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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Henry Belot and Emily Wind (earlier)

Qantas calls cash compensation for delayed flights a ‘backwards step’ – as it happened

Australia Cyclone Jasper Queensland Chris Bowen
Qantas plane
Qantas claims forcing airlines to pay passengers cash compensation for delayed and cancelled flights would inflate the costs of air fares instead of reducing flight disruption. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

What we learned today, Thursday 14 December

We will wrap up the blog here this Thursday evening. Here’s what made the news today:

Thanks very much for joining us today. See you tomorrow.

Clive Palmer’s coal-fired power station plan rejected

The Queensland deputy premier (at least for one more day) Steven Miles has formally rejected Clive Palmer’s planned coal-fired power station in central Queensland.

The rejection will probably be Miles’s first act before being elected Labor leader on Friday and becoming premier.

Guardian Australia reported last month that the state environment department had denied to issue an environmental authority for Palmer’s plan for a 1.4GW coal power station, citing climate impacts and rejecting his company’s claims it would be “carbon neutral”.

That rejection was formalised by Miles’s decision on Thursday afternoon.

Clare Silcock, from the Queensland Conservation Council, said the decision “propels Queensland into a cleaner energy future, moving away from the dirty coal fired power stations of the past”:

This coal power station would have burnt 4m tonnes of coal every year beyond 2050. We’re relieved that this rejection keeps that pollution out of our atmosphere, and reduced the climate impacts.

The science is clear: we need to stop building new coal if we want to stop runaway climate change.

Miree Le Roy, a spokesperson for Friends of the Earth, which led opposition to the proposal, said “common sense has prevailed””

Minister Miles has made the right decision - gone are the days of coal, the future is clean renewable energy.

Updated

Tanya Plibersek says nowhere in Gaza safe for civilians

The environment minister has warned that nowhere in Gaza is safe for “innocent Palestinians just trying to keep themselves and their families alive”.

In an interview with Sky News today, Plibersek was asked whether Labor position - which included backing an immediate ceasefire in a UN general assembly vote yesterday - was driven by pushback in inner-city electorates like her seat of Sydney. She hit back at the idea that domestic politics had influenced the position:

From the very beginning, the government has said that Israel absolutely has a right to defend itself, but it has to do that in accordance with international humanitarian law. Now, of course, we recognise that Hamas must immediately release the remaining hostages. We recognise that Hamas is effectively using Palestinians as human shields, that they launch attacks from civilian facilities, from civilian infrastructure. We recognise and we deplore all of those things.

And I really don’t think it is right for anybody in Australia to ignore the magnitude of the humanitarian disaster in Israel and in Gaza and somehow try and relate that to domestic politics. I think that’s in very poor taste indeed.

Plibersek said Hamas’ targeting of civilians “just going about their daily lives” in southern Israel on 7 October was “obscene”, adding:

At the same time, we are now looking at thousands of innocent civilians who’ve lost their lives in Gaza.

People who were told to move to the south of the country for their safety are now losing their lives in the south of the country. More than 60 per cent of buildings have been destroyed, more than 80 per cent of people have been displaced. There is nowhere safe for those people who are not supporters of Hamas, who are innocent Palestinians just trying to keep themselves and their families alive, we need to have the same sort of concern for them.

Every civilian life lost here is a tragedy. We mourn every civilian life here, whether they are Israeli, whether they are Palestinian, and that’s why we support a sustainable ceasefire.

Updated

Treasurers accuse Albanese government of profiting at states’ expense

Treasurers in Australia’s two most-populous states have criticised the Albanese government, claiming cuts in infrastructure and other transfers had buffed up the outlook for the federal budget at the expense of their own.

Daniel Mookhey, New South Wales’ treasurer, unveiled a mid-year budget update for his state on Thursday showing the deficit for the 2023-24 year had ballooned by $1.7bn to $9.6bn since the budget was released three months ago.

Of that larger deficit, about half came from lower projected investment returns, with higher interest rates adding $500m to debt servicing and cuts by the Commonwealth for 17 scrapped or revised infrastructure projects costing $400m this year alone, with an estimated reduction in grant revenue of $3.2bn.

The infrastructure cuts will cost the NSW about $1.6bn over five years to 2027-28, and will affect a range of projects include the new western Sydney airport.

Mookhey made his thoughts clear:

That decision by the federal government punishes communities that made that investment. We expect [them] to return the money that they took off NSW families.

Caution as rising heat risks pressure on energy supply

Households and businesses are being asked to reduce non-essential power as soaring temperatures trigger an increase in energy demand, AAP reports.

Temperatures topped 40C across parts of NSW on Thursday afternoon, which the energy market operator said could put pressure on power supply, particularly during a peak between 5pm and 9pm.

Sydney airport recorded a high of 40.4C just after 4pm, with the city centre a few degrees cooler. Further west, Penrith topped 39.5C, while Sydney Olympic Park reached a high of 39.4C.

Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said electricity supply was not expected to be an issue but the NSW government was considering all measures to help ease pressure on the grid:

This is a precautionary measure, no one needs to turn off their air conditioning if they need it and the most important thing for people to do is to look after themselves in the hot weather.

But we are asking households and businesses to think about what they can defer between five and nine o’clock tonight.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has warned the Kurri Kurri hospital, which is northeast of Cessnock, that it is at risk of an approaching bushfire.

Seek shelter now or as the fire approaches to protect yourself from the fire. It is too late to leave.

According to NSW Health, the hospital is a “52-bed sub-acute facility with 28 rehabilitation beds and 16 day stay surgical places”.

The RFS says three bushfires in Abermain have now joined and are burning south of the hospital, towards Pelaw Main.

You can get all the relevant advice from the RFS here, including this warning:

Seek shelter now or as the fire approaches in a solid structure such as a house. Do not be caught in the open in the path of the fire.

Go inside and protect yourself from the fire front. Actively monitor the situation.

The Bureau of Meteorology has released its long term forecast for January to March. Here are some key points:

  • Rainfall is likely to be below median across much of the north, west, and south of Australia.

  • Maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be above median for most of Australia.

The Bureau says the long-range forecast is influenced by several factors, including the active El Niño and easing positive Indian Ocean Dipole event, and record warm oceans globally.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika’s treatment savaged by legal monitor

Grant Donaldson, the outgoing Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, has delivered his final annual report, which takes aim at the commonwealth’s handling of Abdul Nacer Benbrika’s continuing detention.

Benbrika, an Algerian-born cleric, was convicted of terror offences in 2008 has been detained since 2020 on a continuing detention order (CDOs).

Donaldson said that despite the home affairs department commissioning a report from Emily Corner about the effectiveness of the tool used to assess whether someone is at risk of future terrorist offending it never disclosed the content in hearings for CDOs. Benbrika applied to the Victorian supreme court to have his CDO overturned in part due to this failure.

Donaldson said:

What has happened in the treatment of Mr Benbrika, not only in applications for the CDO but also in his review application, is a disgrace. This disgrace reflects on many who have responsibility for administering this most important part of the Commonwealth Criminal Code.

I hope that following the completion of Mr Benbrika’s s 105A.11 application there will be a thorough review of this shameful episode of Commonwealth maladministration, even if that is all that it was, and a public reporting of its outcome.”

Updated

Qantas has hit out at the operators of airports in Sydney, Canberra and Hobart, publishing a list “airports behaving badly” as the under-fire airline complains of airports having a monopoly.

Airing its grievances in its submission to the government’s aviation green paper process, Qantas said “the tactics employed by airports are intended to require the Qantas Group to accept unreasonable terms to protect its operations and customers”.

Qantas claimed that in 2021, Canberra Airport threatened to have the airline charged with trespass if it continued to use the airport without agreeing to their standard conditions of use – which included the ability for the airport to change its access prices at any time and impound aircraft for late payments.

The airline’s gripe with Hobart airport also relates to negotiations this year in which Qantas complained the airport tried to impose fixed charges on the airline.

Qantas’ frustrations with Sydney airport are broader. It accuses the airport of “unfair terms”, noting its standard conditions of use “include that they are not responsible to pay any losses, even if the airport is closed and they do not provide the promised services”.

It is also upset at Sydney airport buying up fuel storage infrastructure at its airport – previously owned by consortiums represented by major fuel companies – and what it saw as an “immediate and opaque increase in fuel throughput charges”.

Finally, Qantas has repeated its denial it is hoarding slots out of Sydney airport – where larger airlines schedule more services than they intend to operate then strategically cancel those extra flights to block out competitors from launching rival services. Sydney Airport insists the airline continues to misuse its slots, even after facing landmark legal action from the competition watchdog about cancelled flights.

Fossil fuel giant Woodside has criticised a legal case being pursued against it by Greenpeace as “without merit”

Greenpeace alleges that Woodside has been misrepresenting its climate performance and plans. It also claims Woodside said it had cut its climate pollution from extracting and processing its gas and oil by 11% in 2022, but it relied on “carbon offsets” and its actual emissions went up by more than 3%.

In a statement, the company said it would vigorously defend itself:

Woodside believes that Greenpeace’s claims are without merit and intends to vigorously defend the action.

Woodside invests significant time and effort into preparing its public reports, having regard to both its legal obligations and its desire to inform investors and other stakeholders.

gas plant
The Woodside-operated north west shelf Karratha gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Photograph: Krystle Wright/The Guardian

Updated

Richard Marles to consider request for Australian warship in Red Sea ‘in due course’

The defence minister is holding a press conference in Darwin. He been asked about the US request for Australia to send a warship to the Red Sea, amid ongoing attacks on commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia.

Marles says the request will be carefully considered, but he’s not exactly enthusiastic about it.

We will consider this request in due course, but I would note that the focus of our naval efforts right now is on our immediate region.

I want to emphasise the focus of our efforts is on our immediate region and the regional presence deployments that we have been engaged in over the last few months. They have been critically important in terms of asserting Australia’s national interest in freedom of navigation.

Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Hobart.
Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Hobart. Photograph: Jarryd Capper/AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Police have suspended the search for a man who went missing off the NSW far south coast.

On Tuesday afternoon, emergency services responded to reports that a boat had washed ashore at Haywards Beach, near Bermagui.

A search was launched with assistance from surf life savers, the Westpac helicopter team, and the state emergency service.

The 60-year-old man from Victoria was not found and the search was suspended at 1pm on Thursday.

Anyone with information about this incident has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

David Pocock urges more help for Australians to flee Gaza

The ACT independent senator has called on the federal government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to do more to assist Australians who are stuck in Gaza.

The senator issued this statement a short time ago:

I have been approached by Canberran families who have obtained visas for their family members to enter Australia, but are unable to get help to secure their passage across the border so they can travel here.

Australians and those granted Australian visas seem to be disproportionately poorly represented on the daily Rafah Crossing list.

I recognise the efforts of DFAT and the Australian government but also the deep distress of those here in Australia anxiously waiting for their friends and relatives to secure passage to safety.

There is nowhere safe in Gaza now. Every additional day waiting to cross the border is another day they are at risk of death.

I urge our government to redouble its efforts to see more Australian passport and visa holders able to cross the border and come to find safety in Australia.

David Pocock in the Senate chamber
David Pocock in the Senate chamber. The independent senator has urged the government to ‘redouble efforts’ to help Australians in Gaza. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Qantas claims cash compensation for delayed flights a ‘backwards step’

The airline has warned the government that introducing laws that would force airlines to pay passengers cash compensation for delayed and cancelled flights would be a “backwards step” and inflate the costs of air fares instead of reducing flight disruption.

In its submission to the aviation green paper process, Qantas said the proposal based on an existing scheme in the European Union – which has been raised by the Australian Competition Consumer Commission, consumer advocate Choice, various legal and consumer groups as well as independent politicians – “doesn’t address the core drivers of delays and cancellations”:

The Qantas Group considers that the introduction of mandatory compensation would be a backwards step that will do nothing to reduce delays and cancellations, will increase confusion and complaints and materially increase costs, ultimately leading to higher fares and potentially compromising the viability of marginal routes.

Qantas Group – which includes budget carrier Jetstar – cautioned against introducing such a regime, noting “the inflationary impact on fares for what will effectively be mandatory travel insurance for all passengers”.

It also urged the government to consider “the significant implications for low cost carriers and the low fare model” and “the likely negative effect on marginal routes, particularly the impact on services to Australia’s uniquely vast and scattered regional network, where recovery options are more limited”.

You can read more about calls for such a scheme here:

Updated

An emergency fire warning has been issued for the town of Abermain, which is north-east of Cessnock and home to more than 2000 people.

US Senate leader backs Aukus bill

Over in the US Senate, majority leader Chuck Schumer has spoken of the passage of a wide-ranging defence bill that includes Aukus measures (the bill heads to the House next):

We’ll approve President Biden’s trilateral US, UK and Australian nuclear submarine agreement.

The Aukus Agreement is a gamechanger: it will create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s threat and influence in the Pacific.

Chuck Schumer talking into three microphones
US Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer addressing the media on Tuesday. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

Updated

More ADF personnel to assist Ukraine in multinational training program

The number of ADF instructors sent to help train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK will increase from 70 to 90 per rotation over the next 12 months.

More than 30,000 Ukrainians have been trained since June 2022 as part of a training program in the UK.

Along with Australia, the program is supported by Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Romania.

Here’s the defence minister, Richard Marles:

We are proud to expand Australia’s support for Operation Kudu, a mission that cements international solidarity for Ukraine.

Our growing commitment to the multinational training mission affirms our pledge to provide meaningful and relevant support to the government and people of Ukraine.

And here’s the statement from the foreign minister, Penny Wong:

Almost two years since Russia launched its illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Australia remains steadfast in our commitment to shaping a world in which no country dominates, and no country is dominated.

Training members of Ukraine’s Armed forces is an important way that Australia is empowering Ukraine to end the war on its own terms.

Two soldiers talking
A member of the Australian army (R) talks with a Ukrainian soldier as they train in Wiltshire, UK in February. Photograph: Ben Birchall/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Parking meter app contract lacked transparency, value

A contract awarded without a tender to a company to handle payments for NSW parking meters has been slammed as lacking transparency and proof of value for money, AAP reports.

The ParknPay app, initiated by the former state coalition government, was subject to an audit that assessed whether NSW officials followed the law when directly negotiating a contract with the firm Duncan Solutions.

But a report from the NSW Audit Office found the Department of Customer Service failed to establish grounds for direct negotiation without a competitive tender process and rushed a decision to trial the app in Sydney’s The Rocks:

There is no evidence that the procurement achieved value for money,” it said.

Despite being required by legislation, as well as mandatory NSW government policy, the department did not consider how it would ensure value for money, nor did it demonstrate an adequate understanding of what is meant by value for money.

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. I’ll leave you with Henry Belot to take you through the rest of today’s news. Please take care!

Virgin Australia cabin crew strike new pay deal

Fearsof industrial action disrupting domestic flights over Christmas have been put to bed, after cabin crew at Virgin Australia struck a new pay deal with the airline after a months-long dispute.

This afternoon, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) announced its Virgin cabin crew members had achieved an in principle agreement for fairer rosters and pay increases of between 14% and 18% over the three-year agreement.

Cabin crew have also locked in provisions, including an additional six days off a year, recognition for time spent on unpaid standby and overtime payments after nine hours, the TWU said.

National secretary Michael Kaine said Virgin cabin crew had endured “long hours, gruelling rosters and juggling second jobs to get by”.

From the start, cabin crew asked for terms and conditions that show they’re respected, heard and valued. Finally, crew have achieved a deal that will keep them in their jobs … With the peak season upon us, it’s a relief for everyone that protected industrial action won’t be needed. Good, secure jobs are the answer to rebuilding aviation.

A Virgin Australia plane takes off as a second plane lands
Cabin crew at Virgin Australia have struck a new pay deal with the airline after a months-long dispute. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

The threat of looming industrial action over the Christmas period jolted the head of the global Virgin brand, Sir Richard Branson, to issue a plea to workers at the Australian airline this week. He warned customers were avoiding the airline out of fear of flight disruptions, and said this week:

If one section of Virgin Australia goes too far, that means every other section’s going to have to go too far, and very quickly the same thing that happened to Ansett could happen to Virgin Australia.

Updated

Webcam shows flooding of Mulgrave River

Here is a look at the flooding at Peets Bridge, captured by the Cairns Regional Council webcam:

Top of yellow street sign seen peaking out of flood waters
Flooding seen at Peet's Bridge, Goldsbrough Valley, Little Mulgrave. Photograph: Cairns Regional Council

The Bureau of Meteorology said the Mulgrave River at Peets Bridge peaked at 5.15m early this morning. It was expected to reach the moderate flood level of 7m this afternoon, due to forecast rainfall.

Updated

Meteorologist Ben Domensino from Weatherzone said the 624mm of recorded rainfall at Yandill in Queensland marks Australia’s second heaviest day of rainfall on record:

Mining firm digs Australia’s first electric excavator

Australia’s first electric excavator has been deployed in Western Australia after one of the nation’s biggest mining firms teamed with a manufacturer to retrofit a diesel vehicle, AAP reports.

Fortescue announced the Australian first today, revealing the electrically powered Liebherr R9400E was operating at its Cloudbreak mine site in the Pilbara.

The vehicle, which is powered by renewable energy, will be the first of three commissioned for the site in the next year and will be part of the company’s plan to eliminate the use of fossil fuels from its iron ore operations by 2030.

The electric excavator, which was converted from diesel, operates using two kilometres of high-voltage cable.

Fortescue Metals chief executive Dino Otranto said the company’s collaboration with other firms to reduce mining transport pollution had made it possible to convert the vehicle.

‘Scary’ night for family as cyclone lashes house

Ten-year-old Malo Seden says his family in Mossman, north Queensland “didn’t get flooded but copped a bit” during Tropical Cyclone Jasper last night.

Malo, pictured in his “cyclone bed”, says the storm wasn’t as bad as the family had feared, despite being without power for nearly 24 hours.

It was definitely scarier at night when we couldn’t see but when we woke up it was much better, just a few trees down.

The Mossman River was up really high. It was covering all the trees in sight, I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Malo Seden pictured in the bath with a blanket and pillow
Malo Seden, 10, in his ‘cyclone bed’ in the north Queensland town of Mossman. Photograph: supplied

Tens of thousands of north Queensland premises remain without power, with flood warnings in place for various rivers, after Jasper made landfall yesterday evening.

Malo’s dad, Richard Seden, was used to cyclones , having grown up in the Northern Territory, but Jasper provided mum Bianca Barling-Seden with a wake up call about better preparing the house for the affects of climate change.

Our old Queenslander, which is designed to be open to let [the] breeze flow through, had to be completely closed up for the first time.

We might need to consider how we renovate to be more resilient for future weather events.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology has just shared this ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper update, taking a look at what occurred last night and the severe weather conditions still expected to continue through parts of far north Queensland:

Updated

SES swamped with requests for help

The SES has now received more than 170 requests for assistance since 3pm yesterday, after ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

About 100 SES volunteers remain out and about in far north Queensland, working to assist communities affected by the cyclone.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service said:

Crews have been strategically located in the areas most at need and are working through taskings as quickly and safely as they can.

All jobs are responded to in order of priority, so if you have requested SES assistance please be patient.

Updated

Here is some footage that has come through, showing the damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper:

Aged care reforms provide opportunity for positive improvement: advocacy bodies

Peak aged care advocacy bodies have welcomed the release of the Aged Care Act exposure draft, saying it marks a “milestone step towards a human rights-based aged care system”.

As Josh Butler brought us earlier on the blog, the government will open consultation on its proposed Aged Care Act, which is being drafted and consulted on in phases. The 347-page exposure draft was shared around today, including a statement that people in aged care have the right to “be treated with dignity and respect”.

Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia, and the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), said the exposure draft needed to be examined in detail but called it a positive move on initial review.

COTA CEO Patricia Sparrow said meaningful reform could only come from listening to people’s experience within the aged care system.

One of the key recommendations we made to Government was the introduction of an independent statutory Complaints Commissioner. This is something we want to see introduced as part of the Act.

This Act is the opportunity to set the standard for current and future generations and its critical that it becomes law on 1 July 2024 as promised by the Albanese Government.

You can get involved with the consultation via www.health.gov.au/aged-care-act-consultation.

Updated

Emergency management minister praises Queenslanders’ preparation for cyclone

Emergency management minister Murray Watt remains on the ground in Cairns alongside deputy premier Steven Miles after Tropical Cyclone Jasper. He shared some photos online and said:

Great preparation from locals [and] emergency services has seen limited damage to date. Thank you to all three levels of [government] for excellent cooperation to keep FNQ safe.

Updated

Sydney’s warmest start to summer on record

Meteorologist Thomas Saunders said as of today, it is now the warmest start to summer on record for Sydney.

He said Sydney is averaging more than 29C for maximum temperatures, which is four above the long term average.

Meanwhile, the western suburbs have averaged up to 34C.

Updated

Sydneysiders urged to ‘stay cool and hydrated’ as city swelters

Sydney has hit its forecast maximum temperature of 37C for the day. My colleague Peter Hannam has spotted a sign from the City of Sydney warning people about the heatwave. It reads:

Take care – stay cool and hydrated.

Look out for loved ones – check on friends and neighbours.

Meanwhile, western Sydney is forecast to reach up to 40C today. Penrith has a forecasted maximum temperature of 40C, while Parramatta’s max is forecast at 39C.

Updated

Job data a ‘remarkable story of resilience’: Chalmers

Jim Chalmers said there is evidence of the jobs market slowing, evident in job ads and in other ways, but he believed “overwhelmingly” that Australia’s labour market was resilient.

He said the treasury was still forecasting an uptick in the unemployment rate, but argued today’s figures were a “stunning outcome given the conditions”.

Jobs growth is outpacing population growth, and that is an important consideration as well. We will get into the detail of it but clearly, as our economic conditions soften more broadly, our labour market is expected to soften as well.

But what we know from today’s data is that the starting point is a quite remarkable story of resilience.

Updated

Treasurer says jobs data shows Australia in ‘position of genuine economic strength’

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is speaking to the media from Canberra after the release of the latest job figures today.

If you missed it, Peter Hannam brought us all the details here:

Chalmers pointed to figures showing the economy added 61,500 jobs last month, with all but 4,500 of them full-time ones.

So many of them have been full-time and the participation rate is up as well, and that is a very welcome and very important outcome.

To put this in context as we conclude 2023, we have unemployment with a three in front of it. We have inflation moderating. We have wages going again after a decade of stagnation. We have got the narrowest gender pay gap that we’ve ever had. We have … delivered a surplus and we have a very small deficit this year.

Even in the midst of slowing economy and growing global uncertainty, we approach 2024 from a position of genuine economic strength given the conditions.

Updated

11 bush and grass fires burn out of control in NSW

There are 61 bush and grass fires burning across New South Wales, as of 12.30pm, with 11 not yet contained.

The Rural Fire Service said water bombing aircraft would support firefighters to strengthen containment lines as the heat increased.

A bushfire in the Tenterfield region is burning at advice level, meaning there is no immediate danger and people should stay up to date in case the situation changes.

The Trap Mountain Dumaresq Valley fire is burning 55km south west of Tenterfield, in remote and rugged terrain.

It has burnt about 2,800 hectares and is being controlled. Firefighters will continue working to establish containment lines over the coming days.

Updated

Defence industry minister ‘honoured’ to be in Washington as Aukus deal struck

Defence industry minister Pat Conroy was in Washington as the US Senate passed the next piece of legislation needed for the Aukus deal.

As Daniel Hurst brought us earlier on the blog, the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes provisions to allow the US to sell Virginia class nuclear powered submarines to Australia in the 2030s, and other measures to free up the sharing of defence technology under the Aukus pact, which also includes the UK.

Posting to X/Twitter, Conroy said:

Honoured to be in Washington as the US Senate passes the legislation crucial for the AUKUS program.

This landmark step brings us closer to seizing a generational opportunity, fortifying our ability to protect our nation and contributing to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Updated

Reports of looting ‘disturbing’: Steven Miles

The deputy premier, Steven Miles, says he has not called for assistance from the defence force.

I have confidence in our police and their ability to deal with that. In Townsville, the police commissioner has deployed very significant additional resources, dozens of additional police as well as extra vehicles. They are on the ground now.

Miles called reports of looting in the region ‘“disturbing”.

This is certainly not the time to take advantage of those who are vulnerable and suffering from the impacts of the cyclone.

I know our police are out there in the field keeping our communities safe but we should not be making their job harder and forcing them to deal with those kind of crimes, when really all they want to do is help get people up into the homes.

Updated

Low damage to infrastructure from cyclone

Brad Commens, from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, has given an update on damaged caused by ex-Cyclone Japser:

We currently [have] got out a damage assessment teams out [on] the field. Since 6am, we have conducted 236 damage assessments.

Only 10 of those were minor and 8 were moderate, so not a great deal of damage to community infrastructure and housing. So that is very good.

Updated

‘If it’s flooded, forget it’: Queenslanders warned to stay away from flood waters

The minister for emergency management, Murray Watt, is also urging people in far north Queensland to bewary of flooded regions:

If there is one message for people today it is this: if it’s flooded, forget it.

Last year, we saw over 10 people die in flood waters in Queensland alone just from driving into flood waters. We don’t want to lose any lives resulting from people thinking they can drive through flood waters when they actually cannot.

Today is a day to be careful on the roads, if you need to be on the roads at all.

Updated

Queensland authorities provide update on ex-Cyclone Jasper

Deputy premier Steven Miles says up to $900 in disaster relief payments are available for families of five to cover costs of essentials like food, clothing and medicine.

We have already seen flash flooding with eight people having to be evacuated by SES from the roof in Mosman.

A major flood warning is ongoing for the Daintree River. Remember to listen to the warnings.

Don’t enter flood waters …. If it’s flooded, forget it. There are about 40,000 homes and businesses without power.

Updated

Jobs data won’t prevent interest rate rise: EY chief economist

EY Oceania’s chief economist, Charelle Murphy, says today’s job data won’t be enough to shift the RBA’s thinking about interest rates alone.

Here’s what Murphy told ABC News a few moments ago:


I do not think it will be enough to change the Reserve Bank’s view of where it is right now. The next is meeting in February. That is when we will get the next possibility of an interest rate rise.

There is certainly some chance they do increase rates again because they think that the economy is running just that little bit too hot for inflation to come down into its target band.

However, when we start to see evidence … the weak GDP number in the third quarter of this year, combined with some indicators like job ads which have softened a little bit, they may not be in a hurry.

They might want to sit and watch how the economy evolves.

Updated

SA government gives greyhound racing industry two years to ‘clean itself up’

The South Australian government has released the findings of an inquiry into the greyhound racing industry this morning.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the report listed 86 “substantial recommendations that will lead to change”.

The inquiry was launched after a video emerged showing the alleged mistreatment of a dog within the industry.

Of the 86 recommendations, 57 are from the review itself, 14 from the greyhound racing industry, 10 from the RSPCA and five from the Animal Justice Movement.

Malinauskas:

The greyhound racing industry has within it some good people. In fact, a lot of good people, who care very much for their animals and show them the respect and dignity that the greyhound racing industry [needs to] survive in South Australia – but only if it cleans up its act. This report makes plainly clear that there is work that needs to be done if the greyhound racing industry is going to continue in our state.

The premier singled out recommendation 57, which says the industry has two years to “clean itself up”.

Otherwise, it faces the prospect of no longer being able to enjoy the social licence and the government support that is required for it to be able to operate. And that’s a strong recommendation and one that the government accepts.

An inspector will be appointed to monitor the implementation of the recommendations, and report back after two years whether or not the industry should continue.

Updated

Proposed Aged care reforms centre ‘dignity and respect’ of residents

The government will open consultation on its proposed Aged Care Act, asking for feedback onreforms minister Anika Wells calls “once in a generation”.

In a statement today, Wells said the new act was being drafted and consulted on in phases. The 347-page exposure draft was shared around today, including a statement that people in aged care have the right to “be treated with dignity and respect”, experience ”safe, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory treatment”, and have their “identity, culture, spirituality and diversity valued and supported”.

But a chapter on fees, payments and subsidies for aged care, including provisions around means testing, remains blank.

Wells said:

The Albanese Government is asking for feedback on the exposure draft of the new Aged Care Act – a-once-in-a-generation reform that will put older people at the centre of the aged care system.

Older Australians, their families and carers, aged care providers and workers, advocates, representatives and anyone interested in aged care are invited to have their say on the draft laws for aged care that will put the rights of older people first. The new Aged Care Act is the next step in the Albanese Government’s plan to fix the aged care crisis we inherited from our predecessors.

Australian aged care minister Anika Wells
Australian aged care minister Anika Wells Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Wells said the act’s “key features” included the statement of rights for older people, a “simple, single entry-point” to make access easier, strengthened aged care quality standards, additional protection for whistleblowers, strengthening the powers of the regulator, and new criminal penalties for providers that do the wrong thing.

Australians can get involved until Friday 16 February 2024 by: attending a workshop in person or online; completing a survey; sending a submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Get involved via www.health.gov.au/aged-care-act-consultation.

We want Australians to tell us what they think of the draft law. Does it clearly define the rights of older people? Will it empower older people to make decisions about their own care? We want to know if aged care providers understand their responsibilities in the draft law.

Updated

BoM issues fresh flood warnings for Daintree, Mossman rivers

The Bureau of Meteorology has just reissued its flood warnings for the Daintree, Mossman and Barron rivers following Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

Rainfall totals up to 444mm have been recorded in the Daintree and Mossman river catchments in the 24 hours to 9am, local time. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue into tomorrow, and a severe weather warning is current.

The Daintree River is now at 8.05m and rising, with moderate flooding. It is likely to reach the major flood level of 9m from late this morning, with further rises possible.

The Mossman River is reaching similar levels to that of the January 2019 flooding event. River levels are expected to continue rising, with further rapid rises possible.

Minor flooding is occurring along the Barron River, downstream of Barron Falls. Rainfall totals of 65-450mm have been recorded over the catchment in the 24 hours to 9am.

Meanwhile, moderate flooding may occur at Cairns Airport, where the Barron river is now at 2.78m and rising. It may reach the moderate flood level of 3m late this morning.

Updated

Aukus legislation passes US Senate, heads to House next

US legal changes to pave the way for Aukus are a step closer after the US Senate passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA includes provisions to allow the US to sell Virginia-class nuclear powered submarines to Australia in the 2030s and other measures to free up the sharing of defence technology under the Aukus pact, which also includes the UK.

Democratic senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has issued a statement applauding the Senate’s bipartisan vote to pass the NDAA. The vote was 87 in favour and 13 against. Kaine:

Our Nato and Aukus alliances are critical to our national security and economic growth in Hampton Roads, which is home to the only operational Nato command in the U.S. and the best shipbuilders in the world.

It moves to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives next, with a vote possible as early as tomorrow.

Updated

Assistant foreign affairs minister leads bipartisan meeting with Israeli women’s group

The assistant foreign affairs minister, Tim Watts, who is now in Israel, has led a bipartisan group to meet the Israel Women’s Network. He said the network detailed “the horrifying sexual and gender-based violence occurring” in the Israel-Gaza war.

In a post to X/Twitter, Watts wrote:

I thank the Network, and the frontline staff across the world who work for gender equality in conflicts, for their tireless efforts, determination, and resilience.

The Australian government is deeply concerned about sexual gender-based violence and we support a range of women, peace and security initiatives globally.

Updated

Jobs surge continues even though jobless rate ticked higher

Economists will be reviewing their models a bit in the wake of today’s November labour market numbers. They had expected the economy to have added 11,500 jobs but the number was about five times that – a more interesting outcome than the headline unemployment rate rising to a 19-month high, in my view.

The Australian dollar rose from about 66.65 US cents to 66.85 US cents in the immediate wake of the numbers. That’s a sign of a shifting in investors’ view about whether the RBA might not have hit its peak cash rate yet.

The good news is that the economy has added jobs at least as fast as population is swelling. Bjorn Jarvis, the ABS head of labour statistics, said:

The combination of strong growth in both employment and unemployment in November saw the employment-to-population ratio return to a record high of 64.6% and the participation rate reach a new high of 67.2%.

While employment growth continued into November 2023, rising by 0.4%, monthly hours worked rose by less than 0.1%, showing that today’s labour market numbers weren’t all overly strong. Jarvis:

The recent slowdown in hours worked over the past six months continued into November, with the total number of hours worked now around where it had been back in May. However, this follows very strong growth during late 2022 and early 2023.

Updated

Australia’s jobless rate rose in November, ABS says

Australia’s employers added 61,500 jobs last month and the jobless rate came in at 3.9%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.

Economists had expected the economy to have added 11,500 jobs in November, with the unemployment rate ticking higher to 3.8%.

The reason why the unemployment rate rose is that the participation rate - the proportion of people in the jobs market - jumped to a record 67.2%, ABS said.

Updated

BoM forecasts storms across Queensland

Here’s a closer look at the forecast for Queensland today, via the Bureau of Meteorology.

Severe storms with damaging winds are possible in the southern interior, including Charleville and St George. An ongoing severe storm risk remains for the far north:

Updated

Emergency management minister Murray Watt has just shared this video from Cairns:

Far north Queensland is continuing to see heavy rainfall and strong winds after Tropical Cyclone Jasper hit last night.

Updated

Assistant defence minister says decision whether to join international task force in Red Sea will be based on Australia’s interests

As we flagged earlier in the blog: The United States has asked Australia to send a warship to the Red Sea amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East where Israel is waging war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in civilian casualties.

The request, made recently, came from the US Navy, which wants the vessel to join an international task force following rising attacks on ships by Iran-backed militia trying to disrupt supplies.

Assistant defence minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the government was working with the chiefs of the defence force and navy to see whether the ship could be provided.

All decisions will be made in Australia’s interests, he said.

We’ve certainly had a tradition of being involved in allied operations where we’re upholding international laws and trying to secure peace and stability, particularly related to ongoing commerce.

- with AAP

Updated

NSW energy minister Sharpe asks consumers to cut power use in 'precautionary' call

Penny Sharpe, the New South Wales energy minister, has just had a press conference in Sydney to say the government wants the state’s consumers to reduce “non-essential” electricity use between 5-9pm (AEDT) today to ensure the power grid remains stable.

Sharpe stressed the call was “precautionary” only because there “was not a lot of fat” in electricity capacity today ahead of the mercury expected to touch 40C in parts of Sydney (and 37C in the CBD).

Public servants have been asked to examine what can be turned off during the crunch period, whether it is schools shutting off power use or water utilities halting the pumping of water if not needed.

Consumers, more generally, should consider turning up the thermostat to 24C, and delaying the use of power-hungry appliances - such as pool pumps, dish-washers and driers - if not needed.

NSW energy minister Penny Sharpe
NSW energy minister Penny Sharpe Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

As we noted in the blog yesterday, the Australian Energy Market Operator has identified a “lack of reserve” potential for the afternoon. At the latest update, it seems the gap it is seeking to close has narrowed to less than 400 megawatts during the 5.30pm-7.30pm period of concern.

The reserves are there to give the grid some buffer if something else goes wrong (eg a tripping of a coal-fired power unit).

EnergyAustralia’s 1400-plus MW Mt Piper near Lithgow seems to be the plant that has caused conniptions this week. Its unit 2 went offline on Tuesday to repair a tube leak, taking out of the capacity. It’s not clear how long it will be down, the company tells us.

Sharpe was at pains to stress they are not expecting blackouts today. They are, though, keen to understand a bit more about how consumers respond to such calls for conservation of power because we’re likely to get longer heatwaves at more awkward times, such as in February when more people are in work or school, etc. A dry run, in other words, it seems.

Updated

Tasmanian SES on fire watch after storm lightning strikes

The Tasmanian State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 12 storm-related incidents during the past 24 hours, after the state was lashed by severe storms.

It responded to incidents in Latrobe, Sheffield, Upper Burnie, Dunalley, Deloraine, Kings Meadows, Northdown, Devonport and Hellyer. Around 8,000 ground lightning strikes were recorded during the same time and the SES said aircraft are being sent to check for any resulting fires.

High fire danger ratings are in place across Furneaux Islands, the Central North, North East, East Coast, Midlands and the South East.

Further high fire danger is expected on Saturday, the SES said, across most of the state.

Updated

Domestic and international holiday costs up since Covid: report

A new report from comparison site Finder has found that domestic holidays are 19% more expensive than they were pre-Covid, while international holidays are 33% more.

Finder’s travel inflation report compiled data from its travel insurance quote database, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Gary Ross Hunter, an insurance expert at Finder, said:

After a period of take off in the travel industry post pandemic – due to pent-up demand and staff shortages – our report shows travel inflation has actually started to cool.

With travel activity still below pre-pandemic levels but cost-of-living pressures really kicking in, it remains to be seen how 2024 will play out for travellers.

Finder’s report also found that Indonesia was the top overseas travel destination for Australians, followed by the US and the UK. Fourth place was Italy, followed by Thailand, France, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.

Updated

Labor senator Linda White welcomes calls for ceasefire

Victorian ALP senator Linda White has welcomed the call from the prime minister and Labor government for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a post to X/Twitter, the senator wrote:

The suffering in the region has been devastating to witness, and I know many in our community are in mourning. We must continue to stand up for peace and reaffirm our commitment to humanitarianism.

Updated

Entertainment industry reports 2022 revenue results, second-highest since recording began

New data has shown that Australia’s live music and entertainment industry saw a post-pandemic peak last year. Live Performance Australia’s 2022 ticket attendance and revenue report shows total revenue for 2022 was $2bn, while ticketed attendance reached 24.2m in 2022.

This was the second-highest recorded attendance and revenue since the report commenced in 2004.

After collectively spending more than 200 days under lockdowns in 2021, audiences in Victoria and New South Wales led the return to performances, concert tours and festivals. Victoria and NSW combined accounted for 67.8% of live performance revenue and 62.4% of attendance last year.

Contemporary music, musical theatre, festivals (contemporary music), comedy and theatre were the top categories for revenue and attendance.

LPA’s chief executive, Evelyn Richardson, said more people attended a contemporary music performance than the AFL and theatre attracted bigger audiences than the A-League:

Despite the strong improvement in attendance and revenue in 2022, many parts of the industry are being impacted by ‘long Covid’ and grappling with critical workforce shortages, soaring production and touring costs and shifts in audience behaviour alongside deepening cost of living pressures.

Updated

Lisa Wilkinson has entered the witness box on day 15 of the defamation suit brought by Bruce Lehrmann.

You can follow the trial live on our separate liveblog, by Amanda Meade:

Zali Steggall welcomes Cop28 deal

The independent MP for Warringah, Zali Steggall, has welcomed the “historic” deal announced at Cop28 to “transition away” from fossil fuels by 2050, and accelerate climate action. You can read the full details on this deal below:

Steggall said this deal was the “death knell for coal, oil and gas” and a “rallying call for governments, organisations and communities to fast-track the transition to renewable energy”.

As the third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, Australia must develop renewable export industries and stop approving new coal and gas that undo any reduction efforts.

The independent MP said it must be remembered the deal is a voluntary agreement and “the real success of the [Cop28] announcement will be measured in how these words are translated into action”.

Australia can play a major role in both mitigation and preparation. Each country must look to its natural advantage in this transition and for Australia, it is undisputedly abundant wind and solar capacity. Now it’s a race to harness it and become a renewable energy superpower.

Updated

November jobs data to provide latest indication of economy’s momentum

The last notable piece of economic data for the year will land this morning (11.30am AEDT) with the ABS releasing labour market numbers for last month.

As always, there are a number of moving parts. Whether or not the jobless rate changed from 3.7% in October will be one thing to watch. More useful, though, will probably be how many jobs were created - or lost.

Market economists are tipping the economy added 11,500 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate ticked higher to 3.8%. Let’s see how good the consensus was.

As things stand, investors are expecting another interest rate rise by the Reserve Bank next year, but a strong jobs result might increase the odds of one. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, does stress 620,000 jobs have been created since they came to office – a record for any first-term government. More people in jobs also means more tax being paid, so he’s rightly happy about that.

Plus, it also makes it more likely the $1.1bn deficit projected in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook released yesterday will actually be a surplus when the year ends in June. (More on that here, in case you missed it.)

Updated

Sydney’s latest scorcher to push up power demand

Summer’s been off to a hot start for much of the country, with Sydney being among the spots with consistently above-average temperatures. In fact, two weeks into the season, and every day has been above the long-run average for December of 25.3C and all but one of the nights above the 17.6C average.

(It was certainly muggy at dawn):

Anyway, the mercury in Sydney may climb to 37C today (and 40C in some western suburbs), with the prospect of a severe thunderstorm by the evening, the BoM says. (Watch out for those attending Christmas parties.)

Authorities are watching to see how much electricity demand spikes in New South Wales and whether there might need to be some market intervention to ensure the electrons keep flowing.

The NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, will brief the media at 10.30am AEDT to “provide an update on energy during hot conditions in NSW”. We’ll keep an ear out for any news.

Updated

NSW premier issues ‘huge well done’ to students after Atars released

The premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, has issued a “huge well done” to thousands of students across the state who have received their Atar results this morning. Minns said it was an “important milestone” for the class of 2023, “who today finish their schooling and move on to the next chapter of their lives”.

Whether or not today’s results are what you wanted – remember that this is just a step on your journey and there are many pathways to success.

I want to say a huge well done to [the] 67,234 students who have worked hard to get to this point and I wish them all the success in their futures.

Speaking on ABC radio, the education minister, Jason Clare, reminded students who didn’t attain the score they hoped for that “it’s not the end of the world”.

I’m the first person in my family to finish high school, first person to finish year 10. So I remember doing the HSC and thinking, ‘If I don’t get the marks I need to get what I want to do then my whole life will be ruined’. Turns out it wasn’t true. When I got to university, I realised that you could change courses, you can make up your mind to do different things in life.

Updated

Torrential rainfall continues across far north Queensland following Tropical Cyclone Jasper

According to initial reports from the Bureau of Meteorology, 624mm was recorded at Yandill (in the Daintree catchment) in the 24 hours to 9am this morning. Other rainfall totals recorded in this time period, in the Daintree catchment, include:

  • 500mm at Diwan.

  • 463mm at Whyanbeel Creek.

  • 461.8mm at Whyanbeel Valley.

  • 449mm at Daintree Village.

  • 423mm at Bairds.

Meanwhile, 457mm was recorded at Myola in the Barron River catchment, and 434mm at Mossman.

Updated

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has shared these images from its Tropical Cyclone Jasper response last night:

QFES wrote:

While the system itself has now passed, that does not mean the threat is over. There is a lot of water around, and the roads remain incredibly dangerous. Our FRS swiftwater firefighters are highly trained to respond should you need their assistance, but even they only enter floodwaters as a last resort.

Investigation under way after Queensland man dies in police shooting

A man has died after being shot by police in Queensland this morning. According to a statement from police, officers received information from the public and responded to a disturbance at the rear of a Bowen hotel at 5.30am.

Police will allege the man entered a motel and returned with a large knife, threatening both the police and ambulance officers, before being shot. The statement read:

He was immediately attended to by both the ambulance and police officers who attempted to revive him, however he died at the scene.

A crime scene has been declared.

The matter is under investigation by the Ethical Standards Command on behalf of the state coroner, with the investigation subject to oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Updated

University teacher of the year urges students to use Atar scores as stepping stones

Australia’s university teacher of the year has handed down advice to thousands of students receiving Atar results today. Results landed for NSW and the ACT this morning, with Queensland to follow on Friday.

The University of Queensland’s Dr Poh Hillock, awarded teacher of the year, encouraged students to use their Atar score as a stepping stone.

If you have your heart set on a particular course, but you don’t quite get the results you are hoping for, don’t give up. Continue to list your dream course as your first preference, but consider listing a related program ... with a lower Atar requirement as a second preference. This may give you the option to improve your admission rank and switch to your preferred course after your first year of study.

It might take a little longer than you expected, but I have seen many students take a route they never imagined and with a little patience, they have gone on to achieve remarkable things.

Importantly, Hillock reminded students they weren’t alone.

Once you’re at university, your Atar score will become a distant memory. What will matter is how you follow your passion and take every opportunity once you get here – whatever you study.

Updated

NSW Atars released – with 49 perfect scores

Thousands of students across New South Wales have now received their much-anticipated Atar results, with 49 of them landing the perfect rank of 99.95.

In total, 55,523 students were eligible for an Atar this year, 1,215 more than in 2022. Results landed via texts from 6am and became accessible online from 9am via the University Admissions Centre.

Of the 49 students who topped the list, 12 were female and 37 were male. They came from a mix of government and non-government schools and studied 37 different courses out of the 116 courses on offer.

Some 17.5% of students received an Atar of 90.00 or above, 35% received an Atar of at least 80.00 and just over half received an Atar of at least 70. The median Atar this year was 71.05, slightly lower than 2022. Females scored higher than males overall, with a median Atar of 71.90 compared to 70.00 of their counterparts.

If you’ve landed your dream result, whatever that is, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to caitlin.cassidy@theguardian.com to get in touch.

Updated

Petstock to sell 41 stores over competition concerns

Speciality pet supply company Petstock has agreed to sell 41 of its stores, after the competition regulator raised concerns it had bought out competitors without seeking approval.

The acquisitions came to the attention of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) when supermarket giant Woolworths sought permission to take a majority interest in Petstock, according to the regulator.

Petstock is one of the biggest companies in the pet supplies sector, alongside the owners of Petbarn. The ACCC’s chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said:

Petstock’s acquisitions removed some of the few remaining chains of specialty pet retail stores that competed against Petstock and Petbarn.

After the regulator raised the competition concerns with Petstock and Woolworths, they each offered to provide court-enforceable undertakings to resolve the concerns. This has resulted in the ACCC allowing Woolworths to take a 55% controlling interest in Petstock, with the supermarket chain to support the sale of the 41 stores.

Petstock was contacted for comment.

The pet supplies industry is attracting increasing interest from major retailers amid a rising trend of pet ownership in Australia. Bunnings – owned by Wesfarmers – has greatly expanded its range of pet supplies to compete with supermarkets and specialty retailers.

Updated

Queensland SES say ‘threat has not passed’ after 50 emergency calls made during Tropical Cyclone Jasper

In terms of the SES response, around 50 calls for assistance were made (as we flagged earlier in the blog here). Emergency personnel said this is a credit to the communities preparation and “hunkering down through this event”.

Fire and Rescue had a number of storm related responses overnight, notably the Mosman support for that evacuation.

The key message is this threat has not passed. We are maintaining a posture across impacted areas. We have a lot of water moving through the systems, significant rainfall coming down.

Water crews and additional resources have been deployed, including 170 additional personnel.

People clearing fallen debris along Mossman Daintree Road in Queensland.
People clearing fallen debris along Mossman Daintree Road in Queensland. Photograph: Mypolice Greater Cairns

Updated

Twelve people and a dog rescued from flood waters in Mossman

At the press conference, Queensland police provided more detail on the rescue operation conducted at Mossman last night: The officer said police received a 000 call indicating 12 people were on the roofs of houses – police later discovered they were not on the roof, but had gone to higher ground.

Police and emergency services turned up and found a metre of water on roadways and houses. One house and a number of vehicles were innundated.

We were able to walk the 12 people out and take them to the library, along with the dog, that’s very important. A family pet, we all understand that. And there were another 40 people in the surrounding areas that weren’t impacted directly, but chose to self-evacuate and stay with friends.

Updated

Bureau of Meteorology provides update on Tropical Cyclone Jasper

Lauren Boekel from the Bureau of Meteorology recounted what happened last night and the current situation on the ground following Tropical Cyclone Jasper:

  • Jasper crossed the coast as a category 2 system around 8pm local time.

  • The system has now been downgraded to a tropical low.

  • It will continue to track towards the Gulf of Carpentaria over the coming days.

  • The highest wind speeds recorded yesterday were just off the coast at 115km an hour.

  • There was widespread rain, with more than 20 gauges seeing over 200mm fall in the past 24 hours. The highest total currently is near the Daintree rainforest at 114mm.

  • A major flood warning remains in place for the Daintree River. The major flood level of 9m will be reached this morning, with further rises possible.

  • Mossman River reached 8.36m at 1am this morning, and the Bloomfield River reached 6.8m at 1am.

Boekel said:

This is an evolving situation and the rain hasn’t stopped yet and it’s likely to continue well into today and into this evening as well.

As well as the flooding risk, we have seen heavy to locally intense rainfall which can lead to flash flooding … we’re just encouraging people to stay across all of the forecasts and warning that the Bureau issues today.

Updated

Update on impact of Tropical Cyclone Jasper

Queensland emergency personnel are providing a post-Tropical Cyclone Jasper update to the media from Brisbane.

They said far north Queensland has seen 24-hour rainfall totals of about half a metre, with heavy rain continuing from Ingham down to Cooktown. As we flagged just earlier, more than 40,000 homes and businesses are without power, including around 25,000 in Cairns.

That means a quarter of homes and businesses in the affected areas have no power this morning.

Emergency personnel said twelve people, and a dog, were rescued from Mossman last night and are all safe.

With the rain continuing, we want to remind all Queenslanders that flooding and its impact on individuals, and the risk and the danger that comes from flooding, remains.

People in the far north will be aware that an event like this is not over, because when they look outside they can see the rain bucketing down. But it will ease up and we want people to remain alert and safe at this time.

Updated

By comparison: AIC deaths in custody data for 2021-22

Following on from our last post, here is the AIC data on deaths in custody from the 2021-22 period, for comparison:

  • 106 deaths in custody (2022-23: 110 deaths in custody)

  • 84 of these were in prison custody and 22 were in police custody or custody-related operations (2022-23: 70 deaths in prison custody and 40 deaths in police custody or custody-related operations)

  • 24 Indigenous deaths, 81 non-Indigenous deaths and one death of a person whose Indigenous status was not known (2022-23: 31 Indigenous deaths and 79 non-Indigenous deaths in custody)

Updated

AIC reports 110 deaths in custody in 2022-23

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released its annual report on deaths in custody. The report found that from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, there were 110 deaths in custody.

70 of these were in prison custody, and 40 in police custody or custody-related operations. There were 31 Indigenous deaths and 79 non-Indigenous deaths in custody.

AIC’s deputy director, Dr Rick Brown, said the Institute remains committed to providing accurate and policy-relevant research to assist in reducing the over-incarceration of First Nations people:

​Having timely and in-depth data is a key step towards informed early intervention and prevention strategies to reduce First Nations deaths in custody and improve justice outcomes.

In June 2023, the AIC began reporting real-time deaths in custody online, to help focus attention and bring additional transparency and accountability to this serious issue.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Updated

40,000 homes and businesses in far north Queensland without power

Nearly 40,000 homes and businesses in far north Queensland are without power this morning in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, with no timeframe yet for when it will be restored.

A spokesperson for Ergon Energy said there is likely to be widespread network damage across several shires, including Cairns, Douglas, Cassowary Coast, Mareeba, Tablelands and Yarrabah.

Crews had started assessing the damage in areas where it is safe to do so – including in Cairns – but the spokesperson said the restoration of power across the affected regions would be complex:

There’s potentially a lot of damage over a widespread area and severe weather could hamper access to sites, so we need to set realistic community expectations.

The network will prioritise restoring power to essential services like water, sewerage, health services and shopping centres.

Updated

Greenpeace Australia files lawsuit against Woodside Petroleum

Greenpeace Australia has filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel giant Woodside in the federal court overnight.

In a statement, Greenpeace said it was bringing the case forward over climate change concerns. Greenpeace alleges that Woodside has been misrepresenting its climate performance and plans.

Amongst other claims, Greenpeace alleges that Woodside said it had cut its climate pollution from extracting and processing its gas and oil by 11% in 2022, but it relied on “carbon offsets” and its actual emissions went up by more than 3%.

Woodside has been contacted for comment.

Updated

‘Massive cleanup’ expected in areas hit by Tropical Cyclone Jasper

Residents of Cow Bay, north of Port Douglas, say they expect a “massive cleanup” in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which is expected to flood creeks and rivers and even uproot trees.

The cyclone hit an area of coastline dotted with small communities with limited access.

Residents report that the Daintree river has already reached 4 metres.

A tree snapped in half following the cyclone.
A tree snapped in half following the cyclone. Photograph: Craig Watson
A tree snapped in half following the cyclone.
A tree snapped in half following the cyclone. Photograph: Craig Watson
Floodwaters at Daintree river had already reached 4 metres, residents said.
Floodwaters at Daintree river had already reached 4 metres, residents said. Photograph: Craig Watson

Updated

Police union to vote on stepping up industrial action

Police in Victoria will vote on whether to step up industrial action as a bitter pay dispute threatens to drag into the new year, AAP reports.

If the ballot is successful, officers would no longer penalise most speeding drivers, refuse to appear in court and stop taking on extra duties. That could impact policing arrangements at the Australian Open tennis as officers currently volunteer to take on extra shifts to cover major events.

The Police Association of Victoria has been pushing for a 4% pay rise and better conditions such as nine hour shifts during five months of negotiations. Up to 18,000 officers have already imposed work bans, which include attempts to slash state government revenue from lucrative speeding fines and writing messages on police vehicles.

The association’s secretary, Wayne Gatt, said his members did not want to escalate action but had no alternative as there had been no negotiations in December.

Under the proposed action, officers would stop issuing penalty notices except for drink or drug driving and serious offences that trigger an immediate loss or suspension of a licence. The further 18 proposed work bans include stopping extra duties, such as taking on extra shifts to police major events and refusing to to appear as informants or witnesses at the supreme and county courts.

Updated

Burns on Israel-Gaza: ‘ceasefire cannot be one-sided’

Josh Burns was asked whether he believes prime minister Anthony Albanese is “trying to be all things to all people”, like members of the opposition have claimed.

Burns disagreed with this and said Albanese has a “deep sense of the region [and] the conflict”.

I know that [Labor frontbencher Ed Husic] is is deeply concerned about his [Muslim] community, as am I deeply concerned about my [Jewish] community. It’s a natural part of a conflict that there are going to be people concerned about the loss of life and the human cost of it.

What is our humanity if we can’t recognise that there is suffering on both sides? I think that I think that to make it too binary is unnecessary.

I’ve made my position clear about the fact that I completely understand that a state that is responding to a terror organisation is seeking to protect its citizens, and I completely reiterate the point that a ceasefire cannot be one-sided, and I will continue to do so, and I believe that that is unfortunately a very difficult, but the right position, to hold.

I also think that, I don’t want to see innocent lives lost. I don’t and I never will and I will never celebrate the loss of life.

Updated

Labor’s Josh Burns says Israel will not accept anything less than the return of hostages and the removal of Hamas from power

Circling back to the cross-party delegation to the Middle East which is being led by the shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham: Labor backbencher Josh Burns is visiting Israel as part of the delegation and spoke to ABC RN earlier this morning about his experience.

Turning to the growing calls for a ceasefire – after the PM signed a joint letter urging one and Australia voted in favour of an immediate ceasefire at the UN – Burns said any ceasefire would need to be “an agreement between two parties”, and that Hamas “cannot be a part of the future governance of Gaza”.

Q: Do you support Australia voting yes for this UN resolution?

Burns:

I think that the United States amendment of including Hamas in the resolution was an important one, and we voted in favour of that.

(The US amendment designated Hamas as a terrorist group, and called for wording to “unequivocally” condemn the 7 October attack and the taking of hostages. It was not passed).

Burns said it was “ludicrous” not to include Hamas in the resolution, but he also said the resolution “couldn’t be less relevant to the people here on the ground” who are focusing on “whether or not its safe to return to their homes”:

Israel is still committed to removing from Hamas from power and Israel is still committed to the return of hostages. So the UN can pass resolutions but those two key factors haven’t changed on the ground and as much as I think that the UN resolution really would have been strengthened by the United States [amendment], what’s really important here is that there are meaningful steps towards towards the end of this violence and that can’t happen without Hamas releasing hostages, and it won’t happen without Hamas being removed from power.

The Israelis will not accept anything else and as much as we might want to pray and wish for a return to the situation prior to October 7, the reality is is that those two key aspects are still in the way of a peaceful future.

Updated

Heatwave conditions predicted across Australia

Turning back to some more weather news, and large parts of the country are still experiencing heatwave conditions.

In NSW, a severe heatwave warning remains in place for the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter, Northern Tablelands and South Coast Districts. Maximum temperatures are expected to be in the mid to high 30s, with heatwave conditions moving north by the weekend and continuing into next week.

Meanwhile, the NSW Rural Fire Service has issued total fire ban’s for the Hunter and Greater Sydney. Sydney is forecast to reach a max of 37C today.

In Queensland, a heatwave is expected to develop in the southeast from today and continue through the weekend. Brisbane is forecast to reach a max of 34C today.

In Western Australia, there is an extreme heatwave warning for the Kimberly district, with mid 40 conditions expected to continue into next week.

And in the Northern Territory, a severe heatwave warning is in place for the Tiwi, Arnhem, Carpentaria, Gregory, Barkly and Tanami districts. Darwin is forecast to reach a max of 35C today, with a possible storm.

Updated

Union welcomes ban on engineered stone

The Australian Workers Union welcomed the ban on engineered stone products, announced yesterday, but argued the move would “sadly not end the scourge of silicosis among Australian workers”.

The union’s national secretary, Paul Farrow, said much more reform is needed to stop workers being exposed to deadly silica dust:

It’s fantastic that engineered stone has been banned, but also vital to maintain perspective. There are some 4,000 stonemasons in Australia, but around 600,000 workers who are exposed to silica dust.

Unfortunately, for most of this 600,000, there can be no ban on the materials that expose them to silica in industries such as construction, tunnelling, quarrying, mining, road work and more. So reform is more complex, but no less important.

Primarily we need to strengthen the Work Health and Safety Act to provide a clear definition for high-risk silica work and introduce strong provisions for working around the hazard. This will require the state governments to follow through with the necessary changes and adopt the changes in their jurisdictions.

Updated

US asks Australia to join international task force in Red Sea

The United States has asked Australia to send a warship to the Red Sea amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East where Israel is waging war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in civilian casualties.

The request, made recently, came from the US Navy which wants the vessel to join an international task force following rising attacks on ships by Iran-backed militia trying to disrupt supplies.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the Australian government already contributed to maritime security in that “often dangerous part of the world”. He told the ABC:

When we get these kinds of requests from time to time, the usual practice would be for the defence minister to consider that, to recommend to colleagues whether [and] how we respond to that request.

As I understand it, there has been a request made and we’ll consider it in the usual way.

Chalmers later told Nine’s Today Show “some kind of request” had been conveyed to the government.

- from AAP

Updated

Have you got Australian politics questions? We have Australian politics answers

Our Australian politics podcast will end the year by answering your questions on federal politics.

If you have a question for Katharine Murphy, Amy Remeikis, Paul Karp or anyone else in the team please email it to australia.podcasts@theguardian.com by 10am today.

You’ll be able to hear the episode this weekend.

Updated

Chalmers says Usman Khawaja should be able to wear shoes with human rights message while cricketing

Chalmers was also asked about another story: Cricket player Usman Khawaja had pledged to fight a decision by the ICC to bar him from displaying human rights messages on his shoes while representing Australia this summer in support of people in Gaza.

Khawaja was pictured at training on Tuesday with the words “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” written across his Nike-branded footwear.

You can read more about this from Jack Snape below:

Chalmers said Khawaja should be allowed to wear the shoes during the match:

I don’t think it’s an especially controversial statement … the lives on one side of a conflict are not worth any more or any less than the lives on the other side of the conflict.

The treasurer said Khawaja is a friend of his, who is a champion for people of all faiths:

He is an absolute champion and he’s got a big heart and I think that they should let him wear the shoes. It’s not a controversial statement, it’s not an especially political statement, and I think it would be a good outcome if the relevant authorities let him wear the shoes when he walks out to bat for Australia.

Updated

Jim Chalmers refuses to comment on reports senior ministers did not know Australia would vote for ceasefire at UN

Moving to yesterday’s UN motion calling for an immediate ceasefire, which Australia voted for, Jim Chalmers was asked about reports that many senior ministers did not know Australia was planning to take this position. He told ABC RN:

I don’t talk about cabinet process or discussions at cabinet. These sorts of votes at the UN have not traditionally been matters for the cabinet agenda. Beyond that, I don’t really want to get into the sorts of consultation that happens at our end of discussions.

Chalmers said he had been consulted, and there were a “range of views” about the position Australia took.

Updated

Treasurer says tax relief for low and median income people not ‘something that we have been working up’

Chalmers was asked whether the government is considering tax relief for people on low and median income, separate to the state-three tax cuts?

He said:

It’s not something that I’m prepared to flag or … something that we have been working up.

If we can do more for people, whether it’s in the tax system or more broadly, you know, with some of these other initiatives, which are working to put downward pressure on inflation, obviously, we consider that from budget to budget.

Updated

Chalmers says stage-three tax cuts will provide ‘some relief’ to people during cost-of-living pressures

The treasurer Jim Chalmers just spoke to ABC RN, following the release of the mid-year economic outlook (Myefo) yesterday.

In case you missed it, the myefo showed that Australia’s federal budget is on track for a wafer-thin $1.1bn deficit this year, with a strong labour market and commodity prices fuelling expectations the eventual result will be a second Labor surplus:

Asked about the stage-three tax cuts, host Patricia Karvelas asked whether he views these as providing cost of living relief? Chalmers:

If people are getting tax cuts, if people are keeping more of what they earn, that will make it easier for them to make ends meet. That’s one of the motivations, but there are other motivations as well. I think governments of either political persuasion, when they can afford to, should be looking to return some of this bracket creep when they can.

These tax cuts, as you know, were legislated some years ago and they’re in the budget … and they will provide some relief to people, they will also return some of this bracket creep.

Updated

Liberals say Australia should not have backed ceasefire motion as it was

ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar said the phrase “sustainable ceasefire” is the same phrasing Albanese used in his joint statement, and asked Birmingham if he agreed with it.

Birmingham didn’t object to the letter but said he objected to Australia voting for the UN motion, because it didn’t mention Hamas. Millar pushed that Australia backed the amendment mentioning Hamas, which didn’t pass, but Birmingham argued that Australia ultimately shouldn’t have voted for the motion as it was.

Millar: Do you agree with comments from your colleague Andrew Hastie there should be no ceasefire until “the job is done”?

Birmingham:

Removing Hamas requires Israel to be able to continue to wage a campaign. They should wage that campaign absolutely recognising international law, but that law doesn’t mean that civilians don’t lose their lives … The limit is one judged under international law on the basis of the military application you’re applying, and how carefully you’re applying that …

So yes, we do need to see the job finished. It needs to be done in as careful and targeted a way as possible, and that is certainly part of the discussions that we have had with the Israeli government, to seek to understand how the Israeli Defence Force do target and to make sure that a message around regard for international law and the need for humanitarian supplies is heard from an Australian perspective conveyed to Israel.

But a simple ceasefire, a simple walking away, just gives Hamas the opportunity to repeat the horrors again and again into the future, as they have said they plan to do.

The Gaza health ministry said that since 7 October, more than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 49,000 injured.

Updated

Simon Birmingham says Israel-Gaza ceasefire a ‘risk’ as it would give Hamas time to rearm

The shadow foreign affairs minister Simon Birmingham spoke to ABC News Breakfast just earlier from Jerusalem, where he is leading a cross-party delegation to the Middle East.

He said the group, which includes Labor backbenchers Josh Burns and Michelle Ananda-Rajah, has visited sites where Hamas attacked on 7 October.

He was asked about two steps the Australian government took yesterday to urge a ceasefire in Gaza – first, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, signed a joint letter with his NZ and Canadian counterparts to urge a ceasefire, and Australia voted for a UN motion calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Birmingham acknowledged “every loss of innocent life is of course a tragedy”, but he argued a ceasefire would be a “risk” because Hamas would “ use that time to rearm, to regroup and repeat those horrors all over again, and the cycle of violence simply continues as a result of that”.

The only ceasefire that really is a sustainable one where Hamas releases the hostages they continue to hold …

Updated

Snowy Hydro tunnelling at Tantangara restarts

Snowy Hydro has confirmed that tunnelling of Snowy 2.0 at Tantangara has restarted following NSW government approval for the project’s planning modification.

A statement from Snowy Hydro said:

Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Florence’s initial advance commenced last week. Tunnelling is being conducted in closed (slurry) mode and progress is slow and steady. The project has engaged specialist experienced personnel to manage this process.

The group’s CEO, Dennis Barnes, welcomed the milestone, which follows a delay caused by “soft ground conditions and the emergence of a sinkhole above TBM Florence”, the statement said.

Barnes:

The conditions of approval were developed through the extensive review, public consultation and determination process, and will be strictly adhered to as we get back underway with excavation of the tunnel.

The Snowy 2.0 delivery team is acutely aware of its responsibilities working in the sensitive environment of Kosciuszko national park. We are focused on achieving excellent environmental outcomes throughout construction of this pumped-hydro expansion of the Snowy scheme and critical infrastructure for Australia’s transition to renewable energy.

Updated

Jimmy Barnes recovering after open heart surgery

Jimmy Barnes has made it through his open heart surgery and is recovering in the ICU, supported by his wife Jane.

She has provided this update on social media:

I’m happy to let you know that our Jimmy has made it through his surgery and is now recovering in the ICU. We’re so grateful for the incredible medical team looking after him. Thank you all.

As Michael Sun reported, the surgery followed news Barnes had a bacterial infection he has been “battling for the last fortnight” that had spread to his heart.

The 67-year-old Cold Chisel frontman was hospitalised two weeks ago for pneumonia, and cancelled a show onboard a cruise to Noumea as part of Rock the Boat festival.

You can read more below:

Updated

QFES responded to 50 calls, rescued eight people from home

We just got the latest update from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service on its emergency response to Tropical Cyclone Jasper overnight.

It received 50 calls for assistance from 3pm yesterday to 5am this morning, relating to floods, trees down and structural damage.

One rescue was completed during this time: around 12.40am rescue crews were called to Mossman Street in Mossman, where eight people were rescued from a house.

Crews then went door-to-door in the area, and evacuated a further 10 people from that street – with 18 people in total evacuated from the area.

As we reported just earlier, the Daintree and Mossman River catchments received rainfall of up to 390mm in 24 hours. Residents close to the Mossman River were warned at 3am to leave immediately and evacuate to the nearby library.

Updated

Victorian SES reports callouts after severe weather down south

As Queensland was lashed by Tropical Cyclone Jasper yesterday, Victoria was facing some severe weather of its own.

The Victorian SES said it received over 300 calls for assistance in the last 24 hours, to 6.30am today.

The busiest volunteer units were Wodonga (75 calls) and Wangaratta (30 calls). 204 calls related to a mix of fallen trees, 48 to building damage and 12 to the impacts of flash flooding.

The Victorian SES said:

Big thanks to our SES volunteers out assisting their communities. The severe weather warning is no longer in place.

Updated

Many thanks to Martin for kicking things off this morning. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the live blog today.

See something that needs attention? You can contact me via X/Twitter @emilywindwrites or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s get started.

Ex-Cyclone Jasper brings deluge to far north Queensland

Ex-Cyclone Jasper brought a LOT of rain with it (and it’s still falling).

Some of the rainfall totals from the BoM are huge:

  • 470 mm of rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours to 3:00am at Yandill.

  • 389 mm of rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours to 4:30am at Daintree Village.

  • 370 mm of rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours to 4:38am at Myola.

Updated

Flood warning for Daintree and Mossman River

The BoM has issued a major flood warning for the Daintree and a flood warning for the Mossman river, saying major flooding is likely at Daintree Village this morning.

After rainfall of up to 390mm in the Daintree and Mossman River catchments in 24 hours – with 315mm in 12 hours – heavy rainfall is forecast to continue.

There have already been “significant” river level rises with moderate flooding at Daintree Village already, with river levels at 7.55m and rising. There is major flooding likely during the morning, the BoM says, with levels likely to surpass 9m.

The Douglas shire council issued an emergency alert for Mossman River at 3am, warning residents closest to the river to leave immediately to the Mossman library.

“Conditions are changing quickly,” the alert said.

Updated

Tense wait as NSW students prepare to receive Atar results today

Almost 70,000 students across New South Wales are waking today to discover their results in the end of year exams.

Yesterday, almost 130 students celebrated receiving First in Course honours – topping the state for their achievements in individual subjects.

Today, Atar results will be released, as well as final subject scores.

While a tense time for students, the state’s education minister, Prue Car, said everyone had “tried their absolute best and studied their guts out”.

At a ceremony at Western Sydney University on Wednesday, Car assured students who didn’t receive the results they hoped for that there were “so many ways to achieve your future”.

“Whether that is further training, employment, whether you want to go on a gap year ... enjoy and celebrate what you’ve done well ... take it all in stride, you worked hard.”

As for Car’s Atar? It had a nine in front of it – 98.75 to be exact.

“But looking back, it’s quite a long time ago,” she added. “There are so many things that you’ll do in your future.”

NSW education minister Prue Car.
NSW education minister Prue Car. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Updated

Intense rainfall between Ingham and Cooktown

According to a severe weather warning issued by the BoM just before 5am, there are still risks of heavy, locally intense rainfall and damaging winds, for people across the north tropical coast, tablelands, gulf country and beyond – as the major storm that used to be Cyclone Jasper moves west across the peninsula to the gulf.

Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding was occurring between Ingham and Cooktown, the update said, with isolated falls up to 350mm possible.

Intense rainfall which may lead to “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding” was developing between Cooktown and Cairns.

And damaging wind gusts peaking at 90km/h were still possible along the coast.

Emergency services advised people to keep their children close, park cars away from trees and close doors and windows.

“Go inside a strong building now,” the advice said. “Stay inside until the storm has passed.”

Flooding and wind damage in far north Queensland as Tropical Cyclone Jasper weakens to a tropical low

Heavy rains and damaging winds have hit Queensland’s tropical north coast as Tropical Cyclone Jasper weakened to a tropical low, reports Australian Associated Press.

Residents took shelter as the category 2 storm hit and winds of about 100km/h uprooted trees and brought down powerlines.

The intensity of the storm was reduced to a tropical low late on Wednesday night and it was due to continue to weaken as it moved inland.

But life-threatening flash flooding was still expected, with the state’s far north facing up to 300mm of rainfall over six hours and 500mm in 24 hours.

Emergency authorities initially said there had been “some damage” and flooding and there were power outages.

There was a risk the system could re-intensify into a tropical cyclone as it hits the Gulf of Carpentaria on Friday.

Prior to the system reaching the coast, more than 17,000 homes and businesses were already without power.

The deputy premier, Steven Miles, travelled to Townsville on Wednesday to monitor the emergency response.

The Australian defence force was also on standby to assist if necessary.

“We stand ready to support far north Queensland, the Queensland government and local governments in any way needed in the days ahead,” the federal emergency management minister, Murray Watt, said.

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to the live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you some of our top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes over.

Far north Queenslanders are counting the cost – and still facing damaging winds and life-threatening flooding – after Cyclone Jasper hit the coast as a category 2 storm before being downgraded overnight to a tropical low. The Bureau of Meteorology said: “Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper is no longer of tropical cyclone intensity; however, impacts from heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts are still likely.” A deluge of 500mm in 24 hours was expected along the coast and adjacent ranges between Cape Tribulation to Cairns, with up to 300mm of that falling in a six-hour peak.

A Guardian Australia investigation published today has found that thousands of investors have lost millions of dollars to the schemes set up by Australian blockchain entrepreneur Sam Lee and his business partner Ryan Xu, who were the founders of the collapsed Australian bitcoin company Blockchain Global. There is also anger at Australian authorities who have made no mention of the schemes that were flagged by the New Zealand regulator as a possible “scam” and by another overseas regulator as a “suspected pyramid scheme”, among many other overseas warnings.

After an eleventh-hour deal at Cop28 agreeing countries should “transition away” from fossil fuels, Australia’s climate change minister Chris Bowen says the text sent a clear message that “our future is in clean energy and the age of fossil fuels will end”. Read our analysis and find out what was good Cop and what was bad Cop.

Says Bowen:

The outcome does not go as far as many of us have asked for, starting with some of the most vulnerable countries, but the message it sends is clear – that all nations of the world have acknowledged the reality that our future is in clean energy, and the age of fossil fuels will end.

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