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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Penry Buckley and Nick Visser

Black Saturday-affected towns told to leave before predicted wind change causes ‘dangerous’ fire conditions – as it happened

Queensland Victoria

What we learned today, Friday 9 January

We’re leaving our live coverage there for the day. Here’s what we covered this afternoon, and what we know about the bushfires burning across eastern Australia.

Please stay safe and cool and follow emergency advice. We’ll continue to bring you coverage of the bushfires and heatwave over the weekend.

Updated

Online safety watchdog queries X over Grok AI safeguards

eSafety Australia has written to X to ask for information about the safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of its AI tool Grok amid concerns it is being used to generate content that may sexualise or exploit people – particularly children.

A statement from the eSafety commissioner today revealed eSafety had written to X to request the information, saying it “remained concerned” about the reports.

While the number of reports eSafety has received remains small, eSafety has seen a recent increase from almost none to several reports over the past couple of weeks relating to the use of Grok to generate sexualised or exploitative imagery. eSafety will use its powers, including removal notices, where appropriate and where material meets the relevant thresholds defined in the Online Safety Act.

As Tory Shepherd has reported, the online safety watchdog is already investigating sexualised deepfake images posted on X by its AI tool.

Updated

Residents in Black Saturday towns told to ‘leave immediately’

Returning to towns impacted by the 2009 Black Summer bushfires, who were being told to “prepare to leave” earlier, VicEmergency has now updated its warnings to ‘“leave immediately”.

The warning is in place for residents of Break O’Day, Buxton, Clonbinane, Devlin Bridge, Flowerdale, Glenburn, Kinglake, Kinglake Central, Kinglake West, Marysville, Murrindindi, Rubicon, Taggerty, Toolangi, Woodbourne.

An updated “leave immmediately” warning put out a few minutes ago extends further southwards into the areas surrounding Marysville, which was devastated by the Black Saturday fires.

The warning advises a wind change is expected around 8pm tonight, causing the fire to change direction to the northeast. “Conditions will become very dangerous and unpredictible,” it says.

Updated

Emergency warnings for towns on Victoria-NSW border

Residents in towns on the border between NSW and Victoria are being told to leave as a large bushfire burns in areas surrounding the north-east Victoria town of Corryong.

Evacuate immediately warnings are in place for areas to the south of the town, while a “take shelter” warning is in place for Beetoomba, Berringama and Lucyvale, and for Darbyshire, Koetong and Shelley, with residents told it is too late to leave.

As we reported yesterday, the NSW Rural Fire Service has sent crews to assist with firefighting efforts in Victoria, and to stop fires spreading across the border.

Rio Tinto in talks to merge with Anglo-Swiss company

Rio Tinto is in talks to acquire Anglo-Swiss mining and trading company Glencore in what would be a $300bn mega-merger to create the world’s biggest miner, Australian Associated Press reports.

Both companies confirmed the talks on Friday, following a report in the Financial Times. Glencore’s current market capitalisation at $97.8bn makes it among the world’s 10 biggest mining companies. Rio Tinto is the second biggest at $200bn, behind BHP.

Elsewhere, the ASX was on track for its third straight day of modest gains with a few hours of trading left, to finish the week up 0.1%.

Every sector was up except mining, which was being weighed down by Rio Tinto after the preliminary talks with Glencore were revealed.

- Australian Associated Press

Updated

Homewood said she’d left her cattle in burnt paddocks with drinking water so they should be safe, but she was “praying” the house on the property, which has been in her family for about 60 years, would be OK and not set alight by falling embers.

You’re very torn – to be there to protect your own property so you’re not putting other people in a vulnerable position. But … we were getting very strong, strong advice [to leave], so we made the choice to get out.

Homewood said the CFA and government did a “great, great job in education” but they should put more funding into managing the roadways, providing fire breaks and doing “more preparatory work” before the fire season.

[The fire] was just tearing along the road, which has all got gums and unmanaged grasses and weeds. They’re very important nature corridors but we’ve got to reduce the fire load for all farmers. We’ve just got to find ways of reducing the fire load.

And how can we provide more resources to fight fires? Because when you’ve got a fire of that size, just no one could come, because they’re saving assets elsewhere, which I completely understand.

As they drove away from the property they could see trees falling on the road behind them, Homewood said.

Updated

Video shows bushfires surrounding Victorian farm before residents forced to leave

Jane Homewood, who evacuated her farm in Ruffy last night, has sent us a video she took at the property in which you can see thick smoke surrounding the paddocks and several active spot fires.

Speaking to Guardian Australia earlier today, Homewood said she and her 32-year-old son made the difficult decision to leave the house and their 250-head of cattle after a CFA member came to the property and told them they had 20 minutes in which to go or they wouldn’t be able to.

Homewood said she was taken aback by how quickly the fire spread from nearby Mt Ticatory through her 500-acre property and how erratic the flames were:

I just couldn’t get over the speed in which the fire travels and it just kept coming from different directions.

It came across in the grass and then the trees lit up. To our north we’ve got a big eucalypt forest and that was just exploding.

My son was incredible, our neighbours were incredible ... We were really really fortunate, neighbours came to help us put out the spot fires.

Heatwave increases demand on the power grid, renewables perform well

Electricity demand has soared due to the ongoing heatwave. Australia’s electricity grid saw peak demand climb to 39.7GW on 7 January, according to renewables engineer David Osmond from Windlab, with extreme demand continuing on Thursday and Friday.

Wind and particularly solar performed “exceptionally well” throughout this period, he said.

Rooftop solar reduced peak demand on 7 January by almost 15% – or 6 GW – a similar output to Australia’s three largest coal power stations. This has dramatically reduced peak loading on the network.

Updated

Residents in towns affected by 2009 'Black Saturday' fires told to ‘prepare to leave’

Residents in Victorian towns that were impacted by the fatal ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires in 2009 have been told to prepare to leave.

A VicEmergency warning was issued not long ago to residents in many of the areas that were affected by the Kinglake fire in that year, including Kinglake and Marysville.

The front for the Longwood fire in central Victoria has now reached the town of Alexandra, which was under considerable threat for some time during the 2009 fires, but not directly impacted.

Updated

NSW may still conduct its own inquiries into Bondi attack

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, flagged earlier that the state may still conduct its own inquiries into elements of the Bondi attack which require “quick answers”. He said:

For purposes of clarity and [having] a single point of investigation, it’s important that we have a single royal commission.

I’m not ruling out having our own inquiry… I don’t want that to read that we don’t have any confidence in the commonwealth probe, of course we do, but it may be, particularly in relation to [Community Security Group] CSG advice to NSW police and the arming of CSG, that we might need immediate information.

The premier said this might take the form of an independent inquiry, rather than a parliamentary inquiry or royal commission.

Defending his change of mind about a federal royal commission on the Today show on Friday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said work on a national inquiry was under way, citing the need for NSW to withdraw its state royal commission before the federal commission could be announced.

“You didn’t want duelling royal commissions hearing from the same people, perhaps coming to different conclusions,” he said.

Minns declined to comment on the remarks, saying he had not seen the interview. Asked if he had made any personal representations to Albanese about holding a federal commission, Minns said: “It was the prime minister’s decision. I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of my conversations with the PM.”

Updated

Take shelter warnings issued in Victoria for areas too late to leave

Since out last update on emergency warnings, VicEmergency has issued several warnings to take shelter for areas it is now too late to leave. The most recent warnings relate to areas surrounding a grassfire at Quantong and Vectis, near Horsham, that is not yet under control.

Residents of Dooen, Haven, Lower Norton, Mckenzie Creek, Vectis East, who are also impacted by the fire, are being told to leave immediately.

“Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” the warning says.

You can see all of VicEmergency’s warnings in full on their website here.

Transport for NSW lauds quick response to luxury yacht fire

Transport for NSW has congratulated the work of police, fire, ports and maritime authorities in responding to and containing a fire that sank three luxury yachts and seriously damaged a fourth in a Sydney marina overnight.

Emergency services were called to the Spit marina, off Mosman in Middle Harbour in Sydney at 3.30am on Friday and found a yacht “well alight”, police said. Four people were evacuated from the vessel and one woman was hospitalised in a stable condition for smoke inhalation.

You can read more about the fire here:

Transport for NSW’s secretary, Josh Murray, said on Friday the damage – to the yachts, marina and the harbour environment – could have been significantly worse. He said:

I want to applaud the fast work overnight by NSW Police marine command, fire and rescue, the port authority and NSW maritime that not only contained a serious boat blaze, but limited pollution and debris entering Middle Harbour at The Spit.

All reports to me are that this could have been far worse had it not been contained to the four luxury boats – three of which sank.

A containment boom and exclusion zone was rushed into place around the Marina, while the owners and the operators are now planning a salvage operation as investigations take place. The EPA has also been fully briefed on the incident.

Updated

Net overseas migration is coming down: latest population statement

Australia’s population passed 27.5 million in 2025, according to the government’s Centre for Population statement, which also predicts net overseas migration will moderate to 260,000 in this financial year of 2025-26.

The net overseas migration (NOM) figure has been a political battleground since it peaked post-Covid, reaching 555,798 people in the 12 months to September 2023.

NOM for the year of 2024-25 reduced to 305,600, lower than the government’s forecast in the December budget update, but higher than its initial target of 260,000, which the Centre believes will be met this year.

The statement also found the median age of a person in Australia will reach 40 over the next decade, and increase to 43.7 by 2066.

Meanwhile, birthrates are predicted to fall to a record low this financial year at 1.42 children, below the replacement level of 2.1, while population growth is expected to slow to 1.3% in the same year.

Updated

That’s all from me, Penry Buckley will take things from here. Take care.

New evacuate immediately warnings in Victoria

Two new evacuate immediately warnings were just posted by VicEmergency.

One south of the Walwa fire, encompassing the areas of Darbyshire, Koetong and Shelley.

If you are there, “it is recommended you evacuate immediately and move to a safer location away from the fire west towards Wodonga using the Murray Valley Highway”.

Another warning for areas south-west of Ballarat concerns a grass fire near the areas of Yalla-Y-Poora Rd and Streatham. Anybody in the vicinity of Carranballac, Skipton, Streatham or Vite Vite North is urged to leave.

Updated

Adelaide Festival pulls part of its website amid outcry

The Adelaide Festival has pulled down part of its website as dozens of writers signal their intention not to participate in the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week.

The page promoting this year’s line up of authors, journalists, academics and commentators has been unpublished, following widespread condemnation of the festival board’s decision to remove academic Randa Abdel-Fattah from the event, citing sensitivities over the Bondi massacre as the reason.

“In respect of the wishes of the writers who have recently indicated their withdrawal from the Writers’ Week 2026 program we have temporarily unpublished the list of participants and events while we work through changes to the website,” the festival has posted on its website.

About 35,000 without power in Victoria

About 35,000 customers are without electricity across Victoria, with energy companies working to safely restore power.

Powercor network’s emergency manager, Steve Rigoni, said:

Our priority is community safety. We’ll be operating our network on highly sensitive settings to reduce the risk of starting fires. This means power may be affected if faults occur.

If an outage happens, crews may need to carry out safety checks and line patrols before restoring power, so restoration can take longer than usual.

Updated

Temperatures in parts of Victoria soar into the 40s, with strong wind gusts

The mercury is sky-high in Victoria at the moment.

At Melbourne airport, it was 43.4C just after 2pm with wind gusts up to 87km/h. It was just a bit cooler, 41.3C, at Olympic Park.

Avalon was 44.1C just before 2pm, while parts of the Wimmera district were nearing those temperatures with a high of 43.7C in Horsham.

In the Mallee region, the highest temperature recorded was 46.3C at Hopetoun airport.

It’s windy across the entire state, according to BoM data, with gusts in the 60, 70 or 80km/h range, or even higher.

Updated

Total fire ban declared for all of Victoria on Saturday

A total fire ban has been declared for all of Victoria again tomorrow, the second day in a row.

Updated

Victoria post offices to close in catastrophic bushfire zones

A number of post offices in Victoria’s catastrophic risk zones are expected to close this afternoon with delivery delays expected due to bushfires.

An Australia Post spokesperson said it took its responsibility to the community seriously:

When an extreme weather event occurs, our teams make every effort to safely deliver and collect for customers.

The safety of our team members and the community is our No 1 priority and we continually monitor alerts and warnings issued by local authorities, including severe weather, road closures or active emergencies like fires or floods. This may include pausing our operations and recommencing when it is safe to do so.

Updated

Grass fire breaks out in western Victoria with some residents told it’s too late to leave

VicEmergency just issued an urgent warning after a new grass fire broke out about 40kms west of the city of Horsham in western Victoria.

Residents in the area near the town of Natimuk have been told to shelter indoors now as it is too late to leave. The full alert includes areas in Arapiles, Grass Flat, Natimuk, Duchembegarra, Mitre and Tooan.

You are in danger, act now to protect yourself. It is too late to leave. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. Do not get in the car and drive. It is safer to stay where you are.

Updated

Minns backs extension of protest restrictions

Chris Minns has also backed the decision of the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, to extend restrictions on protests in Sydney for another 14 days citing ongoing community safety concerns following the alleged Bondi terror attack, calling it the “right decision” in light of community tensions.

It’s hot weather and it’s heated passions at the moment and the truth of the matter is we don’t need further division and aggravation on the streets of Sydney during this difficult period.

I think the decision of the police commissioner whilst it has been opposed by some is the right call, and I don’t want it to be seen as a lonely decision, made by the police commissioner.

He is doing it in the best interests of the people of this state, so we can get through this difficult period together and to the best extent possible, we can have a summer of healing and unity rather than division and hatred, which is what we’ve seen on the streets of Sydney for a long time.

Updated

Minns in full support of federal royal commission

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has said his government is “fully in support” of the commonwealth government’s decision to hold a royal commission into the terrorist attack in Bondi, saying it’s “vitally important that we get to the bottom of what happened on the 14th of December, that information is gleaned as a result of that inquiry and then crucially that governments take steps and decisions to keep the public safe”.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced yesterday that a federal royal commission would be held on antisemitism and social cohesion.

The NSW government announced it would not go ahead with its plan to hold a state-based royal commission into the Bondi attack in light of the federal royal commission, but Minns said on Friday that his government would “fully comply and cooperate with their inquiry, as will our agencies”.

We expect letters patent to be provided to the commonwealth government so as they can get access to our officials, to us, to any information they need, so as we can have a full and comprehensive investigation, an independent comprehensive investigation into this terrible crime, the worst terrorism event that Australia has ever had …

The most important obligation any government has is to keep its people safe and the sad reality for us in NSW is we didn’t do that last month. We need to do everything we possibly can to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Updated

Local CFA official estimates at least 20 properties lost in Ruffy

Felicity Sloman, the community safety officer for the Ruffy Country Fire Authority, is detailing the impacts of the Longwood bushfire on the town, which has been devastated by the flames.

She has just spoken to ABC News, saying the situation is “fairly horrendous and it remains like that today”.

Sloman says:

We know everybody is thinking about us and we’re really keen for people to just stay put until it’s safe to come up, and then we’re going to need a lot of help.

We don’t know how many properties we’ve lost because communications are down, but it’s minimum 20 I would say.

Sloman is sheltering in place, but says she would not recommend others do so.

She says at one point fires were right outside her home on the grass, although she was not home at the time.

We will need lots of help after this, but at the moment, please do not try and come up …

We will see what the rest of the day brings us, but we’re trying to stay well and alive and hope that everybody does so.

Updated

Victoria police revoke declaration of designated area in Melbourne CBD and its surrounds

Victoria police have revoked their declaration of Melbourne’s CBD and its surrounds as a designated area four months earlier than planned, meaning they will no longer be able to conduct warrantless searches from 11.59pm tonight.

Police on Friday updated their website to confirm the declaration, which was meant to run until 11.59pm Friday 29 May 2026, will instead end at 11.59pm on 9 January 2026.

They did not provide a reason. However, an urgent hearing of a challenge to the declaration, brought on by the Invasion Day rally organiser Tarneen Onus Browne and environmental activist Benny Zable, will begin in the federal court on Monday.

Victoria police have been approached for comment.

Legal and human rights groups had been critical of the six-month declaration, which gives police and protective services officers (PSOs) the power to stop and search anyone – without a warrant or reasonable grounds – in the CBD, Docklands, Southbank and the sporting and entertainment precinct and parts of East Melbourne and South Melbourne.

Searches may involve an electronic wand or a pat-down and people may be asked to remove outer clothing and to empty bags or pockets. Vehicles can also be searched.

Updated

Tropical low off north Queensland coast forecast to reach cyclone strength

A tropical low off the coast of north Queensland is now expected to reach cyclone strength before crossing the coast near Townsville, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Currently located in the Coral Sea, about 65km from the coast with wind gusts up to 95km/h, the low is forecast to reach tropical cyclone strength before crossing the coast between Cairns and Ayr from Saturday night.

Updated

Melbourne hits 40C with wind gusts nearing 50km/h

The temperature in Melbourne keeps rising, and is now above 40C. It’s forecast to hit the daily maximum of 43C around 2pm.

It’s getting windy, too. The BoM notes wind gusts of 46km/h are occurring, with those speeds forecast to reach upwards of 76km/h around 3pm.

Fire officials have warned those conditions and similar ones across the state will make controlling any fires currently burning or that break out near impossible until they ease.

Updated

Longwood bushfire warning areas added: ‘It is too late to leave the area safely’

People in the areas of Cathkin, Caveat, Ghin Ghin, Highlands, Kanumbra, Killingworth, Koriella, Molesworth, Whanregarwen, Yarck are now advised it is too late to leave and they should take shelter now.

This is again for the Longwood bushfire that is travelling towards Eildon.

The emergency alert, as at 12.11pm, says:

This fire is threatening homes and lives.

It is too late to leave the area safely so you must take shelter now.

You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive.

The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave.

Updated

Dozens withdraw from Adelaide festival after dumping of Palestinian Australia author

Dozens of authors, journalists, media personalities and a sponsor are boycotting the Adelaide festival after it dumped Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from its annual Writers’ Week lineup, citing concerns over “cultural sensitivity” in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

More speakers were expected to withdraw from the festival, with speculation that other high-profile figures were coordinating their exit announcements.

Miles Franklin winner Michelle de Kretser, authors and commentators Jane Caro and Peter FitzSimons, the co-founder of Cheek Media, Hannah Ferguson, the journalist and academic Peter Greste, First Nations academic and writer Prof Chelsea Watego and reporter Amy Remeikis were among those confirmed by Friday morning to be boycotting the annual writers festival.

Australian authors Bri Lee and Madeleine Gray said they would not participate unless the festival reversed its decision and reinstated Abdel-Fattah.

Read the full story here:

Updated

More warnings issued over Longwood blaze

A new emergency warning has been issued for the Longwood bushfire.

The alert, issued at 11.54am, is for Acheron, Devils River, Eildon, Taylor Bay, Thornton.

The bushfire at Longwood is not yet under control, and is travelling from Longwood in a south-easterly direction towards Eildon.

Those in the area are advised that leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous. The alert says:

Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.

Residents must leave by 1pm via the Taggerty Thornton Road and down the Maroondah Highway.

DO NOT TRAVEL INTO ALEXANDRA

Updated

A capital city temperature check

It’s currently:

  • 38C in Melbourne

  • 34.7C in Canberra

  • 29.3C in Adelaide

  • 28.1C in Sydney

  • 27.6C in Brisbane

  • 26.7C in Darwin

  • 18.3C in Perth

  • 17.2C in Hobart

Take shelter now warning issued for communities surrounding Longwood fire

VicEmergency has just released multiple warnings for residents to take shelter now amid the encroaching flames of the Longwood fire.

The areas covered by the warnings include Alexandra, Fawcett, Lake Eildon, Maintongoon, Devils River, Ancona, Merton, Strathbogie, Strahbogie South, Woodfield and Gooram.

The other areas in which residents are urged to take shelter are Caveat, Creightons Creek, Dropmore, Gobur, Highlands, Kanumbra, Kelvin View, Locksley, Longwood, Longwood East, Ruffy, Tarcombe, Terip Terip and Upton Hill.

You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave.

Updated

Images show devastation in Victorian town of Ruffy

More on the firefighter injured in Ruffy

Jason Heffernan, the CFA chief officer, confirmed that a CFA firefighter at the Ruffy fire station sustained “significant injuries” to their hand battling the flames.

The firefighter was treated at the scene and transported to Melbourne where they remain in hospital.

Just goes to show the dangers that our firefighters are experiencing on the fire ground. And as chief, I always get upset when one of my own gets hurt and we wish a speedy recovery for that individual.

Updated

Lightning strikes in Gippsland ignite further fires

Chris Hardman, the chief fire officer of Forest Fire Management Victoria, notes that there were a series of lightning strikes through the alpine region and central and east Gippsland areas yesterday.

There are currently 13 fires going through the footprint of that area today, one of which has the potential to impact the community. Hardman said:

Firefighters are doing their best to contain as many of those fires before the extreme conditions and the stronger winds occur later this afternoon.

Updated

Those near Longwood fire under emergency warnings need to shelter or leave immediately

Jason Heffernan, the chief officer of the CFA, told those near the Longwood fire under an emergency warning to either leave now or take shelter.

Heffernan said the current warning “reaffirms the communities we’re warning today that you are likely to come under a potential impact”. He said:

If you have not left yet, and you are in an area that is not currently subject to an emergency warning, shelter now. You can still leave the area and make your way to a safer location outside of the central impact zone map.

The VicEmergency website shows the extend of those advisories here.

Three unaccounted for in Longwood bushfire zone

Victoria police deputy commissioner Bob Hill said three people are unaccounted for after they were told by Country Fire Authority (CFA) officials near the Longwood area that they needed to take shelter as it was too late to leave the area.

Later that afternoon, the same CFA officials returned to the area and saw the house the trio were standing in front of had been completely destroyed by the flames.

Hill said he was not saying the three people had died, but said the episode reflected the need for people to have an evacuation plan and to inform their loved ones where they were.

The area remains a hotspot and firefighters are unable to access the area.

Updated

‘One of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years’: premier

The Victoria premier, Jacinta Allan, is speaking about the severe danger the threat of bushfires poses to the state, pointing to the fires creating their own weather patterns – including lightning, which has itself started new fires.

She said:

Today represents one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years. In recent days, and particularly overnight, we have seen how the existing fire activity has become more extreme, with the fires themselves creating additional weather, lighting starting new fires in a number of locations across the state and also with strong winds and with more strong winds predicted to come over the course of the today …

This combination of weather factors simply creates the conditions where fires in the landscape can very quickly become uncontrollable.

Allan is calling on anyone in a dangerous location that has been told to leave to do so now.

Do not wait, do not second-guess the advice.

Updated

Forty fires so far across Victoria, 30 of which that remain active

Tim Wiebusch, Victoria’s commissioner of emergency management, said 40 fires have already occurred across the state, including 30 that remain active amid the ongoing heatwave.

He said anyone in a bushfire prone area should leave for their own safety:

If you don’t leave now, it could result in your life being lost.

Wiebusch confirmed reports that multiple community and residential properties have been lost, particularly around the town of Ruffy. He said it was too dangerous to enter the area, but aerial surveys showed the damage.

He added conditions will remain challenging and difficult anywhere in the state today, noting that “here will be periods where our aviation fleet … will not be able to fly”.

Updated

We’re standing by for a press conference out of Victoria as the state battles a heatwave and multiple bushfires. We’ll bring you live updates as soon as the event starts.

PM urges Australians to ‘prepare for the worst’ amid bushfire risk

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, spoke with officials in Canberra this morning, later urging residents to “prepare for the worst” amid the heatwave.

He said:

These are difficult times and we are confronting some extreme weather conditions in different parts of Australia.

I’d say this is an opportunity for me to emphasise that people need to listen to the advice as it comes through. If you’re asked to leave your property, please do so. If you have advice obviously always never, ever risk driving through flood waters.

We hope for the best but we prepare for the worst.

Updated

Ley says Bondi royal commission should reach into ‘every corner’, including arts and academia

Opposition leader Sussan Ley is speaking again about the Bondi royal commission announced yesterday. She said the body should look into “every corner” where antisemitism is present, including the university sector and the arts.

She said:

Radical Islamic hatred has led to a situation in Australia … where unacceptable speech and actions in the community have had the consequences that we have seen.

And we want the royal commission to confront that, and we want it to reach into every corner where it is present. Whether it be the university sector, academia, the arts … there is a big task ahead of us.

Updated

At least 10 properties destroyed in Ruffy while a firefighter is in hospital with third-degree burns

Country Fire Authority captain George Noye, who lives in the regional town of Ruffy, near the Longwood fire, said at least 10 properties have been destroyed, AAP reports.

An old school that operated as a community hub has also been destroyed.

Noye said a member of his crew is in hospital with third-degree burns to his hands.

“We got smashed by the fire spots,” he told the AAP.

Updated

An update on fire bans across Australia

South Australia currently has total fire bans across the state’s entire south, including 11 districts stretching from its western to eastern borders.

The entire state of Victoria is under a total fire ban today.

In New South Wales, four districts along the border with Victoria – the Southern Riverina, Eastern Riverina, Southern Slopes and Monaro Alpine – are all under a total fire ban.

The ACT will be under a total fire ban on Saturday and Tasmania will implement a total fire ban across the state’s south and Furneaux Island this weekend.

Updated

Why does Melbourne’s train network melt down in the heat?

Every Melburnian is familiar with delays, timetable alterations and sometimes outright chaos on the city’s train network on hot days, but why does it occur?

Melbourne’s trains regularly travel at speeds of up to 110km/h, according to operator Metro Trains. In extreme heat, however, the steel rails can expand, which makes travelling at high speeds risky.

Electronic monitors are fitted to each of the lines, which network controllers use to constantly keep an eye on the temperature of the rails. The monitors measure actual track temperature, which can differ significantly from the ambient or air temperature, especially in direct sunlight.

When the track temperature reaches 55C or higher, the maximum speed limit of the trains is restricted to 80km/h for the affected section of track.

But on days when Melbourne’s weather forecast includes ambient temperatures of 42C or higher, the trains across the whole network are slowed to 70km/h, resulting in reduced or slower services.

Parts of Melbourne reached nearly 42C on Wednesday. That heat caused delays to the Craigieburn, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee, Williamstown, Mernda and Hurstbridge lines, and buses replaced trains on the Craigieburn line between Essendon and North Melbourne from around 5.10pm to 6pm.

With Melbourne expected to hit 43C today, commuters can expect those delays across the entire train network. Metro says all disruptions are communicated via station and on-board announcements, posts on X, transport alerts and on the Metro Notify app. Their website also has close to realtime services tracking.

A Metro Trains spokesperson said:

We know how important it is for passengers to get where they need to, which is why we use a range of strategies throughout the year to make sure trains run safely during Melbourne’s hotter months.

Tracks can expand in extreme temperatures and trains may need to travel at slower speeds to ensure everyone’s safety, which is our priority. We thank passengers for their patience.

Updated

Local fire brigades urge those near bushfires: ‘Don’t be a hero’

Seymour, to the west of the Longwood fire, has hit 31C before 9am. The town is quiet, the main strip almost empty as everyone stays out of the heat. Communities around the fire are bracing themselves today as worsening conditions mean the fire is expected to grow. No one knows where the wind will take it.

Hilldene Fire Brigade posted on Facebook last night that there were 93 trucks, 400 people, and aircraft fighting a “losing battle”.

Our people faced treacherous, punishing conditions … and that was before tomorrow. Because here’s the truth: S#*t’s real. Catastrophic days are deadly.

On days like this, fires cannot be controlled. And that’s exactly what Friday the 9th is shaping up to be: S#*t. Dangerous. Uncontrollable.

They urged residents in evacuation areas to leave immediately.

So don’t be stupid. Don’t try to be a hero. Listen to the warnings. Follow the directions. Stay vigilant.

Your decisions matter – to you, your family, your neighbours … and to every volunteer out there fighting for their communities.

Updated

Ruffy resident describes fire jumping from ridge to ridge: ‘You can’t stop it’

Continuing on from the last post …

Otzen said he had never seen anything like this fire, with crews watching it jump from ridge to ridge.

It’s really hot, it’s really dry. The moisture content in the air is down to less than 10%. The moisture content in the grass is really, really low, because we’ve had strong winds for a couple of weeks.

And you just get a bit of hot wind behind it, and you can’t stop it, and it jumps and jumps and jumps. We saw the fire jump, you know, probably close to a kilometre from behind one ridge to behind the next ridge. We saw the smoke come up, and we’re like, it’s gone. You know, at that point we were screwed.

This isn’t, you know, 50-foot walls of flames, like you get with a massive forest fire. This is a running grass fire. It is really surprising that you can jump that far, but it will, and it did. And you just can never get enough resources in one place.

Updated

‘The township of Ruffy … there’s nothing left’

Darryl Otzen was fighting the fires in Ruffy when he realised he had lost his own house. He said the Ruffy township and surrounding areas were decimated.

You’ve got farms up there that are completely impacted. Most people have lost all feed, all hay that’s just been bought. Everything’s gone. A lot of properties and houses are gone.

The township of Ruffy … there’s nothing left now. The CFA shed is still there, but that’s just a big tin shed. I think that the hall was still standing too, even though the property next to it burned down.

Lots of properties are very heavily impacted, and it’s still burning up here.

He was with his crew, trying to make their way back to Ruffy township, when they stopped at some of his neighbours to help them. That was when he realised his place was gone.

You couldn’t see the house from the smoke. All the trees down the road were fully alight, and it was like, well, we can’t even get in there. Just keep going.

And my neighbour did go up a little bit later and had a look and said that was, unfortunately, nothing there.

It’s a bit of shit when you’ve been out for two and a half days, and you come back on the truck and drive past what used to be your house. It’s not so great.

Updated

'Countless homes' lost in fires in Victorian town of Ruffy

George Noye, the captain of the Country Fire Authority in Ruffy, Victoria, spoke to ABC News this morning after the town was hit by the Longwood bushfire.

Noye said the fire had been “absolutely devastating”, saying the area had lost “countless homes”. He said:

The town’s been impacted severely. The main street looks like a bomb’s gone off.

We’ve lost a school. The CFA shed’s still standing.

At the moment, even to get around the roads is … dangerous and hazardous.

He added: “The school no longer operates but it was a community hub for us where a lot of stuff took place. It is absolutely devastating to see it go.”

Noye said the community was in shock, adding there wasn’t much firefighters could do in the coming days amid hot, dry and windy conditions.

We’ve been through fire before, but this is the first time we’ve been fully hit with the fire front. The community is incredibly resilient and we will get through this.

We did our best. Thankfully we’re all alive.

Updated

Ley welcomes royal commission, but says it needs to probe Albanese’s efforts on antisemitism

Opposition leader Sussan Ley also spoke to RN this morning, saying the Coalition welcomed the royal commission, noting it had been calling for one for weeks after the Bondi attack.

Ley said:

This was always above politics, always about the national interest in the face of a national crisis. And it is just so important that the work of this royal commission unravel and reveal actions and inactions from Anthony Albanese’s government, particularly over the last two years.

She went on to say the royal commission needed to “confront antisemitism”, questioning the government’s work to do so:

We would question whether he [Albanese] and his ministers really understand the challenge that this country is facing with antisemitism. And I mean, if the prime minister had been as determined to eradicate antisemitism in Australia over the past three years … our country may not have found itself in the position we do today.

Updated

Attorney general says PM took ‘time to get this right’ before calling Bondi royal commission

Michelle Rowland, the attorney general, said the prime minister had taken “time to get this right” as the government prepared to call a federal royal commission after the Bondi terror attack.

She told RN Breakfast:

The prime minister and the government have listened to people, particularly the Australian Jewish community, and that listening has not been about politics, it’s about getting The right outcome for our national unity and our national security.

This is an opportunity not only for voices to be heard in the form of a royal commission, but also to take recommendations forward and also to continue the important work that the government has been doing in the last four weeks or so to ensure that our response to this prioritises national security and social cohesion in the long term.

Rowland said the opposition had been engaging in politicking surrounding the calling of a royal commission, adding:

I also would caution those who would seek to try and direct how they think the royal commissioner should operate or how this should run. They should be very careful in how they make those comments because this is not only the highest form of inquisitorial process that’s in this country, but it’s also one that is widely respected.

Head of CFA says every Victorian needs to ‘take notice and take action’ today

The threat of new and rapidly spreading bushfires remains extremely high across the entire state, Heffernan said, urging residents to stay up-to-date with emergency apps and broadcasts throughout the day.

He said:

Today is going to be a hectic and volatile day for firefighters and fire authorities and communities

If a fire starts, it is going to take hold quickly. It will spread very quickly. If firefighters don’t get to that fire in the very early stages and it takes hold, that fire will be uncontrollable and most likely not able to be put out.

Properties lost in Victorian fires as state braces for ‘hectic and volatile’ day

Jason Heffernan, the chief officer of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority, said a number of properties have been lost in a bushfire around the Longwood area, warning residents across the state to be prepared for a “hectic and volatile” day amid a severe heatwave.

Heffernan spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying he was “not surprised to hear” that properties had been lost as conditions were “extreme yesterday, catastrophic today”:

Victorians should brace for more property loss or worse today. That is how severe these conditions are at the moment, not only at the Longwood fire but across the state.

My message at the moment to Victorians is yes, we are talking about Longwood and Walwa, but we have many other fires that have started this morning in and around communities … I am expecting more as the day goes on.

Updated

Superyacht sinks in Sydney marina after fire

A large superyacht has sunk after a fire in a Sydney marina and another is expected to sink in the coming hours, officials said this morning.

Emergency crews were called to the marina in the suburb of Mosman around 3.30 this morning. Four people have been treated for smoke inhalation and crews have been working to keep the fire from spreading to other vessels nearby.

Adam Dewberry, the superintendent of Fire and Rescue NSW, told ABC Radio Sydney this morning:

One of those yachts has sunk. We expect the other one will sink as well. We’ll also be looking and working with the port’s authorities to contain any contaminated fuels and oils out of the vessels.

Updated

Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to take over as we wrap up the week. Let’s get to it.

Queensland on alert for severe weather and possible cyclone

North-east Queensland is under a severe weather warning and flood watches and warnings as a tropical low threatens to turn into a tropical cyclone.

As of 4am on Friday the low was about 95km from the coast, with sustained winds of 55km/h and gusts up to 85km/h. The system was expected to take a sharp turn southwards today, heading for Townsville, with a “moderate” chance it will pick up enough strength to be classed a cyclone when it crosses the coast on the weekend.

The BoM said if the risk of a tropical cyclone increases further, then gales with wind gusts to 120 km/h may develop during Friday and Saturday initially about exposed coastal parts between Port Douglas and Proserpine, including Cairns and Townsville.

As our story on devastating stock losses in Queensland points out, even if it’s not technically a cyclone, further downpours could be very bad news for those inland.

Updated

Rooftop solar reportedly easing record demand for power during heatwave

An interesting aspect of the heatwave is highlighted by a report in the Financial Review this morning about how record demand for power on the grid is being eased by rooftop solar.

The article says that demand in the national electricity market reached its highest-ever level at about 4pm on Wednesday with the nation drawing 38.9 gigawatts.

That beat a previous record set in December 2024, the article says.

While in the past that might have placed strain on the grid, rooftop solar came to the rescue with about 12GW of power, making up almost 30% of the demand.

All renewables sources together – so wind power and hydro – met 67% of demand.

So although that’s good news, because there is still not enough battery storage, by the time the sun went down most of the nation’s demand was met by coal and gas.

Updated

‘We wanted to pack up what was precious’

At the Seymour disaster relief centre in Victoria, the Black Summer bushfires are still a nightmarish memory for people seeking shelter.

Cait Kelly went along to speak to some of the people taking shelter.

“We wanted to pack up what was precious,” one says. “We’ve got photos and documents, some of my needlework that is framed, but what do you take when you have a house full of stuff you want to keep? … We just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope.”

Updated

Hume Highway closed and regional trains cancelled amid Victorian bushfires

Victoria’s Hume Highway was closed last night and regional trains were cancelled as firefighters from at least two states fought bushfires in the worst heatwave to descend on Australia since 2019-20.

As Melbourne prepared for a forecast of 41C today the acting premier, Ben Carroll, described Victoria as “one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world”.

“There is also the real risk of heat-related illness throughout the state tomorrow.”

The state health department urged Victorians “to be prepared – stay hydrated, stay indoors as much as possible and make sure you check-in on loved ones”.

Read more here:

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will pick up the news thread.

Firefighters are preparing for catastrophic conditions across many parts of Victoria today after a week of scorching temperatures. The entire state is under a total fire ban and parks and camping grounds are closed. There are also extreme fire danger ratings for much of South Australia and the New South Wales Riverina. We have more coming up.

At the other end of the continent, the BoM estimates about a 50/50 chance of a tropical cyclone crossing the coast in Queensland this weekend. More on that too, soon.

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