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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy and Graham Readfearn (earlier)

More warnings in place for NSW as severe storms strike Queensland – as it happened

New South Wales Queensland Shane Warne Australia Bureau of Meteorology Peter Dutton Sydney Ukraine Scott Morrison Victoria
Flood-damaged rubbish in Lismore, NSW
Flood-damaged rubbish in Lismore, NSW. Photograph: Yaya Stempler/The Guardian

What happened today – Sunday 6 March

With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. Once again, stay dry and stay safe. Here were today’s major developments:

  • Shane Warne’s family have accepted Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’s offer for a state funeral, with details to be confirmed in the coming days. It comes as Warne’s body is transferred from the island of Koh Samui to the mainland. Police have said Warne had complained of chest pains before heading to Thailand.
  • Communities in south-east Queensland, northern NSW and parts of Western Sydney are bracing for more rain to come this evening and into Monday as the cleanup from the flooding continues. More than 70,000 people remain subject to evacuation orders in NSW. Damaging winds, giant hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is on the cards for a large part of south-east Queensland.
  • Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk launched the state’s disaster recovery appeal with a $2.1m donation from the government.
  • In Covid news, there have been 13 deaths reported across the country today including five in NSW, two in Queensland and South Australia and four in Victoria.
  • Prime minister Scott Morrison spoke with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy late last night and was thanked for the country’s support. Defence minister Peter Dutton says missiles and ammunition funded by Australia have arrived in Ukraine.
  • And South Australians woke to a 3.8 magnitude earthquake at Mount Barker near Adelaide this morning. There is no tsunami threat from the quake.

Updated

Much of NSW faces another wet evening, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a warning for heavy rain for most of the coast, including Sydney.

Monday and Tuesday’s forecast for rainfall is for more big falls for Sydney (less inland) as another east coast low looks likely to form offshore:

But it looks like Wollongong to the south will cop more of it:

For the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, the size of the floods will hinge on local rains and inflows from the mountains. Warragamba Dam is now spilling at the rate of 166 gigalitres a day, and inflows were more than 153GL/day as of Sunday afternoon.
According to the government, the upper range of the spill forecast is 240-400GL/day with the peak expected on Monday.

By contrast, the peak spill rate last week was 315GL, and about 450GL during the March 2021 floods.

Grace Tame has just posted this campaign advertisement released by a new alliance called Safety Respect Equity.

The group is composed of some big names including Brittany Higgins, Lucy Hughes Turnbull, Grace Tame, Madison de Rozario, Julia Banks, Michele O’Neil, Christine Holgate, Larissa Behrendt, Chanel Contos, Yasmin Poole, Wendy McCarthy and Georgie Dent.

From its website:

We write to seek your support to end the injustice and inequity for women in our country.

2021 wasn’t the first year that Australian women were harassed or unsafe or violated or ignored or disrespected. And it wasn’t the first year that women spoke up. But in 2021 more Australians started to listen to women of different ages, occupations and beliefs, who stood up and spoke out, exposing discrimination, harassment, sexism, disrespect and intimidation. And the more people listened, the more familiar the story became.

One in five women in Australia will be sexually assaulted or raped in her lifetime. Two in five women have been sexually harassed in the workplace in the last five years. If you’re a First Nations woman, a woman of colour, have a disability or are queer, those statistics are even worse.

These are not statistics we can accept. We can - and must - change them. Over the years there have been countless reviews, inquiries, promises, conferences and bodies established to assess and report on the inequity and injustice women face, but there has been no meaningful change.

Some more weather warnings are in.

Damaging, locally destructive winds, large, possibly giant hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely in south-east Queensland as the storm escalates.

And, in New South Wales, the Richmond River at Woodburn is currently at 4.10 metres and falling, with moderate flooding. It’s expected to remain above the moderate flood level overnight Sunday into Monday.

Updated

Shane Warne's family accepts state funeral offer

Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews has just confirmed Shane Warne’s family has accepted the offer of a state funeral in his memory.

Andrews says details will be finalised in the coming days.

Updated

Still in Queensland, where six state schools will remain unable to fully open on Monday in the wake of the serious flooding that has hit the state.

At its peak, more than 600 state schools were shut for flood-related reasons.

Education minister Grace Grace said the six schools would have alternative learning arrangements in place as the cleanup continued.

This was a very dramatic and very serious weather event. On Monday last week there were more than 600 state schools closed for a variety of reasons related to the floods, including water on site, power outages, access issues, road safety and fallen trees. To get that down to just the six expected tomorrow is absolutely remarkable.

Unfortunately, we have six schools that experienced much more significant damage that will take weeks to repair. Flood impacted schools’ individual management plans will vary, but options include remote learning, temporary buildings, and the use of other local schools.

Updated

And over in Queensland, here is the latest from the bureau.

Severe thunderstorms have again developed across the south-east.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns that, at 2.45pm, severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Boonah and the area northwest of Jimna.

These thunderstorms are moving towards the east. They are forecast to affect the area between Boonah and Beaudesert, Borumba Dam and Imbil by 3.15pm and Beaudesert, Mapleton and Yandina by 3.45pm.

Damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely.

Updated

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers has been in attendance at today’s rally in Brisbane.

Many thanks to Graham Readfearn for guiding us through today’s news. I’ll be with you for the rest of the evening – hopefully remaining dry.

Updated

That’s me for today. Passing the busy blog baton to my colleague Caitlin Cassidy who’ll take you through the rest of the day as the rain starts falling again.

Body of Shane Warne transferred from Koh Samui

The ABC is reporting the body of cricket great Shane Warne, who died on Friday aged 52 from a suspected heart attack, is now being transferred from the island of Koh Samui to the mainland.

The ABC says Warne’s friends, Australian ambassador Allan McKinnon and Dfat officials are on a car ferry accompanying an ambulance that’s carrying Warne’s body.

Updated

Telstra has reported there are still more than 50 mobile phone transmitters that are either partially or completely offline due to damage from floods and storms in south-east Queensland and New South Wales.

But the company says the numbers are coming down from a peak of 250 base stations affected at the peak of the floods. A Telstra statement says:

Many areas are however still inaccessible due to flood waters and road infrastructure damage or are without power and we need both to assess whether there has been any damage to our network. Unfortunately, we have found significant damage to some of our network, which will take time to fix.

For mobile base stations, there are 26 still affected in NSW and 27 in Queensland.

We are working with power companies and local authorities to access the affected areas so we can get to work to bring services back online. We are also working with nbn co to ensure our nbn customers’ services are restored as soon as possible.

Telstra also provided a list of communities that it said “may be isolated”: The Channon, Mullumbimby, Koonorigan, Ocean Shores, Pillar Valley, Jiggi, Stokers Siding, Uki, Modanville, Ulmarra, Tucabia, Wooli, Duranbah, Kingscliff, Whian Whian, Main Arm, Woodburn and Tyalgum. They’re all in NSW.

For disaster assistance, Telstra asks customers impacted and displaced due to the floods to visit Telstra Exchange.

Updated

It has started raining again in south-east Queensland, with thunder rumbling around Brisbane, according to me (I’m in a suburb in the north of Brisbane).

The BoM has also issued its report for heavy rain over the coming days in NSW and you can see clearly the area of low pressure off the east coast that’s bringing the rain.

Wherever you are on the east coast, keep an eye out for all the thunderstorm and flood warnings from the BoM website.

Updated

National Covid summary for Sunday 6 March

Here is that summary of the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, including 13 deaths.

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 562
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 36 (2)

NSW

  • Deaths: 5
  • Cases: 8,782
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 1,009 (43)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 231
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 54 (2)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 2,934
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 265 (22)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 1,688
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 103 (12)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 757
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 18 (5)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 4
  • Cases: 5,046
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 219 (13)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 2,270
  • In hospital: (in ICU) 0

Updated

South Australia: 1,688 new cases and two deaths

South Australia is the last authority to report their Covid case numbers.

I’ll have a summary of all these very soon, but the state has reported 1,688 new cases and two further deaths. There are 12 people in intensive care.

Updated

Northern Territory: 231 new cases, no deaths

The Northern Territory has reported 231 new cases of covid, with no deaths. Two people are in intensive care.

Updated

The heavy rain that was forecast earlier today is beginning to show up on the weather radar. People smashed by the floods could really do with a break, but it looks as though it’s not going to come for them today.

My colleague Daniel Hurst has this story about defence minister Peter Dutton’s comments on the ABC this morning.

There was a distinct walk-back from Dutton on previous statements over Australia’s willingness to defend Taiwan in any future conflict.

Updated

There are concurrent warnings in place in Queensland for extreme heatwaves and severe storms.

Cleanup continues in flood-addled communities with more wet and windy weather on the way for eastern Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned showers, severe storms and heavy rainfall are likely with renewed riverine and flash flooding today and tomorrow.

Updated

In Brisbane, a large crowd has gathered in King George Square in support of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Greens have today announced their plan to lobby for free and universal early childhood education and care.

They are pushing to invest $19bn over the forward estimates to ensure free and accessible childcare, and to extend universal access to early childhood education for all three and four year olds to 24 hours a week.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said all children should have a right to quality early learning and care:

Free and universal early learning has enormous social and economic benefits for our community, families and children. Too often, women have to give up work and career opportunities because childcare is too expensive or not available.

As a migrant parent with no family in Australia, I would not have had the opportunity to study or to embark on my engineering career if it wasn’t for affordable childcare at my university.

Updated

Tasmania records 757 new Covid cases, no deaths

Tasmania’s health authorities say the state recorded 757 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours, with no deaths. Five people are in intensive care.

Updated

The defence minister, Peter Dutton, has raised the possibility of a pre-election announcement on nuclear-powered submarines as part of the Aukus deal with the US and the UK.

The government announced in September that it was dumping the French conventional submarines plans in favour of the new Aukus partnership.

At the time, though, there wasn’t a lot of detail: the three countries launched what was meant to be an 18-month study to find “the optimal pathway to deliver at least eight nuclear-powered submarines for Australia”.

That original timeframe suggested the study might not be finished until early 2023. But Dutton told the ABC’s Insiders program today:

We will have an announcement within the next couple of months about which boat we are going with [and] what we can do in the interim.

(A reminder that the federal election is due to be held by 21 May.)

Dutton said Australia’s discussions with the US and the UK were “incredibly productive” and those countries both understood developments in the Indo-Pacific and were “willing partners”.

Scott Morrison has previously said the first submarine was expected to be in the water by about 2040, but Dutton argued Australia would “acquire the capability much sooner than that”.

The minister did not nominate a new date.

Defence minister Peter Dutton.
Defence minister Peter Dutton. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

WA records 2,270 new Covid cases, no deaths

Western Australia has recorded 2,270 new Covid cases today. There were no deaths and nobody is in intensive care, although 26 people are in hospital.

Updated

Victoria’s innovation minister Jaala Pulford says the state is looking for 1,500 people who are awaiting their Covid vaccine booster to donate blood to help research.

The project will be run by the state’s vaccines collection biobank at Melbourne’s Doherty Institute, which has been commissioned extensively by the federal government to provide modelling.

The research could offer an insight into the effectiveness of vaccines and the long-term effects of Covid-19, and help experts prepare for new strains. Pulford said:

This new biobank will be a key part of managing coronavirus going forward while allowing researchers to monitor the effects of vaccines and prepare for any new strains.

People due to receive a third vaccine dose are eligible to participate, with donors providing blood samples over two years including before and after receiving the booster jab.

Pulford said the elderly, people living with HIV, healthcare workers, those who’ve been infected with coronavirus and the immunocompromised are strongly encouraged to apply.

Victoria’s innovation minister Jaala Pulford speaks to the media on Saturday.
Victoria’s innovation minister Jaala Pulford speaks to the media on Saturday. Photograph: Luis Ascui/AAP

Updated

Queensland records 2,934 new Covid cases and two deaths

Queensland has recorded two more deaths from Covid-19. There have been 2,934 positive cases recorded in the last 24 hours and 22 people are in intensive care.

Updated

Sunday so far

There’s been a fair bit going on today. Time to recap, in no particular order.

  • More than 11,000 people in South Australia reported feeling an earthquake that originated in the Adelaide hills at 7.20am. No damage has been reported yet.
  • Police in Thailand have said cricket great Shane Warne, who died of a suspected heart attack on Friday, had complained of chest pains before leaving for his holiday in the country. Warne’s body is being transferred to the mainland and police say there are no suspicious circumstances.
  • Prime minister Scott Morrison spoke with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy late last night and was thanked for the country’s support.
  • Defence minister Peter Dutton says missiles and ammunition funded by Australia have arrived in Ukraine.
  • Communities in south-east Queensland, northern NSW and parts of Western Sydney are being warned there’s more rain to come this afternoon as the clean-up continues.
  • More than 70,000 people are covered by evacuation orders currently in NSW.
  • Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk launched the state’s disaster recovery appeal with a $2.1m donation from the government.
Cricketers hold a minute’s silence for the deaths of Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne on Sunday before a match between Tasmania and Victoria in Hobart.
Cricketers hold a minute’s silence for the deaths of Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne on Sunday before a match between Tasmania and Victoria in Hobart. Photograph: Steve Bell/Getty Images

Updated

Some of the scenes that continue to come out of Lismore in NSW show the massive scale of the clean-up and recovery needed in that town centre.

Some more details about the flood recovery efforts in Queensland from premier Palaszczuk’s media conference.

  • The State Emergency Service says it still has up to 600 outstanding calls, and is asking people to cancel any tasks that they have managed to resolve themselves.
  • There are 140 people still in evacuation centres.
  • The Australian Defence Force has 435 personnel helping the recovery in Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Gympie, Brisbane and Somerset and will be heading to Logan and Redlands on Monday.
  • A lot of flood debris has washed up on Moreton Island. The ADF is heading there tomorrow to help clear up the mess.

Updated

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is giving a media conference, and she’s started by announcing the launch of the state’s public flood recovery appeal.

The state government has added $2.1m to the appeal, which will funnel donations to five organisations helping in the recovery - Red Cross, Lifeline, Salvation Army, Vinnies and GIVIT.

There’s clearly a focus on practical help, but also on the mental health toll that this flooding event has brought with it.

ACT records 562 Covid cases, 36 in hospital

Health officials in Canberra have reported a further 562 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours. Two people are in intensive care.

Updated

More than 11,000 people in and around Adelaide reported to Geoscience Australia that they felt the earthquake this morning.

It’s officially known as “event ga2022engesz” which is a bit underwhelming.

No reports yet of any damage from the quake that originated about 10 kilometres below Mount Barker.

There was definitely something other-worldly about the scenes from the Sydney Mardis Gras last night, what with all the flooding, war and deaths of cricket legends.

But there it was in the Sydney Cricket Ground. All joyous. We have a picture gallery.

Updated

There are many thousands of people along the east coast trying to pick up their lives from the flooding, but several rivers are rising again.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued flood warnings in the last hour for the Richmond River in northern NSW, St George’s Basin in southern NSW and the Nepean, the Hawkesbury-Nepean rivers near Sydney and Colo River to the north-west.

Keep an eye on all the flood warnings in NSW at the BoM website.

At the same time, south-east Queensland’s “mud army” helping clean ups have been asked to stay home, as the region could be hit by more thunderstorms this afternoon.

Updated

The Guardian’s political editor Katharine Murphy tells the ABC’s Insiders the flooding in Queensland and New South Wales will again draw voters’ attention to the Morrison government’s climate policy.

Updated

If you want to get the latest on the war in Ukraine, you can follow the Guardian’s live coverage. In the last hour, a charity has said a catastrophic humanitarian disaster is unfolding in the city of Mariupol.

Victoria: 5,046 new cases and four deaths

In Victoria, another four deaths of people with Covid-19 have been reported. Some 27 people are in intensive care.

Updated

NSW: 8,782 new positive tests and five deaths

Five more people have died with Covid-19 in NSW, where there are 43 people in intensive care.

Updated

Defence minister Peter Dutton is speaking to David Speers on the ABC’s Insiders, discussing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Dutton has confirmed that missiles and ammunition from Australia has arrived in Ukraine. Dutton is also raising concerns about China’s position.

The alliance formed between Russian and China is of concern to every observer ...

For the first time, as we’ve said, since the second world war, we are looking at ways in which we can defend our homeland.

That was inconceivable talk even five years ago, but what we are seeing in the world at the moment is a reality. There is no sense in pretending that it is not happening, that the acquisition of nuclear weapons by China is not happening, it is happening, and they are a massing huge, huge forces.

The Guardian’s Katharine Murphy is also on the panel.

Updated

The desperate attempts to save Shane Warne’s life have been detailed by police officers and rescue teams on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

Warne was on a week-long holiday with three friends at the Samujana Villas resort, the start of a three-month lay-off after covering the 2021-22 Ashes series for Fox Sports. Warne’s manager James Erskine said:

They were going to go out for a drink at five o’clock. [They] knocked on his door at 5.15pm because Warnie was always on time and said: ‘C’mon you’re going to be late,’ and then realised something was wrong.

Updated

Shane Warne suffered chest pains before Thailand holiday, police say

Shane Warne had suffered chest pains before travelling to Thailand for a holiday, Thai police have said.

Warne died aged 52 of a suspected heart attack at accommodation on the island of Koh Samui on Friday and there’s been an outpouring of emotion around the world for the sporting icon.

AAP reports police saying Warne’s family had told them of Warne’s chest pain, and that he also had asthma and heart problems. He death is not being treated as suspicious, they have said.

Warne was staying in a private villa with three friends, one of whom performed CPR after finding him unresponsive when he did not show up for dinner.

His body is to be transferred to the Thai mainland for an autopsy on Sunday.

As the shock of the news continues to ripple around the globe, Guardian readers have started to share their thoughts and memories of Warne.

Updated

Scott Morrison spoke on the phone with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy last night.

Zelenskiy said he had thanked Morrison for Australia’s defence and humanitarian support.

Morrison said he had praised Ukraine’s “courage against Russia’s aggression” and he “condemned Russia’s actions on behalf of us all.”

Updated

More than 70,000 people in NSW covered by 55 evacuation orders

The NSW State Emergency Service has 55 evacuation orders out on Sunday morning, covering about 70,000 people.

There are about 1,700 under evacuation orders, SES spokesperson Phil Campbell said.

The Hunter region is one area of concern from today onwards, with Singleton, Maitland and Newcastle facing moderate to major flooding. Campbell said:

We just want to make sure that communities there are aware of that and begin taking preparations as well.

People in parts of Picton were ordered to evacuate earlier today as the Stonequarry Creek was rising quickly and could break its banks, Campbell said.

The Sydney region looks likely to be the main area in NSW exposed to renewed flood risk in coming days.

Each day until Tuesday will see a lot of rain, with the Bureau of Meteorology carrying a forecast for Sydney of “the chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe with heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding”.

Towns along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River are already getting another soaking, and the river is rising.

And with a lot of rain in Sydney’s catchment areas, the spill rate at Warragamba Dam (80% of the city’s reservoir capacity) is increasing.

Updated

A very good morning all. Graham Readfearn here to take you through your Sunday.

I hope you’re staying mostly safe, dry and covid-free. Already we know the Sydney and NSW Central Coast area is looking down the barrel of more heavy rain today.

We’ll also keep you up-to-date with developments in Thailand over the shocking death of former cricketer Shane Warne.

Before we get going, a very quick summary of yesterday.

  • Authorities in Thailand said they were investigating the circumstances around the death of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne and making arrangements to return his body to Australia.
  • A stand in the MCG will be renamed in Warne’s honour, and prime minister Scott Morrison offered a state funeral.
  • There were 26,063 new cases of Covid announced yesterday and 47 more deaths from the disease.
  • NSW premier Dominic Perrottet declared his shock at the scenes in northern NSW as he visited the area devastated by flooding.

OK. Let’s get on with the day.

Updated

Earthquake near Adelaide, but no tsunami threat

Way to start, Sunday. There’s been a magnitude 3.8 earthquake at Mount Barker, near Adelaide, about an hour ago.

People in the city reported feeling rumblings and Geoscience Australia says thousands felt the tremor.

The Bureau of Meteorology has said there is no tsunami threat from the quake.

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