concern for us, particularly as the floodwaters remain around Sydney in the Hawkesbury-Nepean, and that rain continues to shift north up into the mid-north coast, and hopefully off the coast later tonight and into tomorrow.

He said the workload on the mid-north coast has increased in the past day, with the focus on Gosford, Wyong and the Hunter.

Significant river rises there have caused evacuations and rescues. Our crews have been out nonstop, supported by all other emergency services, our ADF, and hundreds of interstate colleagues who have arrived today to give assistance to New South Wales communities.

Updated

Mark Butler urges Australians to get booster amid fears of third Omicron wave

Health minister Mark Butler has warned spiking Covid case numbers nationwide are “going to continue to rise for some time yet”, with fears of a third wave of the Omicron variant about to break.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) today considered whether fourth doses of Covid vaccine should be extended more widely.

Any decision is not expected to be announced today, even after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, yesterday said it was “a question of when rather than whether it will happen”.

Australian Health Minister Mark Butler speaks to media
Australian health minister Mark Butler: ‘What’s clear is that we’re in the early stages of the third Omicron wave.’ Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

On Wednesday, Butler said he expected Atagi’s latest guidance shortly on fourth doses, but again implored Australians to get a third dose if they haven’t already.

“What’s clear is that we’re in the early stages of the third Omicron wave just for 2022,” he said.

“Case numbers are rising, hospitalisations are up by several hundred just in the fortnight and most states governments and the federal government are projecting that that’s going to continue to rise for some time yet.”

Butler said some 5 million eligible Australians had not yet had their third dose, while 40% of people over 65 had not gotten the fourth dose they were eligible for.

“I strongly encourage you to get out and get your third dose. Two doses of vaccine is not enough to provide protection against Omicron – a third dose is crucially important,” he said.

Updated

Inundated Lake Macquarie asks for disaster zone flood relief

Lake Macquarie would usually be bustling come school holiday time, but this week, the streets have been empty, overwhelmed by torrential rain.

Mayor Kay Fraser said her council, just south of Newcastle, had been inundated with 300mm of rain in the past 72 hours – equating to a year’s worth of rainfall by July.

We’ve had a huge amount of rain, we’ve had to rescue two people, we’ve had one evacuation ... there’s a huge amount of road closures, and we’ve lost access to one of our beaches.

The rain has partially eased this afternoon, but Fraser is still waiting for clear skies.

It’s really quite distressing ... our infrastructure has been damaged, there’s road slips, extensive potholes everywhere, it’s dangerous for motorists.

We had a number of people who weren’t able to get out of their homes because the water rose so much ... there’s going to be a huge amount of damage after this finishes.

Lake Macquarie isn’t immune to rain, but Fraser said the extent of the downpour, and its frequency, had come as a surprise.

We’ve got these extremities now ... the rain and wind is so heavy, trees [are] coming down, residents are just coming off the back of Covid, and now nobody can leave the house because you’re concerned about water in your back yard.

We got electric beam bikes a couple days ago and nobody’s riding them because it’s too wet.

Lake Macquarie city was declared a disaster zone in the most recent flooding events - making people eligible for assistance – however this time around, no decision has been made.

Fraser is writing to federal and state members lobbying to be on the list.

Damage is going to be in the millions, we’ve seen so much damage to our roads, council buildings, community facilities. We have 213,000 people here, all our major projects have been put back to next financial year. We’re continually behind because of these extreme weather events.

Updated

Portland Bay arrives safely in Port Botany

A ship that had been stranded off the south Sydney coast during wild weather, sparking fears of an environmental catastrophe, has been safely returned to port.

The MV Portland Bay, a 170-metre cargo ship registered in Hong Kong, became stranded after experiencing engine failure off Garie Beach in the Royal national park on Monday morning.

Wild seas made it impossible to fix the damage, and threatened to push the ship ashore.

But it anchored safely off Cronulla beach on Monday evening despite breaking free from towing cables attached to tugs which had been attempting to move it further from shore.

The Portland Bay cargo ship is towed safely into Port Botany, Sydney.
The Portland Bay cargo ship is towed safely into Port Botany, Sydney. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

About 2pm, the Port Authority of NSW confirmed in a statement that the Portland Bay was safely in Port Botany.

A pilot and four tugs supported the docking, it said. The Port Authority added:

Safety has been central to this entire operation.

All other commercial pilotage were suspended until the Portland Bay and her crew are safely berthed.

Protecting the people involved and the marine environment has been the priority through this multiagency response.

Port Authority has thanked their staff and all those involved from all agencies and praised those who worked through the incident – day and night.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) issued a legal direction to the master of the ship and a salvage team, compelling it to move to a harbour berth today before more bad weather hits tomorrow.

In a statement sent later on Wednesday, AMSA said it would send two inspectors and one specialist lead investigator on board to “assess the vessel’s mechanical safety and compliance with International conventions and Australian law”. The statement continued:

While the vessel is berthed at Botany Bay it will be required to undertake all necessary repairs before leaving port. The berthing of the MV Portland Bay follows the legal direction issued by AMSA to the vessel.

AMSA thanks all agencies and salvage companies for their work to bring the MV Portland Bay safely into harbour and would like to commend the crew of those vessels in the early response who battled horrendous sea states. AMSA will continue to work with the NSW Port Authority and other agencies assisting where relevant.

Updated

NAB joins CBA and ANZ in passing on rate rise

National Australia Bank is the third of the big four banks to pass on the interest rate rise.

NAB said the standard variable home loan interest rate will increase by 0.5% per annum effective from 15 July 2022.

For savers, the reward saver bonus rate will increase by 0.5% from the same date, while the rate on 12-month term deposit accounts will increase to 2.5% per annum.

NAB group executive personal banking Rachel Slade said customers “are in a good position with many ahead on their repayments”.

Change the Record has slammed the WA government decision to send 20 children from the Banksia youth detention facility to an adult prison in Western Australia, after cells were damaged.

National director Sophie Trevitt said:

Children do not belong in prison, they do not belong in maximum security adult prisons, and they should not be punished for the failures of adults to keep them safe.

Change the Record is appalled by the decision of the WA government to send First Nations children to a maximum security adult prison instead of addressing the ‘cruel, inhumane and degrading’ treatment of children in Banksia Hill youth detention centre. It is these conditions, and government failure to rectify them, that has driven an alarming spike in the number of children attempting suicide and self-harm in that facility over the last two years.

There’s going to be a rugby league-themed hotel in Brisbane, for some reason.

You can read more about this idea below.

Nationals call for airport foot dips to prevent foot and mouth disease entering Australia

The Nationals have joined farmers in calling for increased biosecurity efforts to stop foot and mouth disease entering Australia, after the discovery of the livestock disease in Bali, AAP reports.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has called for the government to introduce foot dips for travellers returning from Indonesia to stop the chance of FMD entering Australia.

Cattle are inspected for foot and mouth disease in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
Cattle are inspected for foot and mouth disease in North Jakarta, Indonesia. Photograph: Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters

“Bali is a popular destination for Australians and because the disease is highly transmissible, it could be brought into our country on clothing and footwear which means there should be new biosecurity measures in place at our airports,” Littleproud said.

“There should be foot dips for all travellers returning from Bali so that any trace of the disease on the bottom of shoes is stopped at the border.”

Indonesian authorities confirmed on Tuesday an outbreak of foot and mouth disease had spread to Bali.

Australia’s department of agriculture said frontline biosecurity officers had been operating with increased vigilance across all flights arriving from Indonesia as a result of FMD being detected on the archipelago in May.

Read more here:

Updated

New OHS regulations allow Victorian employers to check vaccination status of workers

The Victorian government has made changes to its occupational health and safety regulations to allow employers to collect the vaccination status of workers.

Minister for workplace safety, Ingrid Stitt, on Wednesday announced the updated regulations, following the chief health officer’s advice to remove mandates in some settings.

Stitt says the regulations do not require workers to be vaccinated but ensure employers have the information they need to make decisions on necessary control measures at their workplace, which may include vaccination.

Under the OHS Act employers must identify whether there is a risk to the health of their workers from exposure to Covid-19 at their workplace. If identified, employers are required to eliminate risks as far as reasonably practicable and when elimination is not possible, employers are required to implement measures to reduce risks.

The regulations will be in place for 12 months from 12 July.

Stitt said in a statement:

These regulations will mean individual employers can choose to implement their own vaccination policies, to collect and hold Covid-19 vaccination information of their workers.

It’s important workplaces continue to mitigate against the risks associated with Covid-19 to keep their workers safe – especially as we move through the winter months.


Under the state’s pandemic legislation, the requirement for workers in high-risk settings such as healthcare to be vaccinated remains.

Updated

TGA grants provisional determination to Omicron-targeted Pfizer vaccines

Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has granted “provisional determination” to pharmaceutical company Pfizer for two vaccines that specifically target the Omicron variant.

While existing vaccines are very effective at preventing hospitalisation and death from Covid, they’re less effective at stopping transmission and symptoms, and the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron are driving a new wave of cases throughout Australia. Premiers have this week warned of increasing hospitalisations and deaths to come.

The surge in cases has put pressure on the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi), which is meeting today to consider whether fourth doses of existing vaccines should be recommended for the wider population as cases surge.

One of the challenges Atagi faces in making its decision is that for healthy people, three vaccine doses are very effective at preventing severe disease and death and this, combined with immunity from Covid-19 infections, may mean approving a fourth dose for everyone is not effective. They will also be considering whether it is worth waiting for better, more targeted vaccines on the horizon, like Pfizer’s.

A dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at a children’s hospital
TGA may grant Pfizer ‘provisional approval’ for new vaccines to be used in Australia. Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

However, the two vaccines granted provisional determination on Wednesday target the spike protein of the Omicron BA.1 variant of concern. Data is still being collected by Pfizer on how effective the vaccines might be against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron becoming dominant in Australia.

Provisional determination is an early step in the vaccine approval process. At this stage, the TGA would have wanted to see the nature of preliminary clinical data, and evidence of a plan to submit more comprehensive clinical data down the track. It also would have needed to see a strong argument and evidence for why the drug, in this case vaccines targeting Omicron, are needed.

Now that the TGA has granted provisional determination, the pharmaceutical company can apply for provisional registration of the vaccine. Pfizer now has six months to do this, and will need to submit further data to the TGA from human trials about how the treatment works and its safety.

Once the TGA has scrutinised the data, and if it is satisfied with it, it may grant Pfizer “provisional approval” for the vaccines to be used in Australia. Further data must be collected and given to the TGA even if this occurs.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology expects the Hunter River at Singleton to peak this afternoon at levels higher than the March floods.

The town 70km north-west of Newcastle is likely to be impacted by major flooding, the bureau has warned.


Rainfall data from across the state shows that some weather stations have recorded more than 50mm of rain since 9am, at an average of more than 10mm an hour.

The most rain has been at Kempsey Airport, which recorded 62mm between 9am and 2pm, with 54mm recorded at Taree Airport. A number of stations have not updated data since 9am.

National Covid summary: 44 deaths reported as cases surge

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 44 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,477
  • In hospital: 135 (with 5 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 10
  • Cases: 13,775
  • In hospital: 1,822 (with 64 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 342
  • In hospital: 24 (with 1 person in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 4
  • Cases: 5,878
  • In hospital: 705 (with 18 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 5
  • Cases: 4,072
  • In hospital: 267 (with 11 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 1,700
  • In hospital: 79 (with 2 people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 23
  • Cases: 10,056
  • In hospital: 523 (with 29 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 6,296
  • In hospital: 226 (with 8 people in ICU)

Government doing ‘everything they can’ to fix visa issues, Dewar says

Two final things to note from the National Press Club today.

On the subject of a review of the Australian Research Council (ARC) after cancellation of research projects relating to climate activism and China under the Morrison government, Universities Australia (UA) chair John Dewar confirmed the UA made a submission to a Senate inquiry into exercise of ministerial veto.

“Whatever decision made, the core of the ARC should be strong, robust peer review,” he said. “If a ministerial veto is to be retained, let it be exercised only with clear criteria and transparency.”

And in addressing a question on visa processing “in shambles,” leaving foreign PHD students “waiting years to get into the country,” Dewar said “it is a concern” that UA has spoken about to minister for education Jason Clare and the department of home affairs.

“The government are aware this is a problem – not just student visas, but across the board,” Dewar said. “If we want the international education industry back up and running, it is vital we get the visa system back up and running.

“We believe the government are doing everything they can to fix it.”

Updated

Major flooding likely at Singleton this afternoon

As the New South Wales floods move north, parts of the Hunter are bracing for wild weather while others are crossing their fingers they remain in the safe zone.

Maurice Collison is the mayor of the Upper Hunter Shire, a council covering Murrurundi, Scone, Aberdeen and Merriwa. They’ve been saved from rainfall this time around, with all eyes on the Lower Hunter.

A flooded park in Wollombi in the Hunter Valley.
A flooded park in Wollombi in the Hunter Valley. Photograph: Bhret Mcintyre

Head south-east of Merriwa, and you’ll hit the New England highway, currently shut off at Singleton due to rising flood waters.

The BoM has warned major flooding is likely at Singleton from this afternoon, with river levels forecast to be well above the March 2022 flood level of 13.15 metres.

“We’re lucky we’re on the edge of it,” Collison said.

In the whole shire we only have one road out west that’s closed ... the rest are all open. We’re very very lucky, but our neighbours aren’t.

We’ve offered assistance if that’s needed. We certainly wish them all the best in getting over this flood event, we’ve had our fair share over the years.

Water is a very dangerous thing ... we have to be cautious and take orders from SES and the police.

Updated

The Port Authority of NSW has just tweeted this picture of the cargo ship Portland Bay arriving in safe port under tow after two nights stranded off the coast of Sydney.

Updated

Universities chief defends call for funding increase

Just circling back to the National Press Club for a minute, addressing a question challenging how Universities Australia (UA) can “justify asking for more money” if cases of universities running a surplus “are so huge”, UA chair John Dewar said “one or two outliers don’t represent a whole sector”.

He said:

2022 is the toughest year because we have the fewest international students in Australia since the start of the pandemic, and we could forecast that.

I think that this year, a lot of vice-chancellors are saying they will be reporting deficits.

To prepare for “the worst year”, Dewar explained, “a lot of universities may have generated more surplus revenue” to cover costs.

Updated

Macquarie Bank passes on interest rate rise

Macquarie Bank is next off the ranks to pass on the 0.5% rate increase, announcing it’ll be passed on from 14 July.

For savers, the interest rate for transaction accounts will be up to 1.75% up to $250,000 from the same date. The six-month term deposit interest rate will increase to 2.4% and one year to 3.25%, both for balances up to $1m.

Updated

Ardern says NZ-Australia relations in ‘reset’

Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is seeing the “reset” of its relationship with Australia that she had hoped for, and the Albanese administration “fundamentally represents a government that takes a different view to Kiwis in Australia and the contribution they make”.

The NZ prime minister was speaking to reporters about Australia’s decision to make immediate flood assistance available to New Zealand residents living in Australia. Asked if that decision would have been possible under former PM Scott Morrison, she said: “No – in fact, we did explicitly see the opposite.”

This for me is a sign of progress. It’s a sign that there is recognition of the contribution that New Zealanders have long made to Australia – and now we need to continue that progress. It’s a sign, I hope, of the relationship experiencing that, you know, that reset that we had hoped for.

The lack of support, protections or access to government benefits for New Zealanders who settle long-term in Australia has long been a point of tension between the two countries – flaring up, in particular, when Australia opted to deport long-term residents to New Zealand on criminal record or bad character grounds, under the “501” deportation policy.

Ardern said:

We’ve consistently raised the issue of New Zealanders rights here in Australia and consistently made the point that New Zealanders are Australia’s best migrants in terms of the contribution that they make to the tax take here and the economy.

I see this as progress ... And we’ll be working to continue to see progress. It will take some time, we recognise that, but this is emblematic, I think, of the steep change we’re seeing in the relationship.

Ardern is on her second visit to Australia since Albanese took office, in what many regard as a sign of warming relations between the two countries.

Jacinda Ardern in Melbourne on Tuesday
Jacinda Ardern in Melbourne on Tuesday. Photograph: Getty Images

Updated

Universities chief calls for more investment

John Dewar, the Universities Australia chair, acknowledged “constraints the government faces fiscally” in answering a question on whether the Albanese government is “going to listen” to universities’ case for greater investment amid aged care, childcare, energy transition and other priorities.

“That is why the case I am making today is based on return for investment,” he said following a National Press Club address on Wednesday.

The country faces serious challenges around productivity and skills.

Dewar pointed to a “thorough” revue in the works of the job-ready graduates legislation, introduced under the Morrison government, that “won’t happen quickly”.

The job-ready graduates reforms to university funding raised university fees for some students studying arts, commerce and law, to fund an expansion of in-demand courses like teaching, nursing, maths, science and engineering.

Dewar also addressed a commitment with the minister for education, Jason Clare, to make progress on the development of a “university accord”, adopting “a model that exemplifies the kind of relationship we want with government – one in which we help for return in investment”.

Updated

The Guardian’s deputy picture editor, Blake Sharp-Wiggins, has been in the Hunter capturing the effects in the region, which the SES said had been the focus of flood activity today.

Flood water has inundated farmland as well as homes and roads.

Flood water on farmland outside the town of Broke in the NSW Hunter region
Flood water on farmland outside the town of Broke in the NSW Hunter region. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian
Paul, who has has chosen not to evacuate Broke despite water inundating most of his property
Paul, who has lived outside Broke for 35 years, has chosen not to evacuate despite water inundating most of his property. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian
Fooding in the Hunter
Fooding in the Hunter. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian
A fire and rescue vehicle heads for Broke
A fire and rescue vehicle heads for Broke. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

Updated

Queensland warned to brace for new Covid wave

Queenslanders are being urged to prepare now for the state’s third Covid-19 wave, with hundreds of people already in hospital, AAP reports.

Chief health officer John Gerrard said most of the Covid-19 cases were the BA4 and BA5 subvariants, which could evade both natural and vaccine immunity, so this wave could be bigger than Queensland’s largest in January.

He said on Tuesday the peak would come at the end of July or early August, or later, and place even greater pressure on hospitals.

These subvariants can evade immunity whether that be acquired through vaccination or natural infection.

Gerrard urged people who had not had a booster vaccine to get one, particularly a fourth jab for people over the age of 65 as they were more likely to be hospitalised.

He said only half of eligible Queenslanders over the age of 65 had received a second booster, which was “very disturbing”.

Gerrard ruled out ordering mask mandates or any other public health measures to deal with the coming wave, but he urged older Queenslanders and immunocompromised people to consider wearing a mask in crowded public places.

These waves are likely to continue off and on every few months for some time to come, it could be years, and if we keep implementing legal mandates every three months and then withdrawing them, I think that will be just divisive, and it’s not helpful and I think people will not follow them.

So I am not not at all in favour of mask mandates at this stage.

Updated

ANZ passes on rate rise in full

AAP is reporting ANZ has followed the lead of the Commonwealth Bank on Wednesday in passing the rise on in full by increasing interest rates on variable home loan products.

NAB and Westpac have yet to make announcements but are expected to follow suit.

The new rates for Commonwealth Bank customers will come into effect from 15 July, with the standard variable rate for owner-occupied borrowers rising by 0.50% to 5.80% per annum.

Rates on other products have risen to 6.20%, 6.38% and 6.64%.

Meanwhile, ANZ also announced it would increase the bonus interest rate on some of their savings accounts by 0.5%.

ANZ said the 0.5% change would increase monthly repayments by $119 on an average home loan of $450,000 for an owner occupier paying principal and interest.

Rates hike: ANZ
Rates hike: ANZ. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Northern Territory correctional officers flag industrial action

Correctional officers in Darwin and Alice Springs have flagged industrial action as they fight to have a four-year pay freeze overturned, AAP reports.

The United Workers Union says the officers will walk off the job for 24 hours at some stage this month.

Union secretary Erina Early said:

Correctional officers are appalled that the new chief minister has done nothing about the four-year wage freeze for government workers.

Workers say they will continue to take action, which could include rolling walk-offs, until their demands are heard.

Early said the corrections sector was in crisis in the Northern Territory, with workers trying to cope with diminishing staffing levels, crowded prisons, lack of appropriate funding, riots and unsafe working conditions.

Updated

South Australia reports five Covid deaths

South Australia recorded five Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday, with 4,072 new cases.

There are 267 people in hospital, with 11 in ICU and one ventilated.

The deaths are three women in their 90s and two men in their 80s.

Updated

That’s all from me today – you’ll have the excellent Josh Taylor with you for the rest of the afternoon. See you tomorrow morning!

Albanese and Perrottet visit Sydney flood relief shelter

Prime minister Anthony Albanese and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet have just arrived at a volunteer emergency relief shelter in Windsor, in Sydney’s north-west.

Linda Strickland, who runs it, is currently sleeping here after she was evacuated from her own home two nights ago.

Before Albanese arrived she told me the centre had not been able to shut since the last flood, which came through this part of Sydney’s north-west in February.

She was keen to point out the centre gets no government funding, and the first thing I heard her say to Albanese was that they needed a bigger shelter.

She told me:

We were just thinking of closing for a week when this happened. It’s been non-stop, basically, since the bushfires.

Linda Strickland speaking to Dominic Perrottet and Anthony Albanese
Linda Strickland (left) speaking to Perrottet and Albanese. Photograph: Michael McGowan/The Guardian

Updated

Australia falling behind in adoption of electric vehicles

Australia trails other industrialised nations in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), with consumers worried they cost too much and are too hard to charge, the Energy Consumer sentiment survey has revealed.

Only 36% of household consumers thought they would buy an EV at some point in the future, while 31% said they would not buy an EV in the future and 32% were not sure. Small business consumers were more bullish, with 50% expecting to buy an EV in future.

Just 1% of household respondents said they already owned an electric vehicle.

The high cost of existing models was the leading reason consumers gave for not having purchased an EV (59%), 41% nominated concern about the number of charging stations and 26% nominated an inability to charge at home.

45% of household consumers said governments should spend taxpayer dollars on EV infrastructure while 55% said private industry should fund infrastructure and offer charging as a product.

Energy Consumers Australia’s chief executive, Lynne Gallagher, said:

Electric Vehicles aren’t the entire solution to reducing the emissions footprint of households and small businesses, but they clearly have a huge part to play.

It’s not fair to ask consumers to do all the heavy lifting.

If we can not only adopt EVs across our community but also encourage people to charge them during the day when solar electricity will be plentiful and cheap, we will have a clean source of transportation and also a better-balanced, and therefore more reliable, energy grid.

Updated

NSW floods shown from above

Some animations from satellite agency ICEYE that show the extent of the flooding in two parts of New South Wales.

The first one shows the extent of flooding near Camden on 4 July. The second shows the extent of flooding near Richmond and Windsor on 4 July.

The animations show the comparison between water levels during normal conditions, and then the status of these areas when ICEYE’s initial release of flood depth analysis was finalised on 4 July.

Updated

Guardian photographer Mike Bowers has been down in Londonderry, near Windsor in New South Wales, where flooding has submerged some parts of town.

Flooded Bennett Road at Londonderry
Flooded Bennett Road at Londonderry. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The scene along Bennett Road
The scene along Bennett Road. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
A boat navigating Bennett Road
A boat on the road in Londonderry. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Passing the blog back over to Stephanie Convery, who will be giving you all the latest updates through to lunch!

Updated

PM brushes off concerns defence force being taken away from other tasks

In March the then-shadow defence minister, Brendan O’Connor, suggested Labor would consider establishing a civilian natural disaster agency rather than use defence forces to respond to floods and bushfires, citing the increased incidence of natural disasters.

Some are concerned the increased workload is detracting from other capabilities. Former senator Rex Patrick has, through freedom of information laws, secured a November 2021 army preparedness report detailing preparation for the “high-risk weather season” between October and April.

The document details that “much of army’s operational demand in the last two years” has included activities such as “support to the high-risk weather season”.

Tempo for small capabilities in high demand continues to trend upward in support of domestic [redacted] disaster relief operations.

In March 2022, vice-admiral Michael Noonan outlined that navy personnel would be drawn from roles in support policy and enabling roles in navy headquarters, and “line operational, support and training units in fleet command and training force”.

Assisting in flood response would have impacts including “reduced naval police availability”, he advised the chief of the defence force, Angus Campbell.

At the press conference on Wednesday, Anthony Albanese brushed off concerns the ADF was being taken away from other tasks.

He said:

I believe that the ADF are responding and I have complete confidence in them and in Major General Thomae’s leadership. And I was in a base about 36 hours ago in the UAE and there I spoke to ADF personnel who had helped with the Lismore floods. They were proud of the effort that they did, that our ADF personnel are here to respond to the needs of Australia and they respond remarkably well every time.

They’re diligent, they bring capacity, and I believe, as well, that it brings confidence to people when they see our ADF personnel helping out. And I just thank each and every one of them.

Updated

Melbourne and Adelaide West both shivered through their coldest starts this year.

Queensland records four Covid deaths and 705 people in hospital

There were 5,878 new cases in the last reporting period, and 18 people are in intensive care.

Updated

Australia ‘lagging’ behind in university spending

Universities will urge the Albanese government for greater investment in higher education research and development, as Universities Australia chair, Professor John Dewar, warns of Australia “lagging” behind other innovation nations in his address to the National Press Club later today.

Universities’ contribution to Australia’s prosperity is clear.

Dewar will point to the production of innovative ideas and products as the “jobs and wealth of the future”.

As other “leading innovation nations” increase the proportion of GDP spending on research and development, Dewar warns of Australia’s national productivity slowing.

Across the OECD the figure is going up ...

Israel 5.1%. South Korea 4.6%. The United States 3.2%. Just to name a few.

But in Australia, Dewar will say “it’s going down,” pointing to research and development spending at just 1.9% of GDP - a decline from 2.25% in 2008-2009.

It’s not surprising therefore that national productivity has slowed.

Without our universities, our economy would be sunk.

In almost every industry sector you will find major partnerships with Australia’s universities to keep the pipeline of people and research flowing. More are needed.

Dewar’s address will commence the Universities Australia Conference 2022.

Updated

2026 Commonwealth Games to run 17-29 March in regional Victoria

The 2026 Commonwealth Games dates have been locked in, with regional Victoria set to host the major sporting event between 17-29 March.

The games will kick off with an opening ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but the competitions will be held in regional Victoria. It will be spread across four regional hubs in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland.

The state’s minister for the Commonwealth Games delivery, Jacinta Allan, said the government would work with the education sector to ensure the school term dates allowed Victorians to participate in the event:

We’ve locked in the dates for the commonwealth’s finest athletes to compete for gold in regional Victoria at the 2026 Games. We’re getting on with delivering this global sporting event and including more sports will draw more of the commonwealth’s finest athletes to our own back yard to inspire Victorians.

An expressions of interest process for new additional sports to be included in the games has opened and will close on 19 August.

Updated

Commonwealth Bank to lift variable home loan rate from 15 July

Commonwealth Bank is the first of the big four to raise its variable home loan rates, passing on the rise in full after the RBA’s Tuesday decision to lift the official cash rate. The rest of the big four lenders are expected to follow suit.

CBA’s new rates come into effect from 15 July, with the standard variable rate for owner-occupied borrowers rising by 0.50% to 5.80% per annum. Rates on other products have risen to 6.20%, 6.38% and 6.64%.

The bank also lifted deposit rates by 0.50%, with interest on its GoalSaver account rising to 1.25%.

The Reserve Bank’s rate rise is estimated to add $137 a month to a $500,000 mortgage, or $499 per month to a $750,000 loan.

The central bank board also flagged further rises, with some economists expecting the cash rate to hit 3.5% next year.

– with AAP

Updated

Join a lunchtime discussion with Gabrielle Chan

As the price of lettuce makes national headlines, the issue of food security has never been more timely and it is at the heart of Guardian’s rural editor, Gabrielle Chan’s, book Why You Should Give a F*ck About Farming.

If you want to hear Chan on her very prescient book, join the Guardian’s Rural Network book club for a lunchtime discussion!

To do so, you will have to join the Rural Network Facebook group and tune in from 12.30pm:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/guardianaustraliaruralnetwork

Journalist and author Gabrielle Chan,
Guardian rural editor and author Gabrielle Chan. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Members of Victoria’s State Emergency Service and Fire Rescue Victoria are among the interstate help heading to NSW.

Updated

Flooding expected to worsen on NSW central coast

Flooding is expected to worsen on the NSW central coast along the Wyong River and its tributaries, which feed into Tuggerah Lake, the SES has warned.

It said in a bulletin on Wednesday morning that major flooding was occurring along Tuggerah Lake at Long Jetty, where water levels are slowly approaching a peak, but that along the Wyong River at Wyong Bridge, flooding has eased.

The SES bulletin issued at 8.30am said:

Further rainfall is forecast during Wednesday, which may cause further river level rises and prolonged flooding. This situation is being closely monitored and revised predictions will be provided as necessary.

It is expected that Tuggerah Lake at Long Jetty will peak near 1.75 metres about midday on Wednesday, causing the possible inundation of properties in Berkeley Vale, Chittaway Point, Long Jetty, Tacoma, Tacoma South and the Entrance North.

The SES said:

People in areas likely to be impacted by flooding in Tuggerah Lakes and surrounding low-lying areas should prepare for potential isolation or evacuation.

Updated

Victoria records 23 Covid deaths and 523 people in hospital

There were 10,056 new cases in the last reporting period, and 29 people are in intensive care.

Updated

Perrottet also commented on the situation with the state’s rail union.

I’ll tell you what I’m happy about firstly. And that is that the union saw fit to put more trains on the tracks. That was pleasing and to not inconvenience the people of our great state.

And so, the advice thatI’ve received is probably around 50% today and 60% tomorrow. That was an interim hearing and it’s in theFair Work Commission tomorrow.

Perrottet said the concessions were especially important for people’s safety given the dangerous weather conditions:

The focus is on the people and making sure, particularly in weather like this, and I thank the union, we shouldn’t have taken it having to go to the Fair Work Commission for that concession to be made.

But I thank the union for bringing back services, not just today but tomorrow, particularly in this weather. We’re here talking about not driving through flood waters, being safe on the roads. In these weather events many people use public transport.

Updated

Vaucluse Liberal MP Gabrielle Upton to quit politics before NSW election

Perrottet is asked about the announcement from Gabrielle Upton that she won’t contest the next election, and the possibility that a teal candidate could run.

And what I would say to the people about my team in the eastern suburb and the north shore is that ... their preselection process is a matter for the New South Wales Liberal party.

They will conduct that preselection and whoever is selected has big shoes to fill because Gabrielle has been a great servant of that area.

And I wish her and her family all the very best. She called me last night. She was a bit emotional. These jobs are tough on people. They’re tough on families. But she’s worked incredibly hard and particularly as well in the science and tech space and the work that she’s done on business.

Perrottet did not answer the question of whether he was committed to preselecting a female candidate.

NSW Liberal member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton.
NSW Liberal member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

PM says it’s ‘beyond contempt’ to compare Ukraine trip to ‘a holiday’

Albanese continues to be asked about criticism around his trip to the Ukraine:

I was fulfilling a responsibility that I believe that I had of travelling to Ukraine. To compare that with a holiday is ... I just find beyond contempt, frankly. And it says a lot about the people who made those comments, and I thank Premier Perrottet for his response when asked about it. That’s what people want to see. People want to see people working together in the national interest, in the interests of our people. That’s what we’ve been doing here today and that’s what I’ll continue to do – not just with Dom, but with premiers and chief ministers around the country.

Updated

Perrottet has also said that payments for this flood event will be rolled out faster than the previous northern rivers floods:

I was disappointed with the pace of the rollout of the grants, particularly at the last event in relation to the northern rivers.

My expectations were not met by the department. There were challenges in relation to the coordination between the joint state and federal payment systems because the guidelines are set together.

Now, changes were made more recently, I think when the federal government was in caretaker mode. Those changes were pleasing because my view as always been – we should be erring on the side of getting money out the door and auditing later, than having red tape and bureaucracy getting in the way of providing financial support for those who need it.

Now, the update that I’ve received in relation to the previous flood events in terms of the funding and the payment system has been that there has been substantial improvements.

I want those small business grants, the $50,000 small business grant and the primary producer grant of $75,000 out the door as quickly as possible and that work is being undertaken as we speak. As soon as I leave here, I’ll be on the phone to the minister to make sure that it is there and directs its efforts and channels its focus into making sure that those funds are out the door.

Updated

Perrottet has continued to praise the state government’s working relationship with the commonwealth government:

And I know in some quarter, the prime minister has been criticised for being away. What I would say is, from my perspective, the federal government needs to balance international concerns and domestic concerns. But as soon as he could, he picked up the phone to call me.

I know the engagement between Murray and the state and federal emergency service ministers has been strong from the outset. Murray is the first emergency service minister from a federal perspective who has come to Homebush where we stand up, and that is incredibly important.

Because we don’t want the bureaucracy getting in the way of ministers actually understanding and coordinating and communicating what the issues on the ground are. So you get better outcomes, you get a faster response, in my experience, when ministers are contacting each other directly, understanding the needs and concerns on the ground and responding effectively.

Anthony Albanese and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet during a visit to RFS headquarters in Homebush on Wednesday.
Anthony Albanese and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet during a visit to RFS headquarters in Homebush on Wednesday. Photograph: James Brickwood/AAP

Updated

Releasing water from Warragamba dam would have negative impact, Perrottet says

When asked about the debate over raising the dam wall height, Perrottet is non-committal, but says early releases of water from the dam would not have helped mitigate the flood damage.

What I do know in relation to this issue of the dam is that discussions are under way with the state and commonwealth governments in relation to raising the Warragamba dam. That’s something that the New South Wales government has worked on and it is complex and one that requires a lot of planning approvals and environmental approvals at both a state and federal level. But in relation to releasing water from the dam, the advice we received is that that would actually have a more negative impact on those communities in that region.

New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet.
New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA

Updated

PM says government looking ‘at long-term solutions’ to natural disasters

Albanese was asked whether short-term responses like payments will continue as weather events like this become more frequent and has responded:

We are looking at long-term solutions. My government has changed Australia’s position on climate change from day one. For example, what we know is that Australia has always been subject to floods, bushfires, but we know that the science told us that if we continued to not take action, globally on climate change, then these events, extreme weather events, would be more often and more intense. And what we’re seeing, unfortunately, is that play out. The people of the Hawkesbury-Richmond area have now had four flooding events in the last 18 months. Prior to that, they were impacting by bushfires. That’s why my government is acting.

Albanese has emphasised his international commitments play a role in mitigating disaster events at home and will be a focus when parliament sits:

But what we know is that no state and no nation can act by itself. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve been out there engaging in the need to lift up global action. But Australia needs to be a part of that. We know that unless we do that, the science, whether it be at the IPCC level, or whether it be the CSIRO or our Australian scientists, we’ve been warned about this.

In addition to that, of course, we need to look at issues like mitigation. That’s why we’ve changed the money that was put in a bank account and not spent. The $4bn, we’ve said that we want to look at areas of disaster mitigation and that we’ll make that money available for projects each and every year to make sure that we’re preparing for the changes in weather patterns and what that means for disasters – whether it be lifting levees, whether it be other action as well. We’ve expressed concern in the past that money, that $4bn became $4.8bn because it was not invested. My government have indicated that we will take action on that.

When parliament sits, we’ll have a range of measures as well looking at those issues, and I want to work with state and territory governments from across the political spectrum to make sure that in terms of infrastructure investment, that it occurs in ways that take in account the fact that we do need to respond and we do need to prepare.

Prime ninister Anthony Albanese (centre) and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet (left) during a press conference during a visit to RFS headquarters in Homebush, Sydney on Wednesday.
Prime ninister Anthony Albanese (centre) and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet (left) during a press conference during a visit to RFS headquarters in Homebush, Sydney on Wednesday. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Updated

Bridges to remain out in Hawkesbury-Nepean area for next couple of days

York has said there is positive news as floods ease around the Georges River area, but says people still need to show caution:

Good news is that we’re starting to get in and do rapid damage assessments today in the Georges River area. Also St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet and parts of the Hawkesbury-Nepean. But I remind the community that it does take a while for the waters to flow and recede from the significant high levels that we’ve had over the past few days.

It will be ... a couple of days before the bridges out in the Hawkesbury-Nepean area. And I remind the community that people have to get in. Our engineers have to get in, make sure that those bridges are safe, but also expecting significant damage to the roads. So we’re still in school holidays and we know that a lot of people may be in areas that they’re not aware of the dangers. We might have people from interstate, we might have people from this state, that have moved elsewhere. Please keep on top of the information that we put out.

Updated

Warning for Singleton area

Carlene York, the SES commissioner, has spoke about the SES increasing their area of operations as the flooding event moves north, highlighting Singleton as an area of particular concern:

So, obviously, with the weather forecast of this significant event moving further north, our area of operations is increasing and we have been planning in the northern parts of north of Sydney in relation to the Hunter, the Central Coast and the mid-north coast up as far as Coffs Harbour. We’ve been planning24/7 working with other agencies and ensuring that we have enough resources to respond to the community needs.

It was a busy night last night with 21 flood rescues, a number of evacuation warnings have gone out in the past 12-24 hours, as well as evacuation orders. The area we’re concerned about today is particularly around Singleton and we’re working with the bureau in relation to their forecasts. There’s an evacuation order out for the Singleton CBD and we’re watching what is happening with the river rises throughout the day as the rain falls.

Flooding in Wollombi in the Hunter Valley region of NSW.
Flooding in Wollombi in the Hunter Valley region of NSW. Photograph: Bhret Mcintyre

Updated

Flash-flooding risk for NSW mid-north coast

Jane Golding of the Bureau of Meteorology has said the mid-north coast will be the focus of today’s flooding:

So the coastal trough that’s been producing the widespread rain over New South Wales is now located off the mid-north coast of New South Wales. And so that’s very much where we’re expecting the focus of the rainfall to be today.

Over the last 24 hours, we have seen numerous sites from Coffs Harbour down through the Manning, into the Hunter district. So rainfall totals above 100mm. And some have seen close to 170mm, 180mm, particularly up on the northern part of the mid-north coast. So that’s an indication of some of the numbers that we could see fall over the mid-north coast today ... And those are very real flash flood risk, continuing for that district.

So for today, really, the risk is around those major flood areas, the rivers in major flood. So the Wollombi Brook, the Lower Hunter, Tuggerah Lakes, parts of the Hawkesbury-Nepean. But also the flash flooding risk that is a concern on the mid-north coast.

Updated

Resources arriving from interstate today to help flood effort

Cooke also gave an update on the resources available as the flooding moves north:

And the emergency is far from over for many communities across Sydney and also as the weather event moves north through the Hunter, Central Coast and mid-north coast areas.

It’s been a particularly night in the Hunter, particularly in Singleton with multiple evacuation orders issued. Residents in Singleton and Muswellbrook have been door-knocked overnight, and for many, it’s been a sleepless night.

We have additional resources arriving from interstate today to help out with our flood response and to provide some relief to the SES personnel and volunteers who have been working around the clock for the past four days and, as I mentioned, we’re now into this fifth day of this event.

We’ve also pre-positioned many state resources to those impacted areas – whether they be helicopters from the RFS and other aircraft. We’ve got Fire and Rescue pre-positioning resources where they are required. And, of course, we’ve got Marine Rescue, Surf Lifesaving, the Volunteer Rescue Association. In addition to the SES and all of their resources, being moved around as they are required, particularly to those areas around that Hunter and Singleton area.

Flood waters inundate properties in Yarramalong, north of Sydney on Tuesday.
Flood waters inundate properties in Yarramalong, north of Sydney on Tuesday. Photograph: Jeremy Piper/AAP

Updated

Steph Cooke, the NSW minister for emergency services and resilience, has said that damage assessment will be starting today:

We will start commencing today damage assessments as those flood waters recede through certain communities in Sydney. We will be able to start with the Georges River area and the Upper Nepean, and that will give us the opportunity to get in and have a look at what damage has occurred. Really start to assess that impact, and that will inform government, both at a state and national level, going forward.

Steph Cooke, the NSW minister for emergency services and resilience.
Steph Cooke, the NSW minister for emergency services and resilience. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Updated

Perrottet also gave figures on requests for assistance:

We’ve around 1,000 requests for assistance since 8pm yesterday and 6,000 requests for assistance over the course of this flood event, and we’ve had 21 flood rescues overnight.

Updated

Perrottet has affirmed that victims will be financially supported by all levels of government:

But our commitment from a state level and being here with the commonwealth government today is that we’ll be with you every step of the way.

We know there’s been challenges. We know it’s been an incredibly tough two years, but we will get through this just like we’ve got through every one of these natural disasters in the past.

And whether that’s with financial support, the commonwealth government has announced today and it will continue to work through those local government areas that have been affected, that that financial support and assistance will be there every step of the way to help you get through, from an operational perspective right now, we are completely focused. At a state and commonwealth level, to keep people safe, to give them the care and support that you need right now.

Updated

85,000 people affected by evacuation orders, says NSW premier

Premier Dominic Perrottet has provided an update on evacuation orders:

Currently, we have 108 evacuation orders in place.

We have 56 evacuation warnings. That’s affecting around 85,000 people across New South Wales. That’s up from 50,000 yesterday.

Perrottet has reminded people to follow those evacuation orders:

Simply because you’ve had a flood event in the past, it can be very different to today. So please don’t have your past experience inform your current behaviour. If these evacuation orders are in place, please follow them.

We have 11 evacuation centres open across the state of New South Wales at the moment.

Updated

Flood recovery payments to kick in from 2pm Thursday, Albanese says

The press conference about the NSW floods is beginning with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, speaking:

This still remains a dangerous situation and we need to respond appropriately. I am very pleased that the commonwealth is cooperating so well with the New South Wales government.

It is a seamless relationship that we have, which is what people want to see at a time like this.

Albanese has provided new details about the commonwealth support for flood victims he announced earlier this morning:

This morning I can announce that the Australian government has approved our disaster recovery payments to kick in from 2pm tomorrow for the 23 local government areas. That will consist of $1,000 for adults that are impacted and eligible for these payments, $400 for every child who is eligible for this. The Disaster Recovery Allowance will also be made available to assist employees and sole traders who experience a loss of income as a direct result of this disaster and is payable to them for a maximum of 13 weeks. We have also made sure that equivalent financial assistance will be available to eligible New Zealand citizens effected by the floods.

Updated

I’m going to hand you over for a little while to my lovely colleague Natasha May. Please make her welcome!

Singleton residents urged to evacuate now

There’s an evacuation warning for the township of Singleton on the Hunter River.

Updated

NSW ship saga continues as MV Portland Bay directed to move to harbour berth

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a legal direction to the master of a ship that had been stranded off the Sydney coast to move it to a harbour berth today before more bad weather hits.

AMSA, which acts as the maritime emergency response commander, said in a statement that it had issued the direction to the master of the MV Portland Bay and the salvage team that it must be moved to Botany Bay.

The Portland Bay, a 170-metre cargo ship registered in Hong Kong, unloaded a cargo of cement at Port Kembla on Sunday night, but experienced engine failure east of Garie Beach on Monday morning. Wild seas made it impossible to fix the damage and threatened to push the ship ashore.

The 21 crew on board are safe and it has been anchored in a sheltered location off Cronulla beach since Monday evening after breaking free from towing cables attached to tugs which had been attempting to move the vessel from the shore.

The tugs had helped prevent a maritime disaster, however, by keeping the ship away from shore, AMSA said. It said in its statement:

Bad weather preventing the movement of the vessel into harbour has now subsided. The vessel must comply with the direction to move to harbour today as more bad weather is forecast for Thursday.

The [larger towing vessel] Glenrock arrived on the scene from Newcastle yesterday morning and has large vessel towing capability which can safely move the stranded Portland Bay into a harbour berth.

Mark Morrow, the AMSA executive director of response, said in the statement:

As always, we want to ensure that the crew are safe and the vessel can be made sea worthy while the next east coast low passes through the region.

We will continue to work with the NSW Port Authority to ensure this happens as soon as possible.

Those smaller tugs have done amazing work over the past 24-36 hours ensuring the stricken vessel did not drift onto some of Sydney’s most pristine coastline.

MV Portland Bay stranded off the coast of the Royal national park, south off Sydney.
MV Portland Bay stranded off the coast of the Royal national park, south off Sydney. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Updated

NSW records 10 Covid deaths and 1,822 people in hospital

There were 13,775 new Covid-19 cases in the last reporting period, and 64 people are in intensive care.

Updated

Train services reduced amid ongoing industrial action in NSW

NSW commuters will find train services reduced today, after the NSW government lost its bid to stop the rail union’s industrial action.

The Fair Work Commission made an interim order yesterday afternoon to allow the industrial action planned for today and Friday to go ahead after the government had attempted to block them.

Acting transport minister Natalie Ward said services will be cut by at least half today but said services should be back to running about 60% by the end of the week.

The union said rail services would be reduced by about 30% and transit officers won’t be issuing fines between Wednesday and Friday.

A further full hearing at the Fair Work Commission will take place on Thursday, ahead of further planned industrial action by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union on Friday.

The dispute between the government and union involves a new fleet of Korean-built trains, which rail workers say are unsafe.

While the government has offered to spend $264m to address the safety concerns, it has declined to put this in writing to the union.

– with AAP

Updated

Up to 100mm of rain expected around Port Macquarie

Rainfalls as high as 100mm are forecast around Port Macquarie on Wednesday, as NSW authorities warn of further flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology expects the falls to be 50-100mm in the town, with slightly lower falls expected north at Coffs Harbour and south at Newcastle.

It warned that there was a chance of locally heavy or intense rainfall around the mid north coast due to a low developing off shore.

According to BoM observations data, Coffs Harbour airport recorded the most rain of any weather station between 9am yesterday and this morning, with 157.6mm falling.

Port Macquarie and Cessnock airports sites both recorded just shy of 90mm.

Updated

Australians have lost faith in the energy system

Consumer trust in Australia’s energy system has sharply dropped following rising prices and blackout warnings, according to the June 2022 Report of the Energy Consumer Sentiment Survey (ECSS), released today by Energy Consumers Australia.

The Pulse survey shows just 40% of Australians have confidence that the overall energy market is acting in their long-term interests, down from 46% in June 2021.

A huge 88% of Australians have some concern that energy will become unaffordable for them over the next three years, up 7% since June.

When asked which household expenses they were most concerned about, 57% of respondents ranked electricity bills as one of their top three. This was equal highest alongside car/vehicle costs (including petrol).

Energy Consumers Australia chief executive officer, Lynne Gallagher, said:

Consumers have reacted angrily to the recent breakdown of the market and who can blame them?

These numbers should send strong warning signals to anyone who is working to advance our progress towards a net-zero future energy system in which Australian homes and businesses are powered by clean, abundant and affordable electricity.

To get to that better future, we need consumers to be embracing new opportunities and responsibilities, investing in new technology, making changes to how and when they use some energy and making their energy resources available to help themselves, their neighbours and the system itself.

Just 40% of Australians have confidence that the overall energy market is acting in their long-term interests.
Just 40% of Australians have confidence that the overall energy market is acting in their long-term interests. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

Updated

Australia needs to show global leadership on climate action, Albanese says

And finally, to climate crisis. Albanese:

People who have lived in those communities for a long period of time know that the flooding events have occurred more regularly and with more intensity. And we need to act on climate change. We’ve been saying that for a long period of time. We need to make sure as well that we’re a part of global action because one thing that is true is Australia acting alone won’t be enough. But we need to show leadership and encourage that action. And that is one of the reasons why my government is taking climate change seriously and engaging with the world to ensure that that global action steps up.

Updated

‘People want want governments to work together,’ says PM

Albanese is asked about the unusually complimentary rapport between his Labor government and the NSW Liberal government. He says he hopes this will be ongoing.

People have conflict fatigue. They don’t want to see governments arguing. They don’t want to see governments acting with the sort of childish comments we’ve seen, with some of new federal counterparts in the last day, criticising me for not making a phone call while I was in the Ukraine, on radio silence, without any radio equipment, where I travelled from Saturday.

Premier Perrottet has been extremely responsible with the way he has acted. I’m very pleased that my government through Richard Marles, the acting prime minister, and Murray Watt, the minister, have worked closely in partnership. That’s what people want. People want governments to work together in the interests of the population, not to engage in politics.

Updated

100 ADF personnel already on the ground for floods

Albanese is already at the flood management headquarters at Homebush and says he’s about to receive a briefing from the NSW premier.

He says the support from the defence force has also been increased:

A third helicopter has been made available. That will be undertaking work this evening. That’s one that works at night-time. And we have the offer of 250 ADF personnel, 100 are already on the ground. 100 are ready to act at any time when it is needed. And 50 personnel have in addition been allocated to help with clean-up activities once they occur.

Updated

Disaster recovery payment available to flood victims from tomorrow

The prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking now on ABC TV. He says he’ll be visiting the flood-affected areas today and that they’ve made a determination on disaster payments:

I can say the Australian government has made a decision already that the disaster recovery payment will be available from tomorrow. That will be $1,000 for every eligible adult who has been impacted here. $400 for every child will be available across the 23 local government areas that have been impacted so far.

This is additional to the initial assistance flagged by the federal and New South Wales governments a couple of days ago.

Residents wade through flood waters in Chittaway Bay on the Central Coast, north of Sydney on Tuesday.
Residents wade through flood waters in Chittaway Bay on the Central Coast, north of Sydney on Tuesday. Photograph: Jeremy Piper/AAP

Updated

Banks urged to ‘do the right thing by your customers’ and pass on interest rate rises to savers

Jones is also asked about comments from the treasurer that he had encouraged the banks to pass on interest rate increases to people with savings accounts.

There’s a very strong expectation that these increases in rates will flow through to savers. We’ve got a lot of people on fixed incomes, a lot of retirees are relying on their fixed term savings to pay for their cost of living increases. There’s an expectation the banks will be passing these interest rates on. Advice to savers, if their bank isn’t passing those rate rises on in the form of increased returns on their deposits they should go to an institution that is. There is competition in the market for saving deposits.

But banks, do the right thing by your customers. We’ve got every expectation that they’ll do the right thing around hardship provisions for households dealing with the impact on mortgages, through rate rises. But we want to see banks do the right thing by their customers who are savers with them as well.

Updated

Government says it must ‘fight the inflation beast’

The federal assistant treasurer Stephen Jones is on News Breakfast now. He’s asked about the effect of the floods on inflationary pressures:

Look, there’s no doubt that the flood events – some of the areas where the water is going through, that’s food-growing areas, that will flow through to the price of groceries on our supermarket shelves. And a longer-term flow-on effect on insurance premiums.

The immediate task is focusing on the clean-up and the emergency situation. And talking through the economic challenges that we face with Australians. The Reserve Bank rise – rate rises – another one this morning, anticipate it won’t be the last. The important point to make is this isn’t happening without a reason.

We know that if we do not fight the inflation beast then the impact on cost of living, the impact on the economy, is going to be even greater. So we’ve got a short window in which we can deal with this, we’ve got a short window where we can stop that inflation spiral getting out of control, a short window where we’ve got inflation with a 7 or -5 to 7 in front of it, hopefully we can bring it down, and not see it spiral to the sort of levels we’re seeing in the US and Europe at the moment, where it doesn’t look like it’s coming down soon.

Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones.
Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Bureau of Meteorology warns of flooding for NSW mid-north Coast and Hunter region

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of flooding across rivers north of Sydney, as the rain that hammered the city over the weekend moves through the state.

The BoM issued warnings on Wednesday morning for the Bellinger River on the mid-north coast, and for Wollambi Brook and the Lower Hunter further south.

It said the swollen Bellinger had already caused minor flooding at Bellingen and it expects Thora to be impacted later on Wednesday.

The warning comes after the SES issued evacuation orders for a string of communities on the Hunter River late on Tuesday.

It said those living in Glenridding, Dunolly, Combo, Whittingham and Scotts Flat should evacuate, as rising flood waters were expected to close roads in the region.

Updated

Here’s the all-important rainfall forecast for NSW today. Please make sure you check the warnings and updates for your local area.

Sussan Ley criticises Labor over flood response

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley is upping the Coalition’s attacks on the Labor government over the floods, asking why they haven’t activated disaster recovery payments for affected residents.

“This is a decision his government can make with the stroke of a pen. What’s the hold-up?” she asked.

The federal emergency management minister, Murray Watt, was asked this same question in a press conference yesterday. He said the government was “giving consideration to” that payment, saying he was waiting on advice from his department.

We have already announced a wide range of support for people but I think it’s fair to assume that there will be more coming.

I can’t commit to anything specific like that but what I can tell you is that from the weekend, I began talking with our authorities about what we could do to make sure that any disaster support we approved got out the door quickly.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is due to speak on breakfast TV shortly, ahead of a press conference of his own in Sydney later in the morning.

Updated

Floods an insurance ‘catastrophe’, says Insurance Council of Australia boss

We were also just listening to Andrew Hall, CEO of Insurance Council of Australia, on ABC radio, who was saying the floods will be a “catastrophe” in insurance terms.

He’s asked whether insurers would continue to insure homes in flood-prone areas. He says they are insurable but “it comes at a price”.

Updated

Atagi to consider recommending fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisations (Atagi) is due to meet today and will consider whether a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose should be expanded to more Australians.

The meeting comes as Australia is experiencing its third wave of Omicron and Covid-19 hospitalisations are rising.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said he believes expanding the fourth vaccine dose is “a question of when rather than whether it will happen”.

Fourth doses are currently only available to people over 65 or those with certain health conditions.

The health minister, Mark Butler, has also called for medical authorities to expand eligibility for Covid-19 antiviral drugs.

The Moderna Covid-19 vaccination,
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccination, Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

Updated

Anthony Albanese to speak soon

We’re expecting to hear from the prime minister this morning within the next half an hour. Stick around!

Updated

Government won’t reconsider decision not to extend fuel excise cut

Chalmers is also asked, on cost-of-living issues, whether they would consider “revisiting the decision not to extend the temporary cut to the fuel excise”.

Even the six months of the temporary cut “costs about $3bn”, Chalmers replies.

And so to extend that for another six months, for example, would be another $3bn, and extending indefinitely would cost the budget a lot of money and we have to weigh all these things up responsibly.

Updated

Chalmers sticks by pre-election policy commitments

RN Breakfast host, Hamish Macdonald, says:

Clearly the situation that you face now in government is challenging as far as the economy is concerned. Why not reconsider some of the stuff to actually genuinely tackle inflation?

Chalmers:

Well, first of all the facts [you refer to are a] couple of years away. So changing anything on that front would not materially impact the inflation challenge that we have right now. That’s the first point.

The second point is our commitments that we went to the election with are more important now than ever. Some of those things that I ran through, we anticipated some of these challenges, whether it’s inflation, whether it’s falling real wages, some of these issues have been around even rising interest rates. They started to go up before the election.

So some of these issues have been around for a little while now. We geared our economic plan towards them and so they are whether it’s skills, childcare, energy, investment in industry, these are more pressing more urgent needs at the moment, even before the election when we committed to some of those policies. So it’s more important that we implement that.

Updated

Government will outline budget pressures when parliament is back – Chalmers

Chalmers says the beginning of this will happen in the October budget:

I didn’t want to wait till May, which would have been the usual timeframe for a budget. I would have thought this task is more urgent than that. But you can’t just do it in a couple of weeks. You’ve got to make sure you’re doing it methodically and responsibly. And so decided in October will be a good opportunity.

But before that, at the end of this month in the first week of the new parliament, I will also update the Australian people on our expectations for the economy – some of the pressures in the budget, including unnecessary spending on luxury construction in flood-affected areas in New South Wales.

Updated

Jim Chalmers says the budget should have a ‘more productive purpose’

The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is on ABC RN this morning. I missed the top of it but he’s now talking about fixing the budget – he says they haven’t had a chance in the mere six weeks they’ve been in government to fix the problems left to them by the previous one. (That’s a rough tonal paraphrase.)

He says they want to eliminate spending on things like “slush funds”:

... and redirect it to a more productive purpose because that is the best chance of making sure as we emerge [out of what] will be an incredibly difficult period with high and rising inflation and rising interest rates. When we get to the other side, we want to have dealt with or began to deal with some of the other pressures in the economy which have been building so much longer than Covid.

Updated

It’s raining in NSW, and it’s frosty and below freezing in Victoria.

Good morning

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, will visit flood-affected areas of southern and western Sydney today – some of which have been inundated four times over the past 18 months. The prime minister has just arrived back in the country after a week-long trip to Europe for the Nato summit and to Ukraine.

There are fears the Hunter Valley and mid-north coast will be the next to be hit with flooding as the rain moves slowly north. Major flooding is still occurring in greater Sydney, with more rain expected early Wednesday morning. About 50,000 people have been given evacuation orders or warnings across NSW.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the developments there throughout the day.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s diplomatic visit to Australia continues in NSW today ahead of her meeting with Albanese later this week. After meeting with the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, yesterday, she’s heading to Sydney for some tourism and business events.

And as of today, people arriving in Australia no longer have to declare their Covid vaccination status or obtain a travel exemption to enter the country. Travellers still need comply with Covid requirements of airlines and shipping operators, as well as those imposed by other countries, states and territories.

And that’s just the headlines. There’ll be heaps more throughout the day so stay tuned. I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be with you until about lunchtime. As always, if you see anything you think needs to come to my attention, you can catch me at stephanie.convery@theguardian.com or ping me on Twitter: @gingerandhoney.

Grab a coffee and we’ll get stuck in.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Jeremy Allen White fans praise lookalike contest winner for actually ‘nailing’ resemblance
The winner of the Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago received a ‘$50 cash prize plus some cigarettes’
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Gulls aren't "rats with wings"
Gulls get a bad rap, but a new book explains how they are actually smart — and fascinating
Salon
Salon
Ryan Reynolds has just confirmed a major theory about Taylor Swift
Ryan Reynolds has just confirmed a major theory about Taylor Swift
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
This is not an urban shoe myth. The new Manolo Mary Jane is a thing of beauty.
Eat your heart out Carrie.
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Fans trying to watch Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul on Netflix faced technical issues during undercard
It didn't take long for technical issues to rear their head in Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul.
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Group Leaves Friend After She’s Late Yet Again, Sparks Major Friendship Fallout
This woman didn't play around. She up and left her always late friend out of the birthday party bus. The post Group Leaves Friend After She’s Late Yet Again, Sparks Major Friendship Fallout first appeared on Bored Panda.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play