What we learned: Wednesday 13 December
Thank you for following along with the blog on a rather busy day of news.
Here are the key headlines to take away:
Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to make landfall in the next one to two hours in far north Quessnland with communities facing damaging winds, and life-threatening flooding.
The Australian government accused the Chinese coast guard and other vessels of threatening “lives and livelihoods” and creating “risks of miscalculation” amid a series of South China Sea incidents involving the Philippines.
Australia joined 152 countries voting to demand “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza” at the United Nations general assembly. Israel’s ambassador to Australia said he found the decision “difficult to understand”.
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also released a joint statement with Canada’s Justin Trudeau and New Zealand’s Chris Luxon which called for “efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire”. The PM’s joint statement also emphasised that: “We recognise Israel’s right to exist and right to defend itself.”
Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes underwent open heart surgery this morning, after being hospitalised two weeks ago for pneumonia.
The mid-year economic and fiscal outlook was released today and revealed a $12.8bn improvement for the 2023-24 financial year compared with the May budget and a total $39.5bn more in federal coffers over the four years to 2026-27.
Five thousand NSW paramedics will receive an average wage increase of 25% over four years, as an agreement between NSW paramedics and the state government is reached following strike action by union members last week.
Engineered stone is be banned nationwide, with the change to kick in from next year after states and territories signed off on the measure to protect workers.
And the South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas’ government has announced it will hold a royal commission into family and domestic violence. It follows calls for an inquiry after the deaths of four South Australian women in one week from alleged domestic violence.
Updated
‘Big surge’ of rainfall could cause flooding in Daintree region, BoM says
A “big surge” of heavy rainfall is starting to move onshore in far north Queensland as the cyclone moves closer to making landfall, according to the Bureau of Meterology.
Dean Narramore, meteorologist at the bureau, said the Daintree had seen rainfalls of up to 150mm and rainfall of 20-30mm an hour in some regions which could see major flooding in the region later tonight and tomorrow.
“That big surge of heavy rainfall is now starting to move onshore as the cyclone continues to move westwards on to the coast, and we’re likely to see these conditions continue to bring heavy rain and locally destructive wind in the coming hours,” he said.
Narramore said the cyclone is expected to make landfall – which is when the eye of the cyclone crosses the coast – in the next one to two hours.
Updated
