What we learned today, Saturday 14 January
That’s where we’ll leave our coverage for today. Thanks very much for sticking with me.
Here’s a recap of the day’s events:
Firefighters in South Australia are preparing for a long night battling an out-of-control blaze near the town of Montacute in the Adelaide Hills. The fire is burning in inaccessible, steep terrain in a local reserve, Black Hill conservation park. Almost 60 firefighting vehicles have been deployed and the Country Fire Service is using water bombers to attack the fire. Residents have been warned they may be in danger.
The NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, says he doubts Dominic Perrottet’s admissions he wore a Nazi uniform to his 21st birthday will affect the upcoming state election. Minns says the premier made a mistake and has apologised to the Jewish community.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the government’s changes to a mechanism to lower greenhouse gas emissions from major emitters strike the right balance. The changes have been criticised for allowing emitters to rely heavily on buying offsets, rather than forcing genuine decarbonisation. Albanese said: “We’ve got the balance right. And I’d say to those people in the parliament that they should listen to what industry are saying, listen to what economists are saying as well.”
The body of Cardinal George Pell is lying in state in a dark brown coffin on the floor of the small Church of St Stephen of the Abyssinians in Vatican City. Early on Friday in the Vatican, Reuters reported about 20 people were seen kneeling in prayer in the church when it opened for 10 hours of lying in state. Parts of the church date back to the fifth century.
Updated
Body of missing bushwalker found on NSW Central Coast
The body of a missing bushwalker has been found on the New South Wales Central Coast, police believe.
NSW police say:
Just after 8pm (Friday 13 January 2023), officers from Brisbane Water Police District were notified that a 78-year-old woman became lost while bushwalking on a trail.
Police were told the woman – who is visiting from the USA – was in bushland in the vicinity of Middle Head, between Pearl and Patonga Beach.
A multi-agency search of the area immediately commenced, with assistance from the Dog Unit, PolAir, Marine Area Command, Surf Life Saving NSW, NSW Ambulance, the Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter and Marine Rescue.
The search was suspended about 3am and resumed this morning along the coast line, in the bushland and from the air.
During the search today (Saturday 14 January 2023), a body, believed to be that of the missing woman, was sighted by PolAir in Patonga before being retrieved by ground crews.
The body is yet to be formally identified.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Updated
