Welcome to the Afternoon Update. State emergency services have received thousands of calls for help after a severe weather system brought damaging winds to Australia’s south-east.
A woman was killed by a falling tree on the New South Wales-Victoria border early on Monday and two Tasmanian emergency workers were injured in floods that still threaten parts of the state.
Power outages hit hundreds of thousands of homes and parts of Victoria have been told to plan for up to 72 hours without electricity, while bushfires have broken out around NSW.
The dangerous weather rounds out Australia’s hottest August on record, with temperatures 3C above average. Winter’s weird warmth shows Australia’s climate is entering a different phase, David Bowman writes.
Top news
Reynolds had ‘sinister’ motives in case against Higgins, court told | Brittany Higgins’ lawyer began her closing arguments on Monday in the defamation case brought by the Liberal senator Linda Reynolds against her former staffer, telling the court Reynolds was an unreliable witness and harassed Higgins by leaking documents.
Paedophile pleads guilty to 307 offences | One of Australia’s worst paedophiles has confessed to committing sexual offences against dozens of children under his care in Brisbane and Italy between 2007 and 2022. Former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith pleaded guilty to all charges on Monday morning.
MSO says pro-Palestine pianist ‘abused his position’ | A letter from Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s law firm said a concert pianist whose performance was cancelled after a dedication to Palestinian journalists had “abused his position by using an MSO concert to air his political opinions”.
Israel protests and nationwide strike | A general strike is under way in Israel amid public anger over hostage deaths and failed ceasefire talks. Government offices were due to close, along with schools, many businesses and Israel’s international airport. Follow our live coverage here.
Russia to change nuclear weapon rules | Russia’s deputy foreign minister said the threshold for nuclear use would be lowered in response to what it regards as western “escalation” in the war in Ukraine. The state is still revising its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons.
Australian gold amid Paralympics phone scandal | Australia picked up 10 medals at the Paralympics on Sunday, including its first rowing gold, while a fourth-placed Aussie rower won bronze after the third-placed Italian was disqualified for allegedly using a “communication device” during the race.
Tiger mauls animal handler at theme park | A tiger handler has been mauled by a big cat at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast and was taken to hospital after suffering multiple injuries to her arm on Monday morning, emergency services said.
Bluey coin rush crashes Australia Post website | Ardent coin collectors and fans of the little blue dog scrambled for the release of “dollarbucks” on Monday morning, temporarily overwhelming Australia Post’s website.
Australians at the US Open | Alexei Popyrin lost to America’s Frances Tiafoe in four sets on Sunday night (Monday AEST) in New York. Simon Cambers spoke to Alex de Minaur ahead of his fourth-round battle with fellow Australian Jordan Thompson on Monday (7am Tuesday AEST).
In pictures
Wheels of fire: Red CentreNATS revs up Alice Springs
Enthusiasts and spectators from all over the country have flocked to Alice Springs for drag races, burnouts and vintage car competitions, in a high-octane celebration of speed set against the backdrop of the desert.
What they said …
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“The whole proposal is more Peter V’landys than Peta Murphy. I never thought I would see in my lifetime John Howard to the left of Anthony Albanese on an issue.” – Tim Costello
The gambling reform advocate has restated his criticism of the Albanese government for ruling out a national gambling regulator and pushing ahead with a partial TV ad ban only, despite a 2023 bipartisan committee inquiry – chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy – recommending a regulator and a total ban.
In numbers
The political advocacy group says it will elevate Muslim Australians’ voices on non-faith issues including gambling and domestic violence, alongside Israel’s war in Gaza.
Before bed read
Mani once sang revolutionary poems in public in Kabul about women, freedom and justice. Now the Taliban regime has banned women from speaking in public and Mani is on the run, still waiting for the Australian government to grant her a humanitarian visa.
To halt the drastic erosion of human rights, Australia must stand with Afghan women and girls, Shadi Khan Saif writes.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ORES. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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