What we learned today, Thursday 5 January
That’s us done for today, my apologies I couldn’t find more cheery news! Here are today’s headlines:
Major flooding across WA’s Kimberley region has continued, and it’s being called the “worst flooding WA has ever seen”.
There’s a hint China may lift its ban on Australian imports.
A NSW woman who returned to Australia from Syria last year has been charged with allegedly entering Islamic State territory.
Elias Visontay looks at why Melbourne’s population is set to overtake Sydney’s within a decade.
Australia is set to spend $1bn on truck-mounted rockets and new naval missiles.
A “delicate dance” between tourism and the need to protect wildlife is under way in Antarctica.
Health minister Mark Butler has suggested that the pre-flight Covid testing on Chinese passengers could prompt China to share more data on its outbreak.
And please take Antoun Issa’s advice and spend quality time with quality people.
That’s all (for now), folks, see you back here tomorrow!
Updated
Cassius Turvey’s mother to advise Western Australia police on how to deal with victims of crime
AAP reports that the mother of an Indigenous teenager who died after allegedly being bashed with a metal pole as he walked home from school in Perth will work with police to reduce crime.
Mechelle Turvey will work with the West Australian police force after her son Cassius Turvey, 15, was allegedly attacked on 13 October. He suffered fatal head injuries. Commissioner Col Blanch said:
Working with victims of crime, including leaders like Mechelle Turvey, is a key area of work for WA police force.
Caring for victims and showing them respect is a fundamental consideration for police.
Turvey’s role is understood to include advising the force on how to better deal with victims of crime.
Her 15-year-old son died in hospital 10 days after he was allegedly violently beaten – triggering an outpouring of grief and anger across the nation.
Jack Steven James Brearley, 21, has been charged with murder but is yet to enter a plea. He is due to return to court in January.
Updated
More WA flood warnings
Here are some more flood warnings for specific WA communities:
People in the Sandy Desert, Tanami Desert and Western Desert catchments should prepare for possible minor flooding expected today until Saturday. This includes people in the Kiwirrkurra, Punmu and Kunawarritji communities.
The fire and emergency services department said:
There is no immediate danger but you need to keep up to date in case the situation changes.
Updated
WA bushfire downgraded to watch and act
Back to the WA bushfire (sorry, my weary digits struggled to keep up) in the shire of Donnybrook-Balingup. While the fire is out of control, it has been downgraded to a watch and act. Dawson said an evacuation centre had been set up at the Donnybrook Recreation Centre.
Updated
Dawson says WA will ask for further assistance from the commonwealth in the future:
But until we get on the ground, and until the search and rescue teams can do the analysis on the ground to see what damage has taken place, we won’t know what actually we need from the commonwealth.
He said there are supplies in Broome and Derby, and work is under way to restock. It’s for the shops themselves to organise, he said.
Updated
Many have ‘lost either livelihoods or livestock’ in Kimberley floods
Dawson has thanked the Albanese government for its support. He says the ADF planes will be able to move more people more quickly than the helicopters. He’s asked if he plans to visit the affected communities:
We have been planning for a number of days now to get up there; unfortunately planes have not been able to land in Broome or Fitzroy Crossing. We are on standby.
It’s been “deeply distressing” for many people, he said:
There are many people who have lost either livelihoods or livestock over the past few days and that is tragic. To see pictures of animals being hurt is … deeply distressing for many people.
Updated
A reporter asks Klemm about people who’ve been told to get to higher ground, and say there’s no higher ground to get to. He says there is higher ground available.
The ADF’s C130s will land soon on the Roebuck Plains to assess the situation, Klemm says. He’s asked again about the people who don’t want to evacuate, and said:
At the moment the priority is the safety of the people that are up there, making sure we’re keeping them safe … due to health reasons, some will be evacuated. Once the flood waters recede we’ll have a full understanding of what the requirements are going to be.
He said there are “significant complexities” around what will happen with traditional owners who do leave country, and they’re working with elders on that.
Updated
Flooding hampers ADF aircraft landing at Fitzroy Crossing
There were some issues for the ADF aircraft landing at Fitzroy Crossing because of water across the strip, but that’s receded now, Klemm said.
“We don’t have any soldiers on the ground … the support we’ve requested from ADF is just the aircraft,” he said.
He’s asked about some frustration on the ground about communication.
“The community meetings are absolutely critical for that … we’ll continue to have them,” he said.
Updated
Klemm says they haven’t had reports of the closure of the Great Northern Highway south of Broome, but that may be because people haven’t been able to get out there and look. He’s asked about people in remote Aboriginal communities who don’t want to evacuate, and says no one will be forced.
We’ve got some modelling maps in terms of in simple terms what 13, 14, 15 metres means in terms of the community. That’s a decision for those people to make. We just want to make sure they’re safe, they have food and water and any medication they need.
Updated
‘There’s a lot of water moving downstream’ of Fitzroy River
The Bureau of Meteorology’s WA Manager, James Ashley, says the water at Fitzroy River peaked yesterday at 15.8 metres and is now slowly receding. He said:
That peak is moving downstream and we’re expecting to see record levels at sites downstream … there’s a lot of water moving downstream. Winds and rain will increase against across the area, it’s likely to be shorter lived and the contribution of rainfall to the flooding is likely to be minimal. The system looks like moving out of WA and into the NT over the weekend.
There have also been updates on the bushfires in WA. I’ll come back to that.
Updated
Klemm said authorities were talking to traditional owners about daily needs in the communities and making sure they have enough food and medical supplies.
The weather conditions are making any form of transport extremely difficult … [we are] looking at every possible option. We understand how the stress is affecting people … but we ask for your understanding as we respond.
Updated
Community of Noonkanbah cut off by flood water
Fire and emergency services commissioner, Darren Klemm, is speaking now.
He says the community of Noonkanbah is now cut off, Dfes is voluntarily evacuating community members.
He said there were 23 vulnerable people and the priority was relocating them.
Updated
'Worst flooding WA has ever seen,' minister says
Dawson said people are experiencing “the worst flooding WA has ever seen”:
This situation is still changing, and it’s proving to be extremely challenging for residents in the region.
He said the government is in the process of starting disaster recovering funding arrangements.
Until the water recedes we cannot assess the scale of the damage, but discussions are already under way regarding financial assistance.
Updated
Press conference on Kimberley flooding
WA’s emergency services minister, Stephen Dawson, is giving an update on the Kimberley floods. He says flood waters have peaked at Fitzroy Crossing and that people are being choppered out.
He said there have been multiple rescue missions around Fitzroy Crossing and Australian defence force aircraft are now relocating people and resupplying towns.
As of today there have been 47 requests for assistance. Dawson said:
Extensive resupply operations are taking place today to ensure that isolated communities are receiving essential supplies. Power has just been restored in Fitzroy Crossing. At this stage, the drinking water supply in Fitzroy Crossing is still stable and safe to drink.
Updated
We’re expecting a press conference shortly on the floods in Western Australia, but in the meantime, here’s the latest:
NSW RSL urges clubs to support veterans
The NSW RSL has distanced itself from RSL Clubs after its controversial comments on gambling, urging venues not supporting the veteran community to consider dropping the RSL branding.
NSW RSL and Services Clubs Association (RSL Clubs) chief executive, Margot Smith, has called on members to help provide “a more balanced view of gambling” and to help resist the state government’s efforts to reform gaming.
Those comments were criticised by members of the veteran community and health experts, given the harm caused by problem gambling.
In a statement, NSW RSL president, Ray James, said RSL Clubs has been a separate entity in the state since the 1970s, despite sharing the RSL branding. He said:
The Returned and Services League did what it thought was right by allowing NSW clubs to register the letters ‘RSL’ in their trading name when they separated from the charity in the 1970s.
A lot has changed in terms of the role that clubs play in our community including how they support veterans and their families, and commemoration.
If any NSW-based RSL or Services club is not supporting their local RSL sub-branch and the good work our veteran volunteers do for other veterans in their community, or the statewide veteran services provided by our subsidiary charity RSL LifeCare, then perhaps it is time that they considered a name change.
Updated
Greens yet to take formal position on voice to parliament referendum
The Greens say their party room is still yet to take a formal position on the proposed voice to parliament referendum, with acting leader Larissa Waters insisting the party wants to see progress on the other parts of the Uluru Statement from the Heart before pledging to back the Labor government’s proposal.
Senator Lidia Thorpe, Greens spokesperson for First Nations, told the Nine newspapers on Thursday that the party was “not going to say that we support something when that undermines our negotiation power”. While the government is pushing ahead with the first request of the Uluru statement, for a voice, the Greens’ have asked for the other two components, Treaty and Truth, to also be advanced. Thorpe said:
So we don’t support anything. We don’t support a no campaign, we don’t support a yes campaign until we see Labor action those recommendations that save our people’s lives and provides a guarantee that our sovereignty won’t be ceded.
The Greens are still pursuing negotiations over the voice, with the party room backing Thorpe and leader Adam Bandt to have discussions with government. Thorpe said in August that “the Greens want to see progress on all elements of the statement” and that they wanted to see “meaningful progress” on Treaty and Truth.
Guardian Australia understands Thorpe’s reluctance to publicly back the voice has upset some Greens members, with concerns raised by some that the party should not line up alongside conservative politicians to oppose the constitutional change.
Most of the Greens 16-strong party room either declined to speak on record when contacted by Guardian Australia on Thursday, or were on leave and unavailable. Leader Adam Bandt is on leave this week, but acting leader Waters confirmed negotiations were still ongoing.
A spokesperson declined to answer questions on whether Waters personally supported the voice or whether the Greens could come to a final position of opposing the voice. Waters said in a statement:
The Greens want to see progress on all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and implementation of the Deaths in Custody and Stolen Generations report recommendations.
Our negotiations with the government are aimed at encouraging ambitious plans for Truth and Treaty, and once we have more clarity on these, our party room will be able to discuss and take a formal position.
Updated
Elias Visontay explains why Melbourne is still on track to reach a population of six million:
Surf lifesavers rescued almost 1,200 people across holiday period
Surf lifesavers rescued almost 1,200 people over the Christmas/New Year period, the highest number in five years across the 11 days.
Surf Life Saving NSW said lifesavers and lifeguards gave first aid to 1,428 people, and called 75 ambulances. There were 85 emergency incidents.
Six people have drowned on the coast so far this summer. The Surf Life Saving NSW president, George Shales, said:
Many of our lifesavers who were performing rescues over the break had also responded to the NSW flood emergency earlier in the year and many are still deployed in far-western NSW, which just shows the impact the movement has on so many communities.
The sheer volume of incidents, rescues and preventative actions has shone a light on lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers up and down the coastline and highlighted just how lucky we are to have dedicated, well-resourced individuals looking out for our safety on the beach.
It’s important, though, to remember that we also must look out for our own safety and make smart decisions when we head to the coastline. That begins with choosing to visit a patrolled beach and swimming between the red and yellow flags.
Updated
Surging Murray to hit towns in South Australia early
Floods in Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia. And AAP is reporting that the peak flows down the Murray in SA will reach downstream communities earlier than expected. The peak is likely to reach Mannum by Monday, and Murray Bridge the next day.
State Emergency Service chief officer, Chris Beattie, said:
While we’ve had successful outcomes in terms of the performance of the levees it’s important the community stay attuned to the risks.
With these high flows going through, the levees will be fully tested, they will be fully under load.
More than a dozen levees across the river system have failed or had major issues, but almost all have been those protecting agricultural land.
Levees protecting towns have mainly held firm, AAP reports.
The Murray flooding has impacted about 3,400 properties, including nearly 400 primary residences. It has closed 119 roads across river communities with nine ferries shut down.
Updated
Paul Karp has put health minister Mark Butler’s comments earlier into context:
Darling River at Menindee set to break 1976 flood record
The Darling River at Menindee is set to keep rising, and will break the 1976 record.
The NSW State Emergency Service says 12 houses have been inundated by flood waters, and that the Bureau of Meteorology warns the river could rise up to 10.7 metres by this weekend.
The SES assistant commissioner, Dean Storey, said:
We have our teams on the ground in Menindee assisting with community flood response, including sandbagging, resupply and gathering intelligence. Many communities across the state have seen renewed flooding and we encourage them to heed advice and warnings from the NSW SES.
There’s been no significant damage from severe thunderstorms, but the SES has received 110 requests for assistance.
“Storm activity including, heavy rainfall, large hail and damaging winds are forecast for north-east NSW and the morthern rivers later today,” Storey said.
There’s also prolonged major flooding in the state’s far west and south-west, along the lower Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Murray and Darling rivers.
Updated
La Niña anticipated to ease over summer, BoM says
It will come as no surprise to many Australians that there is “a trend towards a greater proportion of rainfall from high intensity short duration rainfall events”. The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest climate driver update is out:
Whilst La Niña is slowly weakening, the latest Climate Driver Update shows influences including La Niña in the Pacific Ocean and a positive Southern Annular Mode are contributing to the current long-range forecast. Learn more: https://t.co/FMwRFTEnCH pic.twitter.com/FNxa8O34jF
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 5, 2023
Updated
Bomb squad called to UQ
Fingers crossed this report about a bomb squad being called to the University of Queensland amounts to nothing – the Courier Mail is reporting it was an unattended package and that the squad was called out of “an abundance of caution”. I’ll let you know as soon as we know more:
A bomb squad has been called to University of Queensland. More to come. pic.twitter.com/uqKuG9xx02
— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) January 5, 2023
Updated
Wildlife left stranded during severe flooding in Kimberley region
It’s hard to properly grasp the scale of these floods in Western Australia, and their impact on humans and animals:
Updated
Ben Doherty has pulled together the details on that story about the charges against a woman who was repatriated to Australia from a Syrian refugee camp last year:
Thanks as always to Mostafa Rachwani, whose brilliance far outshines my rather lacklustre gleaming. Guess I’d better see what news is happening around the traps!
Updated
And with that, I will leave the blog with the always brilliant Tory Shepherd. Thanks for reading.
Emergency WA has downgraded its bushfire warning for south-west Western Australia to watch and act.
They say that is due to reduced fire activity and stable weather conditions.
The warning advises people in the area to keep up to date in case the situation changes.
A community meeting will be held at 4pm today at the Donnybrook Recreation Centre.
Updated
State and territory leaders not ‘going cap in hand’ on health, says NSW premier
State and territory leaders will likely be united in pressuring the federal government to overhaul healthcare services through national cabinet, the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, says.
AAP is reporting that Perrottet and Victorian counterpart, Daniel Andrews, came out in agreement this week on calling for better integration between primary care and public health systems across the country.
They say insufficient access to bulk-billing GPs is causing undue pressure on state-run services such as emergency departments.
“I don’t think you’ll find any premier that does not agree with the position that Dan and I have,” Perrottet told reporters on Thursday.
You’ve got Labor and Liberal premiers working together. It’s not about politics - it’s about getting the best health outcomes for our people.
Perrottet chairs the Council for the Australian Federation - made up of all state and territory leaders - and said health was the number one issue raised.
On the heels of a devastating global pandemic, Perrottet said the time was now for the prime minister, premiers and health ministers to work together and fix the national health system.
It’s not about going cap in hand to the federal government. I’ve made very clear, we’re not asking for more money.
We are asking for a better federal system.
If Australia wants to have the best health system change needs to occur.
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Butler reiterates call for China to share genomic sequence of Covid variants
The health minister, Mark Butler, has suggested that pre-flight Covid tests for travellers from China could be lifted if China shares more information about its Covid outbreak.
Butler told reporters in Melbourne:
We want these measures to be temporary. They are modest measures. I think as you’re seeing with flights landing today, they are not proving to be a barrier to all of those people here in Australia who want to travel back to China. And for people from China wanting to travel to Australia, it is a modest requirement to have a PCR, or a supervised rapid antigen test, and I do make the point that to travel to China, you need to show a pre-departure PCR test as well ...
What it will do is provide us with a high level of confidence about the transmission of Covid from that country to this. And of course we are hoping, particularly from the regular discussions that are happening between the World Health Organization and China, that we will start to see more sharing of information of the type we see, around the rest of the world, particularly sharing of genomic sequencing of Covid cases that are increasing very fast in China.
I’ve also asked my department to reach out to their equivalents in China, to stress our view, that it would be valuable for information to be shared more, comprehensively by China ... real time uploading of their genomic sequencing of Covid cases - this is what governments, including Australia are calling for, this is why we’ve put in place these modest, sensible measures.
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Butler asked about NSW and Victorian premiers’ comments on Medicare
Finally, before the ABC cut away mid-questions, Butler was asked about the Victorian and NSW premiers “forming something of an alliance” (the journalist’s words, not mine), calling for an overhaul of Medicare to improve access to GPs.
Here is what Butler had to say:
Well, I welcome the intervention from premiers of the two largest states. It’s not the first time they’ve made this intervention and reflects the position that federal Labor has been making right back until quite a time before the May 2022 election.
Too many people are having to end up in a hospital emergency department because they can’t get the care they need in the community when and where they need it. So that’s why the centrepiece of our health policy at the last election was strengthening Medicare and I’ve been working over the last several months, with a range of doctors, nurses, allied health and obviously patient groups in the strengthening Medicare Task Force to help guide the government’s investment of a strengthening Medicare fund that we promised at the last election. That work’s largely complete.
The report is in the process of being finalised and will be published over coming weeks in order to allow us to make decisions in the May budget about the investment of that fund.
Now, look, I value the contributions from premiers and from state health ministers. This is something that I talk with my state health minister colleagues about very, very regularly.
Obviously they’re interested in a primary care system working well for the value for the health of their own citizens. But I say again, state governments are very worried about the impact that the parlous state of general practice is having on their own hospital systems. There is no higher priority in the health portfolio for Labour than strengthening Medicare.
Updated
Butler continues…
The health minister is saying he is pleased to see China communicating with the World Health Organisation, particularly sharing genomic sequencing of Covid cases there.
We are hoping particularly from the regular discussions that are happening between the World Health Organization and China that we will start to see more sharing of information of the type you see around the rest of the world, particularly sharing of genomic sequencing of Covid cases, that are increasing very fast in China.
I’ve also asked my department to reach out to their equivalents in China to to stress our view that it would be valuable for information to be shared more comprehensively by China not just with Australia, but with the rest of the world in the way in which other countries are doing real time offloading of their genomic sequencing of Covid cases.
This is what governments including Australia, are calling for. This is why we’ve put in place these modest measures sensible measures out of out of an abundance of caution, and this is why you’ve seen very strong language from the world.
Updated
Butler is defending the Covid testing, repeating that it is a “modest” requirement for travellers to show a negative test (and noted that travellers need to have a PCR test before entering China as well).
Butler also danced around questions as to why the government decided to ignore advice from the chief medical officer:
I’ve accepted every positive recommendation contained in the advice. We value transparency. That’s why I took the decision to publish the advice in full on the day that I made these announcements of the four recommendations made by Professor Kelly. I’m implementing all four. If I decided not to implement some of those recommendations, which he had said were important in terms of getting better understanding of what’s happening here in Australia, there would have been a valid criticism, but I have accepted all four recommendations from Professor Kelly.
Now in addition to that, is the relevant minister and the government more broadly have taken the decision, as have been taken by pretty much every government to which we would usually compare ourselves, a decision described by the World Health Organization as ‘understandable’ out of an abundance of caution to put in place pre-departure testing.
Now I said very openly at the time I made this announcement but the consensus view of the chief health officers was that there was no imminent public health threat posed by the resumption of travel between China and Australia, but that I was out of an abundance of caution putting in place this pre-departure testing in light of what the World Health Organization described as an absence of comprehensive information about the situation in China, very similar situation is emerging in Europe.
Updated
Mark Butler begins press conference
Federal health minister, Mark Butler, has stepped up for a press conference in Melbourne, where he has begun by saying the initial group of passengers has entered Australia complied with the measures without any issues.
Butler thanked the passengers for their “high degree of compliance” and reiterated how many countries had put in place similar restrictions on travellers.
We warmly welcomed that resumption of travel. But we also know that universities in Australia and university communities are very keen to see Chinese students return to study on campus rather than studying remotely as well. The tourism industry I know is relishing the chance to show Australia’s wonderful tourism assets to Chinese tourists returning to Australia.
And I’m confident that this modest sensible measure that’s been taken out of an abundance of caution is going to prove no hindrance, no barrier to that resumption of travel at all. As people are aware, I think this is a widely shared position around the rest of the world.
And again in the past 24 hours the World Health Organization the head of the WHO has reiterated their view that these measures are to use their words again, ‘understandable’ in light of the lack of comprehensive information about the situation in China.
It’s really important that the rest of the world have as much information as we possibly can get about this fast-developing Covid wave in China.
Updated
NSW woman charged with allegedly entering Syria it was while occupied by Islamic State
NSW Police have announced that a woman who returned to Australia as part of the expatriation of women and children from Syria, has been charged for allegedly entering Syria when it was occupied by Islamic State.
AFP and NSW Police investigators from the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT), arrested the 31-year-old woman after executing search warrants at Young and Parklea, earlier today.
The woman is expected to face Wagga Wagga local court via AVL later today, charged with entering, or remaining in, declared areas.
The offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
It will be alleged in court that the woman, who is now living in Young, travelled to Syria in early 2014 to join her husband, who left Australia in 2013 and joined Islamic State.
It will also be alleged the woman was aware of her husband’s activities with Islamic State and willingly travelled to the conflict region. The woman’s husband is believed to have died in Syria in 2018.
The woman, who was in Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp, returned to Australia in October 2022.
She was charged after a complex and long-term investigation by the JCTT that began when the woman was in Syria and continued after her return to Australia.
It will be alleged newly obtained evidence enabled the JCTT to charge the woman.
There is no current or impending threat to the Australian community as part of this activity.
AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command Sandra Booth said the JCTT would continue to investigate Australians returning from declared conflict areas to ensure the safety of the Australian community.
Individuals will be brought before the courts when evidence supports allegations that returned individuals have committed offences in conflict areas.
The JCTT will continue to target criminal activity and does not target specific ideologies or beliefs.
Updated
We are expecting the federal health minister, Mark Butler, to step up for a press conference in about 10 minutes.
Updated
Energy company fined by regulator for ‘greenwashing’ emissions claim
The securities regulator says it is putting corporations on notice against “greenwashing” after issuing its fourth fine related to the practice in the past three months, AAP reports.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said Black Mountain Energy (BME) has paid $39,960 to comply with three infringement notices about alleged false or misleading sustainability-related statements the company made to the ASX between December 2021 and last September.
The company had claimed that its Valhalla natural gas project in northern Western Australia, about 2,500km from Perth, would feature “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions.
“ASIC was concerned that BME either did not have a reasonable basis to make the representations, or that the representations were factually incorrect,” the securities regulator said in a statement.
Black Mountain said in a statement that it had elected to pay the penalty on a “no-admissions basis” to settle the matter.
The junior explorer, which has a market capitalisation of just $1.9m, listed on the ASX in December 2021.
The ASIC deputy chair, Sarah Court, said the regulator issued eight infringement notices related to greenwashing last year and had started the new year with an action against a listed company.
“ASIC will continue to closely monitor sustainability claims and take action where we consider representations cannot be substantiated or are factually incorrect,” she said.
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Sea World Helicopters director pays tribute to pilot who died
The director of Sea World Helicopters, John Orr-Campbell, has said it is “shocking” to lose a pilot as experienced as Ash Jenkinson, who was flying the chopper that crashed on Monday.
Orr-Campbell mourned the loss of his passengers and said he could not “imagine the terrible sadness their families and loved ones must be feeling”.
The director of Sea World Helicopters, John Orr-Campbell has released a statement in the wake of Monday’s crash. pic.twitter.com/OHp7WqLi6m
— Josh Bavas (@JoshBavas) January 5, 2023
In a statement, he said they had reached out to offer condolences to the families, and paid tribute to Jenkison, who he said had dedicated “over 700 hours” assisting firefighting operations and was involved in multiple search and rescue flights:
Ash Jenkinson, an experienced pilot, who lost his life in the accident was well known to many of us. I knew Ash personally for nine years. He was a fine man and a standout pilot with 6,210 hours of flying to his name.
To lose a man and a pilot of Ash’s calibre is shocking in every sense of the word. I, along with all the staff at Sea World Helicopters are gutted to the core. My heart aches as I think of Ash’s fiancee, Kosha, and his one-year-old son Kayden.
We have lost a first-class pilot, a first-class man and a wonderful father, partner and friend.
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Sydney reveals world's first statue of female cricketer
Former Australian women’s cricket captain Belinda Clark is the subject of a new sculpture at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Sydney Cricket Ground is home to the world’s first sculpture of a female cricketer, with Belinda Clark immortalised in bronze at the venue’s entry.
— Sydney Cricket Ground (@scg) January 4, 2023
📃 https://t.co/2kVtNT74nV pic.twitter.com/Z1ZBylnK9s
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Victoria increases kangaroo cull quota
AAP is reporting that Victoria has signed off on a plan to increase the number of kangaroos legally killed in the state by a third, in a move criticised by animal welfare advocates.
A report from the environment department recommends grey kangaroos culled for harvesting of their meat increase to 166,730 for 2023, up 30% from 127,850 last year.
The number of permits handed out to landholders to shoot roos on their property is set to rise by 19% to 69,600.
The overall quota of kangaroos to be legally culled has increased by 27%.
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New South Wales Covid stats for end of December 2022
NSW Health has released some Covid stats for the last two weeks of December, noting a decline in transmissions, hospital and ICU admissions.
In a series of tweets, it says there are a “highly mixed group of sub-variants circulating” with the BR.2 being the most common.
• There is still a highly mixed group of sub-variants circulating, the BR.2 sub variant is the most common. NSW Health continues to monitor emerging sub-variants including XBB.1.5, of which there have been a small number of detections in the two weeks to 24 December 2022.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 5, 2023
Over the two-week period 59,652 people were diagnosed with Covid, with a 40% decrease between the third and fourth week of the month.
The seven-day rolling average of daily hospital admissions decreased to an average of 113 admissions by the end of this week, compared with 141 admissions at the end of the previous week.
There were 1779 people with COVID-19 admitted to hospital and 140 people admitted to ICU in the two weeks to 31 December 2022.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 5, 2023
• There were 95 COVID-19 deaths reported in the two weeks to 31 December 2022. Of these, 16 (17%) had not received three doses of vaccine. Seven deaths were in people aged under 65 years.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 5, 2023
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Antarctic visitor numbers to top 100,000 for the first time
Antarctica is a place many of us would like to visit, given its appeal of its icy wilderness. Well, the numbers heading to the deep south will exceed 100,000 for the first time this summer.
As it happens, later this month marks the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s voyage beyond the Antarctic Circle – the first known crossing (and return).
We take a closer look at the rising interest in “continent seven” as some people have called it, in this article:
With more cruise vessels being built specifically for Antarctic voyages (most of which typically launch from Argentina), those visitor numbers are going to continue to rise. That will add to biosecurity risks and make it harder for the industry to self-manage.
As with the Arctic, the far south is warming faster than other regions of the world, altering many things. The extent of sea ice appears to be one of them:
The lack of #Antarctic sea ice going into the new year is clearly an outlier compared to any other year in our satellite record. pic.twitter.com/zty9MoHo0B
— Zack Labe (@ZLabe) January 2, 2023
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Murray Watt warns against politicians criticising China’s travel policy
Senator Murray Watt has said it is “unhelpful” for people to call China “hypocritical” for critiquing countries implementing entry restrictions on travellers while it plans to make Australians take a PCR test ahead of arrival.
Watt was on Sky News, and said it wasn’t appropriate for politicians to enter debates on the policies of other countries:
I don’t think it’s really helpful for politicians to be getting into labelling the actions of other countries.
What we’ve decided to do on behalf of the Australian people is take a decision about entries into Australia.
Obviously it is a fact that China is requiring a similar requirement of Australians entering the country, and again I guess that reflects the kind of policies that they’ve decided to take in relation to their own country.
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‘Challenging night’ for WA fire crews in south-west
Earlier today, Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Peter Thomas said it had been a “challenging night” for fire crews in the south-west, as bushfires threaten the region.
Thomas was speaking to ABC Radio Perth, where he said strong winds had made the situation more difficult overnight, and urged residents to leave if they can:
So our volunteers from the Donnybrook area across the south-west [who have] come to deal with this incident.
We’ve had some strong winds that have been coming consistently from the east, but been fairly strong and making it challenging for our crews.
They’ve done some great work in protecting the homes in that area and containing the fire currently to where we’d like it to be, and hopefully today with a bit more work we can have that fire cleaned up in a few days.
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Australian Open should ban Russian players, Ukraine envoy says
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia has called on Australian Open organisers to ban Russian players from competing in this year’s tournament.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko said this morning that the Australian Open should take the same approach as Wimbledon in banning Russian players in an act of solidarity with his country.
He said he will be looking to meet the head of Tennis Australia to make the case:
When we allow sportspeople from Russia to participate in the Australian Open, we do exactly what Putin wants.
It doesn’t matter what flag Russian Federation players compete under. It has Ukrainian blood on it.
It would be a great shame if Tennis Australia proceeds. It goes against the strong stance that Australia itself – as a government and as a nation that stands up to bullies – has taken in support of Ukraine.
I request that Tennis Australia reconsider what seems like an unprincipled position and send a strong message to the Kremlin by banning participants from the Russian Federation. I will be seeking a meeting with the Chair and CEO of Tennis Australia to put my Government’s position and to understand why Tennis Australia has not followed the lead of Wimbledon.
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NSW wind turbine on fire
A wind turbine west of Goulburn in NSW has caught fire, with authorities saying that though the fire is out of reach, it poses no risk to surrounding properties.
The Rural Fire Service said there was a fire at the top of the turbine at Breadalbane.
RFS spokesperson Greg Allen told the ABC crews have been at the site since 6am, and that the fire is contained:
Crews have also created an exclusion zone around the base of that turbine and monitoring for any grassfires that may occur.
The fire is contained though and it’s likely crews will be on the scene for some time today.
At this time of year RFS crews and fire agencies are most likely dealing with grass and bushfires
This is quite a unique incident.
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‘You don’t want to have a new variant coming in and then find out afterwards’
The head of the Chinese Australian Forum, Simon Chan, has said the government’s decision to implement restrictions on arrivals from China was “not unreasonable”.
Chan was speaking to ABC Radio this morning, where he said that the lack of information coming out of China was a concern:
You don’t want to have a new variant coming in and then find out afterwards. It’ll be too late.
I spoke to a lot of Chinese Australian friends that I have and generally they do think it’s not unreasonable to make that decision.
It’s not as if they have to go into quarantine. It’s probably better to take that precaution than to feel they should have done that later.
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Bushfire warning in south-west WA
An emergency bushfire warning has been issued for a fire threatening lives and homes in south-west Western Australia.
The warning covers southern parts of Thomson Brook, Brookhampton, Grimwade, Kirup, Mullalyup, Newlands, Noggerup and Upper Capel in the shire of Donnybrook.
Authorities are warning people in an area bounded by Brookhampton Road to the north, South West Highway to the west, Kirup-Grimwade Road to the south and Thompson Brook Road to the east that they are in danger and need to act immediately.
Authorities are also warning that the fire is out of control, unpredictable and moving west.
Drivers are advised the safest route out of the fire-affected zone is along the South West Highway in a northerly direction towards Donnybrook.
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ADF to be deployed to Kimberley to help flood-hit remote communities
The emergency management minister, Murray Watt, has said the federal government has approved Australian defence force assistance for the WA floods.
Watt told Radio National:
I think the floods that we’re seeing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia are probably the most serious right now. Although of course, they’re continues to be extensive flooding in South Australia, as that’s what water weaves its way down the Murray river. Menindi, in south-west New, South Wales has experienced flooding as well. And on top of all that we do, have some localised bushfires south of Perth. So there are quite a few difficult situations going on around the country ...
It is pretty extraordinary that somewhere that gets as much rainfall as the Kimberley and particularly places like Fitzroy Crossing have actually seen record peaks in the last few days. So that really is saying something about the volume of water.
We’ve been working very closely with the Western Australian government to ensure that they have any support that’s needed at a federal level. Of course the initial response to any natural disaster is led by the relevant state government. But late on Tuesday night, I approved a request from the Western Australian government for ADF assistance, particularly personnel and aircraft to relocate people from Fitzroy Crossing and some of the surrounding communities if that was needed.
Watt said he was concerned that Fitzroy Crossing, with 1,500 people, and 50 very small remote Indigenous communities could be isolated for weeks.
The WA government has been able to open two evacuation centres, and Watt said the ADF could provide assistance in helping to relocate people to Broome if required.
Watt continued to warn that the federal government doesn’t want the ADF to be stretched “too far” because its role is “primarily as a security measure for our nation”.
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Phone torch guides rescuers to men stranded on esky
Four men have been rescued after clinging to an esky and a lifejacket to stay afloat after their boat sank off the coast of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Police sent the Volunteer Marine Rescue’s Mornington unit to find the men after they lit an emergency beacon to alert authorities.
One of the men used his phone torch to help guide the group’s rescuers in the dark.
All four men, three aged 27 and one aged 26, were rescued without injury.
Four men were left clinging to an Esky and a single life jacket after their boat sank off the coast of Victoria.#9Today | WATCH LIVE 5.30am pic.twitter.com/5lzhNtehXH
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) January 4, 2023
Skipper Rick Cooper of the Volunteer Marine Rescue unit told Today it was all in a day’s work:
The beauty of the technology is that we had a position to go to, to get them.
They were very cold when we found them, we could get straight to them, their beacon gave us an exact location. We got there and there we found them, very cold and glad to see us.
We got them out of the water and into blankets and got them checked before they went home.
The beauty of waterproof phones means they were able to guide us, and were on the phone with police. It was a textbook recovery for us.
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Woman in critical condition after beach rescue near Noosa
A woman is in a critical condition after emergency services pulled her from the water at a beach on the Sunshine Coast.
She was taken to Sunshine Coast University hospital after paramedics performed CPR at the beach for half an hour.
Emergency services said a man and a woman were swimming at Coolum beach, south of Noosa, when they faced some trouble. The man was able to get to shore, but the woman, a 27-year-old from France, needed to be rescued.
Three ambulances and four police cars attended the scene.
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Geelong woman injured in helicopter crash speaks
The mother who was critically injured during the fatal helicopter collision on the Gold Coast has spoken out for the first time about what happened before the accident.
Thirty-three-year-old Winnie de Silva says she heard a “huge bang” moments before the chopper dropped to the ground, killing four people and critically injuring three, including her nine-year-old son, Leon.
De Silva told the Herald Sun she gripped her son’s hand as she watched the pilot desperately try to regain control of the aircraft:
We didn’t know what to do … it all happened in a second. The only thing I could see was death in my eyes.
I didn’t want to see death in my eyes so I closed them and held my son’s hand beside me.
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Good morning
Good morning from rainy Sydney, Mostafa Rachwani with you for the first Thursday of 2023.
We begin with reports that China is considering resuming importing Australian coal after more than two years, as relations between the nations ease. Bloomberg is reporting that the country’s National Development and Reform Commission held talks with four major importers, with imports potentially resuming as early as 1 April.
It comes with entry restrictions on travellers arriving from China set to begin today, as critics continue to ask why Labor implemented the measure against advice from the chief medical officer.
Elsewhere, footage obtained by 7News shows the inside of the cockpit of one of the helicopters that was involved in the deadly collision earlier this week. The footage shows a passenger apparently warning the pilot that something was wrong. Channel Seven says the footage will be passed on to investigators.
7NEWS has obtained vision that was filmed on board one of the helicopters involved in this week's deadly collision on the Gold Coast. The video shows one of the passengers tapping the pilot on his shoulder to warn him. https://t.co/OF81oZXOfr #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/6U7wyO0VhM
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) January 4, 2023
Ex-tropical cyclone Ellie is hovering over Broome, but is expected to slowly begin moving eastwards later today. Heavy rainfall continues to batter the region, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing severe weather warnings for intense rainfall and damaging winds for parts of Kimberley, north interior and Pilbara districts. A major flood warning has been maintained for the Fitzroy River, which has inundated towns along its banks.
We will bring you more on these stories and everything happening across the country, stay tuned.
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