What we learned: Wednesday 13 December
Thank you for following along with the blog on a rather busy day of news.
Here are the key headlines to take away:
Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to make landfall in the next one to two hours in far north Quessnland with communities facing damaging winds, and life-threatening flooding.
The Australian government accused the Chinese coast guard and other vessels of threatening “lives and livelihoods” and creating “risks of miscalculation” amid a series of South China Sea incidents involving the Philippines.
Australia joined 152 countries voting to demand “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza” at the United Nations general assembly. Israel’s ambassador to Australia said he found the decision “difficult to understand”.
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also released a joint statement with Canada’s Justin Trudeau and New Zealand’s Chris Luxon which called for “efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire”. The PM’s joint statement also emphasised that: “We recognise Israel’s right to exist and right to defend itself.”
Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes underwent open heart surgery this morning, after being hospitalised two weeks ago for pneumonia.
The mid-year economic and fiscal outlook was released today and revealed a $12.8bn improvement for the 2023-24 financial year compared with the May budget and a total $39.5bn more in federal coffers over the four years to 2026-27.
Five thousand NSW paramedics will receive an average wage increase of 25% over four years, as an agreement between NSW paramedics and the state government is reached following strike action by union members last week.
Engineered stone is be banned nationwide, with the change to kick in from next year after states and territories signed off on the measure to protect workers.
And the South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas’ government has announced it will hold a royal commission into family and domestic violence. It follows calls for an inquiry after the deaths of four South Australian women in one week from alleged domestic violence.
Updated
‘Big surge’ of rainfall could cause flooding in Daintree region, BoM says
A “big surge” of heavy rainfall is starting to move onshore in far north Queensland as the cyclone moves closer to making landfall, according to the Bureau of Meterology.
Dean Narramore, meteorologist at the bureau, said the Daintree had seen rainfalls of up to 150mm and rainfall of 20-30mm an hour in some regions which could see major flooding in the region later tonight and tomorrow.
“That big surge of heavy rainfall is now starting to move onshore as the cyclone continues to move westwards on to the coast, and we’re likely to see these conditions continue to bring heavy rain and locally destructive wind in the coming hours,” he said.
Narramore said the cyclone is expected to make landfall – which is when the eye of the cyclone crosses the coast – in the next one to two hours.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Jasper: what we know so far
If you’re just catching up on Tropical Cyclone Jasper, here’s a wrap on what we know so far about the system, and how it is affecting communities in far north Queensland.
The cyclone is a category 2 and is not expected to intensify to a category 3.
The system is currently making landfall near the coast near Cape Tribulation.
Damaging wind gusts of up to 120 km/h are occurring along the coast south of Cooktown, including Cairns. 140km/h wind gusts are expected at Wujal Wujal and Port Douglas.
Residents have been warned of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding with 24-hourly totals between 400mm and 500mm possible. Since 9am on Wednesday, the area south of the Daintree faced a deluge of 133mm, while just north of Cairns has been hit with 145mm.
More than 28,000 homes and businesses are without power.
Shane Chelepy, Queensland’s state disaster coordinator, urged people to stay indoors. “If you’re in a low-lying area or you do not feel safe in your home, now is the opportunity to move to an evacuation centre,” he said.
Evacuation centres have been established in Cairns, Port Douglas and Cooktown, and the SES has responded to more than 100 calls for assistance by Wednesday afternoon.
The cyclone is expected to weaken overnight as it continues to move inland.
There’s a risk it will re-develop into another tropical cyclone once it hits Gulf of Carpentaria waters on Friday, however the Bureau of Meterology has said “there’s a lot of uncertainty”.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Jasper will still ‘pack a punch’ as it weakens, BoM says
The cyclone is expected to weaken as it makes landfall but is still expected to cause severe damage with wind gusts of up to 140km expected and warnings of life-threatening flash flooding.
“It’s still going to pack a punch even though it does weaken,” said Sarah Scully, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.
Up to 5oomm of rain is expected over 24 hours.
Trees uprooted in the main street of Port Douglas as Tropical Cyclone Jasper makes landfall. Really strong winds, the rain is non-stop and it’s coming down sideways @abcnews pic.twitter.com/XxeAHIIRpm
— Mackenzie Colahan (@maccolahan) December 13, 2023
Updated
‘Wait and see’: residents in path of cyclone waiting it out inside
Residents in Cairns, Innisfail, and Wujal Wujal – where the cyclone is expected to make landfall – have been told to remain inside until the cyclone passes and not to venture outside if they find themselves in the eye of the cyclone.
Natascha McCorkell, a resident in Cairns, says she is waiting out the cyclone with her family at her home with a generator prepped in case she joins the thousands facing power outages.
Also the owner of a cafe in Cairns, which sits close to the shore, McCorkell says she spent Tuesday placing 60 sandbags around her business in the hope it will be enough to protect it from storm surges.
Despite the severe warnings, she says she feels optimistic because of how much work had been done by businesses and homes to prepare for the worst.
“I don’t think anything else can be done now, we just need to wait and see,” she says.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Jasper: Bulk of 28,000 homes without power due to vegetation knocking out power lines
About 28,000 homes and businesses in far north Queensland are now facing power outages as Tropical Cyclone Jasper crosses the coast near Cape Tribulation.
A spokesperson from Ergon Energy Network said the bulk of power outages are due to strong winds causing vegetation to knock out power lines. The network’s crews have been told to take cover and wait until it’s safe enough to assess the damage.
Sarah Scully, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said a number of locations were facing wind gusts in excess of 90km/h, including 111km/h gusts at Low Isles just off Port Douglas.
Wind gusts are expected to reach 140km/h in some areas.
Updated
Good evening, I’ll now be taking over from Rafqa Touma to keep the blog running a little later than usual.
We’ll be bringing you live updates on Tropical Cyclone Jasper as it makes landfall in far north Queensland.
If there’s anything related to the cyclone you think needs attention on the blog, you can reach me at jordyn.beazley@theguardian.com.
Updated
‘This is about saving lives’: NSW minister for WHS on engineered stone ban
NSW minister for work health and safety, Sophie Cotsis, has welcomed today’s nationwide ban on engineered stone.
I congratulate all workers, unions, medical experts and businesses that I stood side by side as we campaigned for this day.
This is about saving lives, the evidence is in, and the Minns government has been a strong advocate for this.
My message to business and consumers is this: it’s time for you to stop buying this stuff. Don’t enter into any further contracts.
Updated
'We need to do something': SA government to hold royal commission into domestic violence
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, says “we need to do something” about domestic violence, as his government announces it will hold a royal commission into family and domestic violence. It follows calls for an inquiry after the deaths of four South Australian women in one week from alleged domestic violence.
The premier said to press:
Domestic violence is particularly insidious … It affects innocent women and also has a profound impact on children that really distorts their trajectory in life as a whole. And we need to do something, and do more about it.
For so many men in our society, domestic violence is really hard to comprehend. It is an utterly foreign concept. But the truth is that the overwhelming majority of violence that is committed against women and against children, is [committed] by men.
But it’s also true that the majority of men aren’t violent. Each and every one of us in the community, men in particular, have a profound responsibility to acknowledge that domestic violence is real. It is all too common. And we need to call it out in all of its forms, and it’s important to recognise that domestic violence isn’t necessarily just physical.
Given the fact that domestic violence is insidious [and] often occurs behind closed doors … we do need to have a serious line of inquiry if we’re going to formulate the policy to actually do something that has a positive impact.
Updated
Nine-year-old boy dies after being hit by car in NSW
A nine-year-old boy has died after being hit by a car in the New South Wales Riverina district, according to a NSW police statement.
At about 3.15pm today, emergency services responded to reports that a child had been hit by a vehicle on Market Street, Balranald, approximately 130km west of Hay.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the boy at the scene. He was conveyed to Balranald district hospital, but died a short time later.
The male driver was taken to the same hospital for mandatory testing.
Officers from Barrier Police District secured a crime scene and are awaiting the arrival of specialist police.
Updated
Safe Work Australia ‘will act immediately’ to progress ban of engineered stone
Safe Work Australia CEO, Marie Boland, said the prohibition would make Australian workplaces safer and healthier:
Today, WHS ministers from the commonwealth, states and territories agreed to Safe Work Australia’s recommendation to prohibit the use of engineered stone to protect the health and safety of workers.
Workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica has led to an unacceptable increase in the number of cases of silicosis and other silica-related diseases.
The cost to industry, while real and relevant, cannot outweigh the significant costs to workers, their families and the broader Australian community that result from exposure …
Now that a prohibition has been agreed by WHS ministers, Safe Work Australia will progress amendments to the model WHS Regulations and develop guidance to support PCBUs and workers understand and prepare for the change.
Read more from Benita Kolovos on the engineered stone ban here:
Updated
Peak lung health body and workplace safety lawyers welcome engineered stone ban
The nation’s peak lung health body and workplace safety lawyers are among those welcoming the nationwide ban on engineered stone.
The ban on engineered stone importation into Australia “puts us at the world forefront in the fight to obliterate the deadly resurgence of silicosis completely,” Lung Foundation Australia said.
The CEO, Mark Brooke, said the decisive action was a step that would save countless lives:
Lung Foundation Australia has been fighting for almost five years to see the scourge of silicosis taken on seriously by industry and government, and we stand with the thousands of Aussie workers and their families who said, enough is enough.
The latest research tells us one in four stonemasons have developed this debilitating, often fatal yet completely preventable disease and its resurgence is directly related to engineered stone, an interiors fashion product.
Workplace safety lawyers Maurice Blackburn have also welcomed the announcement.
Principal lawyer Jonathan Walsh, who specialises in representing workers affected by dust diseases including silicosis, said the ban would protect workers and save lives.
The popularity of engineered stone products like kitchen and bathroom bench tops has caused significant harm to workers exposed to silica.
This ban will drastically reduce the number of people affected by silicosis and related diseases in the future.
Like asbestos, there is no safe level of workplace exposure to silica dust. We welcome this ban on engineered stone. It will save lives and protect countless others from diseases caused by dangerous silica dust.
Updated
Engineered stone products to be banned nationwide
Engineered stone will be banned across the country from next year after states and territories signed off on the measure to protect workers.
The ban will come into effect from 1 July, after an agreement by workplace ministers at a meeting today.
Engineered stone had been dubbed a modern-day asbestos, with workers who used the product often developing the incurable and deadly lung disease silicosis.
Engineered stone is commonly used in kitchen bench tops.
As part of the national ban, the federal government has indicated it would put in place a compulsory customs prohibition on engineered stone being imported to Australia.
The national ban was endorsed following a Safe Work Australia report, which was commissioned by workplace ministers, calling for a countrywide prohibition.
While such a ban was deemed in the report to be the most expensive option, it said it would protect workers from developing health conditions.
The CFMEU had previously said it would implement its own ban from July next year should the government not institute its own prohibition.
Hardware chains Bunnings and Mitre 10 said they would phase out selling the product.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Thunderstorm asthma risk across large parts of Victoria
A “high risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma” is forecast today across Victoria’s north central, central and Gippsland regions, the department of health says.
🌩️ Update due to change in storm activity 🌩️
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) December 13, 2023
A high risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma has now been forecast today in North Central, Central and West & South Gippsland districts.
Stay up to date at @vicemergency: https://t.co/RxySW344nV https://t.co/I1K9ODhLe1 pic.twitter.com/243gmhOJBg
Updated
‘Take shelter now’: Tropical Cyclone Jasper nears Cairns
Tropical Cyclone Jasper has started to cross into far north Queensland but is expected to officially make landfall once the eye reaches the coast between 5pm and 6pm Queensland time, according to Steven Miles, Queensland’s soon-to-be premier.
Speaking to media a short time ago, Miles warned locals to “take shelter now” with winds of up to 70km already hitting Cairns.
“The message to Cairns locals and those in the warning area is to take shelter now, now is not the time to be moving around,” Miles said.
The Bureau of Meteorology earlier alerted that the cyclone was slowly making landfall just south of Wujal Wujal near Cape Tribulation in far north Queensland with wind gusts at the centre of the cyclone now reaching the predicted 140km an hour.
Updated
‘Plans in place’ in event of NSW power grid issues amid heat, minister says
The office of the New South Wales energy minister Penny Sharpe says “there are plans and procedures in place” in the case of strain in the power grid as heat begins to build.
They responded to Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam, saying:
The NSW Government is coordinating closely with Australian Energy Market Operator and others who manage the system. There are plans and procedures in place.
Heat building again over parts of Australia, with the warmth in the east potentially straining the power grid. (Source: @bom_au) pic.twitter.com/SkrsordZxI
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) December 13, 2023
Updated
Total fire bans for parts of NSW tomorrow
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service has issued a total fire ban for the greater Hunter and greater Sydney areas – which means no fires can be set out in the open.
A Total Fire Ban will be in place tomorrow, Thursday 14 December for the Greater Hunter and Greater Sydney Region areas. Be ready to act. Report all unattended fires to Triple Zero (000). https://t.co/R9tDns8ts6 pic.twitter.com/EHudbB4dOQ
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 13, 2023
Updated
Australia denounces Chinese aggression on high seas
The defence minister has lambasted China following a clash with a Filipino ship as an Australian frigate returns home after its own encounter with Beijing’s navy.
The Philippines and China are blaming each other for sparking confrontation after successive clashes between vessels in the disputed South China Sea, including water cannoning and ramming.
Australia shares the concerns expressed by the Philippines government “about a pattern of dangerous actions conducted by Chinese vessels against Philippines vessels and crew in the South China Sea”, the foreign affairs department said in a statement.
The Philippines had every right to engage in freedom of navigation exercises and sail the high seas unhindered, Defence Minister Richard Marles said.
“It’s absolutely essential that militaries, that navies, engage in manners which are safe and professional - that is not what has occurred,” the acting prime minister told reporters in Perth on Wednesday.
Marles welcomed the return of the HMAS Toowoomba to Western Australia after it completed its deployment.
Divers from the frigate were hit with a Chinese sonar blast, sparking outrage from Canberra.
“There is risk, that is clear from what has occurred ... but we will not be deterred,” Marles said, as he thanked the crew for their service.
Their deployment in the region has been a matter of great honour for our country, they have been engaged in upholding the rules-based order within the region in which we live and that is at the heart of our national interest.
- Australian Associated Press
Queenslanders warned to stay away from damaged power lines amid cyclone
Tropical Cyclone Jasper is slowly making landfall just south of Wujal Wujal near Cape Tribulation in Queensland’s far north, with wind gusts at the centre now reaching the predicted 140km/hr, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
The strong winds are bringing down power lines and Ergon Energy has issued a warning for people to stay well away from any damaged infrastructure.
It comes as nearly 16,000 homes face power outages with more expected in the coming hours.
The weather bureau has also warned of intense rainfall that could cause life-threatening flash flooding from this afternoon or evening, with the 24-hour total rainfall in some regions likely to reach between 400mm and 500mm.
From 9am to 2pm today, a deluge north-west of the Innisfail brought 116mm of rain, while 109mm was recorded to the west of the town.
Moderate flood warnings have been issued for the Mulgrace and Russel Rivers, with rainfall totals of 80mm-150mm recorded in the catchment areas in the 48 hours before 2pm Wednesday.
Updated
Pro-Palestine protest at Zara store in Melbourne CBD after advertising campaign
Pro-Palestine organisers held a peaceful demonstration at the Zara store on Bourke Street in central Melbourne in protest of the brand’s latest advertising campaign, which has been criticised for resembling images of destruction in Gaza.
Protesters entered the store holding objects resembling white body bags and at the entrance people stood silently carrying Palestinian flags and holding recent images surfacing from Gaza.
Lana Laham, one of the organisers of today’s action, said:
Zara’s campaign is dehumanising and deeply insensitive towards Palestinians who have been facing a genocide and a brutal occupation. We continue to witness the slaughter of our people, who are then draped in white cloth and left piled together among the rubble on the streets because the infrastructure to keep all the martyrs have been obliterated by Israeli airstrikes.
Our intention was to demonstrate and bring awareness to the extent of the massacre happening in Palestine over the last two months.
Zara has removed the advertising campaign from its website and social media channels, and said it regretted a “misunderstanding” about the images.
Zara said in a statement on its Instagram account that the idea for images was conceived in July and photographed in September, before the Israel-Hamas war started on 7 October.
Updated
Khawaja won’t wear shoes displaying human rights message: Cummins
Australia captain Pat Cummins has confirmed Usman Khawaja won’t wear shoes bearing a human rights message when the first Test against Pakistan gets underway in Perth on Thursday.
Khawaja was pictured at training on Tuesday with the words “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” written across his boots.
The stand comes as Israel’s push into Palestine continues to spread, causing devastating consequences for civilians living there.
If Khawaja had worn the shoes during the upcoming Test, it would have breached ICC rules and possibly resulted in a ban, a fine or an official warning.
Cummins said he supports Khawaja’s stance, but confirmed the shoes wouldn’t be worn during the Test.
“I spoke to him briefly and he said he won’t be,” Cummins told reporters on Wednesday.
It drew the attention to the ICC rules, which I don’t know if Uzzie was across beforehand. I know the ICC rules are quite specific to writing.
Uzzie doesn’t want to make too big of a fuss.
On his shoes he had ‘all lives are equal’. I think that’s not very divisive.
I don’t think anyone can really have too many complaints about that.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Cyclone Jasper causing road hazards across Cairns and surrounds
Queensland police in the Cairns region are warning that fallen trees and powerlines are causing road hazards across Tropical Cyclone Jasper’s impact zone.
Here are some pictures from them today:
Updated
Boris Johnson to speak in Sydney
Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson is in Sydney, due to give the annual John Howard lecture this evening for the Menzies research centre. The ousted British leader, who we last saw shouting Scott Morrison a trip to Israel in November, met current deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley this morning.
From photos shared online, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was as rumpled as ever:
🇦🇺🇬🇧 A pleasure to meet with former UK Prime Minister @BorisJohnson in Sydney this morning. An engaging conversation on national security including AUKUS, the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as on free trade, energy policy, housing and more. Boris is a great friend of Australia. pic.twitter.com/oufKWqoaG6
— Sussan Ley (@sussanley) December 13, 2023
Ley said the pair had “an engaging conversation on national security including AUKUS, the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as on free trade, energy policy, housing and more”.
Updated
Commuter standstill as V/Line workers walk off the job
Commuters from regional Victoria have faced significant hurdles getting to Melbourne after hundreds of V/Line workers walked off the job, bringing passenger trains to a halt.
The V/Line network was still dealing with delays as of Wednesday afternoon after members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union went on strike, with passenger train services abandoned from 3am until about 8am.
Union secretary Vik Sharma hailed the industrial action a success and said members didn’t take the decision to walk off the job lightly.
Sharma told reporters:
We never wanted to stop the network but we have been bargaining with V/Line for six months, they have refused to address our claims and members felt as if they had no choice but to go ahead with the action.
If more action is needed, then so be it.
The union wanted the V/Line workforce to have job security in the face of ticketless technology.
It also wanted to safeguard against the regional operator splitting full-time positions into multiple part-time positions with eight-hour weekly contracts.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
The Queensland ambulance service has urged motorists in the line of Cyclone Jasper to “stay off the roads unless essential, adhere to road closures and never drive in flood waters”. They shared a photo of a fallen tree obstructing a road at Cow Bay in Daintree.
A reminder for all motorists in the line of Tropical Cyclone Jasper to stay off the roads unless essential, adhere to road closures and never drive in flood waters. Paramedics just came across this obstruction at Cow Boy in the Daintree. pic.twitter.com/H8kbhooYtg
— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) December 13, 2023
Updated
Callout: what are your questions on politics?
Our federal politics team will end the year with a podcast episode answering your questions on politics.
If you have a question please email it to australia.podcasts@theguardian.com
You’ll be able to hear the episode this weekend.
Updated
Cyclone Jasper now category 2
Tropical Cyclone Jasper has now intensified to a category 2 cyclone and is producing damaging wind gusts that will increase as it continues to approach the north Queensland coast.
The cyclone, currently situated 125km off Cairns, is producing sustained winds near the centre of 95km/h with wind gusts to 130km/h – it is predicted this could reach up to 140km/h.
There were more than 128 calls for assistance in the affected regions between Tuesday afternoon and midday Wednesday.
🌀Latest Cyclone Track Map issued. Jasper is now a category 2 cyclone, destructive wind gusts to 140km/hr are possible in the vicinity of the crossing area this afternoon and early evening. Heavy to intense rainfall developing overnight. https://t.co/abjo0qiR5X pic.twitter.com/9xqdaLSooW
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 13, 2023
Updated
Health services union welcomes NSW paramedics pay rise
The health services union welcomes the pay rise to NSW paramedics as proof “that justice is worth fighting for”.
HSU NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said:
Paramedics have fought tirelessly and bravely for this professional recognition and salary justice. This historic advance proves that justice is worth fighting for.
Our paramedics are highly skilled professionals who exercise fine clinical judgement under incredible stress. Their work saves lives. Finally they will be paid for it.
The HSU is a robust fighting union. We believe this campaign has been a textbook example of making a case, campaigning hard, exerting pressure and ultimately emerging victorious.
Despite sometimes having a tense relationship with the current government, we recognise and appreciate the large task it has in rebuilding our health workforce.
Hayes also pointed to the “exodus of paramedics to Queensland” under the previous government’s “12-year-long wage cap”.
“Such a policy must never return,” he said.
Updated
NSW paramedics win record pay rise
A bitter standoff between NSW paramedics and the state government has come to an end, with a record pay deal announced.
Nearly 5,000 NSW paramedics will receive an average wage increase of 25% over four years, with pay rises ranging from 11 to 29%, after the Minns government announced it had reached agreement with the Health Services Union on Wednesday.
The deal “delivers professional recognition and remuneration to reflect the move towards university qualification of paramedics and registration requirements with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency”, the government said in a media release.
The agreement follows strike action by union members last week, after they voted to reject a pay offer to increase wages by 19% on average.
- Guardian staff
Updated
Thanks for joining me on the blog today – it’s been a busy one! There is still plenty more to come, particularly around Tropical Cyclone Jasper, so I’ll leave you with Rafqa Touma to continue our rolling coverage.
Take care – especially any blog readers in far north Queensland.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Jasper is now less than 100km away from the northern Queensland coast:
Tropical #CycloneJasper is now less than 100 km away from Queensland's North Tropical Coast. The system is expected to make landfall between Cooktown and Port Douglas later today. pic.twitter.com/W7FxNjZG46
— Ben Domensino (@Ben_Domensino) December 13, 2023
Homeless and at-risk people with disability not getting the long-term housing they need, data shows
Only 6% of people with disability who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are getting the long-term housing they need, according to new data analysis.
Analysis of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s recent homelessness data conducted by Everybody’s Home shows 3,652 people with a disability sought help from homelessness services for long-term housing in 2022–23, up from 2,873 about a decade ago (2013–14).
In 2022–23, more than half (53%) of people with a disability identified housing as the main reason for seeking assistance, while one in five (21%) identified family breakdown or domestic violence as the primary driver.
More than nine in ten were turned away because there wasn’t enough social housing.
Inclusion Australia CEO Catherine McAlpine said:
Having a safe and steady place to call home is the foundation for any good life.
Sadly for many people with an intellectual disability, there is very little support to understand and navigate the complexities of finding a home. Combined with a lack of housing options and low income security levels, this means that real choice about where you live and who you live with is limited.
This increases the chance of people with disabilities being grouped together in segregated settings, where violence and abuse are more common.
Updated
Are you a resident in far north Queensland, impacted by Tropical Cyclone Jasper? We would love to hear from you.
Please send us your photos, and first-hand accounts of what is happening on the ground, for us to share here on the blog and in our reporting. You can tag us on X/Twitter @GuardianAus, @emilywindwrites and @At_Raf_.
You can also email us: emily.wind@theguardian.com, and rafqa.touma@theguardian.com.
Updated
Asic complaint filed against Whitehaven Coal for alleged deceptive conduct
The Environmental Defenders Office has lodged a complaint with the corporate regulator against Whitehaven Coal for potential misleading or deceptive conduct and breach of continuous disclosure obligations.
The complaint, filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on behalf of Whitehaven shareholder Dr Clare Smith, relates to BHP’s recent sale of its Blackwater and Daunia coal mines in Queensland to Whitehaven.
The complaint alleges statements by both companies failed to clearly disclose whether Whitehaven’s acquisition included an undeveloped project, a proposed metallurgical coal mine known as the Blackwater south project.
The proposed mine would run for up to 90 years and would produce up to 8 million tonnes of coal per year.
The complaint alleges that “given the term of the approval is for 90 years there are significant risks that it will not be approved given the significant climate impacts of ongoing fossil fuel development”.
Smith said:
Why were investors not advised until the deal was done that the transaction included Blackwater South, a massive greenfield coal mine with a 90-year life span?
Did BHP write down the project beforehand or was Blackwater South included in the price that Whitehaven paid for Blackwater and Daunia?
Will van de Pol, the acting chief executive of shareholder activist group Market Forces, said “any investor concerned with climate and economic risks needs to know that Whitehaven now owns the tenements to a project that could see it mining coal until 2120”.
Whitehaven Coal declined to comment. Comment was sought from BHP.
Updated
Some images coming in of wild seas at Yorkeys Knob and Holloways Beach, north of Cairns:
Updated
About 15,000 Queensland homes without power
Around 15,000 homes are now without power in northern Queensland as Tropical Cyclone Jasper approaches.
More than 8,000 of the outages were in the Cairns Regional Council area, and 2,000 in Douglas Shire Council.
A spokesperson for Ergon Energy said crews had been in the community earlier today fixing outages in the zones affected by the cyclones, but it is now no longer safe to do so.
More on this coming soon.
Updated
Flood watch issued for coastal catchments
Meanwhile, a flood watch is in place for the north tropical coast, including parts of the Cape York Peninsula and Gulf Country as Tropical Cyclone Jasper makes its way to the coast.
The system is forecast to bring heavy rainfall on Wednesday and into Thursday, and lead to abnormally high tides.
Localised flooding, including flash flooding, is likely, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Flooding is likely to result in disruption to transport routes and isolation of some communities.
Catchments likely to be affected include:
• Gilbert River
• Holroyd and Kendall Rivers
• Coleman and Edward Rivers
• Mitchell River
• Staaten River
• Stewart River
• Normanby River
• Jeannie River
• Endeavour River
• Daintree River
• Mossman River
• Barron River
• Mulgrave and Russell Rivers
• Johnstone River
• Tully River
• Murray River
• Herbert River
Updated
BoM issues Tropical Cyclone Jasper update
Here is the latest on Tropical Cyclone Jasper from the Bureau of Meteorology:
The cyclone remains a category 1 system, with wind gusts of up to 120km/h
It is currently located 125km north north-east of Cairns and 105km east south-east of Cooktown
It is moving in a western direction at 13km/h, producing damaging wind gusts along the coast
Jasper may intensify to a category 2 cyclone before crossing the coast, causing “destructive” wind gusts later today
It’s expected to weaken overnight as it moves inland
Updated
New body to take charge of IVF, pest control and vapes in Victoria
IVF, pest control, vaping, safe drinking water and radiation safety are among issues soon to be regulated by a new Victorian health authority, AAP reports.
The new Health Regulator is being created to ensure better consistency across the health system and should be up and running in 2024, pending legislation passing parliament.
It will have direct authority and greater enforcement powers over assisted reproduction treatments, which are currently the responsibility of the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority.
It comes after a landmark review of the state’s fertility industry by Michael Gorton in July 2019 which made 80 wide-ranging recommendations including the need to strengthen regulation.
The new body will also be responsible for health service facilities, food safety, child safety, legionella risk, medicines and poisons.
Updated
Emergency management minister Murray Watt has attended today’s disaster management committee with the Queensland government, chaired by incoming premier Steven Miles.
He said the federal government is working closely with Queensland to ensure it gets the support it needs amid Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
With Tropical Cyclone Jasper expected to reach landfall this afternoon, I attended today’s Qld Govt’s Disaster Management Committee meeting, chaired by Deputy Premier @StevenJMiles. The Albanese Govt is working closely with Qld to ensure Qlders get the support they need. pic.twitter.com/CpN9doSrBL
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) December 13, 2023
Updated
Looming heatwave to strain the power grid in New South Wales
It’s understandable that a lot of weather eyes are on Tropical Cyclone Jasper as it batters parts of the north Queensland coast.
Australia is a big place, of course, and there’s a bit of weather going on elsewhere too, including another summer heatwave building over parts of the country:
Heat building again over parts of Australia, with the warmth in the east potentially straining the power grid. (Source: @bom_au) pic.twitter.com/SkrsordZxI
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) December 13, 2023
New South Wales had a decent burst of heat last weekend, with a 43.5C reading at Sydney Airport, the highest in any December going back over 94 years of records. Partly because it was on a Saturday, though, the power grid coped well.
However, tomorrow could be a slightly different story. Sydney is expecting 37C–40C, depending on the location, and as it’s a weekday, power demand could be a lot higher.
It’s still about a day away, but the Australian Energy Market Operator is forecasting a possible level 2 “lack of reserve” (LOR2) between 4pm and 8pm AEDT. The forecast capacity reserve it wants is 1239 megawatts and the minimum available reserve is presently 345MW.
An LOR2 does not mean there will be a problem but “supply could be disrupted if a large incident occurred”. An incident might be an ageing coal-fired power plant tripping, say.
We’d expect that gap to narrow and eventually disappear. If it doesn’t Aemo would consider intervening, including ordering suppliers to boost supply or a big user (say, Tomago aluminium smelter) to plan to reduce demand.
Actual blackouts are unlikely but summer has a long way to go. We might see both more LORs and also spikes in wholesale power prices when the power grid gets tight.
Updated
Bandt says Gaza ceasefire ‘must be permanent’
Greens leader Adam Bandt said that Australia’s vote for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at the UN general assembly is a “step in the right direction”, but a ceasefire “must be permanent”.
In a series of posts to X/Twitter, Bandt said:
It shouldn’t have taken Labor nearly 20,000 deaths and 67 days to finally vote for an immediate ceasefire at the UN… Today we see progress. Way too late, and not enough.
Bandt said it is “not a ceasefire until the bombs stop dropping”, and said prime minister Anthony Albanese must “fight like hell to make this ceasefire call a permanent reality”.
Not a pause before the slaughter starts again. A genuine, permanent ceasefire.
Updated
Master Builders welcomes government’s commitment to housing
More reactions are coming through following the release of the mid-year economic outlook.
Master Builders has applauded the government for its commitment to tackling inflation and boosting housing supply, but stressed “all policy levers to tackle the housing crisis must be pulling in the same direction”.
CEO Denita Wawn said one of the biggest challenges in tackling inflation and the cost of living is pressures in the housing market – including rental inflation. She welcomed the $6.5bn in funding commitments to improve housing supply and affordability.
It’s now up to the states to follow through on their commitments to address challenges within the planning and approvals system.
Builders and tradies have a big job ahead of them to ensure we can build enough homes to meet our Housing Accord objectives.
Wawn said the industry will continue to work with governments at all levels to ensure “we can put further downward pressure on the cost of building and the time it takes to build”.
This can be done by kickstarting private investment and reducing the cost of building homes through better approaches to planning, reducing backlogs, minimising taxes and charges, and improving productivity in the industry by simplifying building regulations and the industrial relations environment.
Updated
Acoss calls on Labor to increase income support and scrap stage-three tax cuts
The Australian Council of Social Services (Acoss) is calling on the government to support people on low incomes, in response to today’s mid-year economic outlook.
In particular, the council is calling for action at the May budget to boost income support, permanently lower the cost of energy bills, and scrap the stage-three tax cuts “which will only further fuel inflation”.
Acting CEO Edwina MacDonald said the “skyrocketing” cost of rent and energy has “created a tsunami of financial distress that is pushing people on the lowest incomes to the absolute brink”.
Community services are at a breaking point, unable to keep up with the demand from people in desperate need of support. The government’s projections today show at least 100,000 more people will be unemployed next year.
It’s disturbing to see an expectation of almost no real spending growth when we know we need to do more to meet the community’s needs for essential services, income support, and to manage the climate transition over the years to come.
Acoss is also calling for income support payments such as JobSeeker and Youth Allowance to be increased by at least $78 a day.
Updated
Triple zero call takers vote for industrial action in Victoria
Triple zero call takers in Victoria have voted to take industrial action but insist emergency responses will not be impacted, AAP reports.
From next Monday, workers will wear union uniforms, stop reporting or recording false alarm codes and relay union messages over radio.
They say they will also undertake work stoppages that do not affect emergency responses in addition to other actions.
They’re pushing for better staffing, access to accrued leave, improved training, more pay based on experience and raising the base salary for trainees which is currently $48,000 per year.
The United Firefighters Union, Victorian Ambulance Union, Communications Workers Union and United Workers Union are representing workers during negotiations.
Victorian Ambulance Union Secretary Danny Hill said it was an “insult” that emergency workers are paid $48,000.
Severe storms expected across Tasmania, Victoria and NSW
While Queensland braces for Tropical Cyclone Jasper, wet weather and severe storms are being forecast for southern parts of the country.
The Bureau of Meteorology said severe storms are likely today across Tasmania, Victoria and NSW, including Melbourne and Hobart. This will bring humid conditions and heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding, damaging wind gusts and large hail.
The Tasmanian SES warned of dangerous weather conditions earlier today, and health authorities in Victoria are on alert for cases of thunderstorm asthma.
Severe storms are likely today across Tas, Vic and NSW including Melbourne and Hobart bringing humid conditions and heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding, damaging wind gusts and large hail. More info https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ pic.twitter.com/xvXzcLTf5t
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 13, 2023
Updated
Shadow treasurer responds to mid-year economic update
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, is speaking to reporters from Canberra, following the release of the mid-year economic update earlier today.
You can catch all the details below, if you missed it:
Taylor claimed there was “more tax, more spend, more immigration, more mortgage pain [and] more inflation pain” in the budget.
Focussing in on immigration, Taylor said an extra 130,000 people are expected to arrive in the coming years:
It has gone up to over 1.6 million to from 1.5 million in the budget, and the problem here is this – Australia is a proud immigrant nation, there is no doubt about that, but that you have to get the balance right between the number of people and the spend on infrastructure, the services required and right now, Australians understand that that balance is out of whack. It is simply not working.
The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, added that the government is asking for a ‘pat on the back’ for not spending money:
They are telling you that they have saved and re-prioritised. Well, a saving is not a saving if you are spending it on something else. Reprioritisation is simply a fancy way of saying ‘we have spent the money on something else’.
Updated
Here is the latest on Tropical Cyclone Jasper, from the Bureau of Meteorology:
60mm of rainfall has fallen at the Boulders since 9am, with the cyclone already producing damaging wind gusts throughout far north Queensland.
Locally intense rainfall, which may lead to “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding”, is forecast to develop this afternoon or evening along the coast from Cape Flattery to Port Douglas.
Isolated six-hourly rainfall totals between 250-300mm are likely, with 24-hourly totals between 400-500mm possible.
Between Cape Flattery and Ingham, six-hourly rainfall totals between 100-150mm are likely, with isolated falls up to 250mm along the coast.
Destructive wind gusts of up to 140km/h may develop between Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah, including Cairns, from this afternoon.
A flood watch is current for the north tropical coast, parts of Cape York and gulf country.
A storm tide (an abnormal rise in sea level, over and above the normal tide levels) is expected between Cooktown and Innisfail on the high tides today.
🌀 Latest track map for 11am. Tropical Cyclone Jasper is producing damaging wind gusts on the Far North Queensland coast. Destructive winds may develop during the afternoon. 60 mm of rainfall has fallen at the Boulders since 9am this morning. Track map: https://t.co/MAyHroOewT pic.twitter.com/EzzrktiPcg
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 13, 2023
Updated
Australian aid agencies welcome Australia’s calls for a ‘sustainable ceasefire’ in Gaza
Eight Australian aid and humanitarian agencies welcome a joint statement signed by prime minister Anthony Albanese calling for “urgent international efforts” towards a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza. Australia also joined 152 nations in backing a UN resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.
In a joint statement, NGOs Plan International Australia, ChildFund Australia, Save the Children Australia, Oaktree, Oxfam Australia, ActionAid Australia, Caritas Australia and Union Aid Abroad said:
With more than 18,000 people – including over 7,000 children – killed in Gaza in the last two months according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and those who have survived facing catastrophic conditions without access to enough clean water, food or medical supplies, the urgency of this call cannot be overstated. Every day we do not have an immediate and permanent ceasefire more civilians and children will die.
Updated
Animal groups renew call to ban duck hunting
Animals Australia, BirdLife Australia, RSPCA Victoria and Wildlife Victoria have come together to renew calls to ban duck hunting in the state, citing new data.
The 2023 Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey, released on Tuesday, revealed five of the eight game species of ducks continue to show significant long-term declines in abundance.
It also indicated three major indices for waterbirds (total abundance, number of species breeding and wetland area index) show significant declines over time.
Researchers noted that long-term trends more accurately predict population status than yearly fluctuations.
The animal groups said the data was “further critical evidence” of the need for a ban on hunting.
RSPCA Victoria chief executive, Liz Walker, said her organisation has long held animal welfare concerns around wounding from hunting and the latest data also highlights sustainability concerns that cannot be ignored. She said:
The release of this latest survey data highlights the fact that duck hunting will put additional pressure on species that are already threatened by global warming. There is now so much evidence to support a ban on duck hunting in Victoria, and we are calling on the government to finally put one in place.
Kate Millar, from BirdLife Australia echoed Walker’s comments:
The latest survey clearly shows that despite a series of good seasons, waterbird and game species numbers have not increased to where we would expect them to be. With a return of drier, El Niño conditions there can be no justification for increasing the hazards faced by waterbirds through continued duck shooting.
In August, parliament’s select committee on Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements recommended a complete ban on the sport.
The government has about two months left before it needs to make a call on next year’s hunting season.
Updated
Online predator warning as kids plug in Christmas gifts
Families are being warned to be mindful of keeping children safe from predators on gaming and other smart devices over Christmas.
Reports of online child exploitation incidents spike after holiday periods as young people spend more time on their devices, Australian federal police said.
While many parents think apps and games designed for children are safe, they often have online functions such as in-game chat and direct messaging. These functions are popular methods for child sex offenders to connect with potential victims.
After gaining kids’ trust, criminals can encourage them to move to more private platforms with image-sharing functions.
“With just 3% of parents and carers listing online grooming as a concern, it’s never been more important to understand the challenges children and young people can face,” said AFP Commander Helen Schneider of the Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
The AFP-led centre received more than 40,000 reports of online child exploitation incidents in 2022/23.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Israel ambassador critical of Australian support for ceasefire
Israel’s ambassador to Australia has criticised Canberra’s decision to back a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying he found it “difficult to understand”.
As reported earlier, Australia was among 153 countries to back the UN statement which “demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and demanded that “all parties comply with their obligations under international law ... notably with regard to the protection of civilians”.
It came just hours after Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese released a joint statement with Canada’s Justin Trudeau and New Zealand’s Chris Luxon, which again called for “ efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire”. The PM’s joint statement also emphasised that: “We recognise Israel’s right to exist and right to defend itself.”
The two actions were highlighted by Amir Maimon, Israeli’s ambassador to Australia, in a post to the platform X today. He said he found it “difficult to understand how Australia can support Israel’s right to defend its people from terrorist aggression, while also voting in support of a ceasefire that will embolden Hamas and enable it to resume its attacks on Israelis”.
[Australia’s UN] vote comes a day after Israel returned the remains of two murdered hostages from Gaza, and rocket-fire continued to rain down on southern Israel. This war can only end with Hamas being totally defeated and the liberation of all our hostages.
Read more here:
Updated
Man and boy killed in plane crash
Authorities have confirmed a man in his 30s and a young boy have died in a light plane crash near Grafton in northern NSW yesterday.
The aircraft – reportedly described by authorities as a “homemade-type plane” – crashed on a rural property at Lilydale yesterday morning at about 9am after clipping powerlines. It hit the ground next to the Clarence River and caught fire.
Read more:
Updated
Advance Australia targets Mark Dreyfus over indefinite detention case
Earlier in December Guardian Australia revealed that Mark Dreyfus personally approved the intervention of the Australian Human Rights Commission in the high court case on indefinite detention in favour of the plaintiff, NZYQ.
The Albanese government argued against the ultimate ruling that indefinite immigration detention is unlawful. Dreyfus approved the independent AHRC’s involvement on the proviso that it make clear its support for the opposite result was on its own behalf, not the commonwealth’s position.
This has not stopped the Coalition and now Advance Australia is targeting the attorney general.
In a petition published on its website, Advance Australia executive director, Matthew Sheahan, said:
The prime minister must sack ... Mark Dreyfus RIGHT NOW. [He] sent taxpayer-funded lawyers into the high court to argue for the release of violent sex offenders and paedophiles from immigration detention. So the next thing Dreyfus should sign is his letter of resignation. His job is to put you first and keep Australians safe. But he unleashed an ‘us versus them’ mission to undermine the safety of Australians. Dreyfus is NOT on your side.
The form letter petition argues Dreyfus’ decision “has contributed to the release of nearly 150 dangerous individuals onto our streets, and puts our families at risk”.
As the AHRC president, Rosalind Croucher, wrote to Dreyfus: it is not unusual for it to be involved in litigation with “high political sensitivities” and decisions of the Coalition government to block its intervention arguably interfere with its independence.
Updated
A watch and act message has been issued for Nathalia, north-east of Shepparton in Victoria, due to an out-of-control grass fire.
The grass fire is at Evans Road, travelling in a south-easterly direction.
People are urged to stay close to a building where you can shelter, as conditions can change suddenly, and monitor conditions.
This WATCH & ACT - GRASS FIRE - Stay Near Shelter is current for Evans Road Nathalia.
— cfa_updates (@CFA_Updates) December 13, 2023
Continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.
More details at https://t.co/xzw6mT0ri1 pic.twitter.com/mDZ3mpT8WM
Zoe Daniel backs ceasefire resolution
The Independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, said she supports the joint statement from Anthony Albanese and the NZ/Canadian prime ministers, as well as Australia’s support for the United Nations ceasefire resolution.
In a statement, she said the “safety, security and wellbeing of Goldstein’s Jewish community remains [her] priority”.
She repeated her condemnation of the 7 October attack by Hamas, and “Israel’s right to defend itself within international rules of war”.
As winter comes to Gaza, the humanitarian crisis will worsen. We cannot simply stand and watch. Australia and other nations must send further targeted aid to support civilians, especially women and children …
As the scale of death in Gaza rises, Israel risks losing support both internationally and here at home with consequences for the Jewish community.
Care and anguish for the Jewish people and the people of Gaza can coexist.
Updated
Hopevale community ‘anxious and excited’
Guguu Yimithirr woman Katherine Gibson, from the remote Aboriginal community of Hopevale in Cape York, told reporter Aaron Smith this morning her community is ready for Tropical Cyclone Jasper and at present it is just another rainy day with not much wind.
Jasper is expected to cross the coast around 6pm tonight, between Cooktown and Port Douglas, as a category two cyclone.
Hopevale is just north of Cooktown and Gibson says cyclones are quite uncommon in the area.
The community is very quiet right now and I guess the feeling is both a bit anxious and excited at the same time.
A lot of cyclones have formed up here over the years but they always go down south, we never get them here, so it’s exciting.
We have all done our cyclone preparation… everyone has generators and the primary health centre was good in getting all the information out to the community.
It’s been so hot up here recently that we’re all enjoying the cool change, and we need the rain. The only problem is that none of us have gumboots.
Updated
Warning of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding” could occur over the Queensland peninsula tomorrow.
Some 150mm to 200mm of heavy to intense rainfall is forecast to fall over a six-hour period, with 24-hourly totals up to 200mm. Damaging winds are also forecast.
⚠️🌧️ A Severe Weather Warning has been issued for damaging winds and heavy to intense rainfall inland over the Peninsula from Thursday morning. Dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding may result from isolated 150-200 mm in 6 hours and 24-hourly totals up to 200 mm. pic.twitter.com/CDDV63RNMn
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 12, 2023
Updated
Wujal Wujal community ‘pretty much all organised’ for approaching cyclone
The Wujal Wujal Aboriginal shire council mayor Bradley Creek just spoke to the ABC as Tropical Cyclone Jasper makes its way to the coast.
He said the council has been preparing for a week and are “pretty much all organised” – extra personnel are in town, generators have been provided and a few people have been escorted into Cooktown.
Creek said weather conditions were “pretty quiet at the moment”:
It is a bit further out at the moment and still making its way in … the community is waiting to see what result we are getting.
He said the power was still on but this could change. He said the community was feeling relatively calm.
Updated
Reports of damage are starting to filter through in Cairns, as a result of Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
The Cairns ambulance station HAS had a tree fall down on one of its buildings this morning:
#Cairns Ambulance Station is already experiencing the effects of #TropicalCycloneJasper with part of a tree coming down on one of our buildings this morning. Please be safe and aware as the cyclone nears landfall as significant rain and winds are expected. pic.twitter.com/ex4QoNnz1L
— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) December 12, 2023
Updated
8,300 homes have lost power in north Queensland
Turning back to Tropical Cyclone Jasper:
Laura Boekel from the Bureau of Meteorology said there had never been a cyclone recorded this early in Queensland during an El Niño year.
Cyclone season typically starts in November but the El Niño phenomenon usually corresponds with cyclones developing later in the season.
Queensland energy minister Mick de Brenni says about 8,300 homes in north Queensland have already lost power.
Updated
Up to 220 Indonesians could be compensated after being jailed while children
We reported this year that Indonesian children who were falsely detained and prosecuted as adult people smugglers were set to win a $27m settlement through a federal court class action.
The children, some as young as 12, were found on people smuggling boats between 2010 and 2012. Instead of being sent home in line with Australian government policy, they were prosecuted as adults using a wildly inaccurate and debunked technique interpreting wrist X-rays to estimate their ages.
A Guardian Australia investigation last year showed that police were informed of serious concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the technique but pressed ahead with the cases regardless. The Indonesians are now suing the Australian government in a class action, run by Ken Cush and Associates.
It can now be revealed that up to 220 Indonesians could be eligible for compensation through the federal court action. The case began with about 120 potential class action members but the parties have continued to search for additional members as the proceedings wound their way through the court. A settlement has been agreed but still requires federal court approval, which is expected in coming weeks.
Updated
Prize ceremony for HSC students
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW has congratulated all recipients of a 2023 HSC First in Course award, announced this morning.
The students will be recognised today at a ceremony at the University of Western Sydney.
Its chief executive, Margery Evans, said all students from every school and sector deserved praise. Some 53 of the 128 students who received an award were from a span of 40 independent schools.
Evans said the full spectrum of the schooling system was on show:
Anglican, Christian, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic, Armenian and non-faith based independent schools are all represented in 2023.
Geographically, First in Course recipients have come from independent schools across suburban and regional areas including Auburn, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Parramatta, Coffs Harbour, Orange, the Hunter, and Lake Macquarie.
Updated
First in Course HSC pupils honoured
Almost 130 students across New South Wales have been awarded first place in their 2023 HSC course. The top gongs, released this morning, come ahead of the state-wide release of Atars on Thursday.
Victoria’s Atar results were released this week.
Eleven students at the NSW School of Languages in the inner west suburb of Petersham topped their courses – the highest number of any school in the state. They performed first across Chinese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek and Spanish subjects.
Selective school James Ruse Agricultural high in the Sydney suburb of Carlingford and private boys school Sydney Grammar in Darlinghurst both had four students that came first in a course, while four students who were taught outside of school or by a tutor also received the highest mark in a subject.
Independent Anglican girls school SCEGGS, also in Darlinghurst, had three students that came out at the top of their course.
The full First in Course merit list can be found on the NSW Department of Education’s website.
Updated
More money for NDIS
NDIS payments are expected to increase by $2.6bn over the four years to 2026-27, in the wake of last week’s national cabinet agreement and release of the independent review.
The federal government’s mid-year budget update has shown payments to the scheme will grow by $697m in 2023-24 alone, pointing to pricing decisions made by the scheme’s board.
The projected growth and cost of the NDIS is rising fast and the government has conceded this is “unsustainable”.
Last week the states and territories agreed to a joint 50-50 funding model to increase disability services outside of the NDIS, which the independent review said was necessary to ensure those who can’t access the scheme still get support.
While there’s no estimates in this release about the projected cost of those extra disability services, there are new figures and funding commitments to address some of the concerns already raised.
First up there will be an additional $492.2m in additional funding for the National Disability Insurance Agency, the agency that administers the NDIS, for 2024-25 to provide continued support for participants in the scheme.
The federal government’s papers say this funding injection is an “unavoidable issue” caused by the former Coalition government.
An extra $19.1m over two years from 2023-24 will be handed to the social services department to develop and implement responses to the independent review’s recommendations.
The consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, will get $6.7m of the NDIA’s funding pie to crack down on providers charging NDIS participants more for supports and services over non-participants.
It’s still unclear whether the federal government will adopt all of the independent review’s recommendations but we’ll find out when it formally responds to the report early next year.
In a bit of a reprieve for the scheme, the mid-year outlook shows there is a slight drop in the average growth rate for the NDIS over the decade.
It’s now at an average of 10.1% to 2033-34, down from 10.4% at the 2023-24 budget.
Earlier this year national cabinet agreed on a target growth rate cap of 8% from 2026.
Updated
Flash flooding the ‘major risk’
The BoM’s Laura Boekel said the “major risk for today” is flash flooding from locally intense rainfall.
We are likely to see totals in six hours between 250 and 300mm and we could see totals over 24 hours between 400 and 500mm.
There’s also a risk of riverine flooding and storm surge.
This is an evolving situation and we are asking all residents in north Queensland to keep up to date with our three-hourly warnings.
Updated
BoM update
The Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Cyclone Jasper is now about 140km north-east of Cairns.
Senior meteorologist Laura Boekel said:
We have seen signs this morning that this system is strengthening again.
It will cross between Hopevale and Cairns. We’ve already started to see impacts on the coast ... and that will get worse through today.
Updated
More than 90 people in evacuation centres as cyclone bears down
Just turning to Queensland for a moment, where the premier-designate Steven Miles is giving an update on Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
He says the system will hit the coast early this afternoon and is expected to intensify into a category 2 system by them.
Conditions will grow more intense throughout the day in that part of north Queensland.
Winds up to 82km/h were recorded in Cairns and Miles says “heavy to locally intense rainfall ... may lead to dangerous and life threatening flooding”.
The State Emergency Service has already had 80 calls for assistance. More than 90 people are in evacuation centres.
Updated
No change on stage-three tax cuts
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is now taking questions from reporters.
Reporter:
You say that you want this to be about responsible economic management, but do you think it is really responsible to continue with the stage-three tax cuts in our current economic climate?
Chalmers said the governments position hasn’t changed:
Our priorities when it comes to tax reform are elsewhere … We have [found] a really effective way to provide cost-of-living relief to people on low and middle incomes, whether it is increases to income support, changes related to out-of-pocket health costs, rent assistance, early childhood education, $23bn of cost of living help across 10 different areas, which is targeted to making life a little bit easier for people who are doing it tough.
Updated
Chalmers congratulates Miles and Dick
Before he begins taking questions, treasurer Jim Chalmers took a moment to congratulate soon-to-be Queensland premier Steven Miles and his deputy Cameron Dick:
We will work closely with them, as we work closely with the governments of other states and territories, but I wanted to congratulate Steven. He is someone I know really well, and Cameron and Shannon [Fentiman] and all of the team.
Some really good people doing the best for the wonderful people of Queensland. We will work closely with them when the new arrangements are formalised on Friday, or sometime after.
Updated
The economic outlook
Only a collapse in commodity prices or a sharp rise in unemployment – and probably both – will prevent the Albanese government from delivering back-to-back budget surpluses.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ challenge will be to fend off the inevitably rising demands to share some of his good fortune with households set to face a prolonged squeeze likely to last until mid-2025 when the next federal election much be held.
The government’s prediction of a deficit of just $1.1bn is a rounding error in a budget which projects receipts of $685.3bn for this fiscal year, according the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook released on Wednesday. Those receipts, alone, are $17.2bn higher than projected in the May budget for the 2023-24 year.
Treasury’s in-built conservatism when it comes to commodity prices is a partly why a surplus can confidently be predicted (and why banks such as CBA expect it will come close to matching the $22.1bn surplus pocketed for 2022-23).
Iron ore prices, for instance, were averaging US$105 a tonne in the September quarter of this year, and were trading above US$135/t yesterday. The Treasury has them dropping back to US$60 as it always does. Coking coal prices, too, are forecast to slide 88% and thermal coal to more than halve, collapse that don’t seem likely.
Indeed, in explaining why inflation has lately surprised on the upside, the Treasury has “updated” its forecast for the Singapore-based Tapis oil price that serves as a proxy for petrol prices in Australia.
It now expects Tapis to average US$96/barrel for the year, up 10% from its May expectation of US$87/barrel. Since Australia’s coal and gas prices are linked to global energy prices it seems even more incongruous than usual to expect a reversion to some long-term (and outdated) level.
Updated
‘Securing our place in a world of churn and change’
Jim Chalmers said GDP growth was expected to moderate in the near term, and unemployment was expected to rise:
These are the inevitable consequences of higher interest rates moderating … inflation is moderating, but it is still too high.
But Chalmers also said unemployment was “near historic lows”:
We have seen the longest consecutive run below 4% since monthly records began. The participation rates are at record highs … Wages growth has picked up to its fastest annual rate since 2009.
He outlined the government’s big priorities as the year comes to an end: easing the pressure on Australians, strengthening Medicare, and “securing our place in a world of churn and change”.
Updated
‘Within striking distance’ of a second surplus
Jim Chalmers continues:
The midyear update we are releasing today shows the government has returned 92% of upward revisions to revenue since the May budget, and 88% of revenue upgrades since we came to office.
We have also identified almost $10bn in savings which means almost $50bn in savings over the life of our government.
If you combine that with some modest tax changes, we have identified $11.6bn in budget improvements, which total $72.7bn since we came to office.
As flagged earlier, Chalmers said the government is now forecasting a “much smaller deficit of $1.1bn”:
This is an improvement of $12.8bn compared to the budget and it is a $55.4bn turnaround compared to what we inherited for this year.
We are not yet forecasting a second surplus but we are within striking distance. We have given ourselves a chance, but we are not there yet and we have been deliberately cautious and deliberately conservative.
Updated
‘We understand that Australians are doing it tough,’ Chalmers says
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is speaking now after the release of the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook for 2023-24, or the Myefo:
Our strategy over the past 18 months has delivered an historic turnaround in the budget position, but we know there is still much more work to do.
He pointed to three core elements the government is focusing on: easing cost-of-living pressures, repairing the budget and investing in the “foundations of growth in our economy”:
We understand that Australians are doing it tough and our economy is slowing and that is why we are rolling out tens of billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief and … making welcome and encouraging progress in this fight against inflation.
Updated
Mid-year economic and fiscal outlook for 2023-24 released
Australia’s federal budget is on track for a wafer-think $1.1bn deficit this year, with a strong labour market and commodity prices fuelling expectations the eventual result will be a second Labor surplus.
The mid-year economic and fiscal outlook, released today, revealed a $12.8bn improvement for the 2023-24 financial year compared with the May budget and a total $39.5bn more in federal coffers over the four years to 2026-27.
The mid-year update predicts a “slowing” economy in 2023-24 with GDP growth falling to 1.75% due to “higher interest rates, high but moderating inflation and global pressures”.
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Jewish Australians for a Ceasefire hail Australia’s vote
Jewish Australians for a Ceasefire has welcomed Australia’s vote in support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at the UN general assembly.
A spokesperson for the group said almost 900 Australian Jews have now signed an open letter, urging the government to call for a ceasefire:
As our letter makes clear, a large number of Australian Jews have been calling for our government to adopt this position.
There is nothing that can undo the suffering that Palestinians have endured as a result of Israel’s campaign of collective punishment. But Australia must now join with other countries to ensure that Israel respects the UN vote.
It is increasingly clear that the Australian Jewish community does not unanimously support the actions of the Israeli government.
Our Jewish values are incompatible with the unjustified cruelty and reckless disregard for human life and dignity that the Israeli government continues to show.
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Tropical Cyclone Jasper update
Here’s the latest on Tropical Cyclone Jasper from the Bureau of Meteorology:
Gales from Jasper are now beginning to impact the coastline, with gales observed at Low Isles
It remains a category 1 system, with wind gusts of up to 110km/h
Jasper is moving in a west south-west direction at 15km/h
It is 130km north north-east of Cairns and 115km east south-east of Cooktown
The cyclone is expected to make landfall last this afternoon or evening between Hopevale and Cairns
🌀Latest track map for TC Jasper. Gales from Jasper are now beginning to impact the coastline, with gales currently being observed at Low Isles. https://t.co/abjo0qiR5X pic.twitter.com/00LSTQolUi
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 12, 2023
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Communities feeling calm faced with Tropical Cyclone Jasper
Guardian Australia freelance journalist Aaron Smith is based in Cairns and has been speaking to Matt Nicholls, the editor of the regional newspaper Cape York Weekly.
Cape York communities are among those in the firing line of Tropical Cyclone Jasper, with the storm forecast to cross the coast not far from the Aboriginal township of Wujal Wujal, north of Port Douglas, late today.
Nicholls says residents are well versed in cyclone preparation and that people are calm:
Cape York residents are all too familiar with cyclone and wet season preparation, and the community of Wujal Wujal, in particular, is used to extreme rainfall – it gets more than 2m of rainfall each year.
While there is definitely some danger from falling trees, there is not a lot of panic happening in the communities of southern Cape York about the arrival of Cyclone Jasper.
Updated
Queensland hits pause on plan to rebuild the Gabba
Queensland treasurer Cameron Dick has signalled a “pause” on multibillion-dollar plans to rebuild the Gabba for the Olympics.
The deputy premier-in-waiting joined soon-to-be premier Steven Miles yesterday to announce a new independent board to oversee infrastructure delivery for the Games, after months of pressure.
Today Dick went further, committing to a review of the infrastructure program for the games. He also refused to confirm that the $2.7bn Gabba project was locked in:
We’re going to pause on the projects. We’re just going to have a review. We’re going to take our time to consider that and we’re going to set up as an independent authority. So there are some moving parts there that we’re going to reflect on as a new government. And I think colleagues need to have the opportunity to consider that and we’ll consider that as as a new cabinet in due course.
Dick, who will remain treasurer when he becomes deputy premier on Friday, launched the government’s mid-year financial review today. It showed the state has lower net debt than forecast as a result of higher coal production and exports.
Updated
Bruce Lehrmann defamation case latest here
The Project producer Angus Llewellyn will return to the witness box this morning to finish his cross-examination in the federal court before the highly anticipated testimony of Lisa Wilkinson, as part of the ongoing defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann.
You can follow the trial via our separate live blog, by Amanda Meade:
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Ceasefire ‘can’t be conditional’
Penny Wong is asked if there is still division within the government when it comes to calls for a ceasefire.
Reporter:
[Labor MP] Josh Burns is in Israel at the moment warning against the ceasefire?
Wong:
Josh is right to point out that a sustainable ceasefire can’t be one-sided and can’t be unconditional, and that is my position too.
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‘This is not a unilateral decision by Australia’
Q: What has changed in the last two weeks that was not happening six weeks ago to lead to this strong statement about Israel’s actions?
Penny Wong:
This is a collective statement about the need for an immediate humanitarian cease fire that the world is supporting.
This is not a unilateral decision by Australia. We made a decision on the basis of the merits of this resolution to join along with many other countries to support the resolution at the general assembly.
Updated
Penny Wong said the joint letter between Anthony Albanese and the NZ and Canadian prime ministers was part of “a discussion for some time”:
We have been engaging with Canada for some time, also New Zealand, there has been a change of government, we think it is important that very close allies and like-minded countries speak together in support of the position that we have articulated.
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Hamas must release all hostage immediately, Wong says
Penny Wong continues:
Australia continues to condemn the ongoing acts of terror by Hamas, its use of human shields, its use of civilian infrastructure to launch attacks on Israel.
We again reiterate our demand, which is reflected in the resolution, that Hamas release all remaining hostages immediately and unconditionally.
Australia consistently affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself and in doing so, we have said Israel must respect international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals must be protected.
The resolution we have supported is consistent with the position we have previously outlined on these issues.
We see the pauses as a critical step on the path to sustainable and permanent ceasefire, and as I have said previously, such a ceasefire cannot be one-sided.
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Wong expresses ‘grave concerns’
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong is speaking from Adelaide about the UN motion calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, which countries – including Australia – overwhelmingly voted to pass:
Australia shares the grave concerns that I have articulated previously about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Human suffering is widespread and it is unacceptable.
Civilians who fled northern Gaza are now being pushed further south as the conflict spreads south, there are increasingly few safe places to go. More than 60% of residential dwellings in Gaza are reported by the United Nations to have been destroyed or damaged and nearly eight in 10 civilians have been displaced.
Australia has called for the safe unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access into Gaza and safe passage for civilians.
Wong said Australia supported the resolution but would have preferred “that the resolution makes reference to the 7 October attack perpetrated by Hamas on innocent civilians, and we support an amendment moved to that effect”.
Updated
Oxfam welcomes joint statement on ceasefire
Oxfam Australia has welcomed the joint statement from Anthony Albanese and the prime ministers of New Zealand and Canada calling for “urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire”, as well as Australia’s vote in support of an immediate ceasefire at the UN general assembly.
Chief executive Lyn Morgain said the statement and the successful vote were important steps:
For months now, Australians in their many thousands have been taking to the streets, signing petitions and actively campaigning for our leaders and government to do what it can to put an end to this senseless humanitarian catastrophe.
The Prime Minister must continue to do all in his power to ensure this ceasefire happens, and that these issues aren’t forgotten once the fighting ends, so Palestinians have a real chance to live in a sustainable peace in their own state.
This week Guardian reporters Mostafa Rachwani and Laura Murphy-Oates went behind the scenes of the growing pro-Palestine protests, speaking to organisers, participants and academics to find out what is driving the movement. If you missed it, you can listen below:
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Suffering in Gaza ‘widespread and unacceptable’, Australia’s envoy to UN says
Australia’s ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, said human suffering in Gaza was “widespread and unacceptable” in explaining why Australia voted yes to a humanitarian ceasefire at the UN general assembly this morning.
He characterised the vote as an evolution of Australia’s position:
Australia welcomed the humanitarian pause agreed by the parties in November and brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
This resolution, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, is the world urging these pauses be resumed, so urgent humanitarian aid can flow. Australia is part of that call and we support this resolution.
Larsen said Australia saw such pauses as “critical steps on a path to a sustainable and permanent ceasefire”.
He said Australia had supported the amendments proposed by the US and Austria “because we believe this resolution should have gone further, by unequivocally condemning Hamas as the perpetrators of the 7 October attack on innocent Israeli civilians”.
Updated
Weather warning for Tasmania
The Tasmanian SES has warned of potentially heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and flash flooding across the state today.
SES assistant director Leon Smith advised people to be prepared and keep information of the conditions:
The weather system, including possible severe thunderstorm activity, is expected to cross the state starting on the west coast as far south as Strahan this morning before extending to the north coast around Bridport.
The system is then expected to move to the south of the state early this afternoon.
With thunderstorm activity comes the potential for flash flooding in localised areas.
Updated
Here’s a video from the United Nations general assembly just earlier, where the world – including Australia – voted overwhelmingly in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza:
Jimmy Barnes undergoes open heart surgery
Jimmy Barnes has shared that he is undergoing open heart surgery this morning for the bacterial infection he has been “battling for the last fortnight”.
The 67-year-old Cold Chisel frontman was hospitalised two weeks ago for pneumonia, cancelling a show onboard a cruise to Noumea as part of Rock the Boat festival.
Barnes posted on Instagram this morning:
Unfortunately I got some bad news late yesterday. Despite everyone’s best efforts the bacterial infection … has apparently now spread to my heart.
The musician said the infection had infected “an otherwise healthy valve” and the surgery would “put in a clean valve”.
Barnes was slated to play a series of Australian festival appearances as part of the Red Hot Summer Tour in early 2024.
Obviously this is going to take me out of action for a while. This has all happened very suddenly so it’s going to take a few days for everyone to figure out what’s going to be doable with my upcoming shows.
A new plan will be announced as soon as possible.
— Jimmy Barnes (@JimmyBarnes) December 12, 2023
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Here’s some footage shared online from Four Mile beach in Port Douglas, where Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to make landfall later today:
Starting to get windy along Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas.
— Josh Bavas (@JoshBavas) December 12, 2023
Cyclone still about 12 hours from crossing to the north of here. pic.twitter.com/gkLuYONVFH
Four Mile Beach quickly disappearing this morning. TC Jasper is now expected to make landfall late this arvo/early evening @10NewsFirstQLD pic.twitter.com/3Z80Ybm2YZ
— Georgina Hill (@GeorgiHill10) December 12, 2023
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Three-quarters of Australian believed poverty could be solved, survey shows
Three-quarters of Australians believe that poverty is a social problem that could be solved if the government implemented effective systems and policies, a new survey suggests.
The Australian Council of Social Service and the University of New South Wales surveyed about 2,000 adults across Australia in the past year on their attitudes to poverty and inequality.
The report, released today, shows that there’s a strong sense of injustice among those surveyed at the discrepancy between rich and poor in Australia.
Some 76% of respondents agreed that the lowest incomes in Australia are too low and should be increased, while 63% of people agreed that the incomes of those at the high end of the scale are too high and should be reduced.
Meanwhile, 74% of respondents agreed that the gap between the wealthy and those living in poverty is too great and should be reduced.
Despite 75% of respondents saying they think effective policies could solve poverty, 62% of them agreed that government policies have caused that poverty.
Most respondents who did not say they agreed with the proposed statements responded neutrally; there was little active disagreement on most of these points visible in the report.
Acoss acting chief executive Edwina MacDonald said this morning:
Most people know it is simply not possible to live on the punishingly low rate of JobSeeker that traps people further in poverty. Instead, the majority of people think the government has a responsibility to look after those people struggling the most.
We know from the pandemic that the key to solving poverty is lifting income support payments. The government has no excuse not to bring them up to at least the Age Pension rate of $78 a day in the face of such strong public support.
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Two people charged with murder after death of Adelaide doctor
Two people have been charged with murder after the death of prominent Adelaide doctor Michael Yung.
Last night South Australian police arrested a 22-year-old man and 27-year-old woman in relation to a violent home invasion that left Yung dead:
The man and woman have been charged with murder, aggravated serious criminal trespass and commit theft using force.
They will appear before the Adelaide magistrates court today.
Police said detectives were not seeking any other suspects at this time, and there was no connection between the two arrested people and those being sought for a crime spree across Adelaide.
Updated
UN resolution on Gaza text
Here’s the text of the UN resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza, which Australia has just voted for:
Expressing grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population, and emphasizing that the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law,
1. Demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire;
2. Reiterates its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians;
3. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access;
4. Decides to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States.
Updated
Australia joins 152 other countries in UN vote demanding immediate ceasefire
Australia has voted to demand “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza” at the United Nations general assembly.
The general assembly has adopted a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Australia voted FOR the motion.
The total results were 153 for, 10 against and 23 abstaining.
BREAKING: UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution demanding immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, as well as immediate and unconditional release of all hostages
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) December 12, 2023
FOR: 153
AGAINST: 10
ABSTAIN: 23
LIVE COVERAGEhttps://t.co/ZqtRtIawGx pic.twitter.com/rAdk8BEmDL
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Pro-Palestinian arts workers begin ‘day of action’
Pro-Palestinians supporters working in the arts will embark on a “day of action” today, calling on those working in the creative industries and their audiences “to show up for Palestine, and don their keffiyehs, shirts and pins”.
The call is being made by #CreativesForPalestine, a collective which has collected more than 3,000 signatures for a petition drawn up in response to the controversy created by three Sydney Theatre Company actors donning the keffiyeh during a curtain call at the opening night performance of The Seagull on 25 November.
The petition calls for arts institutions to recognise and protect artists’ safety and rights, and use their “influential role” to pressure the Australian government to intervene and demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
Anthony Albanese called for a sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an end to the “continuous suffering” of its citizens in a joint statement with New Zealand and Canada today:
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Jasper latest
Here’s the latest update from the Bureau of Meteorology on Tropical Cyclone Jasper:
Jasper is expected to cross the far north Queensland coast late this afternoon or evening between Hopevale and Cairns.
The cyclone is a category one system, with wind gusts of up to 120km/h.
It is sitting 155km north-east of Cairns and 150km east south-east of Cooktown, and is moving west south-west at 8km/h.
The cyclone is expected to cross the coast late this afternoon or evening between Hopevale and Cairns. It may intensify to a category 2 system before making landfall, and should weaken as it moves inland overnight through Cape York Peninsula.
There is a moderate chance it could redevelop in the Gulf of Carpentaria during Friday or at the weekend.
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Cyclone Jasper is now visible on the Cairns radar, with its centre west of Bougainville Reef:
🌀Tropical Cyclone Jasper is now visible on the Cairns radar, with the centre to the west of Bougainville Reef. View the radar here: https://t.co/ybTSRoJphf pic.twitter.com/lFVe07n2bf
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 12, 2023
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Cost of living affecting Australians’ mental health, Gillard says
Former prime minister Julia Gillard, who is also the outgoing chair of Beyond Blue, is speaking to ABC RN.
Discussing a range of issues surrounding mental health, she acknowledged the significant impact the cost of living is having across the country.
Gillard said a poll conducted by Beyond Blue and IPSOS found 77% of people were feeling “pretty stressed” going into the end of the year:
We tried to unpack “well, what are the pressures on you?” And 80% – so four in five – said financial pressures were the top stressor.
That is right around the community. Obviously, some portions of the community are feeling that much more acutely than others, but we do need to recognise that this is a very difficult time for many people, [including] individuals [and] many families, and that will have an impact on mental health.
Updated
Firefighters mourned
Fire Rescue Victoria has extended its condolences to firefighters with the NSW Rural Fire Service, after one of their colleagues died yesterday.
In a statement to X/Twitter, Fire Rescue Victoria said:
Our thoughts are with the firefighter’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.
Last night the RFS confirmed one of its volunteers died after suffering a medical episode while attending a car fire in the Moama area.
Commissioner Rob Rogers expressed his profound grief last night:
Our thoughts and deep condolences go out to his family, friends and firefighting colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.
We recognise the significant emotional toll this loss takes on our tight-knit community and are committed to supporting the family and fellow brigade members in any way we can.
A second volunteer firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW died yesterday morning. The 51-year-old man was attending a house fire at Grose Vale in north-west Sydney but could not be revived and died at the scene.
Updated
Thunderstorm asthma warning in Victoria’s east
People in central, west and south Gippsland have been warned there is a high risk of developing thunderstorm asthma due to a combination of high grass pollen levels, thunderstorms and strong winds.
There is a chance a large number of people may develop asthma symptoms over a short period of time, the state’s health department says.
A moderate risk warning is in place for the Mallee, Wimmera, south-west, north central, northern country, north-east and east Gippsland.
People have been told to avoid being outdoors in a storm or during winds before a storm, take preventative medication and carry a reliever.
Ambulance Victoria emergency management director Justin Dunlop warned conditions are similar to 2016, when 10 people died and emergency departments were overwhelmed.
– from AAP
Updated
Bushfire outlook
Speaking on the bushfire outlook for the summer, Murray Watt said it was “not likely to be as catastrophic as black summer” but people should remain on alert:
Everywhere from north Queensland right through the inland, down through New South Wales, Gippsland, western Victoria, east of Adelaide and of course, Western Australia – there’s a lot of the country [where we] expect there could be fire risk this year.
All of the advice to me is that it’s not likely to be as catastrophic as black summer was because that came on the back of four years of drought, but the hot temperatures that we are seeing across so much of the country means that the vegetation we’ve had grow through flooding is at risk of drying up very quickly.
So we’ll be very much on alert for fires through the summer.
Updated
Air tanker to fight fires across the country
Yesterday the government announced the national large air tanker had been deployed to help fight fires across the country during the 2023-24 bushfire season.
Asked where it will be most needed this season, Murray Watt told ABC RN it would be based in Richmond in Sydney’s west but would move around the country:
Last summer it was primarily based in Western Australia, because of course they faced fire risk whereas the east of the country was dealing with floods.
We’ve only had this air tanker in the country for about a week or so. It’s already been down in South Australia to help out down there, and this week it was in northern New South Wales, so it’s one of those things that we can move around different places.
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Watt on federal support for Queensland faced by Tropical Cyclone Jasper
Moving to Tropical Cyclone Jasper, Murray Watt said Queenslanders were “pretty used to cyclones up here” and had multiple days to prepare.
The state government had not yet asked for federal support, he said, because “they believe at this stage it will be within their capability”:
But we’ve had a national emergency management agency person embedded in the state’s disaster coordination centre for several days now.
I’ll be attending the Queensland government’s disaster management committee meeting this morning to make sure that we’re plugged in and we can offer any support.
Updated
Opposing views
Earlier on ABC RN, Liberal senator Simon Birmingham suggested the joint statement “tries to be all things to all people”.
Murray Watt disagreed, and said it was “unfortunate that the opposition has sought to make politics throughout this conflict”:
I don’t really see how a country like Australia could say anything other than what the government is saying, which is that Hamas’s behaviour is abhorrent, they need to release their hostages [but] equally, Israel has a responsibility to meet international humanitarian law …
I would be surprised if a party that aspires to the Australian government doesn’t believe that all countries should follow international humanitarian law.
Q: Was the statement a response to the growing pro-Palestine demonstrations held in major cities each weekend?
Watt:
No, I don’t think it is … I think that really this is a reflection of our position.
Updated
Ceasefire ‘can’t be one-sided’
Emergency management minister Murray Watt is also speaking to ABC RN this morning, and was asked about the PM’s joint letter with his New Zealand and Canadian counterparts urging a ceasefire.
Watt said this was a “significant statement” from “three leaders of like-minded countries”.
[It] shows that we want to work with like-minded countries towards what would be a just and enduring peace. I think the whole world has been pleased to see the release of hostages and the pause in hostilities that we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, but what we need to do is move towards a sustainable ceasefire …
Q: Is Israel losing support?
Watt:
I think everyone who watches this conflict unfolds on their television screens, is really disturbed about the loss of life that we’re seeing go on at the moment.
Watt said that a ceasefire “can’t be one-sided”, calling on the release of hostages, recognising “Israel’s right to exist [and] right to defend itself” but saying this needs to be within international law:
I think that’s the value that a country like Australia can play here by really taking that even-handed approach that does call out the abhorrent behaviour by Hamas, but also as a friend of Israel, calls on them to respect international humanitarian law.
Updated
Call for a ‘sustainable’ ceasefire
Jim Chalmers was also asked about a joint statement prime minister Anthony Albanese signed this morning, with the New Zealand and Canadian prime ministers.
The letter calls for a sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an end to the “continuous suffering” of its citizens. It reads:
We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza. The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.
You can read more about this below:
Responding to this letter, Chalmers said he expects it would be impactful:
It’s an important statement. It’s a statement which condemns the terrorist actions of Hamas, but it says that the defeat of Hamas come at the cost of the permanent ongoing suffering of ordinary Palestinian people.
I see in the statement the support for another pause in hostilities, but also support amongst the three prime ministers – including our own – for urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire.
Now that ceasefire can’t be one-sided. We need to see the hostages released, we need to see ordinary Palestinians stopped being used as human shields, but we do need to work towards a sustainable ceasefire here.
Updated
The migration strategy and housing affordability
Turning to the government’s migration strategy that was announced this week – which you can read about here – Chalmers is asked about claims from the opposition that it will impact housing affordability.
In case you missed it: the 10-year temporary migration strategy aims to crack down on the use of student visas as a “back door” entry for employers, while creating new visas targeting highly skilled workers.
Chalmers said the claims it will impact housing affordability are “complete rubbish”:
It’s another reminder you don’t get your information about the economy from Peter Dutton.
What the migration strategy that we released earlier in the week did … is it will help tackle the shortage of tradies in our economy. There’s a streamline visa settings, there’s a pathway to permanent residence for migrant trainees, there is much faster approvals for the skills that we need.
But what we need to make sure here is that any tradies we bring in to complement the Australian workforce, not as a substitute, [and] there needs to be a demonstrated shortage.
Guardian data journalist Josh Nicholas looked into the claims the migration plan will impact housing affordability, and found this is not necessarily the case. You can read that in full below:
Updated
$50bn in savings found, Chalmers says
With big investments on the horizon, including in the NDIS and schools, treasurer Jim Chalmers was asked: where the money will come from?
He said that over the course of two budgets and the mid-year budget update, $50bn in savings has been found to avoid “hundreds of billions of [dollars in debt, and] tens of billions of dollars in interest costs on that debt”:
That means that we can focus our efforts and our energy on the things that we truly value, and you’ll see that in the mid-year budget update. We’ve made room for cost-of-living help, which is rolling out right now … but that is an ongoing task beyond today’s budget update.
Updated
Myefo a ‘stocktake’ of the economy, Chalmers says
Treasurer Jim Chalmers just spoke to ABC RN about the release of the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook today – or the Myefo.
Chalmers explained that this is not a “mini-budget” but an update, or a “stocktake” of the economy.
Q: You’re not planning a surprise surplus in the May budget?
Chalmers:
We’re not planning as surplus in the mid-year budget update. What people can expect to see today is a very small deficit for the year that we’re in right now – a substantial improvement in the budget position for this year compared to the forecast in May, but still a very small deficit …
If we get the budget in much better nick, we get these deficits down, we avoid a whole heap of debt and the interest costs on that debt, then we can make room for cost-of-living help and for the big investments that we’re making in Medicare and housing and energy and skills, and all of these important areas.
Updated
Cairns residents in ‘red zone’ urged to leave for higher ground
There are a number of evacuation suggestions in place for Cairns amid Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which is expected to make landfall today near Port Douglas.
The latest information from the Cairns Local Disaster Management Group urges people within the “red zone” to leave now or move to a safer place on higher ground:
This is a voluntary evacuation advice as you may be impacted when the cyclone crosses.
There are public storm tide shelters open at the PCYC on Walker Road, and at Redlynch state college.
The cyclone is expected to cause widespread storm surge in the “red” and “orange” zones across Cairns:
Storm surge is when coastal waters rise above highest tide levels because of a cyclone. The tsunami-like waves can go a long way inland. Storm surge is a threat to life and property.
People in these places are urged to prepare to leave. To see which zones are included in these zones, you can view the map on the Cairns Disaster Dashboard.
Updated
Good morning
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 get in touch via X/Twitter @emilywindwrites or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
We’ll be following Tropical Cyclone Jasper closely today, but also any other news as it comes up – let’s get started.
Updated
‘It’s been over 60 years since we’ve had a direct hit’
Tropical Cyclone Jasper is expected to hit Queensland’s coast later today, bringing intense rain and wind with the potential for major damage, AAP reports.
The system was forecast to cross the coast near Port Douglas north of Cairns by lunchtime today.
Residents have spent the past days preparing for the slow-moving system to arrive, and watching, as it was reclassified up to a category 2 as it neared the coast.
Locals have been told to prepare for flash-flooding and potentially days without power, with evacuation centres established in Cairns, Port Douglas and Cooktown.
Destructive winds are set to develop between Innisfail and Wujal Wujal, intensifying early in the morning with gusts of more than 140km/h.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said:
Winds of this strength can easily bring down tree limbs, whole trees or power lines, damaging fences, roofs and other properties.
Cairns mayor Terry James urged locals to stock up and be prepared for up to five days without power.
The roads will be cut off – potentially the power will be cut off
It’s been over 60 years since we’ve had a direct hit.
Updated
Australia accuses China of ‘threatening lives’ in South China Sea incidents
The Australian government has accused the Chinese coast guard and other vessels of threatening “lives and livelihoods” and creating “risks of miscalculation” amid a series of incidents involving the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said last night:
The Australian Government shares the grave concerns of the Philippines Government about a pattern of dangerous actions conducted by Chinese vessels against Philippines vessels and crew in the South China Sea, including incidents near Scarborough Shoal and at Second Thomas Shoal on 9-10 December.
Actions by the Chinese Coast Guard and other Chinese vessels, such as water cannoning and ramming, endanger the peace and security of the region, threaten lives and livelihoods, and create risks of miscalculation.
The Philippines had accused China of “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous manoeuvres” in the region, including that the Chinese coastguard had fired water cannon and rammed one of the Philippines’ re-supply vessels. That occurred near Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of troops lives onboard a rusting warship that was deliberately run aground in 1999 to protect the Philippines’ claims.
The Chinese government argued that the vessels of the Philippines had “illegally entered” the waters adjacent to the shoal “without the approval of the Chinese government”.
The new statement from Dfat reiterated the Australian government’s position that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award – a tribunal ruling that rejected the Chinese government’s claims – was “final and legally binding on the parties”.
The statement said Australia had “consistently opposed destabilising and coercive actions in the South China Sea, such as unsafe encounters at sea and in the air and the militarisation of disputed features”.
It said all states must be able to exercise their rights and freedoms “in a manner consistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories before my esteemed colleague Emily Wind takes the chair.
Queenslanders and holidaymakers in the sunshine state are preparing for the expected impact around lunchtime of Cyclone Jasper which could bring up to 500mm of rain and 140km/h winds as it makes landfall between Port Douglas and Cape Flattery. And it’s a big test for Steven Miles, who built a public reputation as a wisecracking political warrior but will now front the government’s handling of the cyclone as he bids for the top job.
It’s also a big day for Jim Chalmers as he maps out the state of the economy with the big question being: can he find the money for cost-of-living relief and will he use it? The government’s mid-year budget update is today expected to show a fiscal “sweet spot” fuelled by strong commodity prices, population growth and a resilient labour market. But economists don’t think the treasurer will want to indulge in any generous giveaways for households and risk higher inflation.
The Australian government has accused the Chinese coast guard and other vessels of threatening “lives and livelihoods” and creating “risks of miscalculation” in a series of incidents involving the Philippines. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said last night that Chinese vessels had used water cannons and ramming in “dangerous actions” against vessels from the Philippines. More coming up.
