What we learned, Friday 4 March
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Wherever you are, stay safe and dry. And happy Mardi Gras!
Here are today’s major developments:
- Alan Tudge will not return to the front bench before the election after the Thom Report found his relationship with former staffer Rachelle Miller did not breach ministerial standards.
- As clean up in the wake of the floods continues, the Australian Medical Association has released a statement calling for more to be done to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she had “never seen so many natural disasters” and acknowledged - “let’s face it, it is (the floods) climate change”. The death toll nationwide has risen to 16.
- Rod Marsh has died aged 74 after suffering a major heart attack. Tributes have been flowing in for the Australian cricket legend.
- The federal Liberal party has released a statement confirming it will temporarily dissolve the New South Wales branch and appoint its own committee to take over, comprising of Scott Morrison, former federal Liberal president Christine McDiven and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet. They will remain in charge until 8 March.
- The Australian government is making preparations to impose sanctions on members of Myanmar’s military junta, amid sustained pressure from human rights groups.
- In Covid news, Australia reported 37 deaths today, the bulk of which were in Victoria. Some 26 people lost their lives to the virus in the state.
- And if we weren’t dealing with enough, there are now 16 cases of Japanese encephalitis under investigation in Australia as health authorities urge Australians to maintain vigilance around mosquitoes and pigs.
Updated
Just how bad are telecommunications in the flood-hit northern NSW region?
So bad, it seems, that NSW Emergency Minister Steph Cooke was unable to dial into the daily resilience/emergency response conference at 5pm this evening.
Most calls have been at 8pm at the end of some long days, with some emotional outbursts. (Today’s call was more relaxed).
Some 60,000 people in the area have been badly affected with a couple of thousand in evacuation centres.
About 700 people from various agencies are on the ground, with formal “local recovery coordinators” to be appointed soon.
Among the requests are fodder drops to help feed starving livestock and horses.
