What we learned: Wednesday 2 July
With that, readers, we will wrap the blog for the evening. If you, like me, are in New South Wales tonight, stay safe and out of the cold. Until tomorrow, here were today’s biggest developments:
Creative Australia has reinstated artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s artistic team for the 2026 Venice Biennale, after an independent external review of the decision.
The Bureau of Meteorology expects a “second surge” of low pressure on Wednesday night will bring a further burst of rain and wind to the south coast of New South Wales, and eastern parts of Victoria.
A second man has been charged with sex crimes against children, including rape, after Victoria police confirmed former childcare worker and Point Cook man Joshua Dale Brown had been charged in May with more than 70 offences.
Qantas has suffered a cyber-attack at one of its contact centres, potentially exposing the records of up to 6 million customers.
Kanye West, also known as Ye, has had his visa revoked by the Australian government after the release of his widely condemned song “Heil Hitler”, which has been banned on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
And a northern NSW man is in critical condition in hospital with the first confirmed case of Australian bat lyssavirus in the state.
Updated
Damaging winds on NSW south-east coast to continue throughout the night, BoM says
The NSW SES has provided footage of Burrill Lake, where about 30 properties are being affected by flooding. There is also flooding at nearby Lake Conjola, Sanctuary Point, Lake Tabourie and Sussex Inlet on the South Coast.
In an update, the Bureau of Meteorology says there is a risk of damaging winds of up to 90km/h along the NSW coast from the south coast up through the mid north coast. Winds are expected to ease below warning thresholds during Thursday morning. Strong winds with peak gusts of about 100km/h are likely in parts of the northern tablelands, the mid north coast hinterland and the Border Ranges and are expected to continue through to Thursday morning.
We’ve also updated our rainfall map with the latest figures from the Bureau of Meteorology with rainfall up to 9am this morning.
The heaviest falls from the coastal low have so far been on the south coast, with Ulladulla receiving 264.6mm in the last two days, and Jervis Bay copping a similar amount:
Updated
Hannah Thomas alleges Tony Burke made defamatory comments about her
Hannah Thomas, a former Greens candidate who was injured during an interaction with police at a protest last week, has sent a defamation concerns notice to Tony Burke and Sky News Australia.
Thomas, 35, who ran against the prime minister at the federal election, was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in Belmore, which was attended by about 60 people on Friday. She was subsequently taken to hospital and underwent surgery and expressed fears she could lose sight in her right eye.
A defamation concerns notice outlines statements a claimant considers defamatory and why and the serious harm the claimant says it has had. A person who receives a concerns notice has 28 days to make an offer to resolve the complaint but if the parties do not reach agreement it can proceed to court.
Thomas alleges Burke made defamatory comments about her on Sunday, during Sky News’s Sunday Agenda.
Stewart O’Connell, a senior defamation solicitor at O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors who is acting on behalf of Thomas, alleged:
By making comments and running a story that declares that Ms Thomas had been acting unlawfully, both minister Burke and Sky News have completely disregarded one of the fundamental principles of our legal system, that people are innocent until proven guilty. Ms Thomas denies she was acting unlawfully, and she will be vigorously defending any charges in court.
O’Connell also alleged that the story had directly contributed to “hateful” comments about Thomas online.
NSW police said after a preliminary review of body-worn video of her arrest that there was no information to indicate misconduct.
Burke and Sky News Australia have been approached for comment.
Updated
Philanthropist and prominent arts advocate Simon Mordant resigned as Australia’s International Ambassador for the 2026 Venice Biennale after the announcement of Sabsabi and Dagostino’s removal. The resignation ended 30 years of active involvement in the Biennale, including two previous terms as commissioner and leader of the fundraising drive for the new Australian Pavilion in Venice.
On Wednesday Mordant confirmed that the pair’s reinstatement had led to his re-acceptance of the role.
“After careful consideration and thorough due diligence, I have accepted the role of Global Ambassador and Advocate for Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale,” he said in a statement.
I am confident that the work presented will reflect the highest artistic standards and align with the values I have always upheld – integrity, inclusion, and respect.
He also reaffirmed his position on upholding ethical boundaries in artistic representation:
I would never knowingly support an artist or art that glorifies terrorism, racism or antisemitism or went against my values. I think everybody has to be very careful about the insidious rise of racism and antisemitism, which has become particularly prevalent in Australia. I stand by these values, and I stand by freedom of expression in the art world.
Mordant said the Creative Australia backflip was “a watershed moment for the Australian arts community, whereby we can work towards eliminating any form of racism including antisemitism across the arts industries”.
I know Khaled shares this ambition.
The philanthropist put up new money, through his Luminis Foundation, to back up his Venice Biennale stance, announcing a new three-year research program led by the Centre for Independent Studies titled Understanding and Combating Antisemitism in Australia, which will focus on religious tolerance through research, policy development, and public education, as “a further demonstration of [our] commitment to pluralism and civil society”.
Updated
Creative Australia decision ‘mismanaged’, Hanson-Young says
Circling back to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s appearance on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, the acting Greens leader also welcomed the reinstatement of Sabsabi as Australia’s representation at the Venice Biennale, describing it as a “vindication” for the artist and the broader artistic community.
[It’s] an absolutely well deserved reversal. But let me say … Creative Australia … has disgraced themselves through this process. From day one, this has not been managed properly. The due diligence has been poor. The handling of the matter has been extremely poor.
Hanson-Young said the experience had been an “international embarrassment” for Australia and caused “hurt, pain and suffering”.
The integrity of the artists involved has been questioned throughout this process. And it has been a shambles and an absolute cluster … people need to be held to account for this.
It was stuffed up from the beginning, mismanaged all the way through. They even tried to blame the artist at one point. It just doesn’t stack up that people who managed this so badly shouldn’t have to take responsibility for it.
Updated
Creative Australia reinstates Khaled Sabsabi
Creative Australia has reinstated artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s artistic team for the 2026 Venice Biennale, after an independent external review of the decision.
Appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said he had received a call from Creative Australia’s CEO outlining the decision and supported it.
My position has always been these are arm’s-length decisions … I addressed the board the day this report came in, last week, and said whatever you decide, I back you. But I also said I will also be very upfront that whichever way you go, the due diligence previously had not been done. Part of arm’s-length funding is the minister doesn’t make the decision but if you expect the minister to defend the decision, you need to provide the minister with the information about what’s likely to come.
Burke said he wasn’t an art critic but when Sabsabi had said the works in question were not pro-terrorist “I don’t think politicians can say, ‘Well, you’re all wrong and it is’.
Burke said he still had confidence in the Creative Australia board because he believed in “arm’s length funding” and politicians not being in charge of what art was supported and what wasn’t.
Updated
‘Childcare sector is in crisis,’ Hanson-Young says
Acting leader of the Greens, Sarah Hanson-Young, has appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing after her party called for a royal commission into safety in the early childhood sector.
Earlier today, the education minister said he didn’t support a commission as work had already been done into what was needed to address safety concerns.
Hanson-Young said the government did need to respond to existing recommendations, but it was “quite clear that the childcare sector is in crisis”.
There is a litany of issues facing the safety of children, the safety of workers, the respect for children in these centres … we are worried that what happens in these situations is … there’s a big urgent response in the beginning, but then recommendations don’t get followed and things just go on [as] business as usual.
This has to change and I think many parents are just in shock and want the system cleaned up. And we need to be looking at why we treat early childhood education differently to how we treat our school system. It is such a vital part of education and care for our youngest citizens … and it needs to be treated with the seriousness … of schooling.
Updated
Kanye West ‘no longer has a valid visa in Australia’: Tony Burke
Kanye West, also known as Ye, has had his visa revoked by the Australian government after the release of his widely condemned song “Heil Hitler”, which has been banned on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
Speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, the minister for home affairs and cybersecurity, Tony Burke, was responding to the news of the visa cancellation of an Israeli-Australian tech advocate for writing that “Islamophobia is rational” when he revealed the cancellation.
If someone argued that antisemitism was rational, I would not let them come here on a speaking tour … when the purpose of the visa is to give public speeches.
Most of the visas that have been cancelled under this section have been where someone was seeking to make a public speech … the only one I can think of where it wasn’t for public advocacy, the visa, but we cancelled it anyway, would be Kanye West.
Burke said West had been coming to Australia “for a long time” and had family here (his wife, Bianca Censori, is Australian) but alleged he had “made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again once he released the Heil Hitler song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia”.
Asked if it were “sustainable” to keep the ban in place given the possibility for international concerts, Burke replied:
I think that what’s not sustainable is to import hatred.
Updated
ANZ joins rivals to predict rate cut next week
ANZ expects the Reserve Bank will cut the official cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point next week, bringing its forecasts inline with those of the other major lenders, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac.
ANZ updated its forecasts today. Previously, it had expected the RBA to cut the rate in August, rather than July.
There is now near consensus support in the market for a quarter-point cut on 8 July to 3.6%, which would be the third reduction this year.
Rachel Wastell, from loan comparison site Mozo, says owner-occupiers with a $500,000 variable rate mortgage would save $76 a month, or $918 annually, on repayments if they drop by a quarter percentage point.
Major lenders, including ANZ, have also been reducing their fixed mortgage rates ahead of anticipated cuts later this year.
Last month’s inflation data, which showed a sharp reduction, boosted expectations of another cut, given consumer prices are now well within the RBA’s target range.
Those economists holding a counter-consensus view expect the RBA may wait until the quarterly inflation data is published at the end of July before deciding whether it will cut again.
The falling cash rate, which informs borrowing costs, has underpinned another surge in property prices across the country.
Updated
Nurses in Queensland to take stronger industrial action amid stalled pay negotiations
Queensland’s nurses and midwives are set to escalate industrial action next week, after no breakthrough in negotiations over pay and conditions.
Union members will begin stage two protected industrial action from 7am on 8 July, Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ secretary Sarah Beaman said:
Nurses and midwives are holding the system together through sheer heart, skill, and relentless effort – without us, it doesn’t function. The only way we can make the government take us seriously is by taking stronger protected industrial action.
Members can choose to take a range of actions, including taking their full break, not working overtime without a minimum amount of notice, refusing to attend management meetings, not entering patients details so hospitals are not reimbursed by Medicare, not restocking supplies and more.
The premier, David Crisafulli, said the government had “negotiated with goodwill, and we will continue to do”.
The government maintains its offer of an 8% pay rise followed by a 3% bump in its final quarter would make Queensland nurses the best paid in the country, but the union contends that two-thirds of members would be left behind.
Crisafulli:
There will be a difference of opinion in any negotiation, but it will be done with respect, and the way the minister has conducted himself shows that.
Beaman said the tougher industrial action would cause “some inconvenience, but the community’s safety will never be at risk”:
They are designed to inconvenience the government.
Updated
Queensland prisoner who escaped on tractor a month ago found in bushland
A prisoner at large for a month after he escaped from a correctional centre on a tractor has been tracked down by police hiding in bushland.
Michael Graeme Rennie, 43, escaped on a red tractor while on work duty at Lotus Glen Low Custody Correctional Centre in far north Queensland on 1 June.
He was serving more than six years for motor vehicle, weapon, drug and other offences, including serious assault, theft and burglary.
Detective inspector Jason Chetham told reporters he was located and arrested in Cow Bay, nearly three hours from the Atherton Tablelands prison farm, about 1am on Wednesday in a “campsite in bushland”.
Chetham said he was in the company of a 48-year-old woman known to him from Rocky Point, who was assisting with their investigation.
The escaped prisoner had a “good deal” of bushcraft with police believing they would find him off the grid, Chetham said:
There’s a lot of forestry up here and so we knew it was going to be a challenge but I’m very grateful that we got our hands on him this morning.
The tractor has not been found. Rennie has been charged with one count each of escape by persons in lawful custody and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. He was remanded in custody to face Cairns magistrates court on Wednesday.
– AAP
Updated
Qantas hack is ‘highly significant’, Burke says
Asked if the Qantas hack is in the proportion of Optus, and one of the biggest the nation has faced, Burke says “in terms of the number of people affected, 6 million is highly significant”:
In terms of the personal nature of the information, we’re still getting through that. The information, as I’ve said, is not all that’s there. There will be things like – that particular database will hold what special meals people have and things like that, which can lead to other information. So we’re getting to the bottom of every piece of data that may have been accessed because that adds a layer of concern.
When criminal operators like this have your email address and phone number, it’s not so they can publish a phone book. It’s so they can use it for the next layer of fraud and people should be alert to that. It doesn’t even mean that they’ll be pretending they’re Qantas. But sometimes when this vulnerability happens, the call comes saying, “Oh, you might be aware that there’s a cybersecurity breach in this company”.
Updated
Tony Burke says compromised Qantas customer data did not include credit cards or passports
The cybersecurity and home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing now following warnings from Qantas that customer data had been compromised in a major cyber-attack, potentially exposing the records of up to 6 million customers.
An initial review of the incident showed the stolen data included customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates as well as Frequent Flyer numbers.
Burke, who has spoken to Qantas twice today, said this did not include financial information including credit cards and passports. Asked if it were appropriate for Qantas to pay a ransom, Burke said the government always advised against it “because it keeps these characters in business”.
We also, last year, made it a legal obligation that if someone ever were to pay a ransom, they must advise the Australian government and if they don’t do that, it’s an offence. We did that to make sure we can find out the extent to which people might be paying ransoms because that tells us the extent to which our advice is being followed or ignored.
Because emails and phone numbers have been compromised, if anyone gets a cold call from Qantas, hang up. If you’re going to talk to Qantas on the phone, use the published number and you make the call. If you get an email that is asking you to click through on a link in any way, don’t respond to it. The only way to deal with them digitally, is to work through the Qantas app.
Updated
Musk claims overturning of eSafety cyber abuse ruling is ‘win for free speech’
Elon Musk’s X has declared a “decisive win for free speech” after the administrative review tribunal overturned an order by the Australian eSafety commissioner that required X to remove a post about a trans man made by a Canadian anti-trans activist.
In March last year, eSafety sent a notice to X requesting that a tweet posted by “Billboard Chris”, AKA Chris Elston, about an Australian trans man and leading LGBTQ+ health expert be taken down.
The post linked to a Daily Mail article about the person and his involvement in the World Health Organization, and Elston’s tweet read: “people who belong in psychiatric wards are writing the guidelines for people who belong in psychiatric wards”.
eSafety determined the post to be cyber abuse directed at an Australian adult, given it was found to misgender him, mock his gender identity and equated transgender identity with a psychiatric condition.
In a decision on Tuesday, the ART overturned the ruling, finding although the post was phrased offensively, it was consistent with Elston’s views, and the ART was not satisfied Elston intended to cause the trans man serious harm. There was a lack of evidence Elston had intended for the man to receive and read the post (his username was not included in the post).
In a post on X, the company’s global government affairs account said it was a “decisive win for free speech” and stated: “X will continue to fight against coercive state censorship and defend our users’ rights to free speech.”
eSafety said it “welcomes the guidance” provided in the ruling, noting it was the first legal test of the adult cyber abuse scheme.
Updated
Pauline Ureta is the co-owner of the Long Jetty Family Takeaway on the NSW Central Coast.
The strong winds overnight tore parts of the roof from the building the shop shares with other local businesses.
Ureta said the road to the shops was closed this morning while emergency services assessed the damage and she and her husband had not yet been able to check on their business:
It was really unexpected. Aside from the heavy storm, because we run a takeaway shop we’re worried about our [food] stores because we have storage and freezers.
Ureta said the business had lost power at about 4.30pm on Tuesday.
It’s a building with a second unit upstairs and the roof was damaged. The cover of the roof has opened so it’s really dangerous for everyone. They had to close the road and no one could enter. Early tomorrow we will try to visit again and see if we can check on our shop.
It’s fortunate no one was hurt and it’s good they evacuated everyone and closed the road to stop people from entering the area … Everyone’s safety is more important.
Updated
Warragamba dam is approaching full capacity and is likely to spill overnight following recent rainfall across Sydney’s water catchments, according to WaterNSW.
Current WaterNSW modelling anticipated the dam could spill at a peak rate of approximately 60 gigalitres per day (GL/day), which was within the range of recent spill events.
24 May 2025 (peak spill rate of around 20GL/day)
7 June 2024 (peak spill rate of 240GL/day)
6 May 2024 (peak spill rate of 30GL/day)
5 April 2024 (peak spill rate of 220GL/day)
Smaller Sydney dams such as Cataract, Nepean, Cordeaux, Avon and Woronora all continued to spill. Fitzroy Falls, Tallowa, Greaves Creek and Medlow dams were already spilling, and would continue to do so.
NSW SES responds to thousands of incidents as wind brings down trees and powerlines
The NSW State Emergency Service has responded to more than 3,400 incidents and 10 flood rescues since the start of the complex low-pressure system, as intense rainfall and damaging winds continue to hit coastal communities.
In an update this afternoon, the SES said the system was sitting off the South Coast, bringing an increased risk of flash and riverine flooding about Illawarra and Shoalhaven and along the coastal fringe.
Widespread heavy rainfall was continuing, with isolated falls of 110mm possible, as well as peak wind gusts of about 110km/h along coastal parts from the South Coast to the Mid North Coast today, including eastern Sydney.
Emergency warnings remained in place at Burrill Lake and Sanctuary Point, where about 30 properties were affected by flooding, some over floor level, though further warnings may be issued today at Lake Conjola and Sussex Inlet.
Minor to moderate flooding was also possible in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley, with residents in Menangle, North Richmond, Penrith, Wallacia and Windsor advised to stay informed.
NSW SES assistant commissioner Nicole Hogan said strong wind gusts had brought down trees, powerlines and damaged properties.
We have more than 2,000 members responding to incidents, along with emergency service partners. An additional crew from ACT SES is deploying to assist in the area later today.
From Thursday rainfall should ease significantly, the SES said, as the low moved east into the Tasman Sea.
Updated
‘Second surge’ of low pressure to bring more heavy rain to east coast, BoM says
The Bureau of Meteorology expects a “second surge” of low pressure on Wednesday night will bring a further burst of rain and wind to the south coast of New South Wales, and eastern parts of Victoria.
In a video update, senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said:
Another 50 to 100mm is quite likely today and tonight.
That’s on top of the 100 to 200mm that we’ve already seen, particularly through parts of New South Wales.
Updated
$500,000 reward for information on 1987 cold case after new DNA evidence
Taxi logs revealed Bryan Hodgkinson was due to finish at 1am and received a fare 30 minutes before to collect a passenger named “Sykes” in Bundaberg. It is unknown whether he ever picked up the person.
Police are now appealing to “Sykes” to come forward as they believe that person holds valuable information to help solve the murder.
It is also believed that those involved in Hodgkinson’s murder drove the taxi from Goodwood, where his body was found, back to Bundaberg. This has sparked an appeal for anyone who saw the cab in the early hours of 10 September 1987, to contact police.
Fresh DNA has been found thanks to new and enhanced forensic testing of evidence seized from the taxi and near his body, which has sparked the renewed probe.
“This is a new line of inquiry not known to previous investigators,” Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said.
A $500,000 reward has also been launched for anyone with information that could help solve the cold-case murder.
- Australian Associated Press
Renewed probe into 1987 taxi driver murder cold case
Bryan Hodgkinson, then 48, was working as a taxi driver on the night of 9 September 1987, in southern Queensland but never returned home the following morning.
His taxi was found abandoned outside a home in Bundaberg and his body was located 32km south in Goodwood with head trauma and stab wounds to his abdomen and chest.
His wife, Elaine Hodgkinson, died last year after decades without answers as to who killed her husband.
“She’d given up the hope of finding anything after such a long period of time,” their son Steven Hodgkinson told reporters on Wednesday. He is holding out hope for his mother and family that those responsible will be found.
Getting answers, that’s really something I’d be looking at ... what happened? Why it happened? Who did it? Even if someone’s still not alive, it still gives us closure.
- Australian Associated Press
More to come in the next post.
Thank you for joining us on the live blog today. Handing over now to Caitlin Cassidy, who will keep you posted into the afternoon.
If you’re in a region affected by the wild NSW weather, stay safe – and see you back on the blog tomorrow.
NSW man in critical condition with lyssavirus after bat bite
A northern NSW man is in critical condition in hospital with the first confirmed case of Australian bat lyssavirus in the state.
Lyssavirus is a close relative to the rabies virus. It is transmitted from infected bats to humans when the virus in bat saliva enters the body through a bat bite or scratch, Keira Glasgow, a director in health protection at NSW Health, said:
This is a very tragic situation. The man had been bitten by a bat several months ago and received treatment following the injury. Further investigation is under way to understand whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness.
We know 118 people required medical assessment after being bitten or scratched by bats in 2024, but this is the first confirmed case of the virus in NSW, and the fourth case in Australia.
It is incredibly rare for the virus to transmit to humans, but once symptoms of lyssavirus start in people who are scratched or bitten by an infected bat, sadly there is no effective treatment.
Glasgow says people should assume any bat could carry the virus, and that “only trained, protected and vaccinated wildlife handlers should interact with bats”:
If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, urgent medical assessment is crucial. You will need to wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes right away with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with anti-virus action, such as Betadine, and allow it to dry. You will then require treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine.
Updated
Angus Taylor says foreign minister has made ‘no progress’ on Aukus and tariffs after US visit
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, will come back “empty-handed” from the United States, says the Coalition’s acting foreign spokesperson, Angus Taylor.
Wong met with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, this morning in Washington, to discuss trade tariffs and the Aukus pact. Wong wouldn’t say whether the US had guaranteed Aukus would go ahead after its review.
Taylor told reporters in Canberra that Wong also needed to help secure a meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese, during this visit, after Trump left the G7 summit early in Canada last month before the two leaders could meet.
Penny Wong will come home empty-handed on Aukus, no real progress on tariff barriers, no progress on setting up a meeting, it’s anyone’s guess as to when that’s going to happen.
It seems that this government and this prime minister is better able to and more interested in getting a meeting with the president of China than the president of the United States.
Albanese is set to travel to China this month.
Updated
At Shellharbour, conditions are just as dreary.
Pollution, marine wind and hazardous surf warnings are all current at the beach.
Updated
Hazardous surf and swell expected at Bondi beach
Here is a look at rough conditions at Bondi beach today, as wild weather lashes NSW.
Beachwatch NSW alerts that pollution is likely, and surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous at the beloved swimming spot.
Updated
Bowral’s Cherry Tree Walk floods after overnight rain
You can watch here:
Updated
Energy operators say about 28,000 still without power
About 28,000 customers remained without power at 2pm Wednesday, according to network operators Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy.
The number of outages will continue to fluctuate as network companies restore power, while the wild weather causes problems, such as fallen trees.
Updated
Houses on Wamberal beach undamaged with ‘massive dump of sand’ left on beaches
Mark Lamont, from the Wamberal Beach Save our Sand community group, said houses along the beach were undamaged.
There is a massive dump of sand by Mother Nature along most of the beach.
We’re calling it a Santa storm. In 2020 we had a grinch storm which took the sand away, overnight we had a storm that put sand back.
Lamont said there were a small number of houses at the southern end of the beach that were still being watched closely and where temporary rockworks were in place.
The Save our Sand group is opposed to a seawall and instead favours offshore sand nourishment, beach scraping (a process of moving surplus beach sand into the foredune) and dune revegetation, which Lamont said was recommended by experts.
He said:
That adaptive approach is backed by the vast majority of locals.
Seawalls fail and even emergency rock works become tomorrow’s coastal hazard. Ocean waves flank the walls and rocks. That is bad news for neighbours and the beach. Rocks and seawalls scour the sand in front of them.
Updated
More from Wamberal beach
Beachside homes at Wamberal beach on the New South Wales Central Coast have not suffered the damage that emergency services warned was a possibility overnight.
Residents of some parts of Ocean View Drive and Pacific Street were asked to evacuate from their homes on Tuesday afternoon due to dangerous waves and coastal erosion caused by storm activity.
The community of Wamberal Beach, 90km north of Sydney, has been struggling with coastal erosion for years, with division over whether or not the council should install a sea wall. A proposal for a wall had thousands of community objections.
Chris Rogers, president of the residents’ group Wamberal Protection Association said:
We were really lucky last night. The tide wasn’t super high and the wind was offshore rather than onshore. It sort of held the waves out. All in all, we got away with it.
He said the official evacuation warning remained in place but some residents had returned to their homes. Rogers said the association, which has had a development application (DA) for a sea wall with the Central Coast council, was calling on the NSW government to find a long-term solution.
The Minns government does not support a sea wall proposal but Rogers said the group was open to discussing alternatives:
Let’s sit down and do a deal. If you want the DA off the table, let’s sit down and work out a way to protect these homes permanently.
Updated
Here is a look at Wamberal beach, where coastal erosion emergency warnings to evacuate are current for some streets nearby.
Updated
Batemans Bay Surf Life Saving Club posts footage of rough surf at Malua Bay
Take a look:
Man, 66, dies on flight arriving in Sydney after medical episode
A man has died after suffering a medical episode on an international flight that landed in Sydney.
About 6:15am this morning emergency services attended Sydney international airport after reports a man had suffered a medical episode, NSW police said in a statement.
The medical incident was on an aircraft, an Australian federal police spokesperson said.
The man, 66, was treated by NSW Ambulance but died at the scene, the AFP spokesperson said.
Officers were told he suffered a medical episode during the flight, NSW police said.
NSW police have commenced inquiries and will prepare a report for the coroner.
Updated
Second man charged with child sexual abuse after yesterday’s arrest of a Melbourne childcare worker
A second man has been charged with sex crimes against children, including rape, after Victoria police confirmed former childcare worker and Point Cook man Joshua Dale Brown had been charged in May with more than 70 offences.
Michael Simon Wilson, of Wyndham Vale, is also facing charges related to child abuse material, according to the magistrates court.
According to court documents, Wilson is known to Brown, although it is not known how they are linked.
Updated
Fallen tree on train tracks at Kingswood pierced driver’s cabin, NSW Transport says
A tree came down on train tracks at Kingswood amid wild weather last night, with a branch piercing the driver’s cabin.
NSW Transport says “there have been multiple weather-related incidents causing damage and disruption on our network” in an update to Facebook today.
This tree came down onto the tracks at Kingswood last night with a branch even piercing the driver’s cabin. The driver was unharmed and the tree was cleared but rail traffic is still delayed due to a second tree falling down in the same area. Our teams are working hard to clear the incident as soon as possible.
Transport for NSW has advised train passengers to avoid non-essential travel, as severe weather continues to affect services.
Updated
Asked whether some of the recommendations would be “divisive in the community”, Allan says:
The recommendations and indeed the findings, I do acknowledge they are incredibly challenging. They are challenging because they tell the truth. They tell the truth about how our state was colonised. That does make for some tough reading.
When you read about the violence, you read about the massacres, you read about the decisions in the past to forcibly remove children from their family, from their loved ones, from their culture, and their people … many parts of the report are challenging.
Updated
Victorian premier sidesteps question about reparations for First Nations people
Pressed as to whether she would support reparations for First Nations people affected by colonisation, Victorian premier Jacinta Allan says:
I’m not focused on people who want to divide people, who want to use reports like this to further a particular political narrative.
I’m focused on getting better outcomes, because when you improve outcomes for Indigenous kids in schools, Indigenous kids in family settings, Indigenous men and women getting access to the health care that they need, that’s better for all of us.
Updated
Allan: Victorian government will take its time to consider and respond to Yoorrook report
Back to the Victorian premier’s press conference.
Allan was asked about the release of the final report from Australia’s first truth telling inquiry – the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s.
She says it is the result of years of work and provides the state with an official historic record, “truth of how our state was colonised” and the impact on First Nations people.
It is an incredibly powerful document and I would certainly encourage all Victorians to take a moment or two … to learn some difficult truths, to learn some of the history of our state, to learn as I have through this process, about the impacts of colonisation.
Allan says the government will take its time to consider and respond to the report.
We’re going to take our time to consider and respond to the report. I am not going to respond to the individual recommendations or the report as a whole through individual questions at a press conference – that would not do justice to the years and years of work and evidence.
Updated
BoM warns of severe weather for Victoria and Queensland because of coastal low
Outside New South Wales, the Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for damaging winds and flooding in Victoria and Queensland, which are also being affected by the vigorous coastal low.
In Queensland, a severe weather warning is in place for parts of Wide Bay and Burnett, Darling Downs, the Granite Belt and south-east coast, with damaging winds averaging 60 to 70km/h, and peak gusts about 100km/h likely.
In Victoria, damaging winds, with peak gusts up to 90km/h were expected for parts of the north-east and Gippsland, and flood warnings are in place for the Cann and Genoa rivers.
Updated
Ausgrid working to restore power, 9,100 outages remain
Ausgrid said its emergency crews restored power to 30,000 customers overnight and this morning.
About 9,100 customers still remain without power – and crews are working to make areas safe, remove hazards and get the power back on.
As the wild weather continues, there could be more outages today as well as flooding and hidden hazards, particularly around fallen or damaged trees.
A spokesperson said:
Never approach fallen powerlines. Always assume they are live and stay at least 8 metres – or 2 car lengths – away from them.
Updated
Waves reach 13 metres at Port Kembla
The vigorous coastal low off New South Wales has created large waves and powerful swells, with coastal hazard warnings in place for damaging surf that could lead to coastal erosion and localised damage, stretching from Seal Rocks to the Victorian border.
Wave data collected by the Manly Hydraulics Laboratory show maximum wave heights reached 13m at Port Kembla at 5pm yesterday (and 12.4m at 8am). Maximum wave heights of 12m were recorded at Eden and Batemans Bay, and 10m at Sydney.
Updated
Victorian childcare review will consider installing CCTV in all centres
Victorian minister for children Lizzie Blandthorn says the ban on personal devices agreed to at a federal level is a voluntary scheme but under the changes announced by the state government today, it will become mandatory:
[In] July last year, nationally we made it a voluntary model code that we asked all services to comply with that, and by and large, they did. But what we’re going to say to services now, is that we expect you to comply with that by the end of September. And if you don’t comply with it then we will consider that in the context of your overall service provision, and if necessary, make a condition of your licence to provide the service, and then if you don’t comply with that we will have capacity for fines.
She says the rapid review will consider installing CCTV in all childcare centres, which she describes a “deterrent if nothing less”.
The police have been clear with us even as recently as yesterday … it makes a difference. I believe it would make a difference. It’s a deterrent, if nothing else, in a centre [where] people who might have that intent. I definitely think that it’s a worthwhile reform to at least get that further advice on what we can and can’t do.
The review will also examine the state’s working with children’s check processes, which the government already committed to reforming in April.
Updated
Victorian chief health officer urges families to seek support via special phone line
Police said yesterday Brown worked across 20 centres between January 2017 and May 2025. About 3,600 families who had children enrolled at the centres across that time period have been contacted, with 1,200 children recommended for screening for infectious diseases.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Christian McGrath, says yesterday was a “very difficult day”.
I want to provide assurance to those 1,200 families where we’ve recommended screening and testing that this is a high precautionary measure. The risk is low.
He says 1,300 families were supported yesterday via the dedicated phone line but acknowledged there were long waits to get through:
There were some wait times, and any wait time could be stressful for any family. So I want to acknowledge that. I want to thank everyone for their patience. While the demand may be reduced, today, we do want to ask people that if they haven’t been directly contacted, that they please check the central website if they can – there’s a list of childcare centres and the dates the alleged [offender] worked there, so please check there first, and that’ll really help us prioritize that support and care.
Updated
Jacinta Allan: Victoria to build childcare workers registration
Allan says Victoria will build its own registration for childcare workers to “give families an extra layer of checks and balances” while a national system is established. She says the state will introduce fines of $50,000 for childcare centres that don’t adopt the federal ban on personal devices by 26 September.
Minister for children, Lizzie Blandthorn, reiterated child safety measures had been signed off at a meeting of state, territory and federal education ministers. She says another meeting has been planned, at which ministers will discuss increased powers for the regulator, lowering the threshold for disciplinary action and further training requirements for workers.
Blandthorn says:
There is national reform work under way, but as the premier said, it is frustratingly slow. This is something we have expressed over the past months and weeks, and certainly something that I expressed last Friday. We need to see tangible outcomes sooner, and as I told the commonwealth last week. In Victoria, we will be looking at what we can do ahead of existing national schedules for the implementation of child safety reform. One of those things, as the premier spoke to, is a registration system.
Updated
Victoria orders urgent review into childcare safety
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, minister for children, Lizzie Blandthorn, and the state’s chief health officer, Dr Christian McGrath, are holding a press conference after a Melbourne childcare worker was charged with allegedly sexually abusing infants and children in his care.
Police yesterday revealed Joshua Brown, 26, had been charged in May with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims aged between five months and two years old.
Allan says every Victorian is “completely horrified by those sickening allegations that were made public” yesterday:
I know right across the state so many Victorians, so many parents turned to each other, and asked that question, like we all did, how could this sort of offending be possible within a childcare centre? I do want to say at the outset, and I said this yesterday, that this is a criminal matter. It’s under active investigation by Victoria police, and I will not say or do anything that jeopardises the process for justice. What we do know too, though, is that families must be able to trust that their children are safe when they are placed in the care of a childcare centre. And I will do everything in my power to make sure that parents can trust the system.
She says while childcare is governed by federal rules, the Victorian government will commission an urgent review into childcare safety, as a “short sharp piece of work” focusing on immediate actions the state can take.
I want this Victorian review to examine options, for example, of installing CCTV in childcare centres. Also, too, look at the national framework for childcare to see if we can go even further and act faster, on any of the measures that are currently being considered at a national level. I will be adopting the recommendations of the review and looking at how we can implement them as quickly as possible.
She says the review will be due by Friday 15 August.
Updated
Tuvalu downplays claims its citizens want out
Pacific Island nation Tuvalu has poured cold water on a report that many of its citizens are keen to move to Australiaon a world-first climate visa.
It is instead likely that many applicants are ineligible, have applied more than once, already live outside Tuvalu or seek easier visa-free travel.
The groundbreaking Falepili Union, agreed in 2023, is a treaty supporting the Polynesian nation’s adaptation to the climate crisis and sea level rise, including development projects. It includes a residency pathway to Australia open to Tuvaluans through a ballot, with 280 visas issued annually to the country of 10,600 people.
Last week, Agence France-Presse reported that 3,125 people entered the visa ballot, which costs $A25, in the first four days of the application window in June. Australia’s Department of Home Affairs confirms that number has grown to 4,052 as of Friday, consisting of 1,124 primary registrations and their family members.
That equals one-third of the population wanting to leave, Tuvalu Energy Minister Simon Kofe says. He told ABC News:
It is open to Tuvalu citizens wherever you are living in the world and I believe many of the applicants are also applying from overseas.
In a statement to AAP, Home Affairs confirmed there was no “pre-vetting” or checking for eligibility or duplicate applications.
People “fill out visas wrongly all the time”, one official with experience of Australia’s immigration system told AAP, including making good faith mistakes and trying to game the system.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
NSW SES has carried out seven rescues, fielded more than 700 calls for help
NSW’s SES fielded 745 calls this morning as residents took stock of the overnight damage from severe weather pummelling parts of the state.
SES Ch Supt Dallas Burnes expects a busy day ahead. He told ABC radio:
It’s going to be 36 hours now some of these trees and roofs (have been) exposed to strong winds and isolated gusts.
After a while, those trees in saturated ground fall over and those roofs give up the ghost and peel off.
Emergency crews conducted seven flood rescues on the NSW south coast overnight, all caused by people driving into flood waters.
About 200 properties in Burrill Lake on the NSW south coast were flooded overnight, while more than 200mm of rain smashed several towns, including Morton and Ulladulla.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
ANZ cuts fixed home loan rates before next RBA board meeting
ANZ has cut its one- to five-year fixed rates by up to 0.35 percentage points today, taking the bank’s lowest advertised rate to 5.19% fixed for two years for owner-occupiers paying principal and interest.
The cut comes before next week’s RBA monetary policy board meeting on 7 and 8 July.
It means ANZ is the lowest-cost fixed rate lender of the major banks, according to Canstar.
Canstar.com.au data insights director, Sally Tindall says:
The bank is factoring in the possibility of further cash rate cuts, which could be coming down the line as soon as next week.
ANZ could also be looking to shore up its loan book by locking in more customers on fixed rate deals. The bank’s most recent half-year results show that just 3% of its residential mortgage book is on a fixed-rate contract. This means the remaining 97% on variable rates are free to move at any time without major penalties.
While ANZ’s fixed rates are streaks ahead of the other big banks, particularly on shorter terms, they’re still a far cry from the lowest fixed rates in town, with a total of 13 different lenders now offering at least one fixed rate under 5%.
Updated
NSW train travellers advised to avoid non-essential travel
Transport for NSW has advised train passengers to avoid non-essential travel, as severe weather continues to affect services.
Replacement buses are running on parts of the Blue Mountains line and T1 western line due to fallen trees. Buses are replacing trains on parts of the Central Coast and Newcastle lines, due to overhead wiring repairs.
Passengers who need to travel should allow plenty of extra travel time, listen to announcements and check information displays for service updates, Transport for NSW says.
For the latest public transport information, visit www.transportnsw.info or download a transport app.
Updated
More on flight cancellations, delays and disruptions amid NSW severe weather
Disruptions due to the severe weather event are continuing today, with single runway operations expected to continue.
A Sydney Airport spokesperson said:
The ongoing severe weather means there may be impacts to flight schedules today, including cancellations and delays, and we recommend passengers check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.
Sydney Airport is working closely with airlines and Airservices Australia to manage the impact of these challenging conditions and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding.
Updated
Senator Lidia Thorpe welcomes final Yoorrook Justice report, calls for a treaty
Independent Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has welcomed the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final report, which called the injustices and crimes committed against First Peoples a genocide, and recommended compensation, among other things.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final report was tabled in the Victorian parliament on Tuesday, and made 100 recommendations about truth telling, healing and reconciliation. The recommendations relate to a range of institutions including health, education, the justice and child protection system.
Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab woman, commended the findings and those who gave often harrowing evidence, through public hearings, submissions and public documents.
She said that the human rights violations were not unique to the state and called for wider truth telling and treaty processes.
“The final Yoorrook report clearly calls for Commonwealth action, in areas such as Native Title and the safe return of cultural, secret and sacred objects,” she said.
But the findings of the report apply to the whole country in more aspects than that. Genocide has not just occurred in Victoria, but has been perpetrated against all First Peoples of this continent. It is the federal government’s responsibility to uphold our international human rights obligations, including the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.
Thorpe said the federal government must show leadership in response to the Commission’s findings.
The formal recognition of genocide and our rights to Treaty as independent nations, nation to nation, is powerful. Now, the Federal government must follow, accept this truth, and facilitate a national response led and directed by First Peoples.
She said that genocidal practices were evident in the continued over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care and in detention.
The policies of genocide, assimilation and destruction are not behind us, they are the foundations of the systems that continue to harm our people today. This is why in the Northern Territory alone up to 40 First Nations people are arrested per day, and child removals continue to climb. This is not just a state issue, it is a national tragedy.
Updated
SES reports 2,870 incidents as vigorous coastal low continues to affect NSW
In an update at 10am today, the New South Wales State Emergency Service said there has been 2,870 incidents reported since the start of the event.
The state operations centre had received more than 2,390 calls for assistance in the past 24 hours.
More than 1,900 volunteers and emergency service workers are on the ground helping people sandbag homes and businesses, door-knocking residents who are at risk from the wild weather, putting tarps on roofs, searching for missing people and removing debris from roads and properties.
NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said:
The majority of incidents that we have attended overnight have been for fallen trees and power lines and damage to property and vehicles.
There is a lot of debris on the roads. Trees have fallen. Power lines are down. The roads are also very slippery. There have been multiple car crashes, and we’re asking people to please take care on the roads.
I remind everybody that we are not out of the woods yet.
Updated
Wong: Quad discussed security of supply for critical minerals
Penny Wong says Australia’s critical minerals formed part of her discussions with Quad foreign ministers in Washington DC as the grouping between Australia, the US, Japan and India looks to strengthen its supply chains.
Wong said those at the meeting discussed translating shared interests – such as ensuring a prosperous, stable and peaceful future for the Indo-Pacific region – into “concrete outcomes”.
One of those outcomes is an initiative to strengthen Australia’s supply of critical minerals to diversify the global market.
Expanding on the initiative, Wong said it is “an initiative to try to ensure there is security of supply across a range of critical mineral supply chains”.
We still have a lot of work to do, but you would have heard, I think, from [US secretary of state Marco] Rubio’s public comments, that this is a strategic vulnerability. This is a set of supply chains we need to [secure]. Australia has, I think, 36 of the 50 critical minerals. We certainly have a capacity to do more for those, to secure those supply chains.
Rubio said diversifying global supply chains for critical minerals was an issue he was personally “very focused on”.
In remarks before the meeting, he said:
It’s critical for all technologies and for all industries across the board. And so having a diverse and reliable global supply chain of these is just one example of many that we can focus on and build upon and achieve some real progress on.
Updated
Penny Wong: Albanese meeting with Trump will be rescheduled
Penny Wong says Donald Trump’s meeting with Anthony Albanese will be rescheduled after talks with US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who “expressed regret” at the last-minute cancellation at the G7 meeting last month.
After talks with Quad foreign ministers in Washington DC, Wong said she was “very grateful” Rubio reiterated the US administration’s regret.
“I explained to him we perfectly understood why the President had to leave, given the circumstances, and we agreed that we will reschedule this meeting. We both look forward to the leaders meeting.”
Wong was asked if Australia’s ties to the US were changing amid Trump’s policies on tariffs and defence spending.
She said:
I think that the Trump administration and President Trump has made very clear to the world that he envisages a different role for America in the world. We understand that, and we respect that, we continue to advocate for our interests. What I would say is our strategic partnership has – is deep. It is trusting, it is to the benefit of both nations and I think that is understood here in Washington.
Updated
Wong not surprised US reviewing Aukus but confident partnership will continue
Penny Wong says it’s “not surprising” the US Trump administration is undertaking a review into the Aukus pact but remained confident the partnership would “last decades” despite not receiving any iron-clad assurances from her counterpart.
Speaking in Washington DC after a meeting with Quad foreign ministers, Wong said her discussions with US secretary of state Marco Rubio about the importance of the Aukus deal were “well understood”.
I think [Rubio and I] both understand the importance to both our countries and to the United Kingdom, and you would have seen what Secretary Rubio has previously said. Look, we understand a new administration is going to engage in a review – that is not surprising. The United Kingdom did so. This is a multi decade partnership. It will take governments and administrations of both political persuasions over many years to deliver. We will continue to work with the United States and the United Kingdom on delivering it.
The US pentagon launched a 30-day review of Aukus in early June, which is expected to conclude shortly. The review is being undertaken by the JUS defence undersecretary, Elbridge Colby, who has criticised the deal and has urged Australia to increase its defence spending to 3% of GDP.
Australia is on track to lift defence spending from about $53bn a year, or about 2% of GDP – to an estimated $100bn, or 2.4% of GDP, by 2033-34.
Updated
Wild weather still disrupting Sydney Airport flights
As strong winds and reduced runway operations continue at Sydney Airport today, Qantas flights will be affected, Guardian Australia understands. Qantas passengers can expect to be contacted if there are changes to their flights.
Virgin Australia also expects its schedule to be affected today. Guardian Australia understands there have been several cancellations to the schedule, and there may be more delays and cancellations to come.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and our meteorologists continue to monitor the weather system in Sydney closely,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.
We regret the impact of this on guests’ travel plans and are working hard to reaccommodate impacted guests and ensure they reach their destination as soon as possible.
We encourage all guests travelling today and tomorrow to keep an eye on the status of their flight via our website or app prior to travel for the latest information.
Guardian Australia understands Virgin Australia made more than 20 cancellations yesterday because of the weather.
Updated
Why the BoM is using the term vigorous coastal low, not bomb cyclone
The Bureau of Meteorology is referring to the wild weather system affecting NSW as a “vigorous coastal low”.
Terms such as “bomb cyclone” and “east coast low” have been flying around, but the bureau isn’t using these terms for the current situation.
The low pressure system does have some similarities to an east coast low, but there are also important differences – including physical characteristics, duration and moisture.
The bureau is also not using the term “bomb cyclone”, which is an old meteorological term, senior meteorologist Jonathan How says. The word “bomb” is meant to refer to the way low-pressure systems can intensify quickly, but the bureau is not using that term because it does not capture the full story of the weather system, he says. “Officially, we are calling this a very vigorous coastal low pressure system.”
There’s more details on terms in our explainer here:
Updated
Third man charged in relation to alleged murder of teenager Pheobe Bishop
A 30-year-old man has become the third person charged in relation to the disappearance and alleged murder of 17-year-old girl Pheobe Bishop.
The man was arrested at 7pm last night in Bundaberg West, Queensland Police said in a statement.
Police will allege the man used the victim’s mobile phone to interfere with the investigation.
He has been charged with two counts of accessory after the fact to murder, and is due to appear before Bundaberg magistrates court today.
In June, Police charged Pheobe’s housemates with her murder. The housemates allegedly murdered the missing teenager before moving her body from a national park, police say.
Updated
Qantas suffers cyber attack with 6 million customers affected
Qantas has suffered a cyber-attack at one of its contact centres, potentially exposing the records of up to 6 million customers.
The airline said the affected system has now been contained and its systems were secured. The system in question was a third party platform used by the airline’s contact centre, which contains 6m customer records.
Qantas is assessing the portion of data stolen but said it was expected to be “significant”.
The data includes customer names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers. It did not contain credit card details, financial information or passport details.
Frequent flyer accounts, passwords, PINs and login details were not compromised.
Qantas said it has told the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Australian federal police about the attack.
A dedicated customer support line and a dedicated page on the company’s website will update customers as the investigation progresses.
Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said:
We sincerely apologise to our customers and we recognise the uncertainty this will cause. Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously.
We are contacting our customers today and our focus is on providing them with the necessary support.
Updated
Trump announces Israel has agreed to 60-day ceasefire in Gaza
Donald Trump has announced that Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and urged Hamas to accept the terms of the agreement. He wrote on his social media platform:
The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better – IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.
The news comes as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House on 7 July.
NSW SES says risk of flash flooding still affecting Sydney to the south coast
NSW SES has responded to about 1,860 calls for help in the past 24 hours.
Most of those are from the Hunter, Sydney Metro, Illawarra and the south coast, NSW SES said in an update to Facebook this morning.
A complex low is bringing heavy rain and damaging winds to Newcastle, Sydney, the Illawarra and south coast. Overnight conditions intensified, with some areas recording over 200mm of rain.
Flash flooding remains a key concern from Sydney to the south coast today. When traveling about, please stay alert for flash flooding over roads and never drive through flood water – it’s dangerous and unpredictable.
As you head out this morning, please avoid damaged buildings, fallen trees and downed powerlines. Rain and strong winds are expected to continue today before easing from Thursday as the system moves into the Tasman Sea.
Updated
Warragamba dam nearly full, spill expected in coming days
Storage levels in the Warragamba dam, which supplies drinking water to Sydney, are about half a metre below full, with the dam expected to spill in coming days, WaterNSW said.
The dam’s catchment received 56mm of rain in the previous 24 hours and WaterNSW said teams were assessing the flow to estimate the timing and extent of a likely spill.
Smaller Sydney dams, including Cataract, Nepean, Cordeaux and Woronora have started spilling and Avon is expected to do so soon.
Fitzroy Falls, Tallowa, Greaves Creek and Medlow dams were already spilling, and will continue to do so.
Updated
Anthony Albanese hoping for another great State of Origin, backing NSW
The prime minister, calling into KIIS Brisbane, says “it’s been pretty miserable, cold weather here in Canberra, let me tell you”.
“It’s been right along the coast … Newcastle, right down through Sydney, down to the south coast,” Anthony Albanese says.
Albanese is calling in for the radio show’s puppy prediction before the final State of Origin match – two pups voted blue, one went maroon. He says:
I just love the contest … I had some people texting me devastated by the outcome in Origin two. I just thought it was such a cracking game, the way that New South Wales came back, and I hope it’s a great game next Wednesday.
I call loyally as a New South Wales person, hope New South Wales wins, but it’s such a great contest each and every year, and it’s something to look forward to. And I just hope Latrell doesn’t get injured. We can’t afford any more injuries for my poor old bunnies.
Updated
Heavy rain and strong winds – Morton 242mm of rain, and wind gusts of 122km/h at Montague Island
The Bureau of Meteorology has reported widespread heavy rainfall of 50 to 100mm across the Illawarra and the south coast in the 21 hours to 6am today.
There has been heavy rain on the south coast, including at Morton, which received 242mm of rain, Ulladulla 223mm, Willinga Lake 203mm, and Fitzroy Falls and Robertson both receiving 200mm.
Wind gusts of 122km/h were recorded at Montague Island and 104 km/h at Ulladulla. Closer to Sydney, wind was blowing up to 104km/h at Penrith while on Sydney Harbour wind gusts of 102km/h gusts were recorded, according to the bureau.
The hazardous conditions aren’t over yet with numerous warnings still in place, says bureau meteorologist Helen Reid.
There is a severe weather warning for damaging winds and heavy rainfall, which extends across the New South Wales coastal fringe from Forster to Bega, into the alpine areas of parts of the southern tablelands and the northern tablelands.
Updated
About 37,000 properties in NSW without power
More homes and businesses lose power as wild weather continues to hit NSW coast.
About 37,000 properties have been affected by power outages as wild weather pummels NSW.
As of about 8:30am this morning, 19,181 Endeavour Energy customers, 11,296 Ausgrid sites, and 6000 with Essential Energy had been affected.
Updated
Evacuation orders issued for parts of NSW Central Coast
People living in parts of the Central Coast have been told to evacuate because of fears dangerous waves could erode coastlines and damage buildings.
The Central Coast coastal erosion emergency warnings to evacuate are current for properties along Hutton Road at North Entrance, and parts of Ocean View Drive and Pacific Street at Wamberal.
SES issued the warnings to evacuate just before 4pm yesterday.
Updated
Driver seriously injured after tree crushes truck amid wild NSW weather
A driver is in critical condition after a tree fell and crushed his truck in Moss Vale in NSW’s Southern Highlands, overnight.
Emergency services were called to Berrima Road at about 10.30pm last night. They found a tree had fallen on to a B-Double truck, crushing the driver’s cabin, NSW Police said.
The 55-year-old driver was unconscious as police officers and emergency service workers extracted him.
He was treated for serious injuries to his head and torso. He was taken to hospital and is in a critical condition.
Updated
Wong, Rubio working on rescheduling meeting between Albanese and Trump
Penny Wong says she and US secretary of state Marco Rubio are working on rescheduling a meeting between Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and US president Donald Trump after Trump snubbed Albanese at the G7.
The foreign minister told ABC TV:
Secretary Rubio again expressed regret, as he did to me when we spoke on the phone, for the rescheduling of the meeting that had to occur that was between the prime minister and the president as a consequence of the president leaving the G7 early. I explained to him we understood that the president had to leave early. We understood why the meeting needed to be rescheduled.
We’re working on rescheduling a meeting between the president and the prime minister.
Updated
Wong: Rubio didn’t refer to Australia’s defence spending at Quad meeting
Asked if she was requested to spend more on defence at the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington, Penny Wong says US secretary Marco Rubio didn’t mention Australia’s defence budget.
She told ABC TV:
I know there’s been a lot written about this, but I would say this to you – we did talk a lot about what we do together. Secretary Rubio didn’t raise Australia’s defence budget with me. What we talked about was our partnership and the ways in which we work together. We obviously talked about the AUKUS agreement and the benefits that it gives all three countries. It’s a good deal for Australia, it’s a good deal for the United States, and it’s a good deal for the United Kingdom.
Nato states have pledged to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 – but Australia has sidestepped those calls.
Updated
Penny Wong says Quad, bilateral discussions with Marco Rubio ‘positive’
Penny Wong says US secretary of state Marco Rubio hosting Quad members’ foreign ministers “as one of his very first engagements after being sworn in” indicates the importance the US places on the Quad.
Speaking from Washington, Australia’s foreign minister told ABC TV:
We had a very positive discussion. Obviously this is, I think, the third occasion we’ve engaged – the first being when I came here as the first foreign minister to be invited to a presidential inauguration, which was a great honour. And Secretary Rubio hosted me and the two other countries who are members of the Quad as one of his very first engagements after being sworn in. So that was an excellent meeting, but it was a real sign of how important the partnership is and the importance that the United States places on this Quad grouping.
We also had a good conversation after the G7, and I was very pleased to have a very positive discussion with him today, both in the context of the Quad, but also in our bilateral meeting.
Updated
Liberals in push to increase female representation in parliament
Away from the weather, our main story today is more Liberal machinations over potential quotas for female candidates.
Some Liberals want party rules changed to increase female representation in parliament. They will propose gender quotas with enforceable expiry dates to win the broadest possible support for the plan, according to Tom McIlroy and Krishani Dhanji.
Read their article here:
You can also hear Tom discussing how Sussan Ley can reform the party, in today’s edition of the Full Story podcast. Here’s the link:
Updated
Thousands affected by power outages in NSW
At least 29,000 properties have been affected by power outages as strong winds and heavy rainfall lash the NSW coast.
At about 7am this morning, 17,880 Endeavour Energy customers and 11,484 Ausgrid sites had been affected.
Updated
NSW wild weather: ‘Conditions can become dangerous quickly’
Wild weather has brought down trees, damaged properties and flooded roads on the NSW coast, NSW SES says.
Most of the damage overnight involved fallen trees and powerlines and damaged roofs, but there was a surge of flood rescues around Shoalhaven as flash flooding swept through the area, SES says.
NSW SES Acting Assistant Commissioner Allison Flaxman said:
These incidents are a timely reminder that roads are slippery, and conditions can become dangerous quickly.
Please, never drive, walk or play in flood waters. If you do come across a flooded road, turn around and find an alternative route.
Emergency warnings have been issued for Burrill Lake, where about 200 properties are affected by flooding – with water rising about floor level in some places. An emergency warning is also current for Sanctuary Point.
NSW SES crews have responded to more than 2,320 incidents since the start of this complex weather system, as we reported earlier in the blog.
Updated
Thank you Martin Farrer for kicking off the blog this morning. I’ll be keeping you updated with the day’s news from here – let’s go.
Updated
Wave warnings for NSW coast
Senior meteorologist from the BoM Dean Narramore told ABC TV earlier that large surf is likely off the NSW coast today.
There’s actually multiple lows out in the Tasman Sea right now. We’re likely to see big seas and swell, as well. Coastal hazard warnings for dangerous and very high swell and seas [are] likely to lead to coastal erosion for areas from Newcastle.
He also warned there would be “another surge of wind and rain into southern parts of NSW: Illawarra, south coast, and inland areas this afternoon and this evening”.
So we could see the winds and rain continue this morning, ease a bit middle of the day, and then maybe another surge moving up the coast later today into tonight.
But finally, all of this will start shifting away on Thursday.
Updated
Foreign affairs minister makes case for tariff reprieve in Washington
Penny Wong met with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, this morning, Australian time, as Australia continues to negotiate for the removal of tariffs.
The face-to-face discussions took place in Washington on the sidelines of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, AAP reports, which also includes Wong’s counterparts from India and Japan.
Wong told Rubio it was unfortunate they were meeting against a backdrop of conflict in the world.
“So it has never been more important for us to harness our collective strength for peace, stability, for prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.
Rubio responded that the US and Australia had a “great partnership”, and while it was important to discuss ideas and concepts, the next steps would be “concrete action”.
It’s the second time in six months that foreign ministers from the Quad nations have met for in-person talks, with the grouping also holding formal discussions in Washington in the days following US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Defence, trade and stability in the Indo-Pacific have been high on the agenda during the discussions.
Updated
Calls for assistance as wild NSW weather continues
NSW SES crews have responded to more than 2,320 incidents since the start of the bad weather, the SES said early today as the coastal low shifted southwards from Newcastle to Sydney, the Illawarra and the south coast.
Flood rescue crews responded to a surge in calls for help around Shoalhaven overnight as flash flooding swept through the area, but most incidents involved fallen trees, powerlines and damaged roofs, the SES said.
As much as 150mm of rain fell overnight in some places, with more than 200mm at Ulladulla.
Updated
Flood warnings along NSW south coast
The NSW SES advised people at Burrill Lake, near Ulladulla, to take shelter early this morning, as it’s too late for them to move.
About 200 properties were affected by flooding as of 5am today, the SES said, with water rising over floors.
Residents at Sanctuary Point, south of Nowra were told a few hours ago to move to higher ground.
Updated
Damaging winds and heavy rainfall batters coastal NSW
The NSW Bureau of Meteorology issued a weather update at 4.08am in which it said the “vigorous coastal low-pressure system” has moved from off the coast of Sydney to offshore from the northern Illawarra, bringing damaging winds and heavy rainfall along the coastline and elevated parts of the state.
It is expected to gradually tracknorth-eastwards into the Tasman Sea during today.
These are the details:
Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding continues in the south-east of NSW, south of Nowra, extending southwards towards Bega and inland to Braidwood. Six-hourly rainfall totals of between 50 to 80mm are likely, it said, with isolated totals up to 120mm. Rain rates are forecast to ease during this morning.
Damaging south to south-westerly winds averaging 60 to 70km/h with peak gusts of around 110km/h are possible along coastal parts from the south coast to the mid-north coast, including eastern Sydney metropolitan area. Damaging south to south-westerly wind gusts around 90km/h are possible for parts of the Snowy Mountains and southern ACT.
Strong to damaging west to south-westerly winds averaging 55 to 65km/h with peak gusts of around 100km/h are likely to develop around parts of the northern tablelands, the mid-north coast hinterland and about the Border Ranges from early this morning, and are expected to continue through the day.
Locations which may be affected include Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Wollongong, Armidale, Nowra, Batemans Bay, Tenterfield, Katoomba, Moruya Heads and Penrith.
Significant amounts of rainfall included
80.5mm was recorded at Oranmeir in the 6 hours to 2:05 am.
108mm was recorded at Nowra in the 6 hours to 12:02 am.
133mm was recorded at Morton in the 6 hours to 11:43 pm.
116mm was recorded at Vincentia in the 6 hours to 9:37 pm.
The impact of the storm would ease during tomorrow, it said, but pulses of increased winds and rainfall associated with this system could continue to impact areas of eastern NSW.
If you want to find out which parts of NSW are being hit by rain and how much, look no further than our interactive map.
NSW train passengers told to avoid non-essential travel as storm disrupts network
There could be severe disruption and chaos on New South Wales’s rail network this morning after Transport NSW advised passengers last night to “avoid non-essential travel across the rail network” – the warning was updated at 6.03am.
It said the weather had damaged parts of the network’s infrastructure and some services had been cancelled because fallen trees have blocked tracks.
Train and bus users were urged to:
Plan their trips before leaving home
Check alerts here for real-time travel information
Be careful of slippery conditions when travelling through stops and stations
Listen to service announcements at stations
Leave plenty of extra travel time if you are using the public transport network.
Driving may not be much better either, with Transport NSW advising motorists across eastern parts of the state to “prepare for delays and disruptions, as extreme weather is set to lash the region today and into the coming days”.
Drivers are advised to:
Use the Live Traffic NSW app or livetraffic.com for up-to-date road conditions before setting off
Not drive, walk or cycle through flood waters
Watch out for storm debris on the road.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be my colleague Rafqa Touma to take control.
The wild weather lashing New South Wales continued overnight. The Bureau of Meteorology said early this morning that the storm had moved from off the coast of Sydney to the Illawarra, bringing winds above 125km/h and heavy rain with the risk of flash flooding from Nowra as far south as Bega. Areas as far north as Queensland’s Lockyer Valley are being warned of severe weather, and Central Coast residents were being warned to evacuate late yesterday amid coastal erosion.
There could be severe disruption and chaos on Sydney trains this morning after Transport NSW advised passengers last night to “avoid non-essential travel across the rail network” after the weather downed trees and blocked tracks. It also said drivers should be ready for delays and disruptions to last through the coming days.
The storm is expected to track south before turning back out into the Tasman Sea sometime today.
More details soon.
