What we learned today, Saturday 18 March
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for now. We may bring you more news later, but here’s a wrap of today’s major news so far:
Transgender rights protesters clashed with neo-Nazis in Melbourne after the controversial UK figure Kellie-Jay Keen held an event in the city. Following the clash, the federal Labor MP Josh Burns called for “tougher laws” after black-clad marchers made Nazi salutes in front of the Victorian parliament.
Residents of Kennett River and Eastern View, located along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, were urged to evacuate as the state confronted the most dangerous fire conditions since the black summer bushfires.
The Australian passport office has recovered from the pandemic shock with 96% of routine passports issued within the standard 10 business days in February, compared to just 46% a year ago, new data from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade shows.
Australia’s cannabis industry could be earning the black market $25bn a year and, rather than policing it, we could be gaining revenue from it by legalising it, the Greens senator David Shoebridge has said.
The amount of dead fish blanketing the river near Menindee in the latest mass kill appears to eclipse the large-scale fish deaths experienced in 2018 and 2019. Experts said the rotting fish and hot weather would probably further deplete the water of oxygen in the coming days.
Thank you to everyone who has been following along.
Updated
Labor MP criticises ‘ugly alliance between anti-trans bullies and neo-Nazis’
The clash between transgender rights protesters and neo-Nazis in Melbourne occurred in response to the Let Women Speak event held in the city today.
The event was hosted by the controversial British anti-trans rights figure Kellie-Jay Keen who is currently touring Australia.
The federal Labor MP Josh Burns called for “tougher laws” to be considered after black-clad marchers made Nazi salutes in front of Parliament House.
The ugly alliance between anti-trans bullies and neo-Nazis on display in the city today was extremely confronting.
Both groups seek to bully and blame minority groups in their dark ideology. Scapegoating minorities is their business model, and it has no place in Australia.
The brazen marching with neo-Nazi salutes in front of the Victorian Parliament is unacceptable. This is a time for us to consider whether tougher laws are needed.
The protest in Melbourne came after Keen’s events in Sydney and Adelaide this week were met with clashes between anti- and pro-trans rights activists. Keen is due to travel to Hobart on Tuesday and Canberra on Thursday before heading to New Zealand.
In January, the Greens MP Stephen Bates wrote to Australia’s immigration minister asking him to revoke Keen’s visa. Bates wrote on Twitter at the time:
Today, I wrote to the Immigration Minister and called on him to revoke the visa of a prominent transphobe who poses a significant risk to members of the trans and gender diverse community of Australia.
There’s no place for hate speech in this country. I won’t be sharing their name because I don’t want to amplify their hate speech. The Immigration Minister has the power to revoke his Government’s decision to allow this individual to spread hateful views within our community.
Updated
Man’s body retrieved from water at Manly beach
A man’s body has been retrieved from the water at Manly beach, NSW police say.
Emergency services were called to the beach just before 12.30pm on Saturday, the police reported.
The man is yet to be formally identified, but an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is under way.
Updated
Melbourne neo-Nazi clashes – pictures
Here are some images made available by news agency AAP taken by photographer James Ross during clashes between opposing anti-transphobia protesters and neo-Nazis in Melbourne today.
Updated
More on those clashes in Melbourne.
Some people on Spring Street have been sharing scenes on social media showing black-clad marchers walking in front of Parliament House making Nazi salutes and holding Australian flags.
Nazis in Melbourne pic.twitter.com/S2OKED39Ow
— Christopher Burgess (@Chafule) March 18, 2023
Other footage shows police on foot and on horseback trying to keep groups apart.
Transgender rights protesters clash with neo-Nazis in Melbourne
Transgender rights protesters have clashed with neo-Nazis in Melbourne’s city centre, with a major road blocked to traffic, according to a report by AAP.
About 30 people from the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement marched along Spring Street near the Victorian parliament on Saturday afternoon, holding signs calling transgender people offensive names and performing Nazi salutes.
The group clashed with hundreds of others who were rallying for transgender rights.
The pro-trans group held signs that included messages such as “women aren’t defined by their bodies”.
Police, including mounted officers, worked to keep the two groups separated. Spring Street remained blocked to traffic in both directions early on Saturday afternoon.
Updated
Magnitude 4.7 earthquake hits New Zealand
Thousands of Kiwis from Auckland to Queenstown have reported feeling a magnitude 4.7 earthquake that hit near Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island.
GeoNet reduced the earthquake classification to “light” after originally classifying it as “moderate”.
Bit of a shake there, geo-net confirming it as a magnitude 4.6 south-east of Lyttelton Harbour centred under Port Levy at a depth of 5km. #eqnz pic.twitter.com/hJY8xXYzsD
— Sam Hoeflich (@Samm467) March 18, 2023
Updated
Community urged to look after one another as NSW heats up
As an unusually long heatwave for autumn grips New South Wales, the state’s police have urged the community to look after each other.
Temperatures are expected to max out in central Sydney at 31C, but parts of western Sydney will hit 40C.
Here’s the deputy commissioner for emergency management, Peter Thurtell:
While warmer weather may not concern some people, the heat can be especially dangerous for more vulnerable members of the community, including babies and children, older people, or those living with an illness.
If you know someone who may need assistance – particularly if they live alone or are socially-isolated – check-in on them this weekend and make sure they are doing okay and have what they need.
The RSPCA has also urged pet owners make sure their animals have access to plenty of fresh, cool water as well as shade.
While Surf Life Saving Australia is asking people heading to waterways to take care, after a record number of deaths on or around the water this summer.
Updated
Residents in Kennett River urged to evacuate as extreme fire rating declared
Residents in Kennett River, located along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, are being urged to evacuate as an extreme fire rating is declared.
The bushfire, burning 0.3km north of Kennett River is under control, but the Bureau of Meteorology has warned wind gusts in the area will reach between 60 and 70km/h.
Vic Emergency predicts the bushfire could impact the area between now and 3pm.
The Age reports the state is today seeing the most dangerous fire conditions since the black summer bushfires three years ago.
Bushfire - Watch and Act for Kennett River. You should Prepare to Evacuate. For more info: https://t.co/QZYEoNGhdh #vicfires
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) March 18, 2023
The warning for Kennett River comes after residents in the Great Ocean Road’s Eastern View and Memorial Arch areas were recommended to evacuate earlier due to bushfire risk.
Updated
NSW premier says PM ‘out of touch’ on Kids Future Fund
A week out from the NSW state election, the premier, Dominic Perrottet, has slammed Anthony Albanese’s criticisms of the Liberals’ signature Kids Future Fund as “out of touch”, AAP reports.
The prime minister, who has been campaigning heavily alongside the NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, said the superannuation-style fund for children would create a greater divide between rich and poor.
Perrottet, who has previously been complimentary about working with Albanese on national cabinet issues, lashed out on Saturday saying “[Albanese] is absolutely wrong and that is the Labor way”.
Perrottet told reporters in the marginal western Sydney seat of Penrith:
There is no greater investment that we can make than in our children’s future.
For the prime minister to come out yesterday and say that he’s against, like NSW Labor, setting up a future fund account for our children shows how out of touch he is with the challenges that families are facing today.
Updated
Parts of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road urged to evacuate
People located in the Great Ocean Road’s Eastern View and Memorial Arch areas in Victoria are being urged to evacuate after an extreme fire rating was declared.
Vic Emergency reported a bushfire 0.3km north of Eastern View that is under control, however, the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a weather warning for wind gusts between 60 and 70km/h in the area.
The wind increase was expected from 10am and Vic Emergency warned it may increase the fire behaviour.
Fire Danger Ratings (FDR) tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started, and the actions you need to take. Many parts of Victoria tomorrow will have an Extreme FDR.
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) March 17, 2023
To find out your local FDR, visit https://t.co/ImyKJkhnMw.
Stay informed: https://t.co/FeB4eqPDfJ. pic.twitter.com/OfWeXy33Bs
Vic Emergency also issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in Victoria’s central, north central, and south west districts.
SEVERE WEATHER WARNING for DAMAGING WINDS. For people in parts of Central, North Central and South West Forecast Districts.
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) March 18, 2023
Damaging winds over elevated terrain until the early afternoon.
Stay informed: https://t.co/T05ONtwAm3 pic.twitter.com/gRZug5EKYT
Updated
Passport wait times improve
The Australian passport office has recovered from the pandemic shock with 96% of routine passports issued within the standard 10 business days in February, compared to just 46% a year ago, new data from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade shows.
Passport applications surged after Australia’s international border reopened in early 2022. Processing delays became so pronounced that some applicants waited months or queued outside passport offices for hours. The number of applicants paying an extra $225 for priority service in 2021 was double pre-pandemic levels.
The department is encouraging Australians to continue applying for passports well before they need to travel, with the passport office estimating around 2 million Australians did not renew their passports during the early years of the pandemic, and “most” have yet to reapply.
Passport applications are still around 25% higher than pre-pandemic levels, and March and April are generally peak periods for passport renewals.
A department spokesperson said:
Customers should continue to plan ahead and allow at least six weeks to apply for or renew their passport, and longer if they are applying for a child passport.
Updated
Truck crashes into Sydney home
Two people who were in a truck that crashed through part of a house in Sydney’s south this morning have had a “fortunate escape”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The cabin of the truck, owned by a tree-lopping contractor, was hanging over a 10-metre cliff after the truck crashed through the unoccupied home.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said the truck, which had a chipper trailer on the back, appeared to have lost control after it went down a steep hill at Weerona Place, Caringbah South.
Firefighters rescued the man and woman who were trapped in the front of the truck. Both appeared to have sustained no injuries, however were taken to hospital as a precaution.
CARINGBAR SOUTH | #FRNSW have rescued two occupants of a truck that crashed into a house at the bottom of the hill on Weerona Place. Firefighters have stabilised the truck. @SuthShireCncl pic.twitter.com/MW6WYC9vnZ
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) March 17, 2023
Updated
Federal government welcomes decision to hear MH17 case
The federal government has welcomed the International Civil Aviation Organization Council’s decision to hear Australia and the Netherlands’ case against Russia for the downing of flight MH17.
The flight was shot down in 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine, claiming the lives of 298 people, including 38 people who lived in Australia.
In 2018, Australia and the Netherlands said Russia was responsible for the disaster after investigators confirmed the missile had come from a Russian military base.
Australia’s attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, and foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said in a joint statement:
We have maintained since May 2018 that the Russian Federation is responsible under international law for the downing of Flight MH17.
We now look forward to presenting our legal arguments and evidence to the ICAO Council as we continue to seek to hold Russia to account.
We welcome the @icao decision that it has jurisdiction to hear our case against Russia for the downing of MH17.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) March 18, 2023
It is another important step in our collective efforts to hold those responsible to account.
My thoughts are with those who lost their lives & their loved ones.
Updated
It’s looking like there will be no thunderstorms to reprieve the autumn blast of heat many of us are experiencing in southern Australia today.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts the chance of thunderstorms will be mainly confined to Australia’s Gulf country and north-west and peninsula districts.
⚠️Todays thunderstorm forecast. The chance of thunderstorms is mainly confined to the #GulfCountry, #NorthWest & #Peninsula districts. No severe thunderstorm activity is expected. Locations include #Weipa, #Burketown, #MtsIsa. Check the latest forecasts: https://t.co/eGE8dxO4ZE pic.twitter.com/FAFjTpweLq
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 18, 2023
Link found between high cholesterol and dementia risks
Scientists at the Heart Research Institute say they have made a major breakthrough by finding the definitive relationship between dementia and high levels of cholesterol for the first time, AAP reports.
The researchers say the findings are significant, because they mean future tests to calculate a person’s risk from dementia can be performed through blood tests.
The scientists examined the data from 17 global studies that included more than a million patients under the age of 65.
The Institute’s Dr Ashish Misra said:
This is the first time we’ve been able to say categorically that there’s a direct link between what we eat and our cognitive decline.
Unfortunately, there’s no magic drug to get rid of the plaque on your arteries. We need to learn to live with it and help it dissolve over time through improved diet and a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re interested to read more on what you can do to prevent dementia, check out this story from our How to have a healthy brain series.
Updated
Millions of dead fish near Menindee likely eclipses mass fish kills in 2019 and 2018
The amount of dead fish that have blanketed the river near Menindee in latest mass kill appears to eclipse the large-scale fish deaths experienced in 2018 and 2019, ABC reports.
On Friday, the NSW Department of Primary Industries said millions of fish had died below the Menindee main weir due to low oxygen levels in the water as flood waters receded.
A drought in the same area in 2019 led to about a million fish deaths after a rapid drop in temperature led to an algal bloom that de-oxygenated the river.
The dead fish are mostly bony bream, however the ABC reports there are concerns more native species will be impacted as the heat reaches the early 40s in the region today.
Updated
Happy Saturday, everyone! Thanks to Graham for leading us through this morning’s developments. I’ll be with you for the rest of today.
Watch and Act bushfire warning in Victoria
Victoria’s Country Fire Authority has issued a “watch and act” notice for anyone in the Eastern View Memorial Arch area to get ready to evacuate.
A bushfire there is under control, but the authority says severe winds are expected from 10am. Wind gusts could reach 70 km/h.
This WATCH & ACT - BUSHFIRE - Prepare to Evacuate has been issued for Eastern View, Memorial Arch.
— cfa_updates (@CFA_Updates) March 17, 2023
If you are located in the Eastern View Memorial Arch area, we encourage you to consider leaving now before the severe winds begin.
More details at https://t.co/FYruEJxajv pic.twitter.com/L8pAhpforS
Early voting opens in NSW state election
Early voting centres have opened this morning across NSW ahead of the state election’s official polling day next Saturday.
Early voting is open for the 2023 NSW State election.
— NSW Electoral Commission (@NSWElectoralCom) March 17, 2023
To view the eligibility criteria, and early voting centre locations and opening times visit: https://t.co/oaFDmOvgb2 pic.twitter.com/u4JiQTKlqK
AAP reports that NSW electoral commissioner John Schmidt expects the early voting centres will see strong demand in the run-up to the day of reckoning on 25 March.
The state electoral commission has a checker on its website to find polling booths, and early voting centres. Check eligibility for early voting here.
For a run down of the key differences between Labor and the Coalition, have a look at this piece from the Guardian’s Michael McGowan and Tamsin Rose.
Updated
Total fire bans in parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales
The fire danger ratings in parts of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales have reached “high” or “extreme” levels today.
An extreme rating means anyone living in those areas is advised to make sure their bushfire survival plan is ready and their properties are prepared, as any fires in those places could “spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.”
Here’s a summary of conditions.
Victoria
Extreme fire danger in regions of Wimmera, South West, Central and North Central.
Total fire bans in the Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central and Central, which includes Melbourne and Geelong.
A Total Fire Ban is in force for the MALLEE, WIMMERA, SOUTH WEST, NORTHERN COUNTRY, NORTH CENTRAL and CENTRAL Fire Districts today - Saturday 18 March.
— cfa_updates (@CFA_Updates) March 17, 2023
Check what you can and can't do at https://t.co/qTT4P4ne58 pic.twitter.com/ec65Bic2kP
South Australia
Extreme fire danger for regions of Flinders, mid-north and Riverland. Total fire bans across these three regions, which includes the areas of Flinders Ranges, Mount Remarkable, Orroroo Carrieton, Peterborough, Port Augusta, Clare and Gilbert Valley, Goyder, Light Regional Council, Mallala, Northern Areas, Port Pirie City and District, Wakefield, Berri Barmera, Loxton Waikerie and Renmark Paringa
REMINDER : TOTAL FIRE BANS have been declared for 18 March 2023 in the following Fire Ban Districts: Flinders - Extreme, Mid North - Extreme, Riverland - Extreme. Refer https://t.co/kEAePm5k7Q pic.twitter.com/fqAxuA36bs
— Country Fire Service (@CFSAlerts) March 17, 2023
New South Wales
High fire danger ratings across much of the central and south eastern areas of the state. Total fire ban in the central region, which includes Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan, Yass Valley and Queanbeyan-Palerang.
A total fire ban is now in place for the Southern Ranges. High fire danger is forecast for much of NSW. Currently 29 fires burning across the state, 5 yet to be contained. It's important to know your fire risk and what to do if threatened by fire. #NSWRFS https://t.co/LwkZx6TxzA
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) March 17, 2023
My colleague Peter Hannam has this story this morning on how that heat has pushed its way to the east of the country.
Updated
Millions of fish dead near Menindee
The scale of the fish kill in the lower Darling-Baaka river near Menindee was described as “unfathomable” by local Graeme McCrabb who has been driving his boat through more than a kilometre of dead fish.
#UPDATE: video from #Menindee local Graeme McCrabb… @NSWDPIE_Water confirming millions native fish dead. Cause = Lack of oxygen as floodwaters recede, huge build up of biomass and fish whose populations boomed during the wet times. Heatwave exacerbating low oxygen levels 😢 pic.twitter.com/RQLR1JA38D
— Sara Tomevska (@STomevska) March 17, 2023
Here’s our full story on the mass fish kill from my colleague Adam Morton published late yesterday.
Updated
Welcome to Saturday
Good morning and happy Saturday. It’s Graham Readfearn here to take you through our live news coverage with many of us feeling this autumn blast of heat.
There are total fire bans in parts of Victoria, NSW, South Australia and extreme fire danger ratings for many areas. A bit more detail about that to come.
There’s some heat on the way for Melbourne with a top of 37C forecast, with 33C for Brisbane and Sydney getting 30C.
There’s also news this morning that much-loved Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill is being treated for stage-three blood cancer.
Before we get into today, a quick summary of yesterday.
Millions of fish are dead in another mass kill in the lower Darling-Baaka river near Menindee, in New South Wales’ far west.
The US state department approved the sale of up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles to Australia, to the tune of $1.3bn.
Former Labor minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett said the $368bn Aukus nuclear submarine deal was the “most costly and risky” ever made by an Australian government.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australian banks are “well placed” to withstand some vulnerability.
The Productivity Commission said in its five-yearly report that “the often touted ‘four-day week’ is that much harder to achieve”.
Four people were arrested after climate protesters occupied Dominic Perrottet’s office.
Time magazine released its list of the world’s greatest places for 2023 and the only Australian capital to make the list was Brisbane.
OK Saturday, let’s see what you’ve got.
