Hello. It's Wednesday, March 9 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
One thing to know right now: The PM has visited flood-affected Lismore
Scott Morrison toured Lismore for the first time since last week's catastrophic floods, but the media wasn't invited to film any of his interactions with locals.
He also announced he would declare a national emergency in response to the floods. What that does is give the federal government power to deploy money and resources faster.
Speaking of resources, the PM also said residents in Richmond Valley, Lismore and Clarence Valley can access a further $2,000 for adults and $800 for children through an extension of the Disaster Recovery Payment scheme.
Many residents are furious that the initial response was largely left to the community and say the government and ADF were too slow to act.
Mr Morrison defended the ADF's response, saying resources were assembled and ready before the floods took hold.
Watch some of his press conference:
What else is going on: NSW recorded its first Japanese encephalitis virus death
Here's what you need to know:
- NSW Health confirmed a man in his 70s from Griffith, who died last month, had Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV).
- The man died on February 13 and post-mortem testing confirmed he had the disease.
- Earlier this week, a man in his 60s died from JEV in Victoria.
- It has now been detected across four states, in what are the first known cases on the Australian mainland.
- JEV is spread by mosquitoes. It's potentially fatal for humans but symptoms develop in only 1 per cent of cases.
- Authorities are urging people to protect themselves against mosquito bites.
News alerts you might have missed
- Cricket legend Shane Warne will be farewelled with a state memorial service at the MCG on March 30. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wrote on Twitter there was "nowhere in the world more appropriate to farewell Warnie than the 'G'".
- Police have found a body in floodwaters near where a delivery driver disappeared on the outskirts of Western Sydney. Attempts are underway to retrieve it. The discovery brings the victims of the Sydney flooding emergency to three.
- The WA government has offered to hold a state memorial service for cricket great Rod Marsh, who died on Friday following a heart attack. If his family accepts, Marsh's commemoration would likely be held next month at the WACA ground where he so often played.
- Paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale was charged with 24 historical sexual assault offences related to alleged incidents in western Victoria.
What Australia has been searching for online
Japanese encephalitis virus: Health authorities are working to contain the spread of JEV. Here's what we know about the spread of the virus so far.
Ed Sheeran: The British singer-songwriter has been accused of ripping off a hook in his hit song Shape of You. A copyright claim was brought in a London court by Sami Switch and producer Ross O'Donoghue, who said Shape of You infringes on "particular lines and phrases" from their song Oh Why.
Let it go: A little girl who sang the song from the Disney film Frozen in a Kyiv basement acting as a bomb shelter has become a symbol of the plight of Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion. Take a look:
One more thing: Fuel prices are going up
Petrol prices are already at record levels nationally, but they'll be going up even more thanks to a rise in the global cost of oil.
According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average unleaded petrol price rose by 3.3 cents to a record 183.9 cents a litre last week.
That was before the US and UK announced they would ban all imports of Russian oil.
CommSec senior economist Craig James said it won't be long before we see $2.10 or $2.20 a litre as a new normal, although people in Adelaide and Perth are already paying above $2.20 for a litre of unleaded petrol.
You're up to date
We'll be back tomorrow with more.
ABC/wires
