Summary
Thank you for joining us on the live blog today. Here is a wrap up, in case you missed any key headlines:
Tropical Cyclone Alfred has executed a dramatic right turn this evening, and is now “heading towards the Queensland coast”, the premier said.
Waves of up to 10m were recorded off parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and the Queensland premier David Crisafulli has been stressing the importance of communities to prepare for this. He said there was “still an element of the population that hasn’t yet fully understood the magnitude of this system”.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese announced that NSW has secured a deal with the commonwealth to fully fund public schools by 2034 with a $4.8bn injection by the commonwealth, which would support about 770,000 public school students and more than 2000 schools.
Albanese said Australia is “open to consideration” of Ukraine peacekeeping proposals.
Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, reaffirmed the fundamental bedrock of the US alliance remains unchanged despite a tumultuous foreign policy week in the White House.
The University of Melbourne banned indoor protests following last year’s pro-Palestine encampment that extended to the occupation of a department building for more than a week.
And the Western Australian premier Roger Cook labelled the United States vice-president JD Vance a “knob”.
That’s all for today. See you back for tomorrow live blog in the morning.
Rower attempting record-breaking feat rescued
A Lithuanian rower was rescued off the Queensland coast earlier today after he was caught in tropical cyclone Alfred’s 130km/h winds and monster waves.
Aurimas Mockus ran into trouble about 740km east of Mackay while attempting a 12,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego to Brisbane in his solo rowing boat.
HMAS Choules, a 16,000-tonne Royal Australian Navy landing ship, rescued Mockus on Monday morning and was returning to Sydney.
Read the full story:
Updated
Most workers feel overwhelmed by AI, but bosses want it
Most Australians are overwhelmed by changes led by artificial intelligence in the workplace, according to a top LinkedIn executive, but even more bosses are eager to deploy the technology.
LinkedIn chief operating officer Dan Shapero revealed the findings at the company’s Talent Connect event in Sydney on Tuesday, where it also launched its first AI agent designed to assist recruiters. The event comes as the Australian government considers mandatory regulations to govern the use of AI within businesses, and months after the release of voluntary guidelines for the technology.
Surveys conducted for LinkedIn by Censuswide and YouGov, revealed at its annual Sydney event, found more than eight in 10 business leaders planned to deploy AI tools as a priority this year, and seven in 10 felt the pace of change was accelerating.
But enthusiasm towards AI was not shared throughout businesses, Shapero said, as changes inspired by the technology had left many employees nervous about their roles.
What’s interesting is the pace of change is being accompanied by a general feeling of overwhelm by most professionals.
In the case of Australia, [seven] in 10 professionals say they feel overwhelmed about how quickly their jobs are changing.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Alfred has turned towards the Queensland coast, premier says
Tropical Cyclone Alfred has executed a dramatic right turn, and is now “heading towards the Queensland coast”, the premier said this evening.
Alfred has been gradually heading in a generally southerly direction for 12 days, but was forecast to change course towards Brisbane on Tuesday.
“Tropical Cyclone Alfred has just changed direction and is now heading towards the QLD coast,” premier David Crisafulli said on Tuesday evening, on social media.
“We’re prepared for this weather event and we’re asking Queenslanders to do the same.
“Be prepared and stay informed.”
The weather system is now almost certain to be the first cyclone to make landfall at the capital since 1974.
It was updated to a category two system early on Tuesday.
Updated
Roll back speed limits to curb child deaths, state told
Slashing speed limits to 30km/h on local streets has been mooted to curtail child deaths and injuries as part of a long-term state vision.
Infrastructure Victoria on Tuesday released its draft 30-year infrastructure strategy with 50 future proposals for housing, energy, transport, health and the environment.
Most controversially, the independent advisory body called for speed limits to be reduced to 30km/h on streets frequented by children such as those around schools, playgrounds, childcare centres and kindergartens.
It said seven children die each year on Victoria’s roads and almost 300 are seriously injured, mostly on local streets with speed limits of 50km/h. The report cited research that a pedestrian hit by a car at 50km/h had an 85% chance of dying, compared to 40% at 40km/h and 10% at 30km/h.
Other 40km/h zones only apply to schools at certain times and some other busy areas, and the change should cover streets with speed limits of 50km/h or less, the report said.
Premier Jacinta Allan was non-committal on whether the government would heed the advice but acknowledged drivers slowing down would save pedestrians’ lives.
- Australian Associated Press
Read more from Adeshola Ore here:
Updated
Customers urged to test for HIV and blood-borne viruses after Sydney beauty clinic searched
Customers of a central Sydney beauty clinic have been urged to test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV after “highly concerning” infection-control practices, including the use of veterinary equipment, were discovered at the business.
The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) on Monday released a public health warning about the Ketthip Beauty Clinic on Sussex Street and imposed an interim prohibition order, preventing the clinic from providing health services of any kind for a period of eight weeks.
Customers who had infusions, injections, microdermabrasion or PDO thread lift procedures at Ketthip were advised to see their GP after a South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit inspection found some of its practices may have exposed people to blood-borne viruses including hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Health alert as mosquito virus spreads across three states
A deadly mosquito-borne virus is spreading across three states, with a second confirmed case identified in Victoria.
Japanese encephalitis has infected a second northern Victorian resident this mosquito season, chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri said.
The person is likely to have been exposed to the disease in the vicinity of the Murray River along NSW’s Riverina region.
The virus has been detected along the Murray River from Mildura in the state’s north-west to Moira in central Victoria and in piggeries across all three eastern states.
Across the border, five human cases of Japanese encephalitis have also been reported in NSW and Queensland.
Japanese encephalitis, a flavivirus related to dengue and yellow fever, is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause serious infection of the brain. Most people do not become sick but symptoms can include a fever, vomiting and headaches. In more severe cases patients can experience seizures, paralysis, permanent disability or even death.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Watch: David Crisafulli on preparing for Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Queensland’s premier, David Crisafulli, has stressed the importance of communities preparing for the approaching Tropical Cyclone Alfred. At a press briefing earlier today, he said there was “still an element of the population that hasn’t yet fully understood the magnitude of this system”.
Watch here:
Updated
Hyundai Australian Boardriders grand final postponed as cyclone approaches
The Hyundai Australian Boardriders grand final has been postponed, joining a lineup of Gold Coast events called off this week due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The Boardriders competition was originally scheduled to take place on the Gold Coast this Saturday and Sunday, but “has been postponed due to Cyclone Alfred and the extreme weather conditions forecast for the region,” Surfing Australia said in a statement.
Due to forced measures, and based on official weather models and advice from the Bureau of Meteorology, council and emergency services authorities, we have made this decision in the interest of the safety of all competitors, staff, and spectators.
Safety remains our highest priority. Forecast conditions indicate that it will not be safe to run the event or for competitors and officials to travel.
New event dates will be announced shortly.
The AFL’s season opening match between Brisbane Lions and Geelong originally scheduled for Thursday has also been called off, as well as the WPGA championship. The Gold Coast acting mayor, Donna Gates, said the Green Day tour may also make an announcement by close of business today.
Updated
‘Gaining health, not just losing weight’: peak body for GPs seeks to change public health messaging
The peak body for GPs has released a new position statement on obesity prevention and management calling to “flip the script … about gaining health, not just losing weight”.
It comes on World Obesity Day, as a new study has predicted one in two Australian children will be obese or overweight by 2050 unless action is taken now.
Dr Terri-Lynne South, the chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs Obesity Management Specific Interest Group said:
We need to flip the script when it comes to public health messaging – it’s about gaining health, not just losing weight. Obesity affects health and wellbeing in numerous ways, it has links to many chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers, as well as mental health issues.
The evidence on obesity has advanced significantly. We now know the causes are multiple and complex, including genetics, early life experiences, changes in the gut microbiome, stress, and disordered sleep, as well as the environment around us, the impact of junk food advertising and food choices available.
There are also many more effective therapeutic treatments, which can be used together with lifestyle changes, to support people to improve their health and wellbeing.
The RACGP president, Dr Michael Wright, said more government funding for longer GP consults and mental healthcare consults was essential in supporting people who are overweight or obese across Australia.
Updated
Opening AFL match called off due to QLD cyclone
The AFL’s season opening match between Brisbane Lions and Geelong originally scheduled for Thursday has, as expected, been called off due to the potential impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Queensland. Saturday’s game between the Suns and Essendon on the Gold Coast will also be rescheduled, the AFL confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
“Out of an abundance of caution and after ongoing communication with the Queensland government, the Bureau of Meteorology and Stadiums Queensland, the AFL made the decision now to ensure the health and safety of clubs, players, officials and – importantly – the wider southeastern Queensland and northern NSW community remains the priority,” an AFL statement read.
An alternative date for the games will be announced as soon as possible, the AFL said, but that would definitely not be during this week’s opening round.
The AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon, said he hoped the weather event didn’t eventuate, but plans needed to be made to prepare the area for the worst and the AFL does not want its games to distract from those preparations. Dillon said:
We want to make the decision now to give clubs and fans certainty in an uncertain environment and allow anyone from Queensland who would normally be involved in this game through coaching, playing, attending or working at the venue time to be home with their families and available in the community if required.
The first game of the season will now be on Friday, when the Sydney Swans take on Hawthorn at the SCG.
Updated
Stay off roads and tie down outdoor furniture, acting Gold Coast mayor says
Gates has urged people to get off the roads and to prepare outdoor furniture for the incoming Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The acting mayor for the Gold Coast said:
We’re urging people to stay off the roads on Thursday and Friday. Hopefully, they’ll reopen on Saturday. So, still urging people to please clear your gutters. You have time this afternoon. Clear the gutters, tie down the furniture. If you live in a high-rise and you have things on the balcony, get them inside. It’s really important that there are no objects lying around that are going to … cause damage.
Updated
Mapping system showing storm surge and rainfall active from 2pm, Gates says
Gates says a mapping system showing the storm surge and rainfall will be active from 2pm today. The acting mayor for the Gold Coast said:
Officers have worked hard to get a mapping system online, and it will be active from 2pm today, which will show storm surge and rainfall maps. Now, it’s important to note that this is the very worst-case scenario that has been modelled. It’s modelled on 600mm of rainfall over 72 hours and over one metre above the HAT [Highest Astronomical Tide].
So there’s no indication of depth on these models, and it’s not intended that anyone should panic. Clearly, if you back on to water, there’s a possibility of an impact, so check those maps, but don’t be overly concerned. Just get an understanding of how you might need to prepare.
Updated
Acting mayor urges people to leave South Stradbroke Island as evacuation centres set up
The acting mayor for the Gold Coast, Donna Gates, says evacuations are under way from South Stradbroke Island in an update on Tropical Cyclone Alfred. She addressed press a short while ago:
Our officers went over in a barge this morning and started door knocking, and evacuations are under way. Voluntary at this moment, but people are being encouraged to get off the island.
From 6:00 tomorrow, we will have three evacuation centres open. One at Runaway Bay, one at the Burleigh Waters Community Centre, and one at the Nerang Bicentennial.
Gates said the cyclone has seen plans cancelled in what would have been a “busy events week”.
The WPGA has been cancelled. The Boardriders has been cancelled. We should know about Green Day by close of business today. And the rugby league and the AFL, we haven’t had an announcement from them as yet.
Updated
‘Greatest concern’ is for city of Gold Coast as cyclone approaches
Gold Coast’s acting mayor, Donna Gates, is giving an update about Tropical Cyclone Alfred. She says the city is the “greatest concern” as the cyclone grows stronger:
This is expected to be the most significant system since 1954.
It’s not a good outcome for the Gold Coast, and there is growing concern that Cyclone Alfred is getting stronger as it approaches the coast.
The greatest concern is for the city of Gold Coast as opposed to any other local authorities.
Cyclone watch has spread from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast, extending past Brisbane since yesterday, Gates said.
We are expecting gale force winds on Thursday and Friday, accompanied by very heavy rainfall which won’t ease until Sunday.
Updated
Indigenous-led centre launched, continuing Mabo legacy
More than 30 years ago a landmark legal case brought about by Eddie Koiki Mabo and fellow Mer Islanders recognised the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to their lands.
A centre being launched in Perth today will continue the legacy of the forefather of native title, which began in 1982 when the group lodged their legal claim in the high court for ownership of their lands.
The Mabo Centre, to be housed on the University of Melbourne grounds in Victoria, will focus on advancing First Nations leadership and improving economic outcomes for communities through land and sea rights.
Mabo’s family gifted the centre his name, with his daughter Gail Mabo saying the centre would continue the fight for justice. She said:
Through winning the case, Dad gave the right for all First Australians to celebrate those things we hold most dear to us. To bring back our voices. To bring back our culture. To bring back strength to the proud people that we are.
Mabo Centre co-chair Jamie Lowe said Mabo’s contributions left an enduring influence in Australia, inspiring generations of Indigenous activists in their fight for rights to Country.
“The Mabo decision was handed down 33 years ago, starting the recognition of native title in law,” the Gundjitmara and Djabwurrung man said.
However, as Traditional Owners, we have known for over 65,000 years that we have rights to Country.
It’s time that native title met the needs of Traditional Owners and can continue to do so for generations.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
And with that, the Queensland press conference has wrapped up.
I’ll hand the blog over to Rafqa Touma for the afternoon, who will take you through the rest of today’s news. Take care.
Queensland premier wants NRL and AFL to make call on whether games go ahead
David Crisafulli said he has spoken with the NRL as well as the AFL, as games are scheduled for this week.
The premier says he wants them to make the call on whether the games go ahead:
We’re giving them the most up-to-date information and I’m mindful that there are moving parts, we’ve got two AFL games and an NRL game. They’re important events for everybody.
We give the information and we’re asking them to make the call and communicate that directly with their fans and we’ll continue to provide information.
Updated
Councils looking at potential evacuation centres
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, is back up, and says the moment councils have a clearer idea of the system’s potential impacts, notices and doorknocking will ramp up.
Councils will release a map but in conjunction with that, there will be doorknocking as well and we’re happy to assist in that regard. It’s led by councils – it’s their data, it’s their communities – but we’ve got a role to play as well.
In terms of evacuation centres, the premier said councils were working on them.
When they open those centres, it will be communicated … That information will flow in the days ahead.
It’s not at that stage at this point on a wide scale, but I know all councils are considering that as we look at the modelling in the days ahead.
Updated
How long is the system expected to cross over the coast, and how long will people feel it?
Sue Oates said the impacts would be felt from tomorrow afternoon, through to the coastal crossing.
How long we get those impacts [for] will depend on when we get that coastal crossing, which – at the moment, we’re anticipating that that will be later in the day Thursday, if not Friday morning.
Once the system does cross the coast, in regards to the sea conditions and the wind conditions, they should ease fairly rapidly but what remains is the rainfall risk and that will continue for a couple of days. We’ll continue to have a flooding risk right into the weekend.
Updated
BoM expects tides ‘at least half a metre above the highest astronomical tide’
Sue Oates from the Bureau of Meteorology has been taking questions and is asked about the abnormally high tides she mentioned earlier.
She says the bureau measures them using a “reference point of the highest astronomical tide – so that’s the highest tidal level that a location can expect”.
So with the category 2 system coming in, and based on the best modelling guidance available to us – appreciating that the highest anomaly on the tide, so that additional layer on the tides, will be closer to the system centre on the southern side of coastal crossing.
At this stage, we’re anticipating at least half a metre above the highest astronomical tide, with slightly higher values around that area of coastal crossing, wherever that might be.
So when I say higher values, they’re looking like up to 0.8 metres at this point in time.
Updated
Call triple zero if you see wires down, Energex says
An Energex representative said 1,000 field staff were ready to deploy if needed over the coming days.
We’ll only do so when it’s safe to do so … The other message I’d like to get out there: if there’s wires down, please dial 000. [Even] if you don’t think they’re live, they still might be, so dial 000 and just stay safe.
Updated
Vulnerable people should decide in next 24 hours if they want to leave, authorities say
Maritime Safety has also provided a brief update, stating CityCat services had ceased operations so “those vessels can be stored safely”.
Ferries and barges in Moreton Bay will start to see services over the next 24 hours … Vulnerable members of the community that need medical transport or disability support, please reach out early. We urge you to make your decision and leave in the next 24 hours.
Updated
‘Ask early, ask now’: more than 800 requests for SES assistance in last 24 hours
A representative from the Queensland SES is up now, and says more than 800 requests for assistance have been made in the last 24 hours.
[This] was up from 70 in the previous 24-hour period, so that’s good; the message is getting through that if you need help – particularly vulnerable people – ask early, ask now, before the rain starts falling and the wind starts blowing.
Updated
Swift water rescue teams being deployed for flooding response
A Queensland Fire Department representative is up next, and says a “large cohort” of swift water technicians will be arriving today and tomorrow, placed from Maryborough to the border “in the event that someone is trapped during this event”.
As you have heard from the bureau, there is a large amount of water that will be coming and there’ll be lots of causeways, etcetera, that will be inundated and will be flooded. So we are prepared and have plenty of resources both in terms of motorised rescue craft, but more importantly, our swift water rescue technicians.
Updated
Queensland has requested further 250k sandbags
Shane Chelepy says more than 100,000 sandbags are ready to be distributed across south-east Queensland, with more coming tomorrow.
He says he’s engaged with the National Emergency Management Agency to arrange a further 250,000 sandbags to arrive within the next 24 hours.
Right now, there’s a further 134,000 sandbags that we have identified that are at Richlands, and a further 200,000 sandbags on order from our suppliers. We have a further 40,000 sandbags across our south-east Queensland areas now that we are providing to councils.
Updated
Voluntary evacuations already occurring
The acting Queensland police commissioner, Shane Chelepy, has also been speaking to reporters, about the decision for some families to voluntary evacuate.
If you decide to leave, you need to leave before the event starts impacting you. Go and stay with family and friends. The worst time to make the decision to leave is when we’re in the middle of the event because [it] not only puts you at risk, but it puts the emergency service at risk who need to come and assist you.
He said voluntary evacuations were already occurring on South Stradbroke Island as a precaution, with doorknocking occurring in at-risk areas on the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and the Brisbane Bay areas today.
So my message to you is, if someone doorknocks your home, please listen to their advice and act accordingly.
Updated
Cyclone will bring some of ‘highest tides we will see within the year’: BoM
The BoM’s Sue Oates says by tomorrow night and early Thursday morning, some of “the highest tides we will see within the year” are forecast.
In terms of rainfall, this is set to commence later in the day tomorrow for exposed coastal areas, with isolated totals up to 100mm.
[This] does not seem like a lot, but as Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to move closer to the coast, that rainfall will move further inland and become more intense and we’re likely to see daily rainfall totals of around 200mm-plus, with isolated totals even higher than that – and up around 400mm is not out of the question.
Three-day rainfall totals for isolated areas may reach 700mm, Oates said.
As you can imagine, this is likely to cause riverine flooding through south-east Queensland.
Updated
Bureau of Meteorology provides update
Sue Oates from the Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Cyclone Alfred is now located 600km east of Brisbane.
It is still continuing to move somewhat slowly away from the coast. However, this should change in the next 24 hours and we will start to see [it] stall, and then turn on a westward track towards the south-east Queensland coast.
By late Wednesday, she says, gale-force winds with gusts in excess of 90km/h on coastal areas are forecast.
As the system moves closer towards the coast, and at this time looks to be approaching the coast late Thursday into early Friday morning, those winds will continue to increase …
Updated
Teams working to assist homeless people during cyclone: Crisafulli
Continuing to address the media, the Queensland premier said the department of housing had been working with councils to assist homeless people amid the cyclone.
There are a number of community organisations who do a world of good work here. We’re going to do all we can to offer immediate assistance to those people who accept those offers, and that offer will be made and will be made multiple times as well.
Anyone needing help, we do have a 24/7 homelessness hotline: 1800 474 753.
Updated
Queensland amends regulation to apply 24-hour resupply of supermarkets in 21 LGAs
Moving to the supermarkets, amid a surge in panic buying, David Crisafulli said he has amended regulations to allow resupply in 21 local government areas to be conducted 24/7.
That’s never happened before a disaster.
He said there were no connectivity issues for north and far north Queensland in terms of accessing the Bruce highway, with north and south access. He continued:
By lifting those restrictions, it will enable more supply to get there and then it’s up to the supermarkets to continue to do all they can to meet the demand, meet the resupply, and have adequate staffing to do so.
Updated
Transport and schools update
The Queensland premier said 463 police recruits were going to “get a first taste of helping their community” by assisting with the cyclone response.
David Crisafulli added that schools would be open tomorrow, with updates regarding Thursday to be announced tomorrow.
The port of Brisbane was closed to freight, he said, and the airport had set procedures based on wind velocity that it is following.
If passengers are considering changing their flight, they should go directly to their airline. I’m told that the airlines will also be reaching out to some of those passengers.
In terms of public transport, Crisafulli said they too had guidelines they were following and more information would be announced in coming days.
Updated
‘Please listen to their advice’, premier says of doorknockers
David Crisafulli says if Tropical Cyclone Alfred crosses at high tide, it will make for a “far more challenging prospect”.
Ultimately, the severity of the system, when it crosses and where it crosses, are all really important factors … The modelling that councils are doing at the moment is to factor in a storm surge over and above what that high tide is.
He urged members of the community, if they received a knock at their door from people explaining the situation and risks, to “please listen to their advice”.
Updated
Immediate priority is island communities, Queensland premier says
As outlined already, David Crisafulli said there were three stages to the weather event: big surf and significant erosion; damaging winds; and then flooding.
He said the “immediate priority” for the government was the islands, with residents being “the first Queenslanders to experience this event in the days ahead”.
Once you make the decision to go or to stay, we will support you. But you have got to make the decision and you have to plan for that.
Crisafulli said generators had been pre-deployed to islands, and a number of evacuations are occurring.
Updated
Crisafulli says he is concerned some Queenslanders have not ‘fully understood the magnitude’ of cyclone
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has been stressing the importance of communities to prepare for this – and said there was “still an element of the population that hasn’t yet fully understood the magnitude of this system”.
That’s completely understandable because it’s been many decades since [a cyclone] has been here, in this part of the state. But one thing I know about Queenslanders is they handle disasters better than anywhere else and we have proven that time and time again.
I know the people in the south-east may not have experienced a cyclone before, but they have been tested with floods and they have come through with flying colours every time. And whilst this is a different kind of event, the preparations you put in place make a world of difference and you have proven before that you can do it, and I’m sure that you will again.
Updated
Queensland premier addressing media in Brisbane
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, is providing a tropical cyclone update to reporters in Brisbane.
He said the latest modelling shows Tropical Cyclone Alfred turning back towards the coast overnight, with the area of potential crossing narrowing to just north of Noosa to just south of the NSW border.
He said this was a “largely populated area and we’re asking Queenslanders to stay on their guard”.
A flood watch remains from the Mary River “through all of those catchments”, he said, “all the way down to the border and beyond”.
The overnight modelling shows that the cyclone has firmed and all of the information does show that this is something we need to take seriously.
Updated
‘Like vultures’: call for calm as Brisbane prepares for Cyclone Alfred
A long wait for sandbags has ended in frustration in a region bracing for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, AAP reports, after people were accused of acting like “vultures”.
More sandbagging sites have opened across the region as people attempt to safeguard their homes, but Morningside local Matthew Formosa still couldn’t get his fill.
He tried to get sandbags twice last night but after a 40-minute wait was turned away at the 24-hour depot. He returned at 5am today hoping to beat the rush, but still had to wait almost three hours to collect just eight bags.
There was no real order in getting the sandbags; it is just like, once they have dumped there everyone is like vultures … Seeing older people carrying a bag and struggling, [there] just has to be an easier way for them to help them out.
About 100,000 sandbags have been collected in the past three days in Brisbane alone as it bunkers down for Alfred.
Updated
Advice alert in place for northern NSW ahead of cyclone
The NSW SES is advising northern NSW residents to prepare now for the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The forecast impacts include damaging wind gusts, heavy and intense rainfall and severe coastal hazards. An advice alert issued this afternoon covers the following communities:
Tweed Heads
Murwillumbah
Mullumbimby
Byron Bay
Kyogle
Nimbin
Lismore
Lennox Head
Ballina
Casino
Woodburn
Maclean
Yamba
The NSW SES advises people in the Northern Rivers areas to PREPARE NOW for impacts from Tropical Cyclone Alfred including damaging wind gusts, heavy to locally intense rainfall, and severe coastal hazards.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) March 4, 2025
Find out more: https://t.co/6ic7QtfScH pic.twitter.com/nSF6QviP4d
Updated
Chalmers says it’s up to Cook to choose his own words after ‘knob’ comment
The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also weighed in on the “knob” comment from Roger Cook, according to The West Australian, and said:
It’s up to Roger Cook to choose his own words …
I would choose different words. But that doesn’t … I’m not making any judgments about the words that Roger chose.
Updated
WA premier labels JD Vance a ‘knob’
The Western Australian premier has labelled the United States vice-president a “knob”.
Roger Cook was speaking at The West Australian’s Leadership Matters event today, and according to the publication, was asked to finish the sentence “JD Vance is a …”.
“Knob,” he reportedly said.
Sorry, you’ve got to have one unprofessional moment on stage.
Cook was also asked whether Donald Trump’s re-election would represent a “dark road” for the world, and answered:
Well, I certainly think he represents an uncertain one. So again, let me just say, at times of uncertainty, you need a steady hand, experienced hand at the wheel.
WA Today reports that the former premier Mark McGowan held an impromptu doorstop straight afterwards, and backed the comment as “entirely accurate”.
How politically correct are you? I just think answer the question honestly. He is.
Updated
Watch: Gallagher urges Dutton to reconsider opposition to bill addressing gender pay gap
As we brought you earlier, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has urged Peter Dutton to reconsider his opposition to a bill aimed at addressing the gender pay gap.
You can watch her full comments below:
Updated
ASX slides lower as Trump’s tariffs confirmed
The US president, Donald Trump, has confirmed incoming tariffs on Canada and Mexico, prompting an overnight Wall St sell-off that spilled over into Australian markets.
AAP reports that the 25% tariffs on the US’s two biggest trading partners, along with a 10% impost on Chinese goods, are set to take effect overnight, stoking fears of a global trade war.
The benchmark ASX 200 was a sea of red in morning trade, falling 64.5 points or 0.78% to 8,181.2 by midday, wiping yesterday’s modest gains, while the broader All Ordinaries fell 0.87% to 8,404.7.
Trade tensions have weighed on the iron ore price, which fell below $US100 to its lowest level this year, which in turn helped drag BHP and Rio Tinto 1.1% and 1.4% lower.
All 11 sectors were in the red by midday, with utilities stocks and energy stocks sliding sharply and down more than 2.6% each.
Santos shares were trading 3.1% lower to $6.46 a share, and the heavy oil price also dragged on Woodside, down 2.9% to $24.53.
The big for banks were mostly in the red, with the exception of Westpac, which was trading flat just before midday.
Updated
‘Please, take our sand,’ say landscapers as Queenslanders build storm defences
The Logan mayor, Jon Raven, has also been speaking with reporters, and was asked about the sandbagging efforts.
He said it was “incredible” to see sandbags out five or six days before flooding is expected.
We’ve never done that as a city before. It’s something I knew, when we saw the first warnings, that people would want sandbags. We’re seeing all over south-east Queensland incredible amounts of sand that is being picked up by people because they want to protect their homes.
Asked if there was enough, Raven said “we’ve almost got too much”.
Every landscaping yard in the city is in a flood plain so they’re saying, please, take our sand, because it’s going to be washed down the river anyway.
Updated
No formal request for ADF in cyclone response yet, McAllister says
Moving to any potential involvement of the army in the cyclone response, Jenny McAllister said state governments would lead the response in NSW and Queensland.
The federal government’s role is to be supportive, engaged, and “understand what might be required if the event starts to exceed local capabilities”, she said.
Of course, in the past, we’ve often seen the ADF engaged in direct response to a request from a state government. That door remains open.
At the moment the ADF have been briefed. They’re deeply engaged. They’re fully aware of the information, but we’re yet to receive any formal request for assistance from the Queensland government at this point.
Updated
Chalmers: ‘No doubt’ about economic cost of cyclone, but focus right now is on response
Asked about the potential economic cost of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Jim Chalmers said the focus was on the human cost.
Of course there will be an economic cost when all is said and done, but the overwhelming focus – the sole focus – of all three levels of government … is to make sure we are ready and we are prepared.
He said there would “no doubt” be a cost to the economy and budget, but “we will do what’s necessary when the time comes”.
Chalmers was also asked about the election timing amid the cyclone, but said the election “couldn’t be further from [his] mind this morning”.
Updated
Chalmers says it will be ‘anxious wait’ for cyclone to cross coast
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is also in Logan speaking with reporters about the tropical cyclone.
He said it was “pretty rare for a cyclone to be this far south, but we’ll be ready for it when it arrives”.
Australians are there for each other in difficult times like this, and all three levels of government will be there for you as well.
Chalmers said it was going to be an “anxious wait” for the tropical cyclone to cross the coast.
We are all bracing for heavy weather. We are prepared for the worst, but we hope for the best.
Before taking questions, Chalmers took a moment to thank all the volunteers working on the cyclone response.
Updated
Emergency management minister addressing media in Queensland
The emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, is addressing the media from Queensland with an update on Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The minister said planning was under way to ensure “governments are in the best possible position to protect communities and keep people safe”.
She called on the community to ready their homes and look out for their own safety, as well as that of their friends, family and neighbours.
We are prepositioning heavy-lift helicopters to make sure that they are available should they be required after Tropical Cyclone Alfred crosses the coast.
Updated
SES receives 1,500 calls about sandbagging properties ahead of cyclone
The NSW State Emergency Service says it has received more than 1,500 calls about sandbagging, ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Crews are also beginning to arrive in northern NSW, ready to assist those communities:
We have received more than 1,500 calls relating to sandbagging and preparedness advice showing the community is following the advice and preparing their properties.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) March 4, 2025
Our deployed teams are arriving in Northern NSW ready to assist communities.
Learn more: https://t.co/LtWKEfWex4 pic.twitter.com/JepensdHcG
Testing axed in bid to fast-track police recruitment in Victoria
Entrance requirements to join Victoria police will be relaxed in a dramatic measure to bolster its frontline and fast-track recruitment, AAP reports.
An array of changes were announced to fast-track recruits as the force battles low morale and seeks to fill more than 1,000 vacancies statewide.
The changes mean paramedics, firefighters, defence force personnel and those with a Atar score higher than 65 – as well as a study score of at least 25 in English – will no longer need to sit an entrance exam.
Individuals who completed a bachelor degree in the arts, science, humanities, business and law will also be exempt from completing the entrance exam.
The changes take effect immediately and apply to residents who studied or worked in emergency services in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom in the past five years.
Victoria police has also removed the need for the majority of potential recruits to have a one-on-one psychologist appointment.
Updated
Greens want mandate on businesses with 100+ employees to work towards closing gender pay gap
As we flagged earlier, new data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows Australian women earn nearly $30k less a year than men.
The Greens spokesperson for women, Senator Larissa Waters, said the latest data is a “stark reminder that women continue to be undervalued and underpaid in our society”.
With an election looming, it is imperative that … Labor acts now to implement robust measures to close the gender pay gap. We cannot afford a Dutton-led government that has consistently failed to prioritise women’s rights and workplace equality.
The Greens are calling on the government to mandate that all businesses with more than 100 employees “take concrete steps to close their gender pay gaps”.
Additionally, government contracts and tenders should only be awarded to companies that are actively working towards pay equity.
Updated
RBA cautious over further rate cuts
The Reserve Bank board remains “cautious” about future rate cuts, and does not see the recent decision to reduce the cash rate as a commitment to make further reductions, according to the minutes of the 18 February meeting.
The meeting minutes, released today, are in line with the recent cautionary tone adopted by the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, who has previously pushed back against expectations of a series of cuts.
The minutes show that the board “was not yet assured” inflation could be returned to the target range with a lower cash rate. The minutes said:
As a result, members expressed caution about the prospect of further policy easing, which could also be seen in the forecast for inflation based on the market path.
Policy easing typically refers to cash rate cuts.
The RBA cut the cash rate by a quarter point to 4.1% at its February meeting, in a boost to mortgage holders.
The minutes show that while it remains concerned that inflation could reignite, it decided to cut the cash rate due to competing concerns that a higher rate could have adverse effects on the economy.
In light of these considerations about the risks surrounding the board’s decision, members agreed that their decision at this meeting did not commit them to further reductions in the cash rate target at subsequent meetings.
Updated
Release ‘buried’ wedge-tailed eagle deaths report, Victorian Greens demand
Acting Greens Victoria leader Sarah Mansfield said her party would this week move a motion in the Upper House demanding that Labor publicly release a report on the state’s wildlife laws, triggered by the poisoning of hundreds of protected wedge-tailed eagles in 2018.
AAP reports that despite an expert panel delivering their final report in December 2021, the state government has failed to respond to the report or make it public. Mansfield said the report could shape positive changes given the wildlife laws have not been updated in more than 50 years.
In August 2018, dead wedge-tailed eagles were found near Violet Town, in Victoria’s East Gippsland region. During an investigation into those deaths, the state’s environment department found more eagles, hawks and falcons on a nearby property. A wider search netted more than 200 dead native birds in the area, including 25 wedge-tailed eagles.
Tests of six eagles detected an insecticide used to control mites. The same agricultural chemical was found in the carcasses of animals suspected of being used as bait, with the department believing it may have caused all of the bird deaths. At the time, it was unclear whether the poisoning was an accident.
The latest call from the Greens follows reports that developers have ripped up critical habitat in the western grasslands. Mansfield said:
Labor’s inaction risks complete ecosystems and endangered species going extinct. Labor has completely buried this report for over three years because they don’t like what it’s going to say.
The destruction of our western grasslands and the killing of protected wedge-tailed eagles is a total scandal. It should never have happened and the public deserves to know what the experts say about how we can stop it from happening again.
AAP contacted the Victorian government for comment.
Updated
Gallagher says opposition has ‘no idea how modern working families operate’
Katy Gallagher also accused the opposition of having “no idea about how modern working families operate”, in regards to their opposition to work from home arrangements.
Gallagher said these arrangements are part of the private and public sector, and “workplaces in the modern age”.
When you look at the announcements they’ve made today, apart from opposing sensible continued reforms in WGEA, they’ve announced they’re going to cut services, build $600bn worth of nuclear power stations, and other ideas are being copied from the United States.
I mean, that’s the world we’re in right now, and I think women have a right to feel at risk …
Updated
Gallagher urges Dutton to reconsider opposition to bill addressing gender pay gap
Katy Gallagher says there is a bill before parliament which recommends setting targets for larger companies with regards to the gender pay gap.
This was all agreed and had been bipartisan, tripartisan, whole-of-parliament supported until the last month, when Peter Dutton has reversed his position on that and said it’s too burdensome on companies to support that reform …
I imagine we can all understand why in this current environment, but I would urge him to reconsider that and put the interests of women and women at work number one before his own self-political interest.
Updated
Fifty six per cent of companies improved average total remuneration gender pay gap last year
Mary Wooldridge, the CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, told reporters the gender pay gap has been “coming down slowly over time”, which prompted the investment measures to get this moving quicker.
Last year, 56% of companies improved their average total remuneration gender pay gap. We’ve also seen a big increase in the number of companies doing a gender pay gap analysis to understand what is driving gendered differences in their workplaces … These are critical actions that underpin action-taking on gender equality in the workplace, and they’re critical for driving change.
Wooldridge said that when looking at both the average and the median gender pay gaps, “only 15% of employers are in the target range for both of those measures”:
But that’s over 1,100 companies that are already meeting those benchmark performances, which is quite significant, and we do expect results to improve as we continue to publish information each year.
Updated
Gallagher addressing media in Canberra
The minister for women and finance, Katy Gallagher, has been speaking to reporters in Canberra about closing the gender pay gap.
She said there had been “good progress” overall towards achieving this, with a range of investments in the past few years for industries where women dominate – such as education and aged care.
We’ve seen that women are now earning $217 more per week than when we came to government in May 2022 as a result of some of those policies …
More employers reduced their gender pay gap this year, the size of the gaps are coming down and, importantly … we’re seeing more and more employers engage in what’s happening in their businesses.
Updated
Watch: Tropical Cyclone Alfred update
The Bureau of Meteorology has shared an update on Tropical Cyclone Alfred, looking at areas of concern and potential crossing sites:
Severe Weather Update: Tropical Cyclone Alfred update, crossing likely for SE Qld
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 3, 2025
Video current: 9:00am AEST 4 March 2025
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/hIcS5i89Om
University of Melbourne bans indoor protests
The University of Melbourne has banned indoor protests following last year’s pro-Palestine encampment that extended to the occupation of a department building for more than a week.
In an email to students yesterday, the vice-chancellor Emma Johnston announced the new rule, to take immediate effect on campus:
Indoor protest on our campuses and protest that obstructs entry or exits of buildings, or that unreasonably disrupts university operations, is prohibited.
The rule, introduced under the jurisdiction of the vice-chancellor, noted protest could “interfere with the rights of others to freedom of expression” and could be “intimidatory or harassing”.
The rule does not apply to industrial action. Any students who breached the rule risked being unable to attend class or exams, restricted from accessing the university or, in extreme cases, suspended or terminated.
You can read more about last year’s protests here:
Updated
Farming company fined for constructing dams in wetland without approval
A commercial farming company in Kempsey has been fined $224,000 and one of its directors a further $71,250 after being found guilty for 12 charges, including constructing dams in a wetland without approval.
The National Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) says it’s the highest total fine it has secured through a local court prosecution since the authority was established in 2018.
The sentence was handed down in the NSW local court this week after the court last year found the company, Green Leaf Australia, had used dams without approval, extended dams without approval, and constructed dams within nationally significant freshwater wetlands between 16 October and February 2021, including during “a period of very dry conditions”.
Some offences occurred within the Clybucca Aboriginal Area, significant to the Dunghutti, Gumbaynggirr and Ngambaa peoples.
Magistrate Scott Nash said the decision to proceed with the works without approval was “reckless and motivated for financial gain.” The court also awarded $155,000 in costs to NRAR.
NRAR director of investigations and enforcement, Lisa Stockley, said the rules around constructing dams and carrying out works on waterfront land “exist to protect the quality of delicate ecosystems and ensure water is taken lawfully”.
Power bills would rise by more than $400 if renewables rollout stalled, modelling shows
Power bills for the average household would rise by more than $400 if the rollout of renewable energy stalled, according to new modelling commissioned by the Clean Energy Council.
The modelling, by Jacobs, compared the government’s ambition to reach 82% renewable energy by 2030 with the Coalition’s plan to limit renewable energy to 54% and rely on coal and gas while waiting for nuclear power stations.
The report used PLEXOS energy modelling software – the same energy market economic modelling tool as that used in separate modelling prepared for the Coalition – to simulate price estimates.
It claims greater reliance on coal and gas-fired generation would increase power bills for the average household in the national electricity market by $449 a year in 2030 and $877 for a small business.
The modelling also examined the potential impact on prices of a second scenario, where renewables were reduced and a major coal-fired power station had a significant and unexpected outage.
In that scenario, the report found average household prices within the national electricity market would increase by $606 per year in 2030, while prices for the average small business would increase by $1182. Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said:
Our modelling confirms that continuing to deploy renewable energy will keep wholesale electricity prices as low as possible. Clean energy not only works for Australia but it’s the cheapest path forward for our electricity bills.
Rudd says US alliance endures beyond vicissitudes of daily politics
Let’s circle back to the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, who has been speaking at an ANU panel in Washington DC (you can read more on this earlier in the blog, here).
Rudd said Australians’ natural tendency towards skepticism was one of the country’s “commanding virtues”, but that the US alliance endured beyond the vicissitudes of daily politics.
It will never go perfectly smoothly: life’s not like that, politics is not like that, international relations certainly ain’t like that.
But I think ensuring we are confident of those fundamentals, and the fact that we have leverage and agency in the world, that we are not simply the passive recipient of forces generated elsewhere: that’s the competence I see reflected in our political leadership back home.
Rudd said he had a basis for optimism in Australia’s “confidence in values, clarity about our interests, clarity about our navigating a strategy for the future, [and] confidence in our underpinning security relationship with the United States”.
Updated
Postpone AFL season opener amid cyclone warning, Brisbane coach says
Continuing on from our last post:
The Brisbane Lions coach, Chris Fagan, is urging the AFL to postpone its season-opening match as the tropical cyclone approaches.
As AAP reports, Fagan said he hopes common sense prevails and league hierarchy postpone the Lions’ scheduled fixture against Geelong at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday night.
The sooner the decision is made, the better. It’s just a game of football. The safety of family and friends and staff and fans is the priority, that is why common sense has to prevail.
It’s a cyclone … I have seen the carnage they have caused at different periods of Australian history so I’m not too keen on the idea of things going ahead if it’s going to be like that … it can’t, can it?
The AFL chief, Andrew Dillon, said yesterday a decision to postpone the game could be made as late as Thursday afternoon.
Fagan said it was “logical” to postpone the game until round 3 when both Brisbane and Geelong were scheduled to have byes. The Geelong coach, Chris Scott, also demanded a decision from the AFL, as some Cats players were due to fly to Queensland later today.
We do need to know. Even in principle, the idea of getting on a plane and flying into the eye of a cyclone doesn’t sound like a great idea.
Updated
First major sporting event cancelled amid Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The first major sporting event has fallen victim to Tropical Cyclone Alfred with the 2025 Australian WPGA Championship cancelled this morning due to the impending impact of the storm.
The event on the Gold Coast was due to start on Thursday, when the cyclone is forecast to make landfall on the Queensland coast. Organisers said the unprecedented decision was taken after extensive consultation with stakeholders including the state government, Gold Coast city council and the Ladies European Tour.
A Golf Australia statement said:
With the predicted high rainfall, extreme winds and expected flooding, the decision has been made to ensure the safety of players, staff, fans and all stakeholders, which remains the priority.
The AFL is monitoring the situation ahead of Thursday’s season-opening clash between the Lions and Cats at the Gabba in Brisbane, while in the NRL the Dolphins are scheduled to play South Sydney at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.
Updated
Dutton continues push to stop public servants working from home
The opposition leader was asked about the Coalition’s push against work from home, and whether this would disproportionately impact women with children.
Peter Dutton said there were “opportunities around job sharing” and “some jobs that are appropriate to be home-based.”
Our desire is to get public servants who, at the moment, are refusing to go back to work – just to paint the dynamic here – they are refusing to go back to work in Canberra and that is not acceptable when people are on very high wages … We will increase productivity and efficiency if people are back at work, as was the case before Covid.
Would there be exceptions for women with children? Dutton said there would be a “commonsense approach”.
But I won’t tolerate a position where taxpayers are working harder than ever to pay the bills and they’re seeing public servants in Canberra refuse to go to work. That will not happen under a government I lead.
Updated
Dutton says Coalition won’t cut frontline jobs
Peter Dutton was also questioned about the Coalition’s proposal to cut public sector jobs, and said he was “not cutting frontline positions”.
We have a health department and an education department. The commonwealth department doesn’t own a school, we don’t own a hospital or employ a doctor or nurse or a teacher. That’s the difference than say the Queensland or Victorian or NSW government …
We’re not going to cut those frontline services and I’ve been very clear about that from the first moment we made the announcement.
Updated
Dutton says Trump call for Europe to boost defence spending ‘statement of the obvious’
Asked if he agreed with Anthony Albanese’s position that Australia is open to playing a peacekeeping role in Ukraine, Peter Dutton said he has been “honest and upfront in our support” for Ukraine since day one.
We should continue to provide support to Ukraine. We have been involved in training and providing support to Ukraine soldiers and I think that should continue.
In terms of if we should have boots on the ground in Ukraine, I don’t see that.
Dutton said the “Europeans have that task”, and Donald Trump had pointed out that “Europeans need to do more in the defence of Europe, and that is a statement of the obvious”.
The US has a focus on other theatres and other areas of engagement, and that is appropriate. And I think the fact that Nato countries are spending more, or are committing to spending more in their defence budget, is a good thing.
Updated
Dutton addressing reporters in Brisbane
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has been addressing reporters in Brisbane.
Taking questions, he said the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, should “stick to the timetable of the parliament returning so the budget can be delivered”.
If the prime minister doesn’t have good news in the budget, which it would seem to be the case, then he is likely to run to an election early – perhaps 12 April.
Katy Gallagher responded to those reports earlier this morning.
Updated
Final impediment for calling federal election passed today
The ABC’s election analyst, Antony Green, says the final impediment for calling a federal election has passed today, as the new federal boundaries for the Northern Territory are gazetted.
He wrote in a post to X:
Any writ issued after today will be for the new boundaries. The changes lift Labor’s margin in the key seat of Lingiari from 0.9% to 1.7%.
Pocock criticises AFL’s gambling grab and integrity solution
Independent senator David Pocock has criticised the AFL’s move to seize more gambling revenue in order to address serious shortcomings in its integrity system.
Guardian Australia has revealed AFL executives expressed concern about not being able to quickly verify if players or staff were manipulating betting markets while justifying a campaign to seize a bigger share of money.
The league has proposed creating a new centralised database of all gambling transactions that can be assessed by an external AI company to detect suspicious transactions.
Transaction data sent to the new system would include a gambler’s full name, date of birth, full address, email address, home and mobile phone numbers, and the volume of their bets.
Pocock, a former Wallabies rugby player, has criticised the move:
Rather than dial back on the gambling ads or the kickbacks to fix its integrity nightmare, the AFL is now demanding it receive the private information of every punter so it can track who they are. We need to break the toxic nexus between gambling and sport.
Updated
Albanese says he is ready to debate Dutton
Taking a final question, Anthony Albanese asked if he was up for four debates against Peter Dutton in the leadup to the election.
The PM quipped that Dutton “can’t find the National Press Club” and continued:
I’ve been there ten times. I hold press conferences almost every day. I’m here holding a full-scale press conference, as I did on Sunday, as I did on Saturday, as I do every day.
I’m accountable. I don’t do Ray Hadley or 2GB every Thursday morning and call that accountability …
I look forward to Peter Dutton agreeing to a debate on the ABC. As for others, that’s all negotiated by national secretaries.
Updated
Albanese accuses Coalition of taking policy ideas from US
Back at the press conference in Sydney, Anthony Albanese has taken aim at the Coalition’s plan to cut 36,000 public servants.
The PM said that Australia doesn’t have to “adopt all of America’s policies”, and continued:
What we have here from Peter Dutton is that he’s so policy lazy, him and his team, that if they hear something on the news – an announcement from overseas about sacking public servants, or people working from home, or DEI, the dreaded inclusion policy that they’re so worried about – they say, ‘Yeah, I’ll have some of that’ …
What we need is Australian policy for Australian conditions, because we are unashamedly the best country on earth and we don’t need to borrow from anyone else.
Rudd reaffirms Australia-US alliance amid tumultuous week
Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, has reaffirmed the fundamental bedrock of the US alliance remains unchanged despite a tumultuous foreign policy week in the White House.
America’s relationship with its allies has been acutely strained over the past week – manifesting most obviously in the public upbraiding of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, and fracturing ties with Nato allies in Europe.
Speaking at a panel discussion hosted by the Australian National University in Washington DC, Rudd argued the Australian-US relationship extended beyond individual presidents and prime ministers, and beyond particular administrations and governments.
It’s a huge relationship. Remember, we are here in the midst of the largest economy in the world. We’re here in the midst of the most formidable military power in the world. We’re here in the midst of the most formidable technology, power in the world.
We are also in a country which is our longest continuing security policy partner through the Anzus alliance, which is three-quarters of a century old. So putting that together, there’s a lot of stuff going on.
So what brings these countries together over the ebbs and flows of individual administrations and governments back in Australia, some 14 US presidents and 16 Australian prime ministers over the last 75 years? It is that they’re anchored in our common view of democratic system, our common view of our national interests in terms of our underlying security.
Rudd said those “fundamentals tend not to change, but the relationship is beyond the alliance”.
It incorporates … this entire realm of the private sector. When you speak of the totality of this relationship, it’s both where we are in terms of G to G, government to government, but where we are G to B – government to business – and B to B [business to business], which is huge.
Updated
Albanese says Australia ‘open to consideration’ of Ukraine peacekeeping proposals
Taking another question, Anthony Albanese reiterated the government’s stance on Ukraine, and said “we stand with president Zelenskyy and the brave struggle of the people of Ukraine to defend their natural sovereignty”.
What they’re fighting for is the international rule of law [and] Australia stands ready to assist. We have contributed $1.5bn with $1.3bn for military assistance directly.
There’s discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping, and from my government’s perspective, we’re open to consideration of any proposals going forward, as Australia has historically played an important role in … a range of peacekeeping areas.
We want to see peace in Ukraine, but we want to make sure the illegal, immoral actions of Russia are not rewarded, and that Vladimir Putin and his designs, which are imperialistic, are not rewarded or encouraged.
Updated
Albanese lashes Dutton’s ‘thought bubbles’
Going back to the press conference in Sydney, where Anthony Albanese has been taking aim at Peter Dutton for his “thought bubbles”.
Albanese said Dutton called for a regional taxation, or zonal tax, so that “if you live in a particular area, you will pay a different tax rate from when you are in Sydney.”
Now, Peter Dutton is the alternative prime minister of this country. He needs to be held to account for these thought bubbles which come out day after day, and which are then dismissed and he walks away from once he says it.
So zonal taxation and and cutting or increasing the tax rates for everyone who’s a low and middle income earner is what he needs to be held to account for.
Waves up to 10m recorded off Brisbane and Gold Coast
Waves of up to 10m have been recorded off parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, as Tropical Cyclone Alfred now sits directly east of the south-east Queensland coast.
Wild surf conditions were at their peak late yesterday, when 9.59m waves were recorded off Brisbane at 11.30pm
The Tweed offshore monitoring station recorded waves of 8.95m waves at 3pm on Monday.
Waves higher than 6m were also recorded at several Gold Coast beaches including Palm Beach and the Southport Spit.
Updated
NSW deputy premier says school funding is not election pledge but signed deal
Taking another question, Jason Clare said the agreement signed today “makes sure this money rolls out”.
The only threat is if Peter Dutton is elected and passes legislation to rip it out.
The NSW deputy premier, Prue Car, added that this was not an election pledge but a signed document:
This is not an election commitment. This is something the commonwealth government and the state government actually have agreed to, and we’ve funded, that gives some surety to NSW public schools, that this is money that’s in the budget over the life of the agreement.
Updated
Why did it take an election to get funding over the line?
Taking questions from reporters, Jason Clare was asked why it has taken an election to get this funding over the line.
He said the “bottom line is this should have been done a decade ago,” and took aim at the Liberals:
The Liberal party, after promising not to cut funding to schools, ripped the guts out of public schools. They ripped $30bn out of our public schools. Guess where the $600bn will come from for the nuclear reactors? You can guess that it’s going to be things like this.
Clare went on, saying this was “not a blank cheque” but will be “tied to practical reforms that we know work”.
Updated
Clare says school funding will benefit children not yet born
The education minister, Jason Clare, is also fronting the media about the NSW school funding – describing this as “a massive day for public education”.
Until today, we’d signed agreements with six states and territories across the country, but this is the big one. This is NSW …
But it’s even bigger than that – this is about making sure that every child in this country gets a great start in life.
Clare said one in 10 children are below the minimum standard for literacy and numeracy, with the overwhelming majority of these in public schools.
This fixes that for them. And for the next generation of kids, for kids that aren’t even born yet, this will change their lives.
Updated
Minns says schooling funding would ‘make up for the hits’ NSW has taken
Chris Minns also spoke to the funding agreement and described it as a “gamechanger” for NSW.
If we want to compete in the world over the next 10 years, we need to make sure that we’re putting as much money and effort and resourcing into the next generation as possible.
The NSW premier said that by “any objective measure”, the Covid-19 pandemic “did have an impact on educational outcomes for young people in schools, whether they’re in public or private schools.”
What I can say, without fear of contradiction, is this investment from the commonwealth government will make up for the hits that we’ve taken in education over the last few years and see us jump into the future with the kind of investment that education desperately needs.
Updated
Albanese slams former Coalition government for education cuts
Anthony Albanese has taken aim at the former Coalition government for making cuts to education, stating that in the 2014 budget, there was $30bn “ripped out”.
He said ever since, Australia had been “trying to play catch up.”
There’s real world consequences for young Australians as a direct result of those cuts that were made. And indeed, public school completion rates dropped from 81% in 2014 to 73.6% in 2023.
At a time where Australia needs to compete on the basis of how smart we are … the idea that we’ve gone backwards over that decade, as a direct result of the cuts that were made by the former Coalition government, is an indictment on their values.
Updated
Albanese and Minns addressing media in Sydney
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and NSW premier, Chris Minns, are speaking to the media from Carlton Park primary school in Sydney.
The PM is announcing that NSW has secured a deal with the commonwealth to fully fund public schools by 2034, leaving Queensland as the country’s only outlier ahead of the federal election. Albanese said:
We want those doors of opportunity not just left open, but we want them widened, and that is why we have worked so hard to get now seven out of eight state and territory governments signed up to the national school resourcing standard that was identified more than a decade ago by David Gonski – in his landmark study looking at what do we need to do to lift every child up to make sure no child falls behind – and that is precisely what this commitment today has done.
He said this would provide a $4.8bn injection by the commonwealth, and would support about 770,000 public school students and more than 2000 schools.
This is the largest ever federal injection of funds into NSW schools ever by any government.
Updated
Catchments included in NSW flood watch
Continuing from our last post, here are the catchments currently listed in the flood watch for NSW:
Tweed and Rous rivers: moderate to major flooding
Brunswick River and Marshalls Creek: moderate to major flooding
Wilsons River: moderate to major flooding
Richmond River: moderate to major flooding
Clarence River: moderate to major flooding
Orara River: moderate to major flooding
Coffs Coast
Bellinger and Kalang rivers: moderate to major flooding
Nambucca River: moderate to major flooding
Macleay River: moderate to major flooding
Hastings River: moderate to major flooding
Camden Haven River: moderate to major flooding
Updated
Extra flood rescue teams deployed to northern NSW
The NSW State Emergency Service says it has deployed extra flood rescue and storm operators to northern NSW ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Assistant commissioner Nicole Hogan said it had also sent “communication equipment, support personnel, aviation resources and specialised vehicles ahead of the forecasted impacts later this week”.
Moderate to major riverine flooding and flash flooding is possible which could close roads, inundate properties and lead to evacuations in some parts of the northern rivers and mid north coast from [tomorrow] through to at least the weekend.
Damaging surf and elevated sea levels are likely from today to Friday for the Byron, Coffs and Macquarie coasts, with waves 5-8m tall, and coastal erosion could reach as far south as Seal Rocks.
Updated
Minister says no formal request for ADF assistance but it was planning around ‘what may occur’
The federal emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, has also weighed in on the TC Alfred response while speaking to ABC News Breakfast.
She said the states were leading the response effort and while there hadn’t been any formal request for assistance from the ADF, it was “engaged in some of the planning and thinking about what may occur”.
It’s a little bit early to speculate about what might be needed. We’re still really trying to understand what the impact will be and how we can best assist.
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Acting commissioner on storm surge and subsequent tides from cyclone
The acting Queensland police commissioner, Shane Chelepy, was up on 4BC Brisbane radio this morning to provide a tropical cyclone update.
As we’ve flagged earlier, Chelepy said the latest briefing he received was for a coastal crossing on Thursday or Friday as a category two system.
His main concern is people in low-lying areas and foreshores, with a big storm surge on the way and tides up to a metre higher than normal.
We really don’t want to see sightseers going down to have a look at the waves coming in on the beach. Yeah, I know it’s a unique thing to happen in Brisbane, but it’s not safe to do that.
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Crisafulli says all levels of government on unity ticket to respond to Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, too was on ABC News Breakfast to speak on the latest regarding the tropical cyclone.
He said generators and health staff had been pre-position to some vulnerable island communities, and the state government had been “making sure all the logistics are in place”.
This is an unusual event, it’s not unprecedented but it is unusual to have a cyclone of this severity crossing the coast … It’s a challenge, but I want people to know we’re [putting] things in place to deal with it.
Disaster events are never perfect. But if you do the little things beforehand it makes a world of difference at the back end.
Crisafulli said the assistance from both sides in Canberra had been “excellent”, as well as input from local government.
What people want to know during a disaster time is [that] everyone is on a unity ticket … We may need all levels of government to pick up the pieces. The time to embed the relationships is not afterwards, the time to embed the relationships is before.
Tropical #CycloneAlfred (Cat 2) is currently located 560km east of #Brisbane and #Maroochydore. It is currently moving southeast but is expected to turn westwards toward the #Qld coast later today.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 3, 2025
Latest: https://t.co/QdjBLkJdvZ pic.twitter.com/ElW9n39oVQ
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NSW premier says tropical cyclone impacts will be felt through to weekend
Chris Minns was also up on ABC News Breakfast this morning, where he said the real impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred would be felt on Thursday, Friday and into the weekend.
The first impact will be beaches, we’re already seeing massive swells across the northern beaches [of Sydney]. Then it will be severe winds up to 100km/h that we’re concerned about. And then, lastly, rain.
Minns said there were 40 flood rescue teams with resources ready to go in the northern rivers.
Even with all of those resources and the extra funding from the NSW government, we still rely on the public to act early, be prepared, to listen to information.
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Minns says northern rivers ‘incredibly resilient’ as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, spoke with the Today Show earlier as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches the coast.
Landfall is expected on Thursday or Friday, and people in two states – from K’gari in Queensland to Grafton in NSW – are being asked to stay alert.
Asked how northern rivers residents can face another drenching after experiencing so many flooding events these past few years, the premier said this event “brings back all the worst horrors of 2022”.
This is an incredibly resilient town. They rebuilt after the horrifying natural disaster of that period [and] when these things are reported, they’re prepared. But obviously it takes a big mental toll. So we’re thinking of those communities. We will rebuild with them the day after the storm has been completed.
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Finance minister on calls for income taxes to be indexed to inflation
Katy Gallagher was also asked if the government would consider making income taxes indexed to inflation, following calls from independent MPs, who say younger working people are being unfairly burdened by the tax system.
She told ABC RN the government has “a better way of dealing with bracket creep” – pointing to the stage three tax cuts.
We also dropped two tax rates and lifted two thresholds, which allowed – really, when you look at it over the medium term – the average taxpayer will pay less of their income in tax for at least the next decade.
We accept that people have different views on this, and Allegra Spender does a lot of good work in this space … but we believe, through our tax plan that we’ve found a better way to provide that relief to particularly middle and lower-income workers.
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Gallagher says no budget meetings cancelled this week ‘as far as I’m aware’
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has responded to reports that budget meetings scheduled for this week have been canceled.
News.com.au reports that Anthony Albanese is preparing to call the federal election this Sunday or Monday for 12 April, and appears to have scrapped plans for a March budget after cancelling this week’s planned meetings of the expenditure review committee.
Speaking to ABC RN, Gallagher said ERC meetings have occurred for the last three months and “we’ve reached the final stages of that” for a budget scheduled on the 25 March.
It’s been a normal ERC process as far as I’m concerned … We’ve had a lot of meetings, I can assure your listeners, to make sure that we’re making all of those decisions that need to be made, to make sure we’re dealing with cost-of-living pressures for Australian households.
So have any budget meetings for this week been cancelled? Gallagher said “not as far as I’m aware, and I go to all of them”.
Because of the budget scheduled for the 25th of March, you would expect a lot of that work would have been done by now in any normal budget cycle, and that’s exactly what we have followed.
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Marles again questioned on notice period from China on live-fire drills
The prime minister said, Friday a week ago, China had given advance notice of the live fire drills by its navy ships. Defence officials then told parliament there was no such advance notice. Why did Anthony Albanese say that?
Richard Marles responded that the prime minister was referring to the “broadcast that the Chinese navy undertook on that day”, and has made clear the notice was “not up to the standards that Australia” would expect.
Did the prime minister intend to downplay the situation, or was he misled? Marles said he did “neither of those things”.
The fundamental point here was that there was a very disconcerting set of circumstances for commercial airlines that were in the air on that day by virtue of the broadcast being issued when it was now … And the prime minister went on to say that we had made representations to the Chinese government, both in Canberra and in Beijing, and indeed between our foreign ministers about that fact.
The point was also made that China has complied with its international obligations, and we’ve not suggested otherwise, but we’ve made the point that when we do exercises of this kind, we give 12, 24, sometimes 48 hours notice. But importantly, the notice that we give is such that any plane which is yet to take off has an ability to plan a route around the exercises that we’re undertaking. And that opportunity was not given to those commercial planes which were flying across the Tasman on that day.
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Australian assets continuing to monitor Chinese ships, Marles says
Moving to the Chinese ships moving in international waters around Australia, Richard Marles was asked what message the live fire exercises is sending – here, in Vietnam and around Taiwan?
The deputy prime minister said China is “being more assertive” and this has “been clear over a significant amount of time”.
Marles said the ships were currently south-west of Perth and were being tailed by Australian assets to monitor its activities.
Obviously, we want to watch very carefully to make sure they’re complying with international law – which, to be fair, they are. But we’re also watching because we want to understand exactly what this mission is doing, the kind of exercises they’re undertaking, what their configurations are, actually getting into the detail of this …
Marles said he wasn’t going to speculate on specifics of the mission, but said Australia is “watching very closely, and we will know that answer, and we will analyse it properly and properly understand exactly what they were trying to do”.
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Marles says ‘our focus is on supporting Ukraine’ when asked how trustworthy Trump is
Why should Australia trust president Donald Trump, given how he’s treated Ukraine’s president at the Oval Office? Richard Marles said the government’s focus was on supporting Ukraine:
That’s where Australia lies. That’s the decision that we have to make. And Ukraine can absolutely rely on Australia’s ongoing support in their defence, and we will work with international partners.
We’ve obviously worked with the United States over the last three years, and we’ll continue to do that, but we’ve worked with the United Kingdom, and we’ll continue to do that as well, and with European partners, and look at the best way in which we can provide support.
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Marles says timeline has been decided with Ukraine for delivery of Abrams tanks
The defence minister and deputy PM, Richard Marles, was just on ABC RN to discuss support for Ukraine.
The host noted Australia has ruled out sending troops, but would the government give more equipment or ensure the 49 Abrams tanks already promised are actually delivered?
He said Australia would “continue to support Ukraine” so that “this conflict can be resolved on Ukraine’s terms” – but wouldn’t go into specifics:
We have established a timeline with [the] Ukrainian government about the delivery of those tanks to Ukraine. Now, for operational reasons, won’t go into the detail of that timeline.
They were promised last October, so will they arrive soon?
Marles said they would “arrive in a timely fashion, and they’ll arrive in a time frame that we’ve agreed with Ukraine.”
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Myroshnychenko outlines need for US support in bringing end to Russia-Ukraine war
Vasyl Myroshnychenko was asked again about Zelenskyy’s clash with Trump and whether there was “any sense of dread or doom about where this might lead”, and some in the US calling for the Ukrainian president to resign.
Myroshnychenko said the European Union is the biggest donor of Ukraine and “will certainly have to do the heavy lifting”, but without American security support, “Europe cannot do much in Ukraine to force Russia to stop the war”.
Because this war could end in 24 hours. Russians just need to stop it and just need to get out of Ukraine. That’s very simple.
But the problem we are facing is actually the commitment of the US leadership into security for different other countries, especially here in the Pacific. And therefore we all are now watching [for] the ramifications of what the new foreign policy of the US is going to be.
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Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia on Trump-Zelenskyy clash
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has hit back at claims from Donald Trump that Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn’t want peace.
Speaking with the Today Show earlier, Myroshnychenko said:
Ukrainian people and president Zelenskyy want peace more than anybody else … We want to avoid the situation of 2014, 2015, when we signed a Minsk agreement on the ceasefire with Russia and Russia has broken that 25 times, including many times on Donald Trump’s watch …
Therefore, we are looking for those security guarantees which could be in place to make sure that Russians don’t come back years from now to destroy [the] entire country.
On the explosive clash between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Myroshnychenko said it was “quite significant” and Ukrainians had “rallied around president Zelenskyy”.
His popularity has surged … Even the most fierce critics of [him have] now made statements in support of his leadership … The entire country was watching that video from the Oval Office, including … relatives of those who were killed by the Russians … so for us, of course, it’s a big issue.
He went on to say that “security in Europe is not possible without American commitment” and that the US was a “bedrock of security”.
This is [why] we need them committed to Ukraine, and certainly we are very grateful to the leadership of president Trump for what he is trying to achieve. However, we want to have a sustainable and just peace which will last.
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Good morning
Emily Wind here, I’ll be with you on the live blog for most of today – thanks to Martin for kicking things off for us.
As always, you can reach out with any tips, feedback or questions via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s go.
Call for focus on four areas to prevent drownings
Continuing from our last post: Royal Life Saving Australia says it is “alarmed” that drowning deaths have increased again and called for long-term investments into drowning prevention measures.
The RLSA’s chief executive, Dr Justin Scarr, said this summer was “tragic in so many ways” and “too many” families and communities had been affected by drowning.
Scarr said thousands of children missed swimming lessons due to the pandemic, and that increased migration, especially from countries where it wasn’t common to learn how to swim, meant many people couldn’t swim or know what to do in an emergency.
RLSA is calling for policymakers to focus on four areas to help prevent drownings:
Nationally coordinated investments to boost the swimming and lifesaving skills of children and young people, especially those aged 10-14 years who can’t yet swim 50 metres and float for two minutes.
Large-scale programs supporting refugee and migrant communities, delivered at local pools in partnership with community groups, to build water safety skills and aid in community cohesion.
Expansion of local water safety planning and coordination, as outlined in the Australian Water Safety Strategy.
A strategic infrastructure investment plan to build and refurbish community swimming pools and learn-to-swim centres, to meet the changing needs of communities in growing cities and regional areas.
Scarr said investment in community swimming pools has “always been a key part of Australia’s approach to water safety and drowning prevention.”
More is needed to meet the medium-term impacts of ageing pools, changing demographics, and growth in our outer metropolitan suburbs and regional areas.
Summer's ‘tragic’ swimming death toll
More than 100 people died by drowning this summer, according to the nation’s peak body for water safety, in what the organisation has called a “tragic” season.
There were 104 drowning deaths, up 5% from last summer and 14% on the five-year average, according to data released today by Royal Life Saving Australia (RLSA).
Nearly one-third (32%) of all of the deaths were people aged 55 years and over. Ten children under 14 drowned, RLSA says, while men remained overrepresented, making up 81% of all deaths.
NSW recorded the highest number of drowning deaths at 33, followed by Victoria and Queensland with 22 deaths each, and Western Australia with 15 deaths.
Approximately one third of the deaths occurred at beaches and another third in rivers, with river drowning deaths increasing by 29% compared with the previous year. There were 11 drowning deaths in swimming pools, double that of the previous summer.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of drowning deaths occurred in regional areas. The RLSA says regional communities experience higher drowning rates due to greater exposure to natural waters and reduced access to safe places to swim.
Bribie Island braces for Cyclone Alfred
Our reporter Joe Hinchliffe has been to Bribie Island to find out how residents are feeling about being slap bang in the path of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. This is his report:
And here’s what you need to know about when and where it’s forecast to hit.
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Tropical Cyclone Alfred intensifies to category two storm
Tropical Cyclone Alfred has intensified into a category two system as it moves further south off the Queensland coast.
The subtropical excursion taken by the storm is forecast to take a sharp right turn today, with the Bureau of Meteorology expecting Alfred to start moving towards heavily populated parts of the coast after a week slowly progressing parallel to the coast down through the Coral Sea.
Alfred is currently about 560km east of Brisbane. Landfall is expected on Thursday or Friday, and people in two states – from K’gari to Grafton – are being asked to stay alert.
The BoM’s latest track map has now been updated and shows the cyclone potentially reaching the coast just north of Brisbane. That situation is among the most potentially damaging – forecasters expect the most intense rainfall to the south of the system, and Brisbane is uniquely vulnerable due to its larger population and its propensity to flood.
The BoM’s update this morning says:
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is currently moving south-east, but it is expected to slow and turn west towards the Queensland coast later today.
Alfred’s intensity may fluctuate between category one and two over the next few days, but it is forecast to cross the south-east Queensland coast at category two strength late on Thursday or early Friday morning.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Emily Wind will be your news guide.
The recent interest rate cut has not helped Anthony Albanese recover any ground in our latest Essential poll, with the prime minister’s approval rating down. More than half of Australians believe last month’s cash rate cut won’t help them much and was a sign the Labor government’s economic plan is not working. But voters still think Albanese is better placed than Peter Dutton to deliver cost-of-living relief, higher wages and safeguard Medicare.
Cyclone Alfred is tracking towards the south-east Queensland coast and could make landfall on Thursday. Surging tides are already reported to be gushing right over narrower and uninhabited parts of the low-lying Bribie Island and we sent a reporter to speak to people preparing for the onslaught.
As the contours of geopolitics continue to change every day, Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, will address a webinar held by the Australian National University this morning on the subject of the US-Australian alliance. It’s certainly an interesting time to be a diplomat in DC. We’ll bring you more on what Rudd says later this morning.
More than 100 people died by drowning this summer – significantly more than in the average summer – according to the nation’s peak body for water safety, in what the organisation has called a “tragic” season. More on this coming up.
