What we learned: Monday 6 January
Many thanks for joining me on today’s blog – we’ll leave things here for today. This is what made the news:
The federal government announced a $7.2bn funding injection for the Bruce Highway in Queensland – which will fund about 80% of the upgrades needed to make the 1,600km stretch safer.
Etihad flight EY461 travelling from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi had to abort its take-off amid “technical reasons”. Melbourne airport temporarily operated with just one runway as the plane was repaired.
Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, was spotted with One Nation’s Pauline Hanson at a restaurant in Thailand.
The prime minister Anthony Albanese said there was “no tolerance for antisemitism in Australia” amid reports of antisemitic graffiti in Sydney’s east.
After three weeks, the bushfire in the Grampians national park has officially been contained. More than 76,000 hectares has been burnt.
The search for Hadi Nazari, 23, entered its 12th day after he went missing in the Kosciuszko national park on Boxing Day.
Northern Territory loses appeal against requirement to provide safe drinking water
The Northern Territory government has lost its bid to overturn a landmark court ruling which found it was legally required to provide safe drinking water to its tenants in remote Aboriginal communities.
The decision is the latest development in a five-year legal stoush between the NT government and residents of Laramba, an Aboriginal community 205km north-west of Alice Springs, who took the government to court over elevated levels of uranium in their drinking water.
The case hinged on whether a landlord’s obligation to ensure a tenant’s home was “habitable” extended to external factors such as the provision of running water.
The NT government had sought to appeal a 2023 verdict in which the NT supreme court ruled in favour of the residents, setting a precedent that could open the door for compensation for similarly affected communities.
Last month, the NT court of appeal upheld that decision, agreeing that the quality of drinking water supplied to the homes was “an issue of habitability”. The judges said in their ruling:
If the uranium levels in the water supplied to the premises posed an actual and appreciable risk to the health and/or safety of the tenants in their ordinary residential day to day use of the premises, then those premises would not be habitable.
Lawyers for the residents say they intend to seek compensation in the NT civil and administrative tribunal.
Updated
Skull found in national park could belong to child and be deliberately placed: police
A skull found in Springbrook national park on the Gold Coast may belong to a child and appears to have been deliberately placed.
As AAP reports, police are investigating after a bushwalker made the gruesome discovery about 10m off a track in the park on Friday morning. Police say the skull is small and may belong to a child or a person of light build and a crime scene has been declared.
“Initial suggestions are that the skull has been placed there,” the chief superintendent Craig Hanlon said today, adding that further examinations, including DNA and carbon dating, could take months.
Forensic pathologists and the Queensland police service’s bone expert are examining the skull. There is no evidence of a recent death or foul play in the area. Hanlon said:
The skull looks like it has been in the conditions for a long time ... it wasn’t submerged or buried; it was lying on the ground.
Springbrook national park is a popular tourist destination known for its lush rainforest and scenic hiking trails. Police are probing how the skull came to be in the park, with investigators exploring possibilities ranging from it being a misplaced museum artefact to a prank.
No other bones or evidence of criminal activity have been found in the area after a thorough search involving about 100 State Emergency Service volunteers.
Updated
Teenager in serious condition after alleged train surfing
A teenager has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after allegedly riding on the outside of a train in western Sydney and falling.
Emergency services were called to the rail corridor between Seven Hills and Blacktown train stations about 10am. NSW police officers were told a 14-year-old boy had allegedly been riding on the outside of a train, before falling.
He was treated by paramedics for serious arm and torso injuries and taken to the children’s hospital in Westmead in a serious condition.
Police are investigating the incident, it said in a statement.
Updated
Spender ‘absolutely appalled’ by antisemitic graffiti in Sydney’s east
The MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, says she is “absolutely appalled” by reports of “yet another antisemitic attack on our community”.
Images supplied to News Corp show graffiti on a car in Sydney’s eastern suburbs reading “fuck the Jews”.
In a post to X, Spender said:
Antisemitic hate has no place in our society. We will be meeting with the NSW Police shortly to discuss this incident and what more needs to be done to protect Wentworth’s Jewish community.
Earlier, Anthony Albanese said there was “no tolerance for antisemitism in Australia, from my government, nor should there be tolerance from anyone else”.
Updated
Severe storms possible as cool change pushes through NSW
The Bureau of Meteorology has shared a weather update, with severe storms possible in NSW amid a cool change:
Updated
WorkSafe Victoria charges health service over patient’s death
Victoria’s work safety regulator has charged a health service over a patient suicide in a Geelong hospital’s psychiatric unit in 2022.
In a statement, WorkSafe Victoria says Barwon Health faces two charges in breach of the Occupation Health and Safety Act. The regulator alleges the health services failed to ensure that people beyond employees are not exposed to health and safety risks.
The death occurred at the University hospital Geelong.
Barwon Health is due to appear at Geelong magistrates court on Tuesday for a hearing.
Updated
‘It’s bullshit’: Crowe denies wanting out of Souths
Russell Crowe has described suggestions he is looking to sell out of NRL club South Sydney as “bullshit”, AAP reports.
Reports emerged today the Hollywood actor was in the market to sell his 25% stake in the Rabbitohs, which he bought with businessman Peter Holmes à Court for $3m in 2006.
But in a statement provided to AAP, Crowe advised journalists to make the most of the Australian weather rather than concern themselves with his business dealings:
Just tell them all it’s bullshit, and advise them to enjoy the summer sun.
The Rabbitohs declined to comment publicly when contacted by AAP.
South Sydney finished the 2006 season in last place after Crowe and Holmes à Court bought the team early that year, but returned to finals in 2007 for the first time since 1989.
Holmes à Court sold his share in 2014, the same year Souths notched a fairytale grand-final victory over Canterbury. It marked the Rabbitohs’ first premiership since 1971.
Today, Crowe owns a 25% stake in the Rabbitohs, with James Packer, tech mogul Mike Cannon-Brookes and Souths members each owning a quarter.
Updated
Grampians national park fire contained after 21 days
After three weeks, the bushfire in the Grampians national park is officially contained.
It began on 17 December after dry lightning started multiple fires in the southern part of the park. With a circumference of 422km, more than 76,000 hectares has burned. The fire claimed four homes in Moyston and Mafeking, and 40 outbuildings in surrounding suburbs.
A statement from the State Control Centre said preliminary data shows livestock losses at 775 sheep, one horse, one head of beef cattle and 1,285 beehives. More than 13,538 hectares of farmland, including 10,053 hectares of pasture, was burnt, and 540km of fencing was damaged.
There is no active or running fire now it is contained, and the perimeter is within control lines. Halls Gap and the Grampians national park remain closed to visitors.
Incident controller Peter West said the fire represents “a significant environmental and social incident and one that deeply affects people connected to the national park, including traditional owners, tourism operators and visitors.”
Coinciding with what is typically the busiest season for tourism in the area, the fire has resulted in considerable hardships and financial losses for local businesses and communities.
Declaring the fire contained allows us to begin the process of reopening Halls Gap and areas of the national park.
Firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol the fire; this could still take a number of weeks. It is likely we will still see smoke and small flare-ups in the area, but we will continue to be present to deal with these when and as they arise.
Updated
Albanese accuses reporter of reading out question from LNP
The prime minister also accused a reporter of reading out a question sent from the LNP.
At the press conference in Brisbane earlier, a reporter asked whether Labor’s slogan “build back better” was pinched from US president Joe Biden.
Albanese said Labor wasn’t using that slogan, but is using “building Australia’s future”.
It is our slogan, if you like. It’s been there. We’ve done a launch in Adelaide, and then another launch here in Brisbane, where we launched our childcare policy. So I’m not sure which LNP member has sent you that question to ask, but they should pay attention, and you should be cautious about just reading out things that are sent from the LNP government.
Updated
PM responds to reports of antisemitic graffiti in Sydney’s east
Anthony Albanese was asked about reports of an antisemitic incident in Sydney’s eastern suburbs overnight.
Responding to this, the PM said there is “no tolerance for antisemitism in Australia, from my government, nor should there be tolerance from anyone else”.
Antisemitism is a scourge, and any event such as this targeting people, who they are, is not the Australian values that I hold dear, and the Australian values that are held dear overwhelmingly by Australians.
Images supplied to News Corp show graffiti on a car reading “fuck the Jews”.
Updated
Albanese takes questions from reporters in Queensland
Let’s circle back to Anthony Albanese’s press conference in Queensland, where he has been taking questions from reporters.
Asked if Labor has failed to convince Queensland voters that it has something to offer outside its comfortable seats, the PM said the party’s vote went forward “across just about every seat of this entire state at the 2022 election, compared to where we were [in] 2019.”
On working with state premiers across the country, Albanese said:
I don’t regard premiers as being either Labor or LNP, I regard the Queensland premier as representing the state of Queensland, and I will cooperate with people across the political spectrum, just as I cooperated with Dom Perrottet when he was the minister [sic] for NSW, when we implemented coal and gas price controls, in spite of the opposition of Peter Dutton and his team.
Updated
Gina Rinehart and Pauline Hanson spotted dining together overseas
Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, has been spotted with One Nation’s Pauline Hanson at a restaurant in Thailand.
A video uploaded to TikTok by user Akira Zay appears to show the pair dining with another unidentified woman. It was posted with the caption:
When you’re in Thailand and you spot these two while having a nice lunch.
Guardian Australia has tried to contact the pair to find out what was on the agenda and the menu, with no luck so far.
It’s been a busy time for Rinehart, who has partied with the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, and the US president-elect, Donald Trump, and helped make her own portrait world famous.
Hanson had a typically tumultuous 2024, winning an apology from independent senator Lidia Thorpe (who mistakenly described her as a convicted racist), and losing a bid to pay less to Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi over Faruqi’s successful racial discrimination case. Hanson had tweeted at Faruqi to pack her bags and “piss off back to Pakistan”.
Updated
King says investment will bring Bruce Highway up to three-star rating
The infrastructure and transport minister, Catherine King, is also speaking to the media, and said the announcement would “change lives [and] it will save lives”.
Tragically, we saw two people lose their lives not that far from here at the start of this year. Enough is enough. We want to get this road fixed once and for all.
This investment will get this road up to three stars, and what that actually means is you will see more overtaking lanes, you will see a larger central divider, you will see barriers to prevent traffic crossing over lanes, and you will also see straightening out of some of the more dangerous sections and resealing, as well.
This will make a significant difference to road safety but also for productivity, [for] the many trucks that carry freight along the spine of this road.
Updated
Bruce Highway funding ‘will save lives’, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese is making an election pitch to voters amid the announcement, saying that the 2025 election will be “a clear choice [between] Labor building Australia’s future, or a Coalition determined to return Australia backwards and costing more under Peter Dutton”.
Someone said to me, ‘Why you are making the first announcement of this year in the electorate of White Bay? It’s not a target seat.’
That’s because I’m determined to represent all Australians regardless of where they live.
The PM said the Bruce Highway is 42% longer than the Pacific Highway and services 62% of Queenslanders.
That is why the figures are quite horrific. Forty-one fatalities on the Bruce Highway in 2024. There’s been two fatalities already in an accident, already this year.
He said today’s announcement of $7.2bn of additional funding for the highway “will save lives”.
Updated
Albanese addresses media in Queensland
Anthony Albanese is speaking to reporters in Queensland, detailing a $7.2bn funding injection for the Bruce Highway that was announced earlier this morning.
As Dan Jervis-Bardy reports, the prime minister will be travelling to electorates across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia to signal the unofficial start of the election campaign.
Albanese introduced paramedic Wayne Sachs, who first approached the government in 2009 to discuss fatalities on the Bruce Highway. Speaking just now, Sachs said:
This announcement today for what they are intending to do throughout all of Queensland, I just cannot really … I’m not sure [what] the proper word [is], but what they are doing by doing this is actually just amazing, just incredible, because they will be saving literally thousands of lives for what they are doing.
It’s a lot of money but [it’s] worth it – you can’t put a price on lives, of course.
Updated
Allan holds press conference with Werribee Labor candidate
The premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference in Werribee today with the party’s candidate for the seat, John Lister, a local teacher. In a new attack line, she accused the Liberal party of threatening to cut services in the area.
Allan told reporters at Werribee swimming pool:
John used to swim here at this pool as a kid … and is back regularly in his role as a teacher with the school swimming program. As a teacher, as a local CFA volunteer, John is a strong local candidate, who will make a good, strong local Labor member of parliament for this community …
He knows the investments this community needs. He also knows what cuts would do in terms of damaging a community like this one here in Werribee. That’s what the new Liberal leader has already flagged – he’s flagged plans for cuts. With John Lister, we’re going to stand against those cuts and stand for continuing to invest in the Werribee community.
Updated
Date set for Werribee byelection
The byelection for the Victorian seat of Werribee, vacated by the state treasurer Tim Pallas, will be held on 8 February.
The speaker, Maree Edwards, has confirmed Pallas, who quit politics late last year, formally resigned today. She has set the byelection for 8 February, which will coincide with another poll in the inner Melbourne seat of Prahran, vacated by former Greens MP Sam Hibbins.
Labor currently holds Werribee by a 9.2% margin but is expecting a closer result at the byelection due to the loss of Pallas, a long-serving MP, and voters’ concerns around the cost of living, state debt and growing pains in the outer western electorate.
But the party will probably be buoyed by the fact that the two elections will be held on the same day, as it will force the Liberals to split its resources. The Liberals are yet to select a candidate for Werribee but has chosen Rachel Westaway, a South Yarra businesswoman, to run in Prahran against the Greens’ Angelica Di Camillo, an environmental engineer.
Former Labor MP Tony Lupton is running as an independent after his former party decided not to field a candidate. On Sunday, he called for the two other candidates to join him in a debate.
Updated
Police appeal for information after suspicious death of man in NSW
NSW police are appealing for information after the suspicious death of a 60-year-old man in the state’s south last month.
On 9 December police were called to a fire trail on a rural property at North Nowra, near a gas pipeline clearing, after reports a man was found unconscious.
Paramedics also responded but the man, who suffered serious head injuries, died at the scene.
A crime scene, and Strike Force Bursteed, was established. Police are appealing for a woman who was seen in the area at the time, who may be able to assist with their inquiries, to come forward.
Anyone with information, or dashcam footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Updated
Cool change and rain bring relief as fires burn
A cool change and rain have brought welcome relief for emergency crews fighting a bushfire that has been burning for weeks, AAP reports.
After a three-day heatwave that sent the mercury above 40C in parts of Victoria, scattered showers were expected throughout today.
Some of those showers dumped 10mm of rain on the Grampians fireground by 9am, with as much as 25mm predicted. A State Control Centre spokesperson said “every little bit helps”.
She said the good news was that over the weekend, despite extreme fire danger predictions, the fire at Halls Gap stayed within containment lines.
A moderate risk-of-fire rating remains in place after days of extreme and high fire danger. Residents near the 2.7 kilometre Moliagul fire were today advised smoke would be visible.
Updated
Millions of Australians in Christmas debt: Finder
A survey by comparison site Finder found that millions of Australians have landed themselves in Christmas debt.
The survey of 1,010 people found 8% had an average debt of $1,634 these holidays. Almost half will take up to five months to pay it back, the survey found, while 15% will need more than a year.
It found 11% of Gen X are going into Christmas debt, compared to just 6% of baby boomers.
Finder said a credit card debt of $1,643 on an average purchase rate of 20% could cost hundreds of dollars in interest alone over the course of a year.
Updated
Life Saving Victoria attends nearly 200 rescues across weekend
Across the weekend from Friday to Sunday, Life Saving Victoria attended a total of nearly 200 rescues.
Director Kane Treloar spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning, and said there had tragically been two drownings:
Tragically, two people drowned on Friday. A young boy out in eastern Victoria out in the rivers, and a gentleman down at Rye on Friday. There was a further event on Friday, but that appears to have been a medical episode.
On Saturday, there was also a “significant” incident involving a jetski collision, he said, with crews pulling two children from the water and providing first aid. They were later taken to hospital by ambulance.
Updated
Australians nominated for major awards at Golden Globes
The Golden Globes are kicking off in Hollywood today, with a number of Australians up for major awards:
Nicole Kidman is nominated for best female actor in a film (drama) for Babygirl.
Guy Pearce is nominated for best male actor in a support role in a film for The Brutalist.
Cate Blanchett is nominated for best female actor in a television limited series, for Disclaimer.
In the same category, Naomi Watts is nominated for Feud: Capote vs the Swans.
Memoir of a Snail, by Australian stop-motion film-maker Adam Elliott, is up for best animated film.
You can read the full list of nominations below, before the awards ceremony begins at 12pm AEDT.
Updated
National weather outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology
Here’s a look at the forecast across Australia’s capital cities today – with the hot conditions continuing across much of the country.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Perth is expected to reach a top of 38C, while Darwin has a forecast top of 34C. Canberra could reach 33C, Sydney 32C, and Brisbane 29C.
Melbourne has a milder forecast of 21C, as well as Adelaide (24C) and Hobart (20C).
Here's today's forecast around Australia.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 5, 2025
For the latest forecasts and warnings, visit https://t.co/jlOoTZL1iF or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/YE4HxoHsXL
Lambie says Tasmanian voters ‘50-50’ on Albanese and Dutton
Jacqui Lambie was asked about a poll conducted by the Nine papers which found she was the nation’s most likable federal politician.
Asked about the results, Lambie told ABC News Breakfast “I just go out there and do the job”, giving the following advice to others:
I think everybody goes in with good intentions and unfortunately when you belong to the major parties, you’ve got to toe the line and they start to lose their authenticity a little bit. I think from me, be yourself, learn from the job and deliver more and more.
Lambie was also asked how both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton were resonating with voters in Tasmania. She said there was a lot happening on a state level with the Liberals, which is “probably not helpful” for the party at a federal level.
I don’t think the state Libs are performing as well as what they should be, and I’m not talking about the premier, I’m talking about his ministers down here. So I think that’s starting to hurt them a little bit … On the ground down here it is about 50/50, I would say.
Updated
Lambie says Albanese decision to campaign over holidays ‘bizarre’
Senator Jacqui Lambie has questioned whether Anthony Albanese would call an early election, amid his pre-election campaign blitz across multiple states this week.
Speaking on the Today Show earlier this morning, she said it was “extremely early” in the year for him to be out and about.
Most people don’t want to see a politician over this … three weeks, you know, from about the 20th probably to about the 10th or 15th of January. So to be out there and campaigning now, I just I don’t know whether that will just annoy the people more or what …
Going out this early straight after Christmas, this would have to be a first, I reckon. This is phenomenal. So anybody would have to say that he’s going to call an election in late February or early March, surely.
Lambie also spoke with ABC News Breakfast, where she called the move “bizarre”.
You never see anybody running around campaigns during the Christmas period. This is really bizarre, so I’m not sure how that is going to go down with Australians. But quite frankly, the worst time to do it is the three weeks over the Christmas period. They just don’t like it very much.
Updated
Runway reopens at Melbourne airport
A Melbourne airport spokesperson has just confirmed runway inspections are complete, and the runway has reopened for operations this morning.
The Etihad aircraft has been safely towed from the runway at Melbourne Airport. Runway inspections have been completed and the runway has been reopened for operations this morning.
Updated
Melbourne airport operating with just one runway amid aborted take-off
Continuing from our last post: AAP reports that Melbourne airport is operating with just one runway as work continues to repair the plane damaged during the aborted take-off.
Etihad flight EY461 bound for Abu Dhabi with just under 300 people on board had to abort its departure on Sunday “for technical reasons”. It reportedly slammed on the emergency brakes just moments before taking to the air at 6.15pm.
The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service was called and deployed firefighting foam as a precaution, a Melbourne airport statement said. Due to the damage to the aircraft’s tyres, the plane remained on the runway this morning, with repairs currently under way.
It means Melbourne airport is only operating with one runway which will be used for all arrivals and departures – on the day many Australians return to work after the festive period. A spokesperson said:
While there have been no cancellations at this stage, there have been disruptions to some flights. Some flights have departed with less fuel and will need to refuel on the way to their final destination.
Updated
Plane travelling from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi aborts take-off
An Etihad plane travelling from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi had to abort its take-off amid “technical reasons”, with emergency crews attending as a precaution.
In a post to X overnight, Etihad Airways said:
Our flight EY461 from Melbourne has been delayed, following a rejected take-off. The flight crew decided to reject the take-off for technical reasons and emergency services attended as a precaution. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remains our highest priority.
A video was posted to Reddit, appearing to show firefighters spraying the engines of the plane at the end of the runway. One Reddit user who said they were on board the flight wrote:
The first thing the captain said to us after we stopped was that we experienced “engine [exceedance]” on the right side, and that the fire trucks were coming because the brakes were very hot … He later said two tyres were flat. We got towed for a short bit before we had to stop as the flat tyres were damaging the runway.
We have contacted Etihad and Melbourne airport for more information, and will update once we hear back.
Updated
Thieves take Barbie doll collection worth $15,000
More than 150 Barbie dolls worth more than $15,000 have been stolen from their dream home, AAP reports, alongside Elvis collectibles and a Jack Daniel’s esky.
That dream home, in the Victorian country town of Tatura, near Shepparton, was broken into in early December while the owners were away on holidays.
The iconic dolls, still in their original packaging, took their owner 12 years to collect and are estimated to be worth in excess of $15,000. Many of the stolen dolls, released between 1970 and 2017, are extremely rare.
It’s believed the thieves could attempt to sell the vintage dolls online, and police have asked the public to keep an eye out for them, saying in a statement:
Just the slightest bit of information might be Kenough to track down the missing dolls.
Updated
Albanese to travel country this week, gearing up for election year
The ABC News Breakfast host noted that prime minister Anthony Albanese will head off on a multi-state blitz today, gearing up for the election later this year. Is this pork-barrelling in a state where Labor needs to win votes?
Catherine King said the government had “significantly” reformed infrastructure investment, engaging with Infrastructure Australia in the decision-making process for commonwealth investments.
We’ve actually worked really hard to make sure that we aren’t actually making decisions about where infrastructure is needed based on, frankly, what the previous government did on the colour of the seats that it would go through.
She said the focus was on “where do we need to lift productivity in the nation, [and] where do we need to look at things such as road safety, liveability and sustainability.”
If you look up and down that [Bruce Highway] corridor, there are not a lot of seats that Labor holds or is expecting to hold along that corridor. We are investing in Queensland, we’re investing in the productivity of the entire state, and this project, this investment really will improve road safety for all of those communities alongs highway.
Updated
Why is the federal government funding 80% of Bruce Highway upgrades?
Asked by the ABC News Breakfast host why the federal government is funding 80% of the upgrades for the Bruce Highway – rather than asking the state government to take on more of this – Catherine King said both the current and previous state government argued the road is the “only major freight route through Queensland”.
It has seen increasing traffic volumes, and in order to get this done, it needs the commonwealth to step in as part of the National Land Transport Act, the National Highway, to really partner significantly to get this road up to three stars.
It will require contribution from the Queensland government and they, of course, will be responsible for contracting, tendering and managing the budget for this, and making sure that it stays on track and stays within the funding envelope that has been offered by the commonwealth.
Updated
Federal government announces $7.2bn funding for Bruce Highway upgrades
The federal government has today announced a $7.2bn funding injection for the Bruce Highway in Queensland – which will fund about 80% of the upgrades needed to make the 1,600km stretch safer.
The transport minister, Catherine King, spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier about the announcement, which is aiming to get the road up to a three-star rating:
At the moment there are sections of this road that remain at one and two-star rating … When you have grade separation, when you have barriers, when you take out some of the dangerous curves, that really does reduce the road safety risk of a road and there are sections of this road – particularly up around the Mackay end – that are still at one star.
And we have seen over 40 people last year [lose] their lives … on the Bruce Highway, and this investment will go to lifting the road safety improvement and productivity of what is the single biggest artery right the way through Queensland.
Updated
Search for missing Kosciuszko hiker to enter 12th day
A search will resume for a missing bushwalker last seen on Boxing Day, AAP reports, after the deployment of specialist search-and-rescue crews, as temperatures climb and a bushfire burns in the area.
Hadi Nazari, 23, has not been seen since about 2.30pm on 26 December when he began descending the Hannels Spur trail in the Kosciuszko national park near Geehi, between Khancoban and Thredbo.
Two friends reported him missing when he did not arrive at the campground where they planned to meet. Rubbish and hiking poles believed to have belonged to Nazari were found on Tuesday but there has been no sighting of him despite the ongoing search efforts.
Specially trained volunteers camped overnight as other experts were winched in by aircraft to search at the weekend, with hot and humid conditions adding to the difficulty of searching the rugged terrain. More than 300 people have been involved in the search operation, NSW police said.
Temperatures reached 37C at Geehi on Sunday afternoon with a milder top of 28C forecast today. A fire in the national park near Hannels Spur was brought under control by Sunday afternoon with an alert area of about 40 hectares.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning, and welcome back to the Australia news live blog – our first for 2025. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage.
A search will today resume for missing bushwalker Hadi Nazari, 23, who was last seen on Boxing Day in the Kosciuszko national park. The search is entering its 12th day, AAP reports, after the deployment of specialist search-and-rescue crews, as temperatures climb and a bushfire burns in the area. We’ll have more on this in a moment.
Meanwhile, winds from the Southern Ocean will bring relief to parts of south-eastern Australia who have sweltered through a three-day heatwave. As Royce Kurmelovs reports, the wind change is expected to draw cold air up through Victoria and bring much-needed relief, including to fire crews working on the fire front in the Grampians.
As always, you can reach out with any questions, feedback or tips via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s get started.
