What we learned today, Saturday 26 February
We’ll leave our live Australian news coverage here for the day. This is how things stand:
- The Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, announced sanctions targeting eight Russian oligarchs of “key economic and strategic significance” and said Australia would also look to personally sanction Vladimir Putin. She said expelling Russian diplomats from Australia was “a live option”.
- Payne also said she would meet with the new Chinese ambassador to Australia “in due course”.
- Two people have died in Queensland floods overnight including an SES volunteer, bringing the death toll from the floods in that state to four. A man also died in flood waters on the NSW central coast this week.
- Two people remain missing in the Queensland floods.
- Evacuation orders were issued for Gympie, where 700 people are in areas at risk from the rising Mary River, and residents in low-lying areas of the Lockyer Valley were also told to get to higher ground “as a matter of urgency”.
- Flood levels at the Mary River at Gympie were expected to exceed the 1999 floods, when the river peaked at 21.75 metres. It had already exceeded 2011 and 2013 levels.
- The Bureau of Meteorology warned of further flash flooding and possible landslides as heavy rain continued into tomorrow.
- There were 35 Covid-related deaths reported in Australia today.
- SBS dropped Russian state media outlets NTV Moscow and Russia Today.
- And finally, the humpback whale was removed from Australia’s threatened species list after a bounce back in numbers.
We’ll see you tomorrow. You can continue to follow our rolling coverage of the situation in Ukraine here.
Updated
People in low-lying areas near Lockyer River urged to evacuate
Flood sirens have been sounded in Grantham, west of Brisbane, on Saturday afternoon, urging residents in low-lying areas near the Lockyer River to get to higher ground, AAP has reported.
“The community are advised this is not a test and should respond accordingly,” the Lockyer Valley council said in a statement.
“Residents should move to higher ground and relocate to family and friends as a matter of urgency.”
Updated
Australia records 35 Covid-related deaths on Saturday
Australia recorded 35 Covid-related deaths and 21,987 new cases today.
Here’s the state-by-state breakdown:
- New South Wales recorded 11 deaths and 7,017 new cases, with 1,130 people in hospital and 59 in ICU.
- Victoria recorded 15 deaths with 281 people in hospital, 43 of whom are in ICU. There were 5,874 new cases recorded.
- Queensland recorded eight deaths and 326 people in hospital, with 24 people in ICU. There were 4,838 new cases.
- South Australia recorded 1,688 new cases, with 109 people in hospital and 12 in ICU.
- Tasmania recorded 792 new cases, with two people in ICU.
- In the NT, a woman in her 80s from Alice Springs died with Covid at Alice Springs hospital. The Territory recorded 632 new cases, and there were 98 people in hospital, with seven in ICU.
- The ACT recorded 478 new cases with 41 people in hospital.
- Western Australia reported 1,105 new case with 15 people in hospital.
Updated
Western Australia reports 1,105 new Covid cases
Western Australia has reported 1,105 new cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, 1,098 of which are locally acquired cases.
Seven of the new cases were reported in new arrivals.
WA has only recorded 7,245 cases since the pandemic began – so one in seven cases in the state in the past two years were reported in the last 24 hours.
It brings the total number of active cases in WA to 3,900.
There are 15 people in hospital.
There were 10,591 PCR tests conducted in the state yesterday. Of the new cases, 422 were reported following at home rapid tests.
Updated
Back home, The Treaty Day Out, an event hosted by the First People’s Assembly of Victoria, is under way in Shepparton.
Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Briggs and Electric Fields are headlining. The event coincides with the launch of the north-east byelection for assembly members. The list of candidates is here.
We’re kicking off #TreatyDayOut on Yorta Yorta Country at @RumbalaraFNC! Make sure you tag us and use #TreatyDayOut in our pics and clips! 🖤💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/INj4zoAoNa
— First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria (@firstpeoplesvic) February 26, 2022
Updated
The sun is rising over Kyiv, where there has been fierce fighting overnight.
You can follow our rolling coverage of the situation in Ukraine here.
And with that, I am going to hand you over to my colleague Calla Wahlquist, who will take you through the rest of the day.
Updated
Southeast Queensland is under there somewhere pic.twitter.com/YsWPgmlQPT
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) February 26, 2022
As NSW’s wettest summer in decades draws to a close, more intense rain is expected when a developing low moves south from Queensland. More from AAP:
Rain has eased slightly in NSW but is expected to return with renewed intensity as the north of the state is warned to brace for severe weather.
Several days of heavy rain which saw some areas receive more rain in 24 hours than would be expected for the entire month of February is expected to be followed by a low pressure system developing in south-east Queensland moving south.
Intense localised falls are expected on Sunday, with thunderstorms a factor as well.
More than 100mm of rain is likely to fall in a matter of hours and could cause flash flooding on Sunday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology warns.
Some areas could receive up to 250mm in the afternoon in the mid-north coast and northern rivers regions.
Residents in Lismore, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, Ballina, Casino, Kyogle, Yamba, Maclean, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo are likely to be in the path on Sunday.
An evacuation warning has been issued in the northern rivers for residents in low-lying areas of Maclean, where the Clarence River is expected to flood properties and cut off evacuation routes.
The SES has warned people to stay off the roads unless necessary and not drive through flood waters.
Updated
ACT records 478 new Covid cases
The ACT has recorded 478 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.
There are 41 people in hospital with the virus, including two people in ICU. No patients are requiring ventilation.
Updated
Stranded residents in the Illinbah and Flying Fox valleys have taken inspiration from their name, building a flying fox across the flood waters to get essential supplies from Canungra.
The only road into the valley was washed away two days ago, according to the Canungra Times, and there are a number of people stranded.
A council spokesperson told the local paper a temporary track would be built as soon as conditions permit – but it could take up to three days.
A video shared with the paper showed the flying fox with a bag “full of essentials – probably beer and alcohol”, the woman filming said as trapped locals waved at the camera.
“No one is getting across any time soon.”
Updated
Gympie residents told to evacuate
Residents in Gympie are being asked to evacuate, with the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, saying that will impact about 700 people.
David Grant from the Bureau of Meteorology is up now. He says we are seeing a defining event for much of south-east.
As of this afternoon at 2pm we start to see the heaviest rainfall existing across Brisbane extending into parts of Ipswich and other city council areas.
... heavy falls are occurring during the course of today. We’ve seen the falls around Caboolture and early this morning around the Sunshine Coast and towards Noosa.
There is a potential for dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding and on top of that ... localised landslides cannot be discounted during the remainder of this event.
It must be emphasised that it is too early to call flood peaks on some rivers due to the fact that it is still continuing to rain across much of our catchments across the area.
Grant says even if residents don’t live near a flood warning, they still need to be watching the alerts, as the situation can change quickly.
Finally, damaging wind gusts. The low-pressure system that is lingering in the south-east will intensify overnight and bring a potential renewed burst of rainfall but without localised damaging wind gusts that could occur about the coastline and also the hinterland areas.
He says many of the rivers could continue to flood until Sunday.
We have to emphasise that we could see the potential for significant and dangerous flash flooding over the course of the next 24 hours in all these wet catchments.
Updated
Palaszczuk says residents need to stay connected and watch the alerts:
There have been 22 emergency alerts issued recently and the SES has done some 1,900 callouts, and there have been some 92 water rescues as well.
Updated
Palaszczuk:
Tonight is probably not the night to take any risks. So if you are in any areas surrounding these rivers, please listen to the advice that will be coming.
Our emergency services staff, our police, all our councils have been working collaboratively together and I thank them for that.
The prime minister has been in contact with me and I will be having a conversation with him shortly after this briefing as well, but I know that we will be able to get any assistance that we need.
Updated
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, spoke to the media just a little while ago. She said authorities were concerned for the Gympie region – the level has exceeded the 2011 and 2013 peaks.
Emergency services had launched a ground and air search for a 37-year-old man.
She said Sunshine Coast residents should listen to alerts over the course of the afternoon and evening.
In the area of Logan, the Logan River and the Albert River, we are monitoring those systems and we want the people of Beaudesert to be listening to any issues of concern.
I am giving advice at the moment that these are the communities, at this point in time, who need to be listening to these alerts. In Maryborough it is not expected until late on Sunday, but we do expect a higher flood level than what we experienced in January.
People of Maryborough have been through a lot and they are very resilient and we are working very closely with their local disaster management groups as well. So that is the major issue at the moment. In terms of the Bremer River, it is well below 2011 so, again, as you can see, there is a lot of rain.
Updated
Commonwealth-state disaster assistance is on the way for Queensland areas impacted by flooding. More from AAP:
Disaster assistance has been activated for 10 council areas in Queensland’s south-east as heavy rain and flooding continue to exact a toll as they move into northern NSW.
The relief will be made available to cover the cost of clean-up efforts in the Fraser Coast, Gold Coast, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Noosa, North Burnett, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba LGAs.
The federal emergency management minister, Bridget McKenzie, says the support will be jointly funded under commonwealth-state disaster recovery funding arrangements.
“This rain event is still unfolding but we already know the severe flooding has sadly resulted in the loss of life and people being evacuated from their homes and businesses,” she said on Saturday.
“For the second time in as many months, south-east Queensland finds itself at the centre of another unfolding emergency, with many roads and bridges in the region already submerged.”
An SES volunteer was among four people killed during the deluge as hundreds of millimetres of rain fell in the corner of the state over the past week.
Updated
Queensland floods death toll rises to four
Two people, including a State Emergency Service volunteer, have died after being swept away in flood waters in Queensland overnight, as some parts of the state experience worse flooding than 2011.
It brings the death toll from the floods to four, and two people remain missing.
Read more here:
Updated
I just spoke to Rachel Lehmann Warer, an Australian stuck in Pechersk, a historical neighbourhood in the city centre of Kyiv.
She has been listening to gunfire coming from the CBD all night:
It’s been on and off all night. It’s been ramping up over the past hour. The church bells in the city are ringing for the first time since the 2014 revelation when the civilians were being shot.
She is in her apartment with her husband and says no one is on the streets. Everyone is hiding in their homes or in bomb shelters.
She says she is worried about what Kyiv will look like in the morning.
It sounds like really heavy fighting is going on in the city.
Follow the latest news on Ukraine at our live blog here:
Updated
Oh buddies. The raging Bremmer River at Ipswich maybe isn’t the best place for a swim. @abcbrisbane #qldfloods pic.twitter.com/AL5U3y0T4L
— Allyson Horn (@allysonhorn) February 26, 2022
Cyclone Anika is set to hit Western Australia and parts of the Northern Territory, AAP reports:
Western Australia and Northern Territory residents are on alert with Cyclone Anika set to make landfall packing destructive winds of up to 130km/h in the next 24 hours.
The category one system is set to intensify into a category two cyclone before it crosses WA’s Kimberley coast between Kalumburu and Wyndham on Saturday night or Sunday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Tides along that coastline are likely to rise above the normal high tide level bringing very rough seas and flooding low-lying areas.
The forecaster is warning people in the area between Kalumburu and Wyndham, but not Wyndham itself, to prepare.
“You need to take action and get ready to shelter from a cyclone,” the BoM said in a statement on Saturday.
Gales of up to 100km/h are also expected along the Kimberley coast to the NT border with the potential of gales as far east as Dundee Beach by Saturday afternoon.
Heavy rainfall is expected along the northern Kimberley coast and is possible as far east as the Tiwi Islands and the western parts of the Daly River area.
Updated
A Victorian liaison program that pairs people with a disability with someone to help them access a Covid-19 vaccination has helped 10,000 people get vaccinated, the disability minister, Anthony Carbines, said on Saturday.
More from AAP:
“We are making sure every Victorian has access to a Covid-19 vaccine – we know there are many Victorians living with disability who would benefit from this dedicated program and the support it provides,” Carbines said.
The government also equipped its vaccination clinics with accessibility features for people with special needs including longer appointments, extra space and offering a “low sensory environment”.
Some 88.6% of Victorian participants in the national disability insurance scheme have now been vaccinated, ahead of NSW at 88%, and behind the ACT at 89.8%.
The government also announced every state-run vaccine clinic had now become a walk-up, and pop-up vaccine clinics for five- to 11-year-olds were being rolled out at child-friendly venues including Melbourne Zoo and Sealife Aquarium.
Updated
Mary River at Gympie set to exceed major flood level of 21.75 metres
The Bureau of Meteorology says the Mary River at Gympie will exceed the major flood level of 21.75 metres recorded in February 1999.
Major Flood Warning for the Mary River
— SEQUEST (@SEQUESTRADIO) February 26, 2022
Issued at 11:54 am EST on Saturday 26 February 2022
Flood Warning Number: 19
MAJOR FLOODING RISING AT GYMPIE WHERE THE RIVER LEVEL WILL EXCEED THE FEBRUARY 1999 LEVEL
MAJOR FLOODING IS LIKELY AT MARYBOROUGH SATURDAY MORNING pic.twitter.com/2Uj0fxXJFc
The Mary River has already passed the levels recorded in the 2011 and 2013 floods.
Images from Gympie show the Bruce Highway covered in water.
Gympie 11am today .. that’s the Bruce Highway and it’s expected to rise .. it’s over 20m so far pic.twitter.com/HpPiYSLOsW
— Keith Taylor (@KeithTa25407072) February 26, 2022
Updated
Australian motorists are paying record transport costs, AAP reports:
Australians are spending record amounts on transport costs with motorists paying $70 more a week at the bowser at the end of 2021 than they were a year earlier.
The figures from the latest Australian Automobile Association transport affordability index show motorists were spending $380.10 a week in the last quarter of 2021, compared to $309.92 at the end of 2020.
This meant a rise from 12.6% of household income to 15.3% over the same period.
Of the capitals, Sydneysiders were spending the most on fuel at $485.14 a week in the last quarter of 2021, up from $411.58 at the end of 2020.
Out in the regions, Alice Spring residents were spending the most – $360.88 a week at the end of 2021 compared to $288.32 a year earlier.
But it was Hobart and Launceston residents who spent the largest share of household incomes, out of the metropolitan and regional centres.
Hobart residents are spending 18.2% of household income on fuel, nearly three points higher than the national average, despite paying the lowest amount a week at $363.77.
In Launceston, residents were paying 18.5% of their household income.
Updated
SBS drops NTV Moscow and Russia Today news bulletins
Australia has joined other countries in dropping Russian state media outlets, with SBS suspending the broadcast of news bulletins NTV Moscow and Russia Today.
The suspensions come as invading Russian forces press in on the Ukraine capital Kyiv and carry out missile attacks across the country, prompting international outrage and the imposition of tough economic sanctions.
The SBS suspensions follow a request by the federal communications minister, Paul Fletcher, who called the SBS managing director to make the government’s position clear.
In a statement on Friday night, Fletcher said he welcomed the decision by SBS to suspend the two Russian propaganda outlets.
“Given the current actions of the Russian government, and the lack of genuinely independent Russian media, this is a responsible decision,” he said.
Updated
We mentioned the news earlier that humpback whales had been removed from Australia’s threatened list.
My colleague Calla Wahlquist has the full story here:
The #WarregoHighway is closed at #Gatton (the Forest Hill Fernvale Road Intersection) due to flooding.
— Transport and Main Roads Queensland (@TMRQld) February 26, 2022
Please stay home and if you absolutely have to drive, make sure you check @QLDTrafficDDSW for the latest updates. pic.twitter.com/qZ3A5nwGqC
Protests in Canberra have forced the closure of Parliament House. I’ll get some more information for you as to what is going on.
Due to protest activity, Parliament House has been temporarily closed to the public until further notice.
— APH Community (@aph_community) February 26, 2022
Updated
Vandals have defaced a billboard of the federal Labor MP Josh Burns, drawing a swastika on his forehead, as well as a Hitler moustache.
Burns is the member for Macnamara in Melbourne and a prominent Jewish parliamentarian.
The defaced posters were spotted on Inkerman Road (between Hotham and Westbury roads) which form part of Burns’ electorate.
The chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, condemned the vandalism:
We deplore these ugly actions for what they are: a repulsive and hateful assault on our democratic system and on our core principles.
The effect of such vandalism in to intimidate and frighten, and is a painful reminder that antisemitism is alive and well in our state.
Updated
Queensland police are warning boat owners along the Brisbane River.
⚠️ URGENT INFO for Brisbane River boaties ⚠️ A large piece of concrete pier approx 40 metres long has broken away and is currently floating eastbound along the river towards the Gateway Bridge. First spotted at Hamilton. Please secure your boats, there are concerns of a collision
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) February 25, 2022
Updated
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services assistant commissioner, John Bolger, has paid tribute to the SES volunteer who died while trying to help people in the floods.
An absolute tragedy overnight as an @QldFES #SES Volunteer loses their life while performing emergency service to #flooded communities. My deepest condolences to our colleagues and the family of this heroic #Queensland volunteer. pic.twitter.com/DQmrXtcsET
— John Bolger. AFSM. (@johnbolgerQFES) February 26, 2022
Updated
My colleague Ben Smee has just sent in some photos of the flooding around Brisbane:
Updated
A Covid update from Queensland via AAP:
Queensland has recorded eight further Covid-19 deaths and 4,838 new cases but hospitalisations are continuing to fall.
The emergency services minister, Mark Ryan, said those who died were aged in their 70s, 80s and 90s.
“I wish to extend sympathies to their family and friends and all Queenslanders who are obviously impacted by a tragedy of this nature,” he told reporters on Saturday.
The chief health officer, John Gerrard, said three of the fatalities were unvaccinated, three had had one dose of a vaccine, one had received two jabs and one a booster.
He said there were 326 Covid-19 patients in public hospitals, down from 333 on Friday, and another 24 people in intensive care, down from 27.
There were also 15 patients in private hospitals, which was down from 17.
Gerrard said among children aged five to 17 another 1,637 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, with child cases “fairly stable” since schools returned in early February.
Updated
Big wet continues in eastern Australia, and has a way to go yet. Meanwhile, tropical cyclone #Anita to strengthen as it nears the WA coast, bringing some significant rainfall too. @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/I6nnfJw7QX
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) February 26, 2022
Two more people missing in Queensland flood waters
Two more people are missing in flood waters in Queensland, the state disaster coordinator, Steve Gollschewski, says.
“They are in the Goomboorian area near Gympie and at Yandina,” Gollschewski says. “Obviously those searches are ongoing.”
Authorities have urged south-east Queenslanders not to travel, especially through flood waters.
A warning to motorists in the South East, the 51-year-old male driver of this Commodore was fined yesterday after deliberately driving around closure signs on Avalon Road at Sheldon and getting stuck. Remember the smartest and bravest thing you can do is BACK IT UP. pic.twitter.com/2pM7VyV2hq
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) February 25, 2022
Updated
We have more information about the SES volunteer who died in the floods from AAP:
An SES volunteer is among four Queenslanders killed by flooding in the past week as hundreds of millimetres of rain fell in the south-east corner of the state.
The volunteer died when a car carrying three other SES crew was swept off the road on Friday night.
More than 300mm of rain fell in multiple areas around Brisbane, the Lockyer Valley and Sunshine Coast.
At Mt Glorious, north-west of Brisbane, 690mm of rain fell between 9am Friday and 7am Saturday.
At Pomona on the Sunshine Coast, 535mm of rain fell up to 6am this morning.
“In some parts of south-east Queensland, this is the biggest event that they will see in a number of decades and the rain has not stopped. In fact, there are some parts where it is intensifying,” police minister Mark Ryan said on Saturday morning.
Already saturated catchments are increasing the flood risk and Ryan advised people to take extra caution in the coming days.
“I need everyone out there to be making sensible decisions,” he says.
Updated
Queensland records eight Covid deaths
Queensland has recorded eight Covid deaths in the last 24 hours. Five of them were people in aged care facilities.
The state recorded 4,800 new cases on Saturday and around 1,600 of those were school-aged children.
Updated
Daniel Hurst, Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent, has written a useful wrap on what exactly Australia is doing to help Ukraine:
Updated
From AAP:
A western Sydney pub has been fined more than $100,000 for incentivising gamblers after managers and even a security guard loaned cash to help pokie users keep gambling.
Parramatta’s Rose and Crown Hotel came to the light of authorities thanks to a disgruntled manager who was herself convicted of stealing $15,000 from the pub.
Staff gave gamblers free booze and cigarettes, loaned cash from the pub’s safe to them and allowed punters to make at least $145,000 in credit and debit withdrawals from the eftpos machine.
One manager loaned a patron $8000 from the safe to keep them gambling while a security guard gave another punter $800 from the safe.
NSW’s Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority fined the pub’s licensee, RC One Pty Ltd, $107,358.
It also fined the pub’s manager Paul Camkin $10,000 and barred him from being a licensee or managing a hotel for a year.
We have some fresh photos of the rain currently battering south-east Queensland below:
Tin Can Bay on the Sunshine Coast recorded 444mm in the 24 hours to 9am this morning! Look at those totals below. This deadly weather event could become the worst flooding in recorded history for Queensland. #weather #WeatherUpdate #qldfloods #qldweather #floods #rain pic.twitter.com/wdNRzHYFS7
— Victorian Storm Chasers (@VicStormChasers) February 25, 2022
VERY DANGEROUS thunderstorms are now affecting Moreton Bay and parts of Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Brisbane City Council areas.
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) February 25, 2022
These thunderstorms are producing INTENSE rainfall, with potential LIFE-THREATENING flash flooding.
Always call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/3k5WinkBM7
From AAP:
New South Wales and Victoria have reported 26 coronavirus-related deaths and a combined 12,891 new cases.
It comes at the start of a weekend when mask mandates have lifted and dance floors have reopened across the eastern states after several jurisdictions announced an easing to restrictions from Friday.
In NSW, Victoria and the ACT mask wearing is still required in high-risk settings such as public transport, aged care facilities, airports and hospitals.
There are exceptions for some school students in Victoria and the ACT, who will still have to keep their masks on for now.
Queensland is set to ease its mask rules and density limits next week.
Mask mandates remain in Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
The eased restrictions come as a new vaccine is approved for use in Australia, specifically for people who haven’t been able to have a dose of existing vaccines.
Updated
We have more on the death of athletics legend here:
NEW: A MAJOR flood warning has been issued for the Noosa, Maroochy and and Mooloolah Rivers
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) February 25, 2022
There are already MAJOR flood warnings for the Mary, Upper Brisbane, Stanley, Bremer and Logan rivers, as well as Laidley, Lockyer and Warrill creeks https://t.co/H1RFda8aRL
Pontoon floating downstream in floodwaters at Sherwood in Brisbane’s west. The pontoon at the arboretum hasn’t got long to go pic.twitter.com/O5UBvhPpSz
— Andree Withey (@andreewithey) February 25, 2022
Humpback whales have threatened status removed
Humpback whales have been removed from Australia’s threatened species list.
The minister for the environment, Sussan Ley, said that while international protections remained firmly in place to prevent any form of whale hunting, the strength of the humpback whale population meant that the independent threatened species scientific committee no longer regarded them as endangered or vulnerable.
“This is not about removing safeguards for humpbacks, which are still a protected migratory species, but it is a recognition of the success of the outstanding conservation efforts that are in place,” Ley said.
“At the height of the global whaling industry there were as few as 1500 Humpback whales in Australian waters, today that population is believed to be as many as 40,000 individuals and growing.”
Updated
Marise Payne to meet with Chinese ambassador
The foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, says she will meet “in due course” with the new Chinese ambassador to Australia.
Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between China and Australia, Scott Morrison yesterday played down the significance of a gesture from the new ambassador, Xiao Qian, who said on Thursday the two countries should “meet each other halfway” and “look into the future”.
At the press conference in Sydney this morning, Payne was asked how she viewed this statement from the new ambassador, and whether she would meet with him.
I will meet the ambassador in due course.
The timing of this meeting is unclear, but pressed on whether she viewed the olive branch as significant, Payne said:
I will meet with him and we’ll have discussions.
Updated
From AAP:
Australian businesses, researchers and investors are being urged to “turn their best innovative minds” to helping an electric car company produce the world’s first truly climate-neutral vehicle.
Swedish automaker Polestar has kicked off a program that aims to launch production by 2030.
Called the Polestar 0 Project, it seeks to eliminate emissions from the entire supply chain including manufacturing, logistics and support functions rather than just planting trees to offset CO2 emissions.
“We are not just about changing the cars we drive, we are about changing the way vehicles are made,” says Polestar Australia Managing Director Samantha Johnson.
“Vehicles are not produced sustainably today but by addressing the challenge of climate change through the supply chain we can be part of the solution.”
Ms Johnson says Polestar is looking to Australia to help accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility.
Reporter: What would sanctions against Vladimir Putin actually look like?
Payne:
That is a matter we’ll now discuss with our counterparts. Every country is a different sanctions regime.
They manifest differently, they are constructed differently. We’ll determine what steps the US, the UK and Canada are taking specifically in their own systems and seek advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on that.
Reporter: How concerned are [you] that the Russian offensive will extend beyond Ukraine?
Payne:
Of course, there are concerns about the aberrant Russian aggression that we are seeing. But I think the point I made earlier about the unity of purpose that we are seeing amongst like-minded at this point in time is extremely important, whether that is through the European Union, through the G7, in conjunction with partners from Australia to New Zealand to Korea to Japan, those.
That unity is absolutely essential to deliver the hardest and strongest message that we can.
Updated
Reporter: It’s been reported that India is exploring ways to soften the blow of western sanctions and has stopped short of outright condemnation of Russia. Are you concerned about India’s stance? Would you encourage them to take a stronger stance?
Payne:
Every country will make its own decisions about how it deals with these issues.
It is, however, Australia’s clear view that we should call out illegal war and coercion and aggression for what they are.
I note Prime Minister Modi has advised he appealed to President Putin for an immediate cessation of violence but it is crystal clear that these actions are the responsibility of the Russian government and the Russian president and them alone.
Updated
Payne says expulsion of Russian diplomats 'a live option'
Reporter: Will Australia be expelling Russian diplomats?
I’ve said on a number of occasions that the option of expelling diplomats remains a live option. It is not something that we are considering currently.
It enables us to have a direct line of communication with the Russian government. We did call in the ambassador to meet with the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to make absolutely clear our views.
Updated
Reporter: Do you have an accurate update about the death toll and some of the humanitarian costs happening in Ukraine at the moment? Are you able to outline how much we’ve spent?
Payne:
We will be working with Nato to provide non-lethal in military equipment and medical supplies that will support the people of Ukraine.
That is in response to the request from the Ukrainian foreign minister which he raised with me and which has been reiterated in a call between the prime ministers.
We will determine the costs as and when that is settled.
Updated
Marise Payne says sanctions will target eight Russian oligarchs
Reporter: What will these sanctions actually achieve?
Payne:
This third tranche is about the targeting, as I said, eight oligarchs, people of key economic and strategic significance. And sanctioning 339 members of the Duma, which is the Russian parliament.
That is being done in close consultation with partners in the US, the UK and Canada. I can list the oligarchs themselves.
These are senior figures in mainly state-owned banks and companies and they are all very close to the president. They have influence over decisions and they have amassed great wealth through their positions of power.
Updated
She says Australia is also looking to support Ukraine and its people.
Overnight, the emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, briefed UN members on the humanitarian situation and that meeting finished a few hours ago.
The humanitarian situation is serious and it is likely to escalate. The UN says that because of the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine, it remains extremely difficult to assess and determine the numbers of people in need and of course those assessment efforts continue to be impacted by the difficult security situation.
But we will be ready to provide humanitarian assistance as the situation in Ukraine and in surrounding countries becomes clearer. We have, as you would be aware, committed cyber assistance and the provision of non-lethal military equipment through Nato.
Updated
Payne says Australia will look to sanction Putin.
And also sanctions on 339 members of the Russian Duma, who are the political facilitators of this action. We will today take steps to sanction key figures in the Belarusian government who are allied with Russia and who are abetting the invasion.
The next immediate priority is to continue sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and on Russia’s defence industry.
We’ve seen overnight announcements by the UK, the EU and this morning by Canada that they will sanction Vladimir Putin himself and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, given the gravity of what they are doing and their key roles.
I am seeking advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and trade to enable Australia to take similar steps.
It is an exceptional step to sanction leaders but this is an exceptional situation. We need to be absolutely clear – Vladimir Putin has unparalleled personal power over his country and he has chosen to go to war against a neighbour that posed no threat to Russia because he wants to reverse history and take away the freedom and the democracy that the Ukrainian people chose for themselves.
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Payne is announcing new sanctions:
I can announce some additional measures as part of the next round of Australian sanctions today.
Last night, Minister Birmingham as acting foreign minister signed the necessary instruments to put financial sanctions on eight Russian oligarchs who are close to President Putin and who deserve to bear the economic punishment and cost for Russia’s destructive behaviour.
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Marise Payne gives press conference on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Foreign affairs minister Marise Payne is talking now about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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NSW records 11 Covid deaths
NSW has lost recorded 11 Covid-related deaths. There are 1,130 people in hospital and 59 are in ICU.
COVID-19 update – Saturday 26 February 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) February 25, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 95.8% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 94.3% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/KEXsyhozfI
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Victoria records 15 Covid-related deaths
Victoria has recorded 15 Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours.
There are 281 people in hospital, 43 are in ICU and five are ventilated.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 25, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/vRiQS2WpMj
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Leach says people are ignoring warnings to not drive through floodwaters.
Unfortunately, not. We keep saying,” If it’s flooded forget it.” Please don’t drive through. You don’t know how deep it is, how swift it is, you don’t know what’s underneath those waters.
We’ve had over 80 rescues of people. Our message is really clear: Please don’t drive through floodwaters. Back it up, find an alternate route.
Leach says they have had 1800 requests for assistance and the SES have performed nearly 80 recuses since the floods started.
For us it is anywhere south of Hervey Bay through to the Gold Coast and west to Toowoomba, south of South East Queensland is completely saturated and there is no signs of this system letting up any time soon.
We’ve just responded in the last hour to Noosa- we put out an emergency alert - a very big thunderstorm (is passing) over the Noosa area and we are now responding to requests for assistance up there. But we are still busy in the Lockyer Valley, Ipswich, northern Brisbane suburbs but it could happen anywhere.
We are keeping an eye on the river system in Gympie which is sitting at 21 metres in high at the moment.
So very, very dangerous conditions across South East Queensland.
Queensland fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Greg Leach is on the ABC right now.
He said one of the lives lost in the QLD floods was an SES volunteer.
That’s the news that an organisation never wants to hear. Weare reaching out to family andfriends and loved ones to providesupport, as we are to our whole SESo rganisation who will feel this lossacutely, as well as others in thecommunity as well.
This is a very intense and dangerous weather system sitting over South East Queensland at the moment. There is no sign of it easing up. We have saturated catchments, river levels are rising.
We’ve got flash flooding and so our message to people is if you don’t need to be out and about this weekend, please stay home.
From AAP:
A family has been rescued by helicopter after their home was surrounded by floodwaters, as further warnings are issued in Queensland and severe thunderstorms forecast for NSW.
The family of five and their dog were retrieved southwest of Gympie after being cut off by rising waters in both directions on Friday afternoon.
The group guided Sunshine Coast RACQ LifeFlight Rescue crews using co-ordinates and were plucked to safety about 1.45pm.
Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said on Friday his officers conitnued to deal with “literally hundreds of jobs”.
“The best thing our community can do to help us is to not go out in the weather and to stay where it is safe,” he urged.
Southeast Queensland residents are facing intense rain and life-threatening flash floods as one of the most severe weather systems in a decade pummels the region.
The BOM issued a severe weather alert on Friday evening which took in the Sunshine Coast, Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba.
Emergency alerts were also issued Saturday morning for areas on the Sunshine Coast due to flash flooding.
Hundreds of millimetres of rain have fallen on the state’s southeast corner since 9am Friday.
Australian athletics great John Landy dies
From AAP:
Australia is mourning one of its greatest sportsmen, John Landy, who has died at the age of 91.
The middle distance legend, the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier, died at his home in Castlemaine, Victoria, on Thursday surrounded by his family after a long battle with Parkinson’s .
Landy was responsible for one of the most selfless Australian sporting moments of the 20th century.
Running in the Australian Mile Championship in 1956, Landy was in a winning position when fellow athlete Ron Clarke tripped and fell in front of him with about a lap and a half to go. Landy leapt over Clarke and then turned back to help his rival to his feet, a gesture that cost him valuable seconds and around 50m.
After checking on Clarke, he got going again, circled the field and won a race that assured him a place in the Australian Olympic team.
A statue depicting the incident was erected 50 years later outside Melbourne’s Olympic Park and, in 1999, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame declared Landy responsible for the nation’s “Finest Sporting Moment of the Century”.
Landy ran at the 1956 Melbourne Games, finishing third behind the Irishman Ron Delany.
In 2001 he became the 26th Governor of Victoria, serving for five years.
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When the Ha’atafu beach resort was levelled by the tsunami that hit Tonga last month, it was the third time that the family-run business had been completely destroyed by a natural disaster, writes Taina Kami Enoka.
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Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, is expected to hold a press conference in the next hour. We will bring you that when she is up.
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne is holding a press conference in the next hour - it's expected she'll announce Australia will join the US, UK and EU in directly sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov @abcnews #auspol
— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) February 25, 2022
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From AAP:
Australia’s typical craft beer drinker is a bearded bloke in his 30s happy to spend $50 a week on his favourite brew – usually pale ale in a can – and likely to order it online.
At the same time nearly 80% of men overall are fond of a craft drop compared with 21% of women, and most have been in the habit of sampling microbrewery suds for at least three to five years.
The findings, contained in a comprehensive report by financial broker Savvy, also point to Australians consuming less beer in general but more often reaching for a craft product.
The industry in Australia has gone from strength to strength over the past two years, with 17.7% growth in revenue, a 14.1 % sales share and brewers often producing up to 100,000 litres a year.
At the retail level, 39 % of craft beer drinkers spend $30-50 a week and a third fork out up to $100.
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Just after 4pm Friday, the federal government issued a report to media – embargoed until today – to mark successes in aged care achieved one year since the final report of the royal commission into aged care quality and safety was delivered.
It comes as the aged care system is in shambles, with the prime minister, Scott Morrison, acknowledging earlier this month the system is in “crisis” before correcting himself to describe it as “a situation”.
The government says the report, which outlines the recommendations that have been actioned since the royal commission delivered its final report, shows “significant reform” has been achieved “across the five pillars of its five-year plan to deliver respect, care and dignity for every senior Australian”.
The minister for health and aged care, Greg Hunt, and the minister for senior Australians and aged care services, Richard Colbeck, said the reforms implemented include making aged care services easier to navigate through in-person help at Services Australia centres, local care finders, a regional network pilot, and a program to better connect culturally and linguistically diverse seniors, families and carers.
More than 33,000 extra training places have been created for people who want to work in aged care, and 191 registered nurses have joined the new Aged Care Transition to Practice Program, a press release from the ministers said.
Hunt said:
We responded to the recommendations and are now implementing this once-in-a-generation reform that puts senior Australians first.
The report and press release come as aged care staff and nurses have been protesting against dangerous staff shortages, underpayment and a lack of personal protective equipment – issues that persist more than two years after the Covid-19 pandemic began and despite numerous inquiries into the aged care sector.
Earlier this month, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation federal secretary, Annie Butler, addressed protesters in Canberra and said nurses were “fed up with this government for abandoning aged care workers and residents”.
Defence force personnel were deployed earlier in February to help with the staffing crisis, which was leading to senior Australians being left without adequate care.
Aged care researcher Dr Sarah Russell, who has entered the race to replace Hunt in the seat of Flinders, said she was baffled by the press release and report:
The government chose to spend four days debating the Religious Discrimination Bill in parliament last week rather than the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021. This was shameful.
When the government released the royal commission report, Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt made announcements with bells and whistles. However, the federal government response to the royal commission has been similar to all the other inquiries, reviews and taskforces over the past decade. Once again, they have failed to implement the recommendations.
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Two dead in Queensland floodwaters
Good morning, this is Cait Kelly and I will be spending this Saturday with you, bringing you the Australian news for the day.
Two people have died in Queensland floodwaters as residents in the state’s south-east face intense rain and life-threatening flash floods as one of the most severe weather systems in decades pummel the region.
A man’s body was retrieved from floodwaters on Gladys Street in Stones Corner in inner Brisbane while an SES volunteer has died responding to a call for help in Coolana, north-west of Ipswich. The volunteer died after a vehicle carrying four SES personnel was swept off the road. The other three were rescued.
Another man died after his vehicle was lost in floodwaters on the New South Wales Central Coast on Friday.
On Friday night, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather alert for the state’s south-east, including the Sunshine Coast, Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba. Many of the catchments were “saturated” with an “increased risk of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides” as intense rainfall remained possible.
A major flood warning is in place for residents of Gympie, with the BOM warning the Mary River may exceed its February 1999 peak. The river peaked at just under 22m during that event 23 years ago, and further heavy rainfall is forecast, after the catchment area reported more than 300mm in the last 24 hours.
All eyes are on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, announcing a new round of sanctions against “Russian oligarchs”.
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, also said the Australian economy and federal budget would be impacted by the invasion.
Frydenberg is deep in preparations for the budget to be delivered on 29 March, ahead of a likely May federal election. Economic forecasts produced for December’s mid-year budget update, including unemployment and growth, will be recast in the budget.
Frydenberg said the fighting in the Ukraine presented a “significant headwind for the global recovery”, coming as nations sought to emerge from the two-year shock of the Covid pandemic.
We will also bring you all the latest Covid news.
Let’s get cracking.
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