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The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy (now) and Matilda Boseley (earlier)

Craig Kelly egged in Melbourne; Ukraine ambassador flags need for more support – as it happened

Ukraine Australia New South Wales
Craig Kelly
A video on social media appears to show United Australia party MP Craig Kelly being egged by a passerby in Melbourne. Photograph: Rohan Thomson/Getty Images

What we learned: Friday 8 April

With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening.

Have a lovely weekend, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow.

Here were today’s major developments:

  • The high court has refused to hear an appeal against New South Wales preselections, clearing the prime minister’s hand-picked candidates to contest the May federal election. Chief justice Susan Kiefel said the appeal had “insufficient prospects of success”.
  • The TGA has granted provisional approval for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered as a booster to 12 to 15-year-olds.
  • Police have issued a statement following the egging of United Nations MP Craig Kelly, confirming they are “investigating” the alleged assault.
  • Flood warnings have eased in New South Wales with flooding no longer expected in hard-hit northern and southern Sydney, nor on the Parramatta river. Moderate flooding continues at the Hawkesbury and Nepean valley. It comes after more than 2,000 NSW residents were ordered to evacuate amid heavy rainfall.
  • At least three more asylum seekers have been released from Brisbane detention however Australian Border Force has not confirmed the number of releases, saying they “do not comment on individual cases”.
  • And the prime minister still hasn’t called the election. But never fear, he assured journalists today that it would be called “soon”, whatever that means.

Updated

Our reporter Eden Gillespie has been attempting to confirm how many medevac refugees are being released nationally with the department of home affairs.

Tweets are going viral claiming all Medevac refugees have been released, however refugee organisations have rejected the claims.

Updated

The federal government has announced $2.5m towards food security in Sri Lanka through the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The foreign minister, Marise Payne, says the pandemic has affected food security around the globe which has impacted on supply and caused an escalation in food prices.

This $2.5 million in targeted development assistance will support child nutrition, strengthen productivity for smallholder farmers and improve livelihoods in rural areas.

The WFP and FAO will work to improve agricultural practices, strengthen market linkages and provide social protection to vulnerable communities, particularly households that are female-headed; with children under five; or that have pregnant or nursing mothers.

WFP will also address the immediate nutritional needs of school going children though the provision of meals at school. FAO will support a school garden program.

Updated

You can read the high court’s full results here:

Yesterday, we reported on a meeting between the outgoing Australian ambassador to Myanmar, Andrea Faulkner, and the leader of that country’s coup and alleged war criminal, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Australia was criticised for taking the meeting, with advocates for the democratically elected government arguing the junta would use the meeting as a PR boost, to help legitimise its control of the country.

“Australia’s continued engagement with the military junta, a terrorist organisation, is an act of betrayal to its own democracy and a failure to comply with its international human rights and humanitarian law obligations,” Yadanar Maung from Justice for Myanmar said.

Min Aung Hlaing led the Myanmar military’s pogrom against the ethnic minority Rohingya in 2017, which killed more than 25,000 people and forced more than 700,000 to flee the country, and he engineered a military coup in February 2021, later declaring himself prime minister.

Min Aung Hlaing has been recommended by the UN for investigation and prosecution for war crimes and genocide, and personally sanctioned by the US, EU, UK and Canada, but not by Australia.

Australian officials defended taking the meeting, arguing its “limited” engagement with the junta “give us an opportunity to speak directly to the regime”, including to call for an end to violence and grant humanitarian access.

“We don’t consider that the engagement we’ve had to date legitimises the current regime,” senate estimates heard.

Further reportage has emerged from the Myanmar capital.

The ambassador, who leaves Myanmar later this month, has had a subsequent meeting on Thursday, with Myanmar’s minister for home affairs, Lt Gen Soe Htut, again reported in the junta-controlled press, which said the meeting discussed “further cooperation between the two countries”.

Updated

Wallabies great and independent candidate for the ACT, David Pocock, has lodged a complaint about ads from conservative lobby group Advance Australia, which falsely portray him as a Greens candidate in disguise.

The ads appeared on Facebook and are targeted to voters in Canberra, where Pocock is attempting to unseat one of the territory’s two senators, Liberal Zed Seselja, a leading conservative.

Advance Australia has paid Facebook to target 10 ads attacking Pocock to Canberra voters, labelling him an “extreme green climate activist” and falsely suggesting he is secretly running for the Greens party.

Facebook data suggests the ads were activated on 7 April, have had an estimated audience size of up to 100,000 people , and cost less than $100 each.

Pocock said in a statement such tactics were “damaging to our democracy, taking attention away from what it is we’re all working towards – better representation in government”.

He has complained to the AEC, though the watchdog has little power to intervene to stop false or misleading advertising.

Pocock said:

I’m calling on my fellow candidates in the ACT and beyond to run their campaigns through a lens of integrity.The people of Canberra, and indeed the country, are tired of lies, finger-pointing and blame for political gain. They want leaders who are honest, trustworthy and transparent.

Smear campaigning against other candidates, the spread of misleading information and lies, unnecessary intimidation, ambush and bullying tactics are seen all too often come election time. These techniques are damaging to our democracy, taking attention away from what it is we’re all working towards - better representation in government.

My team and I have been working hard to have conversations with as many Canberrans as we can to ensure the voices of the community and the issues they’re facing are informing my policy positions.

Updated

The federal government is under fire for offering more financial support to the residents of Lismore while excluding other flood-affected areas such as Ballina, Byron and Tweed.

On Friday the federal government announced the Disaster Recovery Top-Up payments, which will be given to those who live or work in Lismore for just over three months.

The announcement said:

You don’t need to submit a claim for this payment. We’ll pay it into your nominated bank account.

... This payment is $350 and you can get it each week for up to 13 weeks.

But the move has been criticised for leaving out surrounding areas, which were also hit badly by the recent floods.

Justine Elliot, the Labor MP for Richmond, wrote on Twitter:

Scott Morrison, you’re truly a disgrace.

It’s quietly been announced that top-up disaster allowance payments are coming - but again, only for Lismore.

Don’t get me wrong - Lismore needs it. But Tweed, Byron, Ballina & elsewhere were affected by floods too. We won’t forget.

Last month, Scott Morrison was forced to expand the federal government’s flood funding after receiving backlash for only offering additional funding to Lismore, Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley.

After a week of criticism, the same funding was expanded to include Byron, Ballina and Tweed.

Updated

Moderate flooding continues to occur at North Richmond and Windsor despite the relative easing of conditions across the New South Wales coast.

Here’s the latest from the Bureau:

River level rises were observed across the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley due to heavy rainfall Wednesday night and Thursday. Heavy rainfall has eased overnight Thursday. Further showers are forecast for the remainder of Friday and during Saturday which are not expected to produce renewed river level rises.

A moderate flood peak below the level of the March 2022 flood occurred along the Upper Nepean River at Wallacia later Friday morning.

Warragamba dam is spilling. Moderate flooding is occurring along the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond and Windsor.

River level rises have been observed along the Upper Colo River, and minor flooding is peaking at Putty Road Friday afternoon. River level rises are occurring along the Macdonald River and some areas may experience flooding impacts.

Updated

High court refuses to hear appeal against NSW preselections

Scott Morrison’s hand-picked New South Wales Liberal candidates have been cleared to contest the May federal election, after the high court refused to hear an appeal against their preselection.

The high court refused businessman Matthew Camenzuli’s application for special leave to appeal from the NSW Court of Appeal’s decision upholding the preselections. Chief Justice Susan Kiefel said the appeal had “insufficient prospects of success”.

The decision guarantees that immigration minister, Alex Hawke, environment minister, Sussan Ley, MP Trent Zimmerman and nine other candidates will be endorsed to contest the election. These candidates were chosen by a three-person committee including Morrison and NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet.

Camenzuli had asked the court for an order restraining Liberal party officials from sending the candidates’ names to the electoral commissioner.

Earlier in the week Camenzuli was expelled from the Liberal Party using special campaigning powers, after he was charged with imperilling the party’s election chances.

Updated

TGA approves booster shot for 12 to 15-year-olds

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has provisionally approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot for 12 to 15-year-olds.

Pfizer was provisionally approved to be administered as a booster for people 18 and over on 26 October, and for 16 and 17-year-olds on 27 January.

The TGA has advised a booster dose can be administered at least six months after completion of two doses in the age group.

The TGA says:

Regulatory approval of the booster dose for this age group has also been granted in Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States. The TGA continues to work very closely with international regulators to align regulatory approaches, share information and, where it speeds up evaluation, collaboratively review Covid-19 vaccines and treatments ...

The Australian Public Assessment Report for this decision will be published in the coming days. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) will provide advice shortly on whether this vaccine should be included in the Covid-19 vaccine program as the final step in the two green light approval process.

Updated

Happy Easter!

Police issue statement on Craig Kelly 'egging'

Victoria police have issued a statement following an “incident” in Fawkner Park where Craig Kelly was egged earlier this afternoon.

Police are investigating reports a 58-year-old man was assaulted in South Yarra on Friday, 8 April.

It was understood two women were involved in an incident where eggs were smashed onto the man’s head at Fawkner Park about 1.25pm, before running to a vehicle which was believed to be waiting nearby.

The man, from NSW, was not injured.

A witness on a pushbike followed the women, parking his bike in front of the car. It is alleged the male driver ran over the cyclist’s foot. He sustained minor injuries.

The cyclist then followed the vehicle, which stopped nearby on Toorak Road. The driver gave his details to the cyclist. The driver and two women then left the scene in the vehicle.

Investigations into the identity of those involved remain ongoing.

Updated

An evacuation warning has been issued for Leets Vale on the Hawkesbury River.

Residents and businesses on Chaseling Road South next to the river must be prepared to evacuate in the next few hours.

It comes as low lying parts of Woronora and Bonnet Bay have been deemed safe to return home.

Updated

Um?

O’Connor was also asked if he would be defence minister in the next government if Labor wins the election.

He said that was “entirely up to the Labor leader”.

I was asked to undertake this role in January last year, I have been in the portfolio longer than Peter Dutton, at least in the shadow portfolio and I have enjoyed it. I come with some national security experience, I sat on the National Security Committee of cabinet and I was as you say Home Affairs minister and Immigration minister. I think they have the experience and expertise to work in this area. It is entirely up to Anthony.

O’Connor said Labor also backed the development of hypersonic weapons as flagged by the federal government this week as an extension of the Aukus pact.

We need to have sufficient firepower to deter potential conflict. We do need to, and also we need to increase the firepower ... now, not just in 2038. Anything that can be done to increase our capacity and which will act as a deterrent to conflict we would want to do.

Shadow defence minister Brendan O’Connor was just up on ABC Afternoon Briefing.

Asked whether he supported the federal government’s pledge to help Ukraine in the post war rebuild, he replied: “I do”.

We support the lethal and nonlethal aid that’s been provided and any subsequent support and I think the reconstruction of that city that’s been under siege, clearly will need help from not just its European friends but friends around the world.

A video is circulating on social media that appears to show United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly being egged by a passerby in Melbourne.

Please be warned, this video has some strong language. Guardian Australia does not condone violence against politicial candidates.

Updated

Rain is easing on the coast of New South Wales however a number of rivers and catchments are still experiencing minor to moderate flooding.

A hazardous surf warning also remains in place for the Byron coast with surf and swell conditions expected to be dangerous for coastal activities including swimming and boating.

This should get the kids talking!

The opposition leader has been out and about alongside internationally renowned cook Maggie Beer in Adelaide today, going hard on Labor’s plan to improve aged care if elected.

Anthony Albanese and Beer gaze admiringly at a delicious plate of vegetables.

Look how thrilled Penny Wong is. Loving it.

Albanese continued on social media:

The Aged Care Royal Commission heard terrible stories of residents getting leftovers from other residents that had been put in a blender and fed as puree. This goes against who we are as Australians.

We’ll also have mandatory reporting rules to make sure the basic daily fee paid to providers is used for care and nutrition.

Updated

Obviously this is all hypothetical but it is worth noting if the PM doesn’t call the election by Sunday, lower house MPs will have to return to Canberra to sit for another week of parliament.

Anthony Albanese earlier today said the “absurdity” of neglecting to call the election was so Scott Morrison could promote “taxpayer funded ads” and make “extraordinary” last-minute appointments.

When asked, Morrison said the election would be held “around the same time” as the last election, on 18 May.

Personally, as long as I can hunker down on a sausage at any given day in May before fulfilling my democratic duties I’ll be satisfied.

Updated

Reserve Bank warns on potential interest rate rises

On the eve of a tight election, the central bank has warned that rising prices and interest rates will make it harder for some borrowers to make payments, AAP reports.

The looming interest rate hikes are a timebomb for whoever wins the federal election in May.

The quarterly Financial Stability Review released today says with inflation higher and more persistent than expected, there is a risk that interest rates could increase by more than financial markets expect.

The Reserve Bank found:

The high level of household debt relative to income in Australia has increased the sensitivity of households and their spending to higher interest rates and a rise in living expenses.

Banks have maintained strong lending standards, but a large share of new housing loans have been written with high debt-to-income ratios, amid sluggish income growth:

With interest rates still at historically low levels, it is important that lending standards are maintained and that borrowers are prepared for an increase in interest rates.

The predicted rises in the record low 0.1% official cash rate are a timebomb for the victor in next month’s election.

Potentially adding hundreds of dollars a month to the average mortgage payment, all major banks expect the first rise in June, with more to follow this year.

A May rate rise has not been ruled out by market economists, with the first increment tipped to be 15 basis points to 0.25%, and then stepping up in quarter-points after that.

Updated

A case of meningococcal disease has been detected in a two-year-old Adelaide girl. She has been admitted to hospital and is in a stable condition.

There have been three cases detected in the state this year.

Ok – I can’t believe Australia has two big potatoes. I visited Robertson’s Big Potato in New South Wales on my birthday this year (why? Who knows) and Sassafras, looks like I’ll be coming in hot in 2023.

Updated

The defence minister, Peter Dutton, provided some more details about the gift of 20 Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine at a press conference this morning at Amberley RAAF base.

Dutton said the strength of the Bushmaster was in its design: the V-shaped hull meant that when there was an explosion that energy could be dispersed “for the crew inside to have the best possible chance of survival”.

He added:

It’s not a tank. It can’t fully deploy to the frontline, but it can move people around, particularly as we’re seeing reports of Russian forces laying landmines etc, this will be a very crucial element of keeping the troops safe.

Dutton said the first three of the 20 Bushmaster vehicles would leave Australia today:

There are three, not four on this flight and that’s to do I’m told with other equipment on board, with fuel load etc. So we’ll have a drum beat probably of about every four or five days, and there may be other commercial options that become available to us, that aren’t there at the moment, but the 20 will be over the next few weeks.

Asked how the Bushmasters would get from where they are dropped in Europe to Ukraine, Dutton said this was “not something that we would comment on” but he played down any logistical problems:

We’ve already sent a number of loads of defence material, of support and equipment to Ukraine, and we’re able to stage that into Europe and get it into the country from there with our partners.

Dutton said the gift of the 20 Bushmasters would cost the Australian government “about $50m – over north of $2m a piece”. There would be no operational impact on Australia:

In our fleet we have about 1,000 Bushmasters and we can work with Thales to replace these that are being sent away, so there’s no impact on our operational needs or requirements. It’s just fortuitous that we had a number that we could get quickly painted and despatched.

Updated

Ukraine ambassador flags need for further support

Ukraine’s new ambassador to Australia has said he now understands “the concept of mateship” as he thanked Australia for the gift of 20 Bushmaster vehicles.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, who arrived in Australia two weeks ago, noted the speed with which the Australian government confirmed it would agree to the request from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Speaking to reporters at RAAF Base Amberley earlier today, the ambassador characterised it as an expression of mateship between the two countries and said he appreciated the support:

Ukraine is going through very difficult times. The number of military and civilian casualties is staggering. The war crimes of the Russian military is appalling and we, too, need to prop up our military capabilities to be able to repel the Russians to be able to protect the sovereignty and integrity of our country, and we are very pleased that Australia is helping us with that.

Myroshnychenko said the Russian military had now withdrawn from the northern part of the Kyiv area, but had left behind landmines, meaning these sites were still dangerous:

And we have to deal with that, we have to de-mine it. So these kind of vehicles will be very handy for this in terms of these purposes.

Asked if Ukraine would like to see Australia provide even more support, Myroshnychenko said:

I have to tell you, yes, and the reason is very simple; Ukraine cannot change its geography. We are always going to have Russia next door. We now of course have to protect our integrity and sovereignty, so we need to keep them out of Ukraine, but to move forward, we really need to have very strong and capable military forces to be able to defend ourselves in the future.

The ambassador was speaking at a joint press conference with the Australian defence minister, Peter Dutton.

Updated

NSW Police have retrieved the body of a 68-year-old man who was found in a van submerged in flood waters in south-west Sydney earlier today.

Emergency services were contacted about 7.55am after a man was reported missing, and his van was located shortly after, trapped in nearby flood water.

Officers with assistance from PolAir, police divers and the NSW SES retrieved the man’s body just before 1pm. He is yet to be formally identified. The white van he was travelling in remains stuck in floodwaters with efforts to remove it continuing.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man’s death is under way and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Updated

Tony Abbott has branded as “fake news” the claims by his one-time treasurer Joe Hockey that the men had a secret agreement for the former PM to hand over the top job.

The Australian newspaper reported on Friday that Hockey believed he would be the next leader of the Liberal party. The former treasurer claimed Abbott had agreed to this, telling the newspaper “there wasn’t a Kirribilli Agreement ... but that was the expectation, yes”.

Hockey made the previously unaired claims in an interview about his upcoming book. The Australian reported the Abbott claim is not in the book.

But Abbott himself quickly rubbished the claims after the article was published online late on Thursday night. At 10.20pm, Abbott tweeted that it was “fake news”.

“The idea I would do a secret deal to hand over the prime ministership is absurd because it’s not in the gift of anyone let alone a PM under the sort of pressure I was,” he wrote.

Abbott said he believed “the prime ministership should be decided by the people not any two individuals conspiring in secret which I would never do”.

Updated

The Paroo River at Willara Crossing peaked just shy of a metre yesterday evening as minor flooding continued.

The main flood peak is now travelling downstream towards Wanaaring, however river levels are expected to remain below the minor flood level of 2.4 metres.

At Willara Crossing, the river is likely to remain above the minor flood level of 0.7 metres today and tomorrow.

An inquiry into whether Star Entertainment is fit to hold the licence to run its casino in Sydney is to be extended, and additional witnesses called.

The NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority said it had approved a request from Adam Bell, SC, who is running the inquiry, for “additional time to undertake further lines of inquiry in order to fully discharge his duties” under his terms of reference.

“The authority is fully supportive of Mr Bell examining additional witnesses and giving further consideration to a number of key issues,” Ilga chair Philip Crawford said.

The inquiry has already heard evidence of money laundering, including $900m allegedly funnelled into the gaming floor disguised as hotel spending, and seen footage of paper bags being loaded with cash inside a private gaming salon inside the casino run by controversial junket operator SunCity.

Matt Bekier, who resigned as chief executive of Star during the hearings, is among witnesses scheduled to give evidence next week.

Bell is now due to report back on 31 August.

You can see some of our previous coverage here:

Updated

Flood warnings ease in parts of NSW

Rain has eased in the east of New South Wales and a final flood watch has been issued for a number of rivers including those in the central and south coasts, the Shoalhaven, the Georges and Woronora, Cooks and the St Georges Basin as the weather clears.

Flooding is no longer expected in hard-hit northern and southern Sydney nor on the Parramatta river. The road weather alert has also been cancelled for all Sydney suburbs, but “the situation will continue to be monitored and further alerts will be issued if necessary”.

Minor flood warnings are still in place for the Paroo, Macintyre and Snowy Rivers and a major flood warning remains current for the Hawkesbury and Nepean valley.

Major flooding is occurring at Wallacia around the March 2022 levels, while major flooding is likely at North Richmond this afternoon. River levels are expected to stay below March 2021 and 2022 levels.

From the Bureau:

River level rises were observed across the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley due to heavy rainfall Wednesday night and Thursday. Heavy rainfall has eased overnight Thursday. Further showers are forecast for Friday and Saturday which are not expected to produce renewed river level rises.

A moderate flood peak higher than the March 2022 floods passed Camden Thursday night. A major flood peak is expected along the Upper Nepean River at Wallacia Friday afternoon with river levels similar to March 2022 expected.

Warragamba dam is spilling. Major flooding is likely along the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond from early Friday afternoon as a result of significant flows from the Upper Nepean. Moderate flooding is occurring at Windsor. River level rises have been observed along the Upper Colo River, and minor flooding is possible at Putty Road Friday morning.

Predictions for Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry will be provided after upstream peaks are observed.

Updated

The New South Wales paramedics union is warning that Sydney will be at least 24 cars below the planned ambulance rosters tonight, requiring at least 49 paramedics to volunteer to do overtime. Paramedics don’t get penalty rates for working Friday nights and most are “so exhausted ... they cannot even contemplate the idea of doing an overtime shift,” the union says.

Updated

Peak disability bodies are calling on the federal government to implement a nation-wide free RATs scheme for vulnerable Australians. It comes off the back of the Victorian government’s announcement yesterday that two million free RATs would be rolled out for people with disability.

The Physical Disability Council of NSW’s CEO, Serena Ovens, says many people with disability have been forced to self-fund RATS for themselves and support workers, with access issues leading some workers opting to live with their clients in order to keep them safe.

National Disability Services is echoing the call on the federal government to implement a consistent, national free RAT program for people with disability.

Updated

Australia has been urged to set up its own Centre for Disease Control, following recommendations from a Senate inquiry examining the country’s Covid-19 response, AAP reports.

The report made 19 recommendations. Among them were calls for a royal commission into how Australia handled the pandemic, as well as greater transparency for health bodies such as the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

The government would also be required to report to parliament every two years on how prepared it was to handle future pandemics.

The Senate inquiry’s chair, Labor’s Katy Gallagher, said the recommendations were crucial in the lead-up to winter, with health officials warning of a spike in cases:

It is imperative that the next Australian government learns the lessons from the failures over the past two years so that when the next pandemic or health crisis comes, Australia is better prepared.

The inquiry, which was set up in the early stages of the pandemic, handed down its final report on Thursday after more than two years and dozens of hearings.

While the inquiry was lengthy in its examination of the country’s Covid-19 response, senator Gallagher said a royal commission would be able to go further and compel people to provide more information:

A royal commission is required partly because we’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars … in economic responses, and over $40bn in our health response.

The senator also accused the government of not being open and transparent with information to the committee as hearings continued during its two-year course.

However, the committee’s deputy chair Liberal senator, James Paterson, said it eventually became a vehicle for partisan attacks on the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Updated

The NSW SES has listed a further two evacuation warnings for parts of Ebenezer and Windsor covering:

  • The northern part of Windsor – all properties bounded by the Hawkesbury River, South Creek and Palmer Street.
  • Ebenezer – all properties along Hendrens Road and 114-136 and 113-161 Ebenezers Wharf Road.

Updated

We mentioned this earlier, but it is well worth reading Daniel Hurst’s story on the nominee for US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, who praised Australia for its approach to Chinese economic coercion.

Updated

Caption this photo:

In better news, a final flood watch has been issued for central and south coast rivers as heavy rainfall eases.

No further flooding is expected.

Here’s the latest from the BoM:

Heavy rainfall has eased overnight Thursday. Further showers are forecast for Friday and Saturday however are not expected to produce renewed river level rises or flooding. Flooding is no longer expected in the Central Coast and Moruya rivers.

A major flood warning is current for the Hawkesbury and Nepean Valley.

The Bureau is continuing to monitor the situation and will issue further catchment specific warnings if and when required.

Updated

A further seven evacuation warnings have been issued covering Sackville Gauge and surrounding areas in New South Wales.

Updated

The Australian government has announced new sanctions on 65 individuals over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Those hit with sanctions come from Russia’s military, business and political sectors and include Galina Danilchenko, who the Australian government described as the “Russian-installed acting ‘mayor’ of Melitopol”, as well as the chief executive of Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, Herman Gref, and someone who featured in our coverage of the Pandora Papers offshore leaks.

Others on the list include: the chairman of VTB Bank, Andrey Kostin; the chair of VTB’s supervisory board and Russia’s minister of economic development, Dmitry Grigorenko; the finance minister, Anton Siluanov; the governor of Russia’s central bank, Elvira Nabiullina; the head of main directorate of the Russian armed forces’ general staff, Igor Kostyukov; the owner of oil trading firm Nafta Moscow, Suleyman Kerimov; the deputy chief of Russian search engine and internet portal Yandex, Tigran Khudaverdyan; the chief executive of oil company Lukoil, Vagit Alekperov; oil billionaire and chair of Millhouse Capital, Eugene Shvidler and family members of Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary.

Updated

South Australia records six deaths and 5,666 Covid cases

South Australia has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 5,666 new cases detected and, sadly, six further deaths.

There are 202 people being treated in hospital and 11 requiring intensive care.

Updated

Many thanks to the lovely Matilda Boseley for guiding us through this morning’s news. I’ll be with you for the rest of the day.

With that, I shall hand you over to the fantastic Caitlin Cassidy to take you into the weekend.

Updated

More asylum seekers released from Brisbane detention

Three more asylum seekers have been released from a Brisbane detention centre, refugees have told Guardian Australia.

It comes after 20 asylum seekers were released from detention centres in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne yesterday.

Those releases included all eight asylum seekers who were detained in Carlton’s Park hotel.

The Australian Border Force has not confirmed the number of releases saying they “do not comment on individual cases”.

Advocates have estimated there are still a handful of asylum seekers brought to Australia from offshore processing centres who remain detained in Australian immigration centres.

However, it is difficult to confirm exact numbers. We will update you as we hear more.

Updated

WA records 6,892 new Covid cases and two deaths

The WA numbers are in there have been 6,892 new Covid infections in the latest reporting period.

The state also recorded two Covid deaths, but these are deaths from previous days and weeks that have just been added to the official death toll today.

Updated

ACT records one Covid death and 1,200 new infections

ABC is reporting that former Country Liberal party NT senator Sam McMahon will join the Liberal Democrats to challenge the CLP in the federal election.

Updated

Scott Morrison has been pumping out this line a lot in the past week, that he is not going to let Labor “skate into an election” by calling it earlier than he needs to because they deserve to be scrutinised. Here is what he had to say today:

You know me, you know my team. You know our policies. You know our results and you know our plans for the future. You don’t know anything about the Labor party. They haven’t told you anything.

They cannot even confirm who their defence minister will be and who their home affairs minister would be if they were selected by the Australian people at the next election.

So this election will be an opportunity, they are currently a complete blank page. They have had three years to tell you what the economic plan would be after they were rejected at the last election and they still haven’t told you.

They are not going to skate into an election without the proper scrutiny that should come stop this election campaign is very important. It will give Australians the opportunity to have a good look. They know who we are. They know what we have achieved. They know what our plans are. They don’t know anything about Labor, because Labor haven’t told them.

Updated

National Covid-19 update

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 30 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 1,200
  • In hospital: 55 (with 3 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 8
  • Cases: 20,396
  • In hospital: 1,435 (with 44 people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 9
  • Cases: 10,092
  • In hospital: 479 (with 15 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 6
  • Cases: 5,666
  • In hospital: 202 (with 11 people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 4
  • Cases: 11,192
  • In hospital: 335 (with 12 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 2 (historical)
  • Cases: 6,892
  • In hospital: (243 with 6 people in ICU)

Updated

Chaos at Sydney airport

Sydney airport is still packed, with people now struggling to even get into the terminal building.

Updated

Queensland records nine Covid deaths and 10,092 new infections

The Coalition’s handling of the economy is central to Scott Morrison’s re-election pitch.

In the last week Morrison has bolstered the government’s credentials with an impressive-sounding claim.

“This global pandemic was 30 times worse economically than the global financial crisis of just over a decade ago,” he said in Kemps Creek on Wednesday. “But our employment outcomes have been 50% better.”

Guardian Australia’s Paul Karp factchecks this claim below:

Updated

Scott Morrison:

The third element of all of this, as I have talked about our partnerships, is what these increased weapons will be able to do for Australia. This decision will fill a capability gap and frankly, a gap that was left by the previous Labor governments, who cancelled this project.

This new facility will produce Australian self-propelled Howitzers and Ahmed ammunition resupply vehicles that will constitute the ADF’s protected mobile fires capability. Investing in our capability, investing in jobs and investing in the strength and security of our nation as we continue to energise and build our defence forces at a very uncertain time.

But you know, I am also pleased to be here because this is the fulfilment of a promise. We said we would get this done when others walked away. We are getting it done.

Updated

Well that could explain it!

Morrison is today breaking ground on the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence which was part of the Howitzer project, which is all about cultivating a closer security relationship between Australia and South Korea. ( No prizes for guessing what/who their shared anxiety about Indo-Pacific security comes from.)

Our partnership with Korea is central to those alignments and partnerships that we have in our region in the Indo-Pacific. And I’m looking forward to that only strengthening from here, and I think today’s announcement, as we turn the sod on this important site puts proof to that relationship that we have developed. This has not happened overnight.

There are decisions that have had to be made, both in Korea and here in Australia. In an uncertain time, you do business with countries that you trust, and you do business with businesses that you know that you can trust. That are aligned to how we the world, that are aligned to ensuring a secure and free and open Indo-Pacific.

And so, the development of our defence capability here in Australia, we deal with partners.

Updated

The prime minister is standing in front of some very serious looking military equipment, so it’s no surprise that the Coalition’s support of the Australian Defence Force is the main topic on the agenda today.

Scott Morrison:

Today brings together a series of the government’s economic strategies. Of course, it’s about realising the strengthening of our defence forces in a very uncertain world.

What we have done over these years is to restore the capability of our capabilities to lift our investment in our defence forces from the lowest level we had seen since prior to the second world war when we came to government to now just over 2% of the size of our our economy and growing.

Updated

Prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking now from Avalon in Victoria. Let’s have a listen in.

Updated

Evacuation order issued for Pitt Town Bottoms in north-west Sydney

An evacuation order has been issued for Pitt Town Bottoms in north-west Sydney, with the residents of all properties in the suburb living along Pitt Town Bottoms Road ordered to leave by noon today.

Updated

Man's body found in flood waters in Cobbitty in south-west Sydney

NSW police have confirmed that they are currently attempting to recover the body of a man discovered in a car submerged in flood waters.

The body was located just before 8am in the down of Cobbitty, near Camden in south-west Sydney.

Updated

The Greens want to lower the pension age from 67 to 65, in the party’s latest pre-election campaign pledge.

“Lowering the eligibility age will expand access to the pension for hundreds of thousands of older Australians currently living in poverty, and provide a well deserved earlier retirement with guaranteed income support,” said Greens senator Janet Rice.

Rice will unveil the pledge in Brisbane, where the Greens are campaigning hard in a few city seats (Griffith, Brisbane and Ryan) and hoping of picking up an extra Senate seat for Queensland. Rice will be joined by the party’s lead Queensland Senate candidate, Penny Allman-Payne.

The Greens say there would be nearly 500,000 Australians who would benefit today from the lowering of the pension age. Combined with the party’s push to raise the pension payment (and other welfare allowances) to $88 a day, the Greens say their idea would cost $5.6bn over the forward estimates.

These would be among the policies the Greens would push for if the party achieves a balance of power position following the election.

“Thousands of older working people are living paycheque to paycheque and can’t afford to retire,” Rice said.

Many are working for starvation wages, in back-breaking jobs – in manufacturing, in hospitality, in supermarkets, as labourers and salespeople – people who have worked hard all their lives and are being forced to wait an extra two years to retire. The Greens won’t make them wait any longer.

Updated

Heads up, we should be hearing from the prime minister speaking from Victoria fairly soon.

Labor commits to investigating budget's $21bn infrastructure spending

A Labor government would do its own assessment of $21bn in regional infrastructure spending in last week’s federal budget with the party to back some Coalition measures but likely to scrap others.

The opposition is remaining tight-lipped on exactly what it would do regarding the government’s headline commitments on dams and regional energy hubs, only promising to “have a good look” at the Coalition’s budget plans.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s budget detailed at least $21bn for regional infrastructure projects in what the Coalition trumpeted as an “unprecedented regional investment package”.

But while Labor quickly backed the budget’s cost of living measures around tax breaks and petrol excise cuts, the opposition has not yet indicated exactly where it sits on the Coalition’s infrastructure spend.

Guardian Australia submitted a detailed set of questions to Labor’s campaign headquarters regarding what decisions the party had made about the government’s infrastructure proposals and specifically whether the regional accelerator program, the energy security plan, and the national water grid fund would be supported, rejected or altered.

In a statement, a spokesperson said Labor “welcomes investment in infrastructure”.

However, the Morrison government has a terrible track record when it comes to the delivery. We’ll have a good look at their commitments and work closely with the state and territory governments to deliver what communities need.

In response to Barnaby Joyce’s regional Australia budget statement on Thursday, Labor’s Catherine King criticised the government for “a very limited view of regional Australia” and hinted Labor would push to broaden the targets of its spending in this area.

“A plan for four regions is not a plan for regional Australia,” King said of the energy plan.

If you want to know the real purpose of these announcements, take a look at the timing. The regions that have been found to be deserving of assistance happen to include, coincidentally, the seats of Flynn, Leichhardt, Hunter and Lingiari.

Updated

Rockliff:

I am very pleased today to have Michael Ferguson with me to serve as our deputy premier and treasurer. And I thank Michael for his support and encouragement.

I value Michael’s experience. Michael’s economic and infrastructure credentials and his very strong work ethic.

Like myself, he has sense of duty to serve the people of Tasmania and I congratulate him. Together working alongside and with our colleagues, we will continue to soundly manage through the Covid-19 pandemic and prioritise the plans we have put in place to grow opportunities and increasing opportunities for Tasmania stop while ensuring Tasmanians have the support and care they need where and when they needed.

Updated

Speaking of Tasmania, the newly appointed premier, Jeremy Rockliff, is speaking now and has begun by wishing the outgoing Peter Gutwein well.

[I wish] to continue the incredible work of my predecessors, premier Peter Gutwein and premier Will Hodgman before him.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Tasmania is a better place for Will and Peter’s commitment and leadership over the course of the last eight years. Peter steered Tasmania through one of the most challenging years in history and has put in train a bold plan for our future.

And I believe I speak for all of Tasmanians to thank Peter for all that he has done. There is absolutely no doubt in my view and of all Tasmanians, he was a very omitted leader, an inspiring leader and I wish him all the very best and his wife and family.

Updated

Wait a second! I got Avalon and Albury mixed up. If anything Avalon is further away from Canberra ... although there is an airport there.

Updated

I mean, I guess Avalon is getting closer to Canberra, but it is seeming less and less likely that Morrison will be making the trip to Government House today.

Although a huge amount of flood risks and hazards still remain, a spokesperson from the Bureau of Metrology has confirmed the state is at least in for a reasonably clear weekend.

What we can expect over the coming days is showers to continue today but really starting to see some pockets of clear sky this afternoon and those pockets of clear sky increasing over the next couple of days and Sunday.

Sunday in particular for the Sydney and the Illawarra and the south coast is looking like a pretty nice day.

Updated

The NSW emergency services minister, Stephanie Cooke, has warned people that despite rain easing, communities across the state aren’t out of the woods yet.

While the rain today may be easing, the risks are not.

I’d just caution people, if you are driving on our roads today, particularly across the metropolitan areas and down through the Illawarra, to please take care when you’re on our roads.

There is all manner of risks in being out and about at the moment. Whether it is the risk of flash flooding or whether it’s the risk of debris being left behind by some of the flash flooding that we have seen over the past 24 hours, I really just need to caution motorists and ask them to be safe on our roads at this time.

Updated

I’m sorry, what now?

More than 2,000 NSW residents ordered to evacuate

Let’s duck over to NSW now, where the premier and SES leaders are giving an update on the state’s flood situation.

Premier Dominic Perrottet:

What we have seen overnight and will continue to see over the course of the next few days and coming weeks is sustained and heavy rainfall and there are a number of evacuation orders and evacuation warnings in place across our state, particularly we see in the north-west of Sydney and the Hawkesbury-Nepean area and the south-west of Sydney in the Camden area as well.

There is a significant risk continuing as we have seen in place today with flash flooding and can I continue to ask people across our state to follow the instructions of the SES.

We currently have 23 evacuation orders in place across the state. That is affecting 2,388 people. We currently have 16 evacuation warnings in place which is affecting 1,742 people.

In the last 24 hours we have had 38 flood rescues across our state.

Updated

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has been asked about the ongoing situation in Ukraine, and his party’s proposal to expel a number of Russian diplomats.

What we are doing is putting forward constructive suggestions and what has occurred overseas, I’ll ask Penny to add to this answer.

But what has occurred overseas is countries like Italy and France have done that, and we need to send the strongest possible message that the atrocities that Russia is committing in this illegal war in Ukraine are unacceptable and that Australia will be a part of putting maximum pressure on Russia to stop this illegal war, in which war crimes are being committed, in which innocent civilians are being murdered, in which destruction is being wrought on a country that has done nothing wrong a sovereign country whose borders are deserving of respect like other sovereign countries.

What we’re seeing is a breakdown in the international rule of law. It’s unacceptable and Australia needs to use every avenue at its disposal to send that message. We have supported every one of the government’s measures that they have come up with, whether it be providing financial or other support to the Ukraine or whether it be the sanctions that have been implemented against the Putin regime.

Updated

Jeremy Rockliff announced as next Tasmanian premier

Tasmania’s government whip, Felix Ellis, has officially announced that the state’s deputy premier, Jeremy Rockliff, will become the next premier.

Updated

Whoops!

Albanese says that Clive Plamer’s ability to spend tens of millions of dollars on election advertising is a “distortion of our democracy”.

The fact that an individual can spend $70m on an election campaign is a distortion of our democracy. Under the current system, that is allowed.

Various state governments have introduced measures to make sure that that sort of abuse cannot occur, it of course is a matter for him. But I think people will look at the ads and look at what is being said with some scepticism, because there is an interest here.

People will recall at the last election campaign a similar amount was expended without collecting anyone, a single person, to the Parliament and Clive Palmer declared that a success. If that is a success I am not sure what failure looks like.

But his objective was to stop Labor getting elected at that time, that is what he said himself after the election. People can draw their own conclusions there.

Well, I’m not distracted. I’m focused on the shortcomings of a government that is asking for a second decade in office that don’t have a plan for today let alone a plan for tomorrow.

Updated

'Enough!': Albanese says PM should call the election

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has slammed Morrison for not calling the election yet, implying it is a ploy to continue to use taxpayer money to advertise the achievements of the current Coalition government.

There is a theme here you might notice even though we are not in the election campaign which is rather bizarre in itself, I have to say, I feel like putting in a phone call to the prime minister, if he doesn’t know whether governor general lives and offer him a lift to the lodge to call this election.

Because this absurdity of not having the election called so that he can continue to spend taxpayer funds on election ads in the name of the Government but they are really about promoting the Liberal and National parties, and so that he can continue to make these extraordinary appointments that the administrative appeals tribunal, to the productivity commission, to the arts council.

Surely there are now no, no more Liberal former state MPs, federal MPs, local counsellors or males to appoint to these bodies. Enough. Call the election, let the Australian people decide.

Updated

Albanese has promised not to refer to the new Labor SA premier as any type of marsupial, and oh my gosh try explaining that sentence to someone from 2019!

(Basically, Morrison called the old SA premier, Steven Marshall his “quokka”.)

I expect the South Australian premier to stand up or South Australia each and every day. That is what I expect and I expect all of the state premiers to stand up for their interests each and every day ...

But I will have a constructive relationship with Peter and we will get a lot done for this state because we will have a cooperative relationship and unlike his reassess, I won’t be referring to the Premier as a marsupial.

Updated

Albanese says a number of refugees held in detention in Melbourne, some for up to nine years, should have been released much earlier.

I do welcome the fact that there has been a release from the hotel in Melbourne of people who have been kept there, some for nine years.

I question what the cost of that has been, not just the economic cost which goes into the hundreds of millions of dollars, it goes to the human cost as well.

Because quite clearly, if they could be released today, why couldn’t that have occurred last week, last month, last year and some years ago?

Anthony Albanese:

The reason why you need a national government to be involved is that there is a national interest here. The nature of the Murray-Darling basin [is that it] begins in Queensland and it flows down to South Australia at the end of the system. If you don’t have cooperation South Australia misses out.

There is a national interest here. All of the states and territories came together to sign off. They haven’t walked away from the plan, they have just walked away from enacting the plan. That is something that really characterises Scott Morrison.

He consistently will say, it is not my responsibility, it is not my job. Well, it will be my job to see that national plans cooperatively with the state and territories when they are established are actually delivering what those plants say they will. The fact that we have two out of 450 have been delivered says it all.

Does anyone care for a snippet of what Anthony Albanese was talking about in South Australia this morning?

I was shadow minister for environments and water and guess what the major issue was? Murray-Darling.

This is the most important announcement that I will make here in South Australia during this campaign, because the Murray-Darling system is Australia’s most important system in terms of providing support and oxygen and water for South Australia.

What we will do is to create a national water commission to make sure that we drive this policy through. To make sure that we work with stakeholders, but we will deliver upholding the Murray-Darling plan. What we have seen from this government is that it has been adopted but they don’t deliver.

This is a great example of a government that is all promise and no delivery. A government that is all talk, no action. A government that simply is held back by the National party, by Barnaby Joyce and those forces upstream that don’t want the water to flow here to South Australia.

And it is so self-defeating, because if you don’t have those environmental flows, the system will die. That is why it is so important for South Australia that we deliver on the 450 gigalitres and that is precisely what federal Labor will do.

Updated

NSW records eight Covid deaths and 20,396 new infections

Morrison says election call "won’t be very long from now"

Election watch continues, with the prime minister to visit a weapons facility in Victoria today. On Melbourne’s 3AW radio just now, Scott Morrison would only say “it won’t be very long from now”.

There had been speculation in Canberra that he could visit the governor general today, but that seems less likely in the cold hard light of Friday.

Morrison trotted out lines you’ll be hearing a lot of through the campaign: attempts to frame the election as a “choice” between himself and Labor’s Anthony Albanese, “not a referendum” on Morrison’s own job performance; and raising fears that “we don’t know anything about Labor”.

Now’s not the time to be changing course.

Cost of living pressures have been a key campaign theme from Labor already, with the opposition raising concerns about inflation, stagnant wages and rocketing petrol prices.

The PM claimed the Coalition would better manage cost of living pressures than Labor - but wouldn’t be drawn on whether the government would extend the fuel excise cut beyond its scheduled end in September.

After a brutal onslaught on former Labor leader Bill Shorten’s “100 positive policies” at the 2019 poll, the Coalition is taking a totally different tack against Albanese’s team – alleging they are a “blank page” and complaining Labor hasn’t put out enough policy details yet, under the opposition’s so-called “small target strategy”.

People know who I am. No one knows who Anthony Albanese is.

It was a carbon copy of an answer Albanese himself gave barely 12 hours earlier, in Adelaide.

People know who I am. People know that Labor has put forward a constructive alternative and will continue to do so.

It’s going to be a long few weeks.

Updated

Victoria records four Covid deaths and 11,192 new cases

Caroline Kennedy, the nominee for US ambassador to Australia, has said the Aukus security deal will provide “a lot of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific even before the nuclear-powered submarines are ready.

With Australia set to enter a federal election campaign within days, Kennedy praised the country for standing firm with “a bipartisan foreign policy” in the face of “Chinese economic coercion”.

But she also said the prospect of a security agreement between China and Solomon Islands showed the US needed to be “more visible” in the Pacific. Kennedy said the US move to reopen its embassy in Solomon Islands “can’t come soon enough”.

You can read the full report below:

The latest burst of torrential rain has caused a landslip in Avoca Beach, leading police to close the main road through the beachside town on the NSW Central Coast.

SES workers also cordoned off a house at the top of the 100 metre forested cliff. The slide happened just metres away from shops and is the second landslip in the area in a fortnight.

Months earlier, the Central Coast council had placed concrete barriers around the base of the cliff, which looks out over the centre of the town, amid community concerns the ground was unstable.

The town has been battered by heavy surf as well as rain. At the weekend, several beachfront houses were flooded after a strong easterly swell and high tides opened the lagoon, sparking what some called a “mini-tsunami”.

A landslip at Avoca Beach, central coast NSW, on Friday 8 April after torrential rain
A landslip at Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast, after torrential rain. Photograph: Graham Russell/The Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison is chatting with 3AW now. Josh Butler will have an update post for you shortly on all that was said.

Updated

Russia bans 228 Australian government officials

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it had imposed entry bans on 228 Australian government members and lawmakers, including prime minister Scott Morrison, in response to sanctions from Canberra, Reuters reports.

It published a list of 228 Australian lawmakers and government members who were barred from entering the country.

Updated

Australian Border Force officials searched 822 travellers’ mobile phones in 2021, despite admitting it has no power to force arrivals to give them the passcode to their devices.

In January, Sydney software developer James told Guardian Australia that he and his partner were stopped on their return from Fiji by border force officials who asked them to write their phone passcodes on a piece of paper before taking the codes and their phones to another room to examine for half an hour. The phones were then returned and they were allowed to leave.

Border force confirmed the practice was allowed under the Customs Act, but declined to expand on how often it was used, or what officers did with the devices once unlocked.

You can read the full report below:

Bushmaster vehicles on route to Ukraine

Australia will send 20 Bushmaster armoured vehicles worth $50m to Ukraine following a direct request from president Volodymyr Zelenskiy during his address to parliament last week, AAP reports.

The Bushmasters, which include two ambulance variants, will leave Brisbane for Europe on C-17 Globemasters on Friday morning.

The Bushmasters were painted olive green to suit the environment in Ukraine and will be fitted with radios, a global positioning system and additional bolt-on armour to increase their protection.

The personnel carriers provide protection against mines, artillery shrapnel and small arms fire.

A Ukrainian flag is painted on either side alongside the words “United with Ukraine” stencilled in English and Ukrainian.

The defence minister, Peter Dutton, said Australia will continue to provide what military assistance it can to Ukraine as forces continue to repel the Russian invasion.

“It is one of the world leading vehicles and it provides protection to the crew that are onboard that,” he told the Nine Network on Friday.

It will be a big win for the Ukrainian forces in their attempts to stare down the barbaric efforts of the Russian forces.

Updated

Craig Kelly is being investigated for billing taxpayers to fly to anti-vaccine mandate, anti-lockdown rallies in Melbourne, internal records show.

Kelly, the leader of the United Australia party, charged taxpayers for his flights to and from Melbourne for two rallies in November and December last year, which were organised chiefly as protests against Victoria’s pandemic powers and the Victorian premier, Dan Andrews.

The rallies were also used to protest Covid vaccination generally, particularly for children, and vaccine passports.

Kelly was a prominent figure at both rallies. At the first protest, Kelly told the crowd that Australia was being “governed by medical bureaucrats that are part of a mad, insane cult” and said the UAP would “bring Daniel Andrews to his knees” after the next election.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

Big Day Out creator Ken West dies aged 64

Overnight we learnt that Ken West, the creator of the Big Day Out festival that toured Australia and New Zealand for 22 years, has died aged 64.

His family have released a short statement, stating the music industry legend passed “quietly and peacefully”.

We bring unfortunate news that Ken West, a father, husband, mentor and most of all a legend, has passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of the 7th April 2022.

Our family would appreciate respect and privacy during this difficult time. Ken was big and noisy in life, but passed quietly and peacefully.

Updated

Overnight, Australia has joined 92 other countries to suspend Russia from the UN human rights council.

You can read more here:

Updated

Good morning

Good morning all, and happy Friday! It’s Matilda here with you today and let’s start with the unfolding flood situation in areas of NSW.

Early this morning, evacuation orders were issued for people living in Cornwallis and the eastern part of Richmond lowlands.

Residents in parts of Cattai, Pitt Town and Agnes Banks were also told to get out for fear of being trapped without power and water.

Major flood warnings are in place for rivers in the the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley and the NSW Central and South Coast after torrential rain drenched the Sydney, Shoalhaven and Wollongong regions on Thursday.

The downpour and threat of flooding also forced 24 schools to close today, with another 13 schools teaching classes at different sites.

Now, sticking with NSW for a moment, where the first cases of “Deltacron” and another Omicron strain of Covid-19 have been detected.

Essentially this is something called a “recombinant” infection, where two separate strains of the virus combine to create a new strain.

The state’s weekly Covid-19 report showed the state has recorded two of these recombinant cases: one mix of the Delta and Omicron variants, or “Deltacron”, and one combination of Omicron’s two subvariants … so that’s not great.

But it’s worth noting that there isn’t any evidence so far that these new strains would be more resistant to vaccines or cause more severe illness.

Twenty Australia Bushmaster combat vehicles are leaving in a convoy today destined for Ukraine, to help the country in its counteroffensive against Russia.

Defence minister Peter Dutton, said supplying the equipment was an honour.

We’re going to gift 20 Bushmasters to the Ukraine and the idea will be to provide the support to keep people safe and to repel the Russians as quickly as possible from the Ukrainian territory.

Okay, with all that in mind, why don’t we jump right into the day.

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