What we learned today, Wednesday 21 May
That’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here are today’s major developments:
Flooding and heavy rainfall will continue overnight and into Thursday on the New South Wales mid-north coast after leaving nearly 50,000 isolated.
The NSW State Emergency Service has carried out hundreds of flood rescues and warned residents in areas under evacuation orders to leave immediately.
Sydney commuters have battled a second day of delays after vulnerabilities in the city’s rail network were once more exposed, prompting the state to promise a day of fare-free travel and an independent review.
Penny Wong has condemned the “abhorrent and outrageous” comments made by Netanyahu government members in recent days and said the Israeli government “cannot allow the suffering” in Gaza to continue.
Greens leader Larissa Waters said the government should go further and join the UK, Canada and France to warn Israel its military campaign in Gaza would prompt targeted sanctions.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, admitted not all of his colleagues supported the decision to split with the Liberals.
Nationals MP Darren Chester said the Coalition should get back together “sooner rather than later” and encouraged the two parties to take advice from senior elders.
Liberal frontbencher James Paterson called for the Nationals to rejoin a coalition, which he said could happen “well before” the next election.
Telstra announced it would again increase its mobile and internet prices, less than a year after hiking them.
And Australia will miss the Albanese government’s target for 1.2m new homes by nearly a quarter, the independent housing agency has warned.
Thanks so much for your company today. Stay safe this evening and see you bright and early tomorrow.
Updated
Albanese formally wins his inner-Sydney seat
More than a fortnight after Labor’s emphatic victory, Anthony Albanese has officially been declared the winner at his local ballot box, AAP reports.
The prime minister was formally announced as the victor in his Sydney seat of Grayndler by the Australian Electoral Commission at a short ceremony on Wednesday.
Albanese increased his primary vote and easily won on first preferences in Grayndler. Speaking at the ceremony, he described Labor’s election success in securing a second term as astounding:
It’s the first time ever that a government seeking re-election has increased its primary vote, increased its two-party vote and increased the number of seats that it holds in the House of Representatives.
My objective over the next few years is not to just occupy the space, but to change things for the people who voted Labor in this election, and for the people who didn’t as well.”
As of today, Labor has claimed 93 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, while the Liberals have 28, and the Nationals 15. The remaining 12 are shared between the Greens, independents and other minor parties.
Updated
Anthony Albanese urges NSW residents in flood areas to heed evacuation orders
The prime minister has sent a message of support to people in NSW affected by heavy rain and flooding as the risks rise for hundreds of thousands of residents along the state’s mid-north coast, and he has asked locals to follow evacuation directions.
Anthony Albanese encouraged people in the region to turn to the Bureau of Meteorology and State Emergency Service for updates. He wrote in a post on X:
Our hearts are with all those impacted by the devastating floods across NSW. Emergency services are working tirelessly to assist those in need. With more rain forecast, please stay updated … If advised to evacuate, do so to stay safe.
Updated
First Nations writer stripped of $15,000 State Library of Queensland award over Gaza tweet
The State Library of Queensland has suspended its national Indigenous fellowships and withdrawn the award to one of this year’s recipients over a social media post about Gaza.
The First Nations writer Karen Wyld, who now writes under the name K A Ren Wyld, was stripped of her Creative Australia-funded $15,000 black&write! fellowship, less than five hours before it was to have been awarded to her, for comments she made on social media in October about the conflict in Gaza.
The entire ceremony, due to take place in Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon, was cancelled without notice.
Read the full story here:
Updated
NSW SES tells people in parts of Nambucca to evacuate, says night rescues may not be possible
The New South Wales State Emergency Service has issued more evacuation orders as the risk of more flooding increases and heavy rain continues along the state’s mid-north coast.
People in parts of Nambucca, especially the low-lying areas along the Nambucca River have been asked to evacuate immediately. Other areas with recently issued evacuation orders include Kempsey, Kinchela, Smithtown, Macksville, Gladstone and Settlement Point.
The SES has asked residents in affected areas to leave immediately, warning it cannot guarantee flood rescues during the night. You can see the full list of alerts here.
Updated
Snowy 2.0 workers strike for pay parity with Melbourne colleagues
About 900 workers on the Snowy 2.0 renewable energy project downed their tools today in a strike for pay parity with their Melbourne colleagues.
Italian company Webuild is paying workers on the North East Link project in Melbourne “significantly more” than workers on Snowy 2.0, the Australian Workers Union said in a statement.
This is despite Melbourne-based workers being able to return home each night to their families.
In contrast, Snowy 2.0 workers work 12-hour shifts underground and then return to an isolated camp in the wilderness of the Snowy Mountains where there is little more than a mess hall and rooms for sleeping.
Tony Callinan, NSW Australian Workers Union secretary, told Guardian Australia the action will continue into next week. Lead agency Snowy Hydro was contacted for comment.
Updated
Australian shares close at levels not seen since February, banks lead the way
The Australian sharemarket is closing in on its record high, today reaching levels not seen since February, after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates and the bank governor said inflation was less of a concern.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.52% to 8,386, although earlier in the session it surpassed 8,400 points, approaching its all-time high of 8,555 points reached in mid-February.
Big banks led the way, with Commonwealth Bank rising 2.55%, while health care stocks Resmed and Fisher and Paykel also rose. Goldminers saw some of the biggest gains after a bumpy few weeks for gold prices, with 10 metals companies rising more than 5% over the day.
The Australian dollar rose to nearly 64.5 US cents, recovering most of the losses it endured after the RBA’s rate cut, as the US dollar continues to weaken internationally as investors sell their American assets.
Updated
Police searched for term ‘death cap mushrooms’ on storage drives found at Erin Patterson’s home, court hears
A digital forensics expert has told Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial that police searched for the terms “death cap” and “death cap mushrooms” on storage drives in a computer seized from her house a week after the lethal lunch.
Another search history from the computer shows a URL for the iNaturalist website.
The title of the webpage includes the words “Deathcap from Melbourne”, the court hears.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Shamen Fox-Henry, from Victoria police’s cybercrime unit, is giving evidence in the trial.
Officers seized a personal computer with three storage devices from Patterson’s home on 5 August 2023, the court heard. Fox-Henry conducted an extraction of data from the computer.
A report he compiled after the data extraction was shown to the court.
Under an artefact labelled “past and search queries” was the term “iNaturalist” on the search engine Bing.
Prosecutor Jane Warren asked Fox-Henry to explain what the record meant.
“The search term iNaturalist was conducted via Bing,” Fox-Henry said.
The search term is dated 28 May 2022, more than a year before the lethal lunch.
The jury has previously heard that reports of suspected death cap mushrooms were posted to the citizen science website iNaturalist in the months before the lunch.
Updated
NSW SES says Kempsey CBD, Smithtown and Gladstone residents must evacuate now
The New South Wales State Emergency Service has warned residents in areas facing evacuations to leave immediately, as flood waters rise along the state’s mid-north coast.
The SES commissioner, Michael Wassing, said residents in the Kempsey CBD, Smithtown and Gladstone needed to evacuate particularly urgently.
Wassing said the south Taree and Glenthorne areas were the most high-priority for flood rescues. SES warnings are in place from Gosford to Ballina and inland toward Tamworth and Armidale. You can see the full list of alerts here.
Speaking to the media, Kempsey said the SES had carried out 289 flood rescues since midnight but warned night rescues had become incredibly difficult. He told residents in affected areas:
If you live … in an area and have received an emergency warning to evacuate and it is safe to do so, I need you to do that now. I cannot guarantee that you will be immediately rescued if you ask for that rescue later in the evening, when conditions may not be safe for our crews …
We cannot guarantee an immediate flood rescue for you unless you evacuate now.
More than 48,000 people remained isolated by flooding while the SES has seen 1,000 incidents and 355 rescues in the past 24 hours, mainly in the Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne areas, Wassing said.
Updated
Sydney train services still not running on time, services reduced on all lines
Sydney Trains has continued to warn the city’s commuters to allow extra travel time and delay non-essential travel this afternoon as the network recovers from an outage.
Trains services are still not running to timetable and trip planning in official apps may not be available, the agency has said on X. Limited shuttle trains are running along affected train lines, while buses are running between Campbelltown and Macarthur.
The New South Wales government earlier today warned services would be reduced on all lines. The Sydney Metro was unaffected by the outage but was still overcrowded on Wednesday morning, with rail users looking for other ways to get to work.
The delays began yesterday afternoon when a high-voltage wire collapsed on top of a train, triggering a network-wide power outage.
You can read about what caused the delays here, from Elias Visontay:
Updated
Heavy rainfall creates one-in-500 years flood on NSW mid-north coast
Heavy rainfall has driven one in 500-year flooding along one river and overflowing waterways along the New South Wales mid-north coast.
The Manning River at Taree has broken its previous record flood level of 1929 after overflowing at a rate seen only once every 500 years on average, according to Andrew Gissing, chief executive at Natural Hazards Research Australia. Gissing said:
It is too early to know the extent that climate change has contributed to the extreme rainfalls. We do know that under a warmer climate that our atmosphere holds more water and that heavy rain events are more likely.
Read the latest on the NSW floods here:
Updated
Greens leader Larissa Waters wants Australia to threaten Israel with sanctions
Greens leader Larissa Waters has called for Australia to join international partners in threatening action against Israel over its renewed military offensive in Gaza and aid restrictions.
Waters welcomed foreign minister Penny Wong’s call for resumed aid access but said the government should go further. She told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
Why is Australia not amongst the ranks of the UK, Canada and France, who are actually saying not just ‘please can you let the aid through,’ but also saying ‘if you don’t, and if you continue this military offensive and start a fresh one, then we will put sanctions on you’?
Australia has not joined a separate statement signed by Canada, the UK and France on Tuesday warning Israel that its military campaign in Gaza would prompt “further action” from the three countries, including targeted sanctions.
Waters said the government should match international leaders’ language while repeating past criticism of claimed Australian exports of weapons components to Israel, which is contested.
The government so far has not said they will intervene, and they should. That’s the bare minimum. Stop that arms trade and make sure that we are actually sanctioning the Netanyahu government, and standing alongside those other strong international voices, saying “starvation and genocide, it’s got to stop”.
Updated
Penny Wong condemns ‘abhorrent’ comments made by Netanyahu government members about Gaza
Penny Wong has condemned “abhorrent and outrageous” comments made by Netanyahu government members in recent days, saying the Israeli government “cannot allow the suffering” in Gaza to continue.
Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, made the comments in a post on X:
Australia joins international partners in calling on Israel to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid to Gaza.
Horrifying UN reports overnight about the further risks to babies and children in Gaza underline our call. The Israeli Government cannot allow the suffering to continue.
Australia has committed more than $100m in humanitarian assistance to support civilians in Gaza and Lebanon – too much of which Israel has prevented from reaching vulnerable people.
Our humanitarian partners have confirmed that they stand ready to provide immediate and lifesaving assistance to the people of Gaza.
We condemn the abhorrent and outrageous comments made by members of the Netanyahu Government about these people in crisis.
We have consistently opposed the expansion of military operations by Israel in Gaza, just as we have been clear that forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza would breach international law.
The statement released by Australia and 23 other countries calls on Israel to enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to do their work unimpeded and save lives in Gaza.
Australia continues to work with our partners to press for a ceasefire, the return of hostages, and the protection of civilians.
Australia has coordinated with partners to condemn and sanction Israeli extremists for their violence against Palestinians. We have also joined partners in condemning and sanctioning Hamas, Hizballah and others for their terrorism.
You can read the full story on Wong’s comments here:
Updated
Nationals’ Darren Chester says Coalition should get back together ‘sooner rather than later’
Nationals MP Darren Chester has called for Coalition elders to join negotiations between the Liberal and National parties, saying the parties should get back together “soon rather than later”.
Chester is among the Nationals politicians interested in the two parties returning to a coalition, after his party leader conceded earlier today the Nationals party room had been divided on the decision to split. He told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
If we go to the next sitting of parliament being two divided party rooms, we are giving a free pass to the prime minister …
Given both leaders have indicated they had respectful conversations and both doors are still open to further conversation, well, I would suggest, let’s have these conversations sooner rather than later. The longer this goes on, I think, it becomes harder to reconcile the differences.
Chester, the representative in the Victorian seat of Gippsland, said the “unprecedented” scale of the Coalition’s electoral defeat meant the parties should seek counsel from experienced senior members.
Obviously, John Howard made very clear what he thinks and there are equally senior people in the National party who would be in a position to help with negotiations.
So, perhaps drawing in those elder statesmen and women and putting them in the room together, kicking stuff out and getting on with the job of coming up with an agreement may be the way forward.
Updated
James Paterson: international community should pressure Hamas to release hostages
Liberal senator James Paterson has said the international community should keep pressure on Hamas after world leaders condemned Israel’s renewed military offensive and blockade on humanitarian aid in Gaza.
France and Canada attacked Israel’s expansion of its war as disproportionate and threatened a “concrete” response if Israel’s campaign continues, as has Britain, which also suspended trade negotiations over a new free trade deal.
Paterson, asked on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing about that condemnation, said equal pressure should be put on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
Absolutely there should be a free flow of aid to the people of Gaza. We do not want to see innocent civilians in Gaza punished for the actions of Hamas. But it is also important we remember the reason Israel finds itself in this predicament, and that is, that it still has citizens that are held captive by Hamas in Gaza …
The international community should put at least as much pressure on Hamas to release the hostages as it should on Israel to uphold those humanitarian obligations.
Updated
Liberals’ James Paterson: Coalition could be restored ‘well before’ next election
Liberal frontbencher James Paterson says he thinks the party will “likely” reach an agreement with the Nationals, singling out support for nuclear energy as a point of common ground.
The Nationals cut ties with the Liberals over the latter’s refusal to immediately re-commit to support for nuclear power, a $20bn regional future fund, break-up powers for supermarkets and reliable phone and internet access in the bush.
Paterson said that should be easily overcome and it was “highly likely” the policy gap could be closed. Liberals think those issues are important, he said.
The policies, I think, should be resolvable. There are issues that the Nationals identified many Liberals think are important too … particularly on something like nuclear power, which many of us in the Liberal party have been on the public record arguing for, for close to a decade, if not more.
So I think [those] issues are negotiable, and if the National party are true to their word that it is only that, then it should offer a pathway to restoring the Coalition well before the next election.
Updated
James Paterson encourages Nationals to return to Coalition
Liberal senator James Paterson has said the Coalition’s split would leave business owners and farmers worse off and encouraged the Nationals to return to the partnership rather than be “a party of protest”.
He told the ABC Afternoon Briefing both parties would be better off together:
It’s not good for people in small business, for farmers, families, people in urban areas in regional areas, if we are divided …
I would find it very difficult to understand why anyone would understand to think it is a good idea to have the two centre-right parties of Australia, that only ever govern in government together as part of a coalition, instead [to] be at odds, and compete with each other.
Regarding reports that some Liberals have privately welcomed the split as a chance for renewal, Paterson said none of his colleagues have shared such perspectives with him.
Do they want to be a party of the cross bench, a party of protest, a party that can rail against the government but not ever form any part of government?
Updated
What we know so far about the NSW floods
Flood waters are continuing to rise across the New South Wales mid-north coast, where the local State Emergency Service has conducted hundreds of flood rescues. Here’s what we know:
Heavy rainfall forecast to continue across the northern NSW coast through to Thursday or Friday, as high as 250-300mm daily.
People in the Kempsey CBD, and in Gladstone and Smithtown have been asked to evacuate.
More than 48,000 people are now isolated by flood waters.
The NSW SES has performed 289 flood rescues since midnight.
There are 109 flood warnings , 19 of which are at Emergency Warning level, with 57 Watch and Act and 33 at Advice.
More than 40 flood rescue teams are active between the Hunter and Coffs Harbour, supported by five helicopters, with an additional four expected and more personnel on the way.
The NSW SES assistant commissioner, Dean Storey, said flood rescue teams had been working around the clock and are now watching the area between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour especially closely.
We are likely to see evacuations continue in these areas, with rainfall continuing to impact saturated catchments …
There are some streets where flood waters have cut off every home, and we’re going door-to-door to check on residents – even if they haven’t called for help. If you are trapped and need rescue, please call Triple Zero (000) and make sure we know your situation.
Updated
BoM warns of more severe weather in NSW, increasing the risk of flash and river floods
Another 100 to 200 mm of heavy rain is expected to hit New South Wales mid-north coast in the next two days, bringing deadly flooding to some areas, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
More rainfall is expected across the mid-north coast into tonight, increasing the flood risk in already-affected areas between Newcastle and Grafton, before spreading across inland NSW and south along the coast on Thursday, meteorologist Dean Narramore said in a video on X.
Unfortunately, further heavy rainfall is on the way, and that’s why we have a severe weather warning current for heavy to locally intense rainfall … [which] is likely to lead to further flash and riverine flooding and intense [rain]falls could lead to localised dangerous and deadly flooding.
That would see another 100 to 200mm hit the already flood-affected areas, with 50 to 100 mm through much of the NSW coast down to the Victorian border.
Updated
Number of Aboriginal children in NSW prisons up by almost a third in five years
Rising rates of Aboriginal incarceration are perpetuating trauma in communities, according to NSW’s Aboriginal Legal Service, which has criticised the state government’s “political agenda”.
The state’s crime research bureau today released new data that shows the number of Aboriginal children in NSW prisons has risen by almost a third in the past five years.
The number of Aboriginal prisoners rose at more than triple the rate of non-Aboriginal prisoners from November 2023 to March this year, at 14.0% compared with 4.3%, the data showed.
The ALS (NSW/ACT) chief executive, Karly Warner, attributed the increased imprisonment of Aboriginal children to the NSW government’s bail law reforms, which the premier, Chris Minns, is seeking to extend.
These new bail laws and increased policing are making communities less safe, and Aboriginal communities and children are becoming collateral damage.
The increased number of Aboriginal adults and children incarcerated is not a result of evidence-based policy. It’s the result of a political agenda more concerned with appearing tough on crime than with stopping it, and it is perpetuating trauma in our communities.
Updated
NSW SES: more than 48,800 people and 23,200 homes isolated by floods
The New South Wales State Emergency Service says there are more than 48,800 people and 23,200 dwellings isolated by flood waters on the state’s mid-north coast.
As we previously reported, there is a coastal trough slowly moving over the area, bringing moderate to heavy rain. There have been more than 150 rescues today alone, including in Coffs Harbour and Taree.
By late Wednesday morning, more than 80 warnings had been issued , after rainfall of up to 280mm in some areas.
Updated
Thank you Rafqa Touma! I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon.
Thank you for joining me on another busy blog day. I am now handing over to the great Luca Ittimani who will keep you updated this evening.
See you back here tomorrow.
Updated
Albanese declines to comment on Coalition split
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, spoke to reporters in Canberra after returning from visits to Indonesia, Singapore and Rome.
A reporter told him: “A lot changed while you were away. The Coalition is no longer a Coalition.”
Albanese said: “that’s a matter for the Liberal Party and the National Party”.
I’ve had discussions with both Sussan Ley and David Littleproud on a one-on-one basis. We’ll continue to treat people across the parliament, of course, with respect. Those arrangements are really a matter for them.
My job is to remain focused on leading a government that is orderly, that provides for the implementation of the program that we took to the Australian people and received such a strong mandate for. And that will be my focus …
If the Liberal Party and the National Party want to focus on each other and focus on their internals, that’s a matter for them. I lead a united party that is focused on the needs of the Australian people.
Updated
Drone vision shows flood waters in Clarence Town, NSW – video
Updated
More rain to hit Coffs Harbour and northern tablelands in NSW
Another 200mm to 300mm of rain may fall in the next two days, affecting the Coffs Harbour coast and northern tablelands.
Some northern catchments are already saturated after being affected by Cyclone Alfred in March.
“What we had 24 hours ago was in the Hunter area, then the mid-north coast, and [it] is slowly moving into the north-east,” NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said.
A stay-indoors message was issued for elevated inland parts of the mid-north coast, including Bowraville and the outskirts of Coffs Harbour.
Six-hourly rainfall totals between 100mm and 140mm were possible through the day, the SES warned.
In the state’s Hunter region, the Myall River is among the areas on flood watch, with local residents warned to monitor forecasts and rainfall and be ready to move to higher ground.
For Ray, a cleaner at Bulahdelah’s Plough Inn Hotel, the swollen river has already caused damage.
“My houseboat went,” he told AAP.
I was looking across the jetty (Tuesday) morning and it wasn’t there.
It’s the icing on the cake; (the weather) has been on and off for the last couple of weeks.
The SES warned Bulahdelah residents to evacuate some areas on Tuesday afternoon.
Rain is expected to continue into the weekend.
Taree copped more than 267mm of rain on Monday and Tuesday, among some of the heaviest falls from the system.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
People rescued from roofs and cars as flood water inundates NSW towns
Residents have been airlifted from roofs as town centres are inundated, with some communities told to stay indoors amid widespread flooding in eastern Australia.
A coastal trough is slowly moving over the NSW mid-north coast, bringing moderate to heavy rain to several towns.
More than 150 rescues were undertaken today alone, including in Coffs Harbour and Taree, where the Manning River broke a record of six metres set in 1929, before plateauing towards noon.
More than 80 warnings had been issued by late on Wednesday morning after rainfall of up to 280mm in some areas.
There are currently 83 warnings active for the state with multiple communities now isolated.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 20, 2025
We've had numerous requests for flood rescue in Wingham, Taree, Coffs Harbour and surrounds, and are prioritising people who are isolated and trapped.
Read more: https://t.co/yvJE1m2wjG pic.twitter.com/EG7oIVol19
“For those people waiting to be rescued, we know this takes time. We are working on it. It is a priority and we ask you to be patient,” the emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, told reporters today.
We have seen images of people on roofs. You are the absolute priority.
The defence force has responded to a request for assistance, helping more than 1,600 SES volunteers, he said.
Most of the rescues were in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne, including people who had driven their cars into flood waters.
Many people reported water rising into their homes as the night progressed, with some needing to seek refuge on their roofs, the SES said.
More to come in the next few posts.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Telstra increases mobile, internet prices again, in some cases by as much as 10%
Less than a year after hiking its prices, Telstra has announced it will again increase prices for mobile and internet plans, with most rising by between $3 and $5 a month.
The prices will affect most plans from 1 July, Telstra said on Tuesday, except the lowest priced ($50) starter mobile and starter NBN ($65). Prepaid pricing, home phone, satellite and 5G home internet prices would remain the same.
Telstra said it was making this change “to help us invest more to improve our network performance and experience” with $800m allocated for mobile network investment in the next four years.
Prices for some of the higher tier internet plans will fall, with the 1Gbps NBN plan dropping from $150 per month to $139, and the 100Mbps small business plan dropping from $140 to $125.
Last year Telstra announced it would move away from its annual pricing review linked to CPI; this is the second price increase in a year on most plans since that announcement.
The communications consumer body ACCAN says connectivity is not a luxury but a requirement for work, education, healthcare and safety, noting that the price increases come as Australians face other cost-of-living pressures.
Chief executive Carol Bennett said:
These price increases are approaching 10% on some plans. This is a real additional cost on households, and many will feel the difference.
Updated
Labor’s national secretary: governments must convince voters of the value of reform
Jumping back to Labor’s campaign boss at the National Press Club, Paul Erickson says the Albanese government will have to work to engage voters if it pursues further reform in its second term.
Erickson, Labor’s national secretary, told reporters Labor had found voters were looking to their political leaders for solutions and progress.
They’re looking for a plan to make them better off, and they’re looking for a plan that takes the country in the direction that we need to go in. I hate to break it to you, but I haven’t seen too many detailed discussions of productivity in a focus group. But that does not take away from the importance of the task.
On top of election commitments to Medicare, housing construction and free Tafe, the government has sought recommendations on future economic reforms and faced calls to go beyond its existing promises.
Erickson told the National Press Club the government would be ready to take on reform, given it had tailored its election efforts around offering voters progress.
Our strategy was to have the best answer on who could make you better off over the next three years and drive the campaign towards that question …
About reform, you just have to bring people with you. You have to make the case for why it’s important, for what the benefits will be, and that’s something I think that has been a hallmark of the government.
Updated
Victoria public sector operating costs represent more than a third of government spend
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes says public sector operating costs are one of the “driving issues” for the budget, representing more than a third of the government’s expenditure.
She admits previous attempts to cut the public sector have failed, which is why there’s now a formal review.
[Top bureaucrat Helen Silver’s] been doing a lot of hard work in identifying a range of areas that government could look to consolidate. She’s looking at duplication. She’s looking at entity reform. This isn’t about just becoming smaller. It’s about becoming better. It’s about making sure that we are focused on the main priorities of Victorians.
Symes suggests family violence and mental health programs might be on the chopping block. She says:
What we tend to do as a government, and what I’ve experienced, is we do really good things. We have new initiatives to respond to community needs … obvious examples of that is responding to family violence and mental health. We have had royal commissions into both. So we’ve directed so much investment into areas that matter, while not necessarily making the decisions to stop others. And that’s not to say that some of those smaller programs, and some of those programs have been around for a long time aren’t good, they’re probably not as good as some of the others that we later invested in.
Updated
Victoria treasurer defends cutting funds for ‘nice to have’ initiatives in favour of frontline services
The Victorian treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, is speaking at the annual post-budget lunch hosted by the Melbourne Press Club and Victorian Chamber of Commerce.
Regarding her plans to cut the public sector, Symes says the many initiatives the government funds are “nice to haves” but they have “diluted our focus”. She goes on:
That’s why I am focused on restructuring the public service so we can focus on and deliver the frontline services and essential services that Victorians need, like healthcare, education and child protection. This is why I’ve commissioned an independent review of Victoria’s public service, led by Helen Silver, to ensure spending is aligned with the needs and priorities of Victorians. This is also about ensuring that the public sector is delivering excellence. It’s not about letting go of numbers of people. It’s about making sure that the people that we have … they’re not distracted by the busy work.
Updated
NSW’s Manning River at Taree experiences record flooding as waters continue to rise
Unprecedented flooding has inundated the Manning River at Taree, surpassing its 1929 record of six metres early this morning, and waters are still rising. In 24 hours, NSW SES have responded to 892 call outs, including 130 flood rescues, with most in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne
Watch the video:
Updated
NSW SES issues more flood evacuation warnings
NSW SES is urging people in Belmore Right Bank, Kinchela Left Bank, Smithtown and Gladstone to “evacuate now due to dangerous major flooding”.
Updated
Labor national secretary: ‘progressive’ Australians voted tactically to keep Coalition out of power
Labor believes more people wanted to vote for the party than was reflected in its historically low primary vote, its campaign boss has said.
Paul Erickson, the Labor party national secretary, said the party had won a higher primary vote – the share of people numbering Labor first on their ballot – in the Senate than in the House of Representatives, which he said showed progressive Australians were voting tactically:
There’s about 14 electorates around the country where the Senate primary vote is more than 10 points higher than in the house, and it’s largely, we think, because of Labor supporters and people of a progressive mindset who are voting tactically [for] the candidate best placed locally to defeat the Coalition.
So, that 34.6% primary [vote] in the House, I don’t think that it actually is an accurate reflection of the proportion of the Australian population that would have cast a vote for Labor if they had to in their own electorate, if that was what they needed to do to elect a Labor government.
Updated
Paul Erickson says Labor must stay focused on ‘the voters who elected us’ amid coalition drama
Paul Erickson, Labor’s election campaign boss, has said the party will not get wrapped up in the split between the Liberals and Nationals.
Erickson said he was confident the government would focus on its commitments, not on parliamentary drama:
We need to stay very grounded, and just stay focused on delivering the agenda that we were elected on. … There’ll be all sorts of drama and events happening in other parties and around the parliament but we need to stay focused on the voters who elected us.
Speaking at the National Press Club, Erickson told reporters Labor had focused on engaging with voters in the campaign while Peter Dutton’s Coalition campaign had repeated the mistake of Bill Shorten’s 2019 loss by becoming “hostage” to its own predictions:
I like to think back to the 2019 election, where I think one of the mistakes we made was to spend too much time predicting different outcomes and then ultimately becoming hostage to the predictions that we’ve made … That is an error that they appear to have made in this campaign by front running so much, briefing out about what was happening in different parts of the country, where our focus was more on just talking to the voters in those places.
Updated
Labor’s national secretary says lessons learnt from no vote campaign in voice referendum
The architect of Labor’s election win has said the party learnt from the online efforts of No vote campaigners in the voice referendum for its 2025 efforts on social media.
The Labor party’s national secretary and campaign boss, Paul Erickson, told the National Press Club his team “paid close attention” to the effectiveness of online activism during the vote over an Indigenous voice to parliament.
[We] did quite a bit of work following it, to understand how the No camp had organised their digital campaigning and brought in some people to help us understand whether there were any lessons about how you organise yourself when you campaign online.
Erickson said Labor aimed to engage with an accelerating pace of change in the media landscape:
We took the view that we needed to engage with all comers. .. In that fragmented media environment, you can’t pass up any opportunity to try to connect with people and get your message across.
Updated
AMA warns regulations don’t stop health insurers pursuing conflict of interest
The AMA said Bupa is not the only insurer pursuing this type of “aggressive agenda”, with Medibank also moving to own or have a share in more and more health services.
However, the peak body warns there is little that can be done to stop insurers as the current health legislation allows private health insurers to set up, take over and own health service delivery businesses.
McMullen said:
The conflict of interest in an insurer both funding and delivering care is incredibly obvious – and while these insurers will use spin to explain away these concerns, it is vital the new government moves quickly to address this, including through the establishment of a private health system authority to oversee the sector.
Patients should be very worried when private health insurers are setting up an environment where they are potentially able to access more information than ever before about a patient’s health and interfere with decisions that should be made by a patient after talking with their doctor in the safety of a private consultation.
Updated
AMA says Bupa expansion a ‘red flag’ for private health system
The peak medical body is warning Bupa’s expansion of its health services is a “major red flag” for Australia’s private health system, risking health funds having too much say over clinical decisions when they are both funding and delivering care.
The health insurer plans to funnel up to 30% of the cases that it manages through its own Bupa-controlled facilities, announcing this week the creation of 60 of its own mental health clinics and a further 130 medical centres. Bupa already owns 22 medical centres as well as 180 dental clinics and 50 optical stores.
The president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Dr Danielle McMullen, said health insurer’s agenda raises serious questions about conflicts of interest:
We are concerned Australia is hurtling towards a US-style system of vertically integrated managed care, where health funds have too much say over the clinical care that patients receive.
It is crucial that we avoid a scenario where profits are put before patients, like we have seen happen in the US with disastrous results. Clinical decisions must remain in the hands of doctors and their patients — not influenced by insurers or corporate ownership – so that care is guided by need, not by financial incentives.
The Bupa Health Services managing director, Liz Curran, said in the announcement of these new facilities Bupa supported full clinical autonomy for all medical practitioners which is fundamental to delivering optimal health outcomes.
Nick Stone, the chief executive for Bupa Asia Pacific, said “declining levels of mental health and difficulties accessing care are amongst the most pressing health challenges of our time, so the time is right for us to offer complementary in-person and virtual services, to help provide Australians with more choice in how they manage their mental wellbeing”.
Updated
Housing shortage to worsen as new builds fall short of Albanese government target, agency predicts
Australia will miss the Albanese government’s target for 1.2m new homes by nearly a quarter, increasing homelessness and overcrowding, the independent housing agency has warned.
Housing shortages will be compounded by the target shortfall of 262,000 new builds plus 113,000 predicted demolitions over the period from financial years 2025 to 2029, according to the government’s National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s annual report, out today.
The combined effect of the shortfall and demolitions is expected to see the shortage between Australia’s needs and new builds worsen by mid-2029, with the 825,000 expected net new homes well behind the increased underlying demand from 904,000 extra households.
Australians would mostly deal with the worsening shortfall by staying in homes of larger numbers, risking overcrowding, or by piling into the already overheated rental market, though some would be unable to afford conventional housing at all, analysts at the council wrote. The report read:
Some of this unmet demand will be absorbed by a lower [rental] vacancy rate. Some will result in a greater reliance on suboptimal types of shelter … such as caravan parks, hotels and emergency shelters. A portion will contribute to the growing homeless population.
All states and territories were forecast to fall short of their target commitments, with New South Wales likely to build only two-third of its share. Without new policy action, the housing shortage would not be overcome, the report suggested:
Australia has one of the least responsive housing supply systems in the world.
It is unlikely that unexpectedly favourable conditions alone could enable the housing accord target.
Updated
Chris Minns says fare-free day ‘the least we can do’ and warns commuters to avoid peak hour travel
Chris Minns is still addressing media about the Sydney train network. He went on to say that a fare-free day on Monday was “the least we can do”.
I don’t expect it to make up for the chaos of the last 24 hours or commuters’ unhappiness with the system over a prolonged period of time, but it’s a little bit that we can do to show that we understand that there’s been major disruptions.
He said that a “short and sharp” independent outside review could look at maintenance, punctuality and communications from Transport for NSW.
He said that the disruptions would continue to affect the network for the remainder of the day and urged commuters to leave work early, if possible, to avoid peak hour travel when more heavy rain is forecast.
He said he didn’t “want to see scenes of thousands or hundreds or thousands of people waiting to get access to a train this afternoon, when the heavens have opened up and it’s incredibly difficult and potentially dangerous to get on public transport”.
I regret that that message is going out, but it’s one we would like you to consider as you attempt your afternoon, your afternoon journey home.
The transport minister, John Graham, thanked commuters for their patience.
“We understand that their patience is wearing thin,” he said.
Updated
Premier says NSW government on ‘short leash’ with commuters after train chaos
Chris Minns admits that the New South Wales government is on a “very short leash” with commuters after Tuesday’s massive train network outage continued to wreak travel havoc in the city and statewide.
Speaking with reporters at midday, the premier said that the government needed to “make sure that people have got confidence” in the Sydney trains network.
He said:
That’s not happening. The consistency in the network is not there. Punctuality is not there. We know that we have to turn around, and we’re on a very short leash from the commuters of New South Wales who are demanding answers as to why they can’t get reliability on the public transport network.
He said there were “specific technical reasons” for the shutdown and “the commuting public would have been understanding of those circumstances if there hadn’t been a persistent lack of reliability on the public transport network over a long period of time.
In fact, I think their patience has worn thin and I want them to know that the government has heard that message absolutely loud and clear.
He was joined by the transport minister, John Graham, and the Sydney Trains chief executive, Matt Longland.
More to come.
Updated
Australia and EU closer to free-trade deal
Australia and the EU are inching closer towards a free-trade agreement that stalled under the last parliament.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, held a second meeting with EU commissioner for trade and economic security, Maros Šefčovič, last night, after Anthony Albanese met with the EU president, Ursula von der Leyen, in Rome on Sunday.
The two trade representatives discussed the ongoing sticking points, and the need to diversify trade, following Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Farrell said in a statement it was “great” to meet with Šefčovič and that “it’s more important than ever to advance free and fair trade”.
A trade deal with the European Union has the potential to deliver great opportunities for Australian businesses and jobs.
Better access to the EU, means better access to a market of around 450 million people and a GDP of US$20tn.
The government is seeking to improve access for Australian beef, lamb, sugar and dairy into the EU, and is holding firm against the EU on naming rights, on products such as prosecco and feta.
Updated
No natural disaster declaration for mid-north coast and Hunter regions as yet
There has not been a natural disaster declaration for the mid-north coast and Hunter regions, the NSW emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, says:
A natural disaster declaration will usually occur after the response phase. We’re still in the response phase. We have had conversations with local government at the minister for recovery. The focus has to be right now on the response and then we can go through and do an assessment. The commonwealth has been made aware and the reconstruction authority … but at this stage there has not been declaration and we need to focus on the response at this point.
Updated
The NSW SES commissioner, Mike Wassing, says flood rescues have involved medical episodes and livestock rescues:
It is a significant number of flood rescues. We have highly trained flood rescue technicians that are volunteers that are also staff both in SES as well as fire rescue, multiple services, then all the support capabilities making sure those people are looked after when they are evacuated.
We are seeing rescues ranging from last night, we had large numbers of rescues, flood waters on the Pacific Highway, 24 in one location, also a number of animal rescues, acknowledging a lot of these areas have either livestock or horses or other large animals, so some flood rescues have been associated with that. Some associated with medical episode, getting paramedics in and patients out. But our primary focus is very much on people that are in the area that commenced yesterday and I focus for those people stuck in flood waters especially in homes that in many cases have been inundated and where most rescues this morning and into the rest of the day are primarily focused.
Updated
Nine helicopters active in Taree, Glenthorne and Coffs Harbour
NSW SES have nine helicopters are active in Taree, Glenthorne and Coffs Harbour areas.
The NSW SES commissioner, Mike Wassing, joins the emergency services minister live. Wassing says:
There have been situations overnight where we were not able to access people by air or through water. But these are highly trained volunteers and staff doing their best and continue to reach out to any calls of support and rescue. We are prioritising those rescue operations. We have people on roofs, are in contact with most and we are prioritising and containing to prioritise the greatest requirements of those rescue operations and will continue to do so.
Updated
The emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, says rain is falling hard in the mid-north coast and Hunter regions, and is not moving away:
I want to thank not only the SES volunteers at other agencies. The ADF responded to a request and provided assistance on its way in addition to that. We have a situation where the rain has been falling quite heavily and hard and it has not been moving away. Part of that is because the ground is saturated and the rivers are swollen.
We have been clear in terms of giving information to communities and getting that information out quickly and I would remind people the best source of information is the SES, so look at the website, their Facebook page, official SES ones, the Bureau of Meteorology and our Hazards Near Me app.
Updated
Almost 300 flood rescues in 24 hours, NSW emergency services minister says
There have been 284 flood rescues amid wet conditions pummelling the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions in the last 24 hours, the emergency services minister, Jihad Dib says.
Since midnight, there have been 150 rescues.
Dib is speaking live:
We have seen an enormous amount of rainfall over the Hunter and mid north coast area.
Falls have reached up to 280mm in some areas. Conditions are expected to persist into the rest of the day, with 150 to 200mm of rainfall predicted in the mid-north coast. Rain is also moving further north, affecting southern parts of Coffs Harbour.
More than 1,600 SES volunteers are on the ground, with 20 multiagency flood rescue teams.
What we’re seeing is a clear example of throwing every single thing we have at this event.
Updated
Taree resident recounts ‘hectic’ conditions among floods
Taree resident Hugh McLeod has had to move boats to higher ground three times since yesterday, amid heavy rain and flooding in mid-north coast NSW.
The coach and committee member of the Manning River Rowing Club spoke to the ABC a short while ago:
It has been pretty hectic. We first started to evacuate our boat shed around 6am, which had a good turn up. We had to move them to higher ground and enacted our management plan, which we have had in place for a good time. We have been through this once or twice and that started a roster of members taking up positions watching the river, making sure boats stayed in good position and everything was so.
We have had to move, relocate our boats three times now, since yesterday evening. At about 6.30pm we moved to a point [that] was previously higher than the previous high water mark of any previous flood but then at around about midnight last night it came up again and we had to move them again. By that stage, a lot of members had been cut off, they had properties of their own they needed to manage … and about four or five members were within reach able to do it and we were fortunate to move our boats further out of the flood waters.
Updated
Victorian premier says angry farmer’s cow manure delivery ‘disgraceful workplace behaviour’
Allan was asked about an incident that occurred during yesterday’s protest, when an angry farmer delivered a box of cow manure to the door of her parliamentary office.
The area is only accessible by parliamentary passholders and required an escort from the MPs, with Liberal Bev McArthur telling the ABC she was with the farmer when he delivered it.
Allan said the incident was “disgraceful workplace behaviour”. She went on:
Could you imagine Raf if you turned up to work today and did the same thing ... put a box of cow manure on the desk of one of your colleagues. Could you imagine that happening in any other office or factory, workplace, anywhere around the country? It would be dealt with because it’s inappropriate workplace behaviour and what’s particularly offensive about this behaviour. It’s not funny, it’s not a joke ... The staff member who had to deal with these told me how they didn’t feel safe, and told me how their safety in their workplace was violated by this behaviour.
Allan said MPs had a responsibility to behave to the highest of standards and this “falls far short”:
The leader of the opposition, Brad Battin, has done nothing to condemn this behaviour. Has done nothing to condemn and call out this behaviour that’s compromised the safety of my staff, that has seen members of parliament act entirely inappropriate and in any other workplace would be swiftly dealt with.
The manure, in a box, had a note on it that read:
Dearest Jacinta, I have considered your levy and here’s my feedback, it’s bullshit. Love Brutus and family.
Updated
Jacinta Allan defends emergency services and volunteers fund
The premier also defended the emergency services and volunteers fund (ESVF) in the face of ongoing protests, including a cavalcade of fire trucks at parliament yesterday.
The levy – which is an expansion of the fire services levy – will also cover the State Emergency Service, Triple Zero Victoria and the State Control Centre. Announced in December (so not during yesterday’s budget), the tax rate will double and take effect from 1 July.
Allan said the increase is important due to the growing effects of climate change, weather-related emergencies and population changes:
[The government is] expanding the support they [volunteers] get because they are responding to more fierce and more frequent flood, fire and storm events. The volunteers – CFA and SES – they’re going to be exempt from paying the levy.
Host Raf Epstein, however, says the rebate of $3,800 might not cover the bigger bill some volunteers will be slugged with. Allan says this is “incorrect”.
They will be exempt from the levy and the treasurer has also announced that those that are in drought affected areas will also have their rates capped as well.
Updated
Jacinta Allan defends major state debt after budget delivery
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, appeared on ABC Radio Melbourne earlier this morning to spruik her government’s budget, handed down yesterday.
Defending the state’s massive debt, which is projected to reach $194bn by 2028-29, Allan says it has mostly been used to fund infrastructure projects that did not receive any federal support. She told host Raf Epstein:
When you’ve got a big city like Melbourne, a growing state like Victoria, whether you’re interested in productivity, the efficient movement of people and goods, or you’re also wanting to understand how good transport connections provide an equity of opportunity, because they mean people can get to where they want to go easily, fairly and makes things like universities and Tafe more accessible – well, that’s why we invest in productive infrastructure.
Asked again if debt was a problem, Allan said the government had a fiscal plan. She said:
We’ve delivered an operating surplus as part of this budget, Raf, the first time since the pandemic, [being] only one of three states to deliver an operating surplus. South Australia has a much smaller operating surplus and Western Australia, – we all know the situation with the Western Australian budget – not only the mining royalties ... The rest of the country is supporting that sweetheart GST deal.
Updated
Markets up bets on deeper interest rate cuts
Financial markets are increasing their bets on steeper interest rate cuts after the Reserve Bank governor disclosed that yesterday’s reduction could have been bigger.
Michele Bullock also told a media conference after Tuesday’s quarter percentage point cut to 3.85% that the board would likely have cut rates even without the uncertainty caused by the US tariff regime.
Australian markets are now pricing in a year-end cash rate of 3.1%, according to IG analysts.
Chris Weston, the head of research at Pepperstone, said markets were implying a 25 basis point cut in July or August, followed by another in September. There is then a strong change of a third cut in December.
The expectations represent a considerable upgrade to forecasts heading into yesterday’s decision, with some major bank economists expecting the rate to be at around 3.6% by the end of 2025.
Economists have described the RBA decision, and Bullock’s press conference, as dovish, indicating a policy position that supports lower interest rates to stimulate economic growth.
Bullock was previously seen as hawkish after she consistently cautioned against expectations of aggressive further cuts due to the potential for inflation to reignite.
Updated
In that same local facebook group for the Taree area, there are a couple of posts about missing animals as well – including pictures of stranded animals which have been spotted, like a cow standing in water up to its ribs outside a local Liquorland. The picture was posted three hours ago.
Updated
An update on the chopper situation in Glenthorn, where residents stranded amidst flooding have been pleading for rescue.
In response to a local woman’s request for help for her kids and baby – alongside a video of flood waters rushing past homes and cars submerged above the wheels – a commenter in a local Facebook group says “chopper picking up now.”
The local woman who made the post posted around an hour ago, saying: “they are out. thank you all.”
Updated
Littleproud concedes decision to split with Liberals not unanimous
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, and his deputy, Kevin Hogan, have admitted not all of their colleagues supported the decision to split with the Liberals.
Rumours of discontent among some Nationals MPs have been swirling since Littleproud announced the party would abandon the Coalition for the first time in 38 years.
The Nationals leader said the decision was a matter of “principle” after the Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, refused to immediately guarantee support for four policies, including nuclear power.
The Liberals say the Nationals also would not commit to cabinet solidarity – a basic principle that means senior frontbenchers cannot cross the floor in parliament.
Speaking with reporters in Parliament House, Littleproud acknowledged the decision to split was not unanimous within the party room.
I think you’d be naive to think any party room would get a unanimous decision.
I mean, there’s a diverse range of people, not only in our party room, in the Liberal party room, in the Labor party room, even in our good friends the Greens. I think that’s really superfluous to the fact that as a collective, we got to a position and we’re respecting that position, and we’re going to carry through that position.
In an earlier interview on Sky News, Hogan admitted the decision “wasn’t unanimous but was quite conclusive”.
The split will have huge implications for the Nationals, which will lose shadow cabinet positions (and associated salaries) as well as staffing numbers. It could potentially make it harder to retain Senate seats in Victoria and NSW, where the Nationals run on a joint ticket with the Liberals.
The Nationals’ Bridget McKenzie and Ross Cadell are up for re-election in 2028 in Victoria and NSW respectively.
Littleproud hinted there might still be a possibility of joint tickets in 2028 if state officials from the two parties could come to some agreement. But he acknowledged the threat of losing seats was one of the risks that was weighed up during the party room debate.
I can assure you that when we had discussions in the party room, all those risks and factors were put on the table. We still got to the decision because you know what? We’re here for a reason, and we’re going to put our record in front of the Australian people at the next election and we’ll do it with conviction.
Updated
James Patterson on making decisions on principle and policy: ‘We can walk and chew gum at the same time’
Talk about the big coalition split continues, with Liberal senator James Patterson saying he doesn’t see a problem with making decisions on principle before getting to policy.
Patterson was on Sky News a short while ago:
I don’t see a problem at all there. I mean, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We will have a review process which will be thorough and will be focused on listening to the Australian people and hearing their message.
But you have to make tactical decisions every day in politics and how you respond to issues that arise, and the Labor party will bowl up many interesting policy options for us to consider and respond to, some of which they might have a mandate for, much of which they will not, and we will have to determine what we think is in the Liberal party’s interest and the national interest. That’s how we’ll vote.
Updated
SES aviation ‘in place’ but treacherous conditions may prevent rescue flights
The NSW SES' chief superintendent, Dallas Burnes, says wet conditions on the mid-north coast are “incredibly dynamic and escalating”.
SES are prioritising rescues in Taree, where people are on rooftops and top stories of houses, as well as the Wingham and Coffs Harbour areas, Burnes says. He is speaking live on ABC News:
The SES and our emergency service partners have conducted flood rescues and we are seeing more coming through all the [time]. We are prioritising rescues in the Taree, Wingham and Coffs Harbour areas at the moment. We are seeing a real significant river rise.
In Taree, we’re looking at record flooding surpassing 1929 levels. We have a lot of people being rescued from rooftops and the other stories of houses. Those areas are subject to evacuation orders.
For the community, if you receive emergency warning advice to evacuate, please do so. Unfortunately, some of those people were unable to be rescued last night due to weather conditions and we are prioritising those now and we have aviation assets in place to support that but the conditions are treacherous and it may be that those aviation assets are not able to fly throughout the day.
Updated
Trapped Glenthorne resident gives ABC eyewitness account of sudden flooding
In Glenthorne, on the mid-north coast of NSW, resident Jordan Halloran is stranded on the top level of her house with her partner and two-year-old son. She says her neighbour’s house is about to be inundated.
Halloran spoke to ABC News a short while ago:
The main concern is our 2-year-old son who is here with us and two dogs. Even more of a priority is our neighbour’s house which is about to be inundated with water.
We’re awaiting rescue since 1am. They said the only way to get us out is with a chopper and there aren’t any. We do feel there’s access through the back of the house. That’s much calmer.
We didn’t expect this amount of water. I think in the 2021 flood, there may have been, oh, maybe a foot of water through the bottom storey of this house. And this area is really not insurable because of the cost of insurance. But you would never expect something of this amount of volume of water and velocity as well.
Updated
Drone images review extent of recent flooding in NSW mid-north coast
Intense rainfall has been hitting the New South Wales mid-north coast and Hunter regions, and is expected to continue with flooding to come over the next two days.
Here is a look at the impact so far in Gloucester in the lower mid-north coast:
Updated
Looking back to Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie speaking on ABC News Breakfast this morning about the coalition break up.
She recognised the risk of the Liberal party running in National seats at the next election:
The reality is we are no longer in coalition and that is a very real prospect for us and that was part of our thinking as we went forward. We also see it as an opportunity to put a very strong proposition for rural and regional Australia to those communities. At the end of the day, though, coalition arrangements are matters for our state parties, the LNP in Queensland, the New South Wales state Nationals and also the Victorian Nationals.
We’re just going to get on with the job of representing our communities that sent us here to Canberra, get out on the ground, and start bringing those issues that are of concern to them here to Canberra and take it up to the Labor Party, which is why they voted for us.
Updated
‘Lots of flooding to come’ in NSW mid-north coast: BoM
Intense rainfall is expected to continue in the New South Wales mid-north coast and northern Hunter regions for another two days with “lots of flooding to come”, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology has said.
Speaking on ABC News Breakfast a short time ago, the weather bureau’s Dean Narramore said he was expecting another day of 50mm to 150mm rainfall in parts of the state north of Forster with isolated falls in excess of 200m possible.
Narramore said some areas had already been inundated by 300mm to 400mm of rain – and the town of Taree by even more – causing widespread flash flooding and major river flooding to continue.
He said the floods weren’t expected to ease until later in the week and that:
There’s a severe weather warning current for heavy to locally intense rainfall from Yamba all the way down to just north of Forster and extending inland as well.
[The weather system] wobbles north today and then it will probably come back south, unfortunately, tomorrow, and then finally clearing out on Friday from the mid-north coast.
But [there are] still two days of rainfall on the way, with lots of flooding to come.
Updated
What is the ‘designated complaint’ system?
Under the federal designated complaints mechanism, introduced by the Albanese government last year, a select group of consumer and small business groups are permitted to make one special complaint a year.
A designated complaint must relate to a significant or systemic market issue affecting Australian consumers or small businesses, the ACCC says.
It must also relate to either a potential breach of the laws the ACCC enforces, or the regulator’s functions or powers.
Under the mechanism, the ACCC must consider and publicly respond to designated complaints within 90 days.
The Consumer Action Law Centre lodged Australia’s first designated complaint in March, in relation to unsolicited door-to-door sales.
Choice says ACCC should stop ‘dodgy practices’ of energy companies to save consumers money
In a statement, Choice’s CEO, Ashley de Silva, said:
Among the energy bills we collected, we found 64 examples of retailers telling consumers to switch to a plan with the same name.
Across these 64 examples, people could have saved an average of $171 annually had they switched to the cheaper plan, even though it had the same name.
The highest potential savings among these examples was $588 per year.
De Silva said Choice was calling on the ACCC to take court action to stop what he described as “dodgy practices” that he said were costing consumers money.
Updated
Choice makes 'designated complaint' to ACCC over 'misleading' energy retailers
Choice has asked the consumer watchdog to investigate some of Australia’s biggest energy retailers over concerns they are potentially misleading customers with the way they describe and promote their plans.
The consumer advocacy group has raised the allegations in its first designated complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), only the second of its kind in Australia, which requires the regulator to respond within 90 days.
Choice’s chief executive officer, Ashley de Silva, said energy customers could be missing out on approximately $65m in collective savings.
Choice says it analysed nearly 400 energy bills from supporters between January and March 2025, which found many retailers were reusing identical names for energy plans, despite offering them at different prices.
Several bills informed consumers they could save money by switching to a plan with the same name as their existing plan, Choice says, leading to confusion among many customers who believed they were already on the best plan and their potentially missing out on savings as a result.
Sydney trains repairs completed as timetable expected to recover throughout the day
Good news for Sydney commuters: repairs are complete and trains will progressively recover throughout the day – but expect reduced off-timetable services.
Extensive repairs have been completed to overhead wiring at Homebush, Transport for NSW said in a statement. Power was switched back on at 7:20am, and the first train service through previously closed lines was in action at 8:05am.
Services will now be able to progressively move through those sections of track.
Services will gradually recover, but Transport for NSW warns passengers should expect residual delays for the remainer of the day.
They continue to urge commuters to delay travel or use alternative transport, flagging there will be reduced services on all lines but trains will not run to timetable.
Sydney Trains teams worked hard overnight in tough rainy conditions to remove a defective train and repair the overhead wiring that caused major disruption on the rail network yesterday.
Updated
Minns announces intention to begin independent review into Sydney trains
The state government is looking at beginning an independent review to look into maintenance and punctuality of Sydney trains, NSW premier Chris Minns says.
It comes as Sydney commuters avoid travelling by train this morning after major disruptions to the network yesterday afternoon involving high-voltage wires collapsing on the top of a train and shutting down the entire westbound line.
The premier said on 2GB:
We’ve got to get better, this is nowhere near good enough, and it’s certainly not on par with international standards.
I need an independent review into this. We are looking at bringing someone in from the airline sector … A fresh set of eyes that can look at three things. The maintenance program that we’ve undertaken, the punctuality of trains on the Sydney trains network, and also communication … I don’t think that we are clear enough about what the immediate and longer-term impacts will be.
Updated
Sydney public transport free next Monday after major rail chaos
Moving away for a moment now from the flurry of discussion on the Coalition split: public transport fares in Sydney will be free for commuters next Monday after major disruptions to the network yesterday evening and this morning. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, confirmed the fare-free day on 2GB this morning:
The government will announce today that on Monday there will be a fare-free day. No way will that make up for the disruption of the last 24 hours, but hopefully it can go some way to alleviating the financial burden that families have had to deal with.
Sydney commuters have been told to avoid travelling by train this morning after major disruptions to the network yesterday afternoon involving high-voltage wires collapsing on the top of a train and shutting down the entire westbound line.
Updated
‘Having the coalition back together is more important than anything else’: Howard
Former Liberal prime minister John Howard tells the Nationals they should “work from tomorrow to put the coalition back together”.
He said on ABC Radio National:
One lesson I learned was in 1996 when we won a thumping victory over the Keating government. We campaigned as a coalition, but we won enough seats, the Liberal party did, to have governed in its own right. And there were some people who said to me, oh, you should dump the Nationaal party. I said, No, we work together to win the election, and we’re going to honour that partnership.
And my message to our National party friends … [is] that you should work from tomorrow to put the coalition back together. And having the coalition back together is more important than anything else.
Updated
John Howard says Liberals and Nationals policy differences best resolved within a coalition
Former Liberal prime minister John Howard says policy differences between the Nationals and Liberals are best resolved in the framework of a coalition.
He said on ABC Radio National this morning:
If the two parties remain separate for too long away from a coalition, then the differences on policy will harden and it will be more difficult to resolve them. We had differences of policy when we were in coalition, but we were able to resolve them.
Updated
Littleproud on a potential reconciliation: ‘my door’s always open’
Asked whether the aim is to “have the coalition back together before the next election,” Nationals leader David Littleproud says “my door’s always open”.
He was speaking on ABC Radio National:
The last conversation Sussan and I had yesterday was about that we’d both expend energy in trying to keep the communication lines open to the extent that we can get back a coalition, but not at any cost.
And you know, we want to see the Albanese government brought down. To do that, you’ve got to go to the electorate and say you stand for something, and that’s what we’ve drawn a line in the sand and said we stand for this, and we’re prepared to support the Liberal party, and we understand they’re going through a journey of rediscovery. We’ll let them do that and create the environment for that. But we don’t intend to stand still or look backwards. We intend to look forward.
Updated
Littleproud: Ley approached coalition agreements in great faith
Nationals leader David Littleproud recognises Liberal leader Sussan Ley approached coalition discussions in good faith while dealing with an “insidious situation” of having to rebuild the Liberal party after their brutal federal election loss.
He was speaking on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
Sussan went into these discussions in great faith, and she’s in an insidious situation too. I think we’ve got to appreciate that she’s rebuilding a party that’s lost 30+ seats over the last two elections, and I understand the predicament she’s in.
We had a great hug at the end of it, when I went around and told her the formal notification of our position, and I’m committed to … helping Sussan get her party up and going, but I’m not going to do that at the expense of the people we represent.
Littleproud said the Nationals would still have split with the Liberals if the leader were Angus Taylor instead of Ley:
If the same situation was put to us, this would be the same circumstance.
Updated
David Littleproud says there are conditions to forming a coalition with the Liberals again
Nationals leader David Littleproud says conditions have to be met before they form a coalition with the Liberal party again. He was speaking on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
If we get to a juncture after the next election where we can form a government with the Liberal party, then obviously we’re going to support the Liberal party. But there will be conditions, and the conditions are about those things that are core to making the lives of those people that we represent better, and giving them a future, keeping them safe …
Littleproud reiterated policy differences between the Nationals and Liberals, including those you can read about here:
We’re not asking for a lot, but I appreciate the Liberal party couldn’t get to a juncture to guarantee that, and we made this decision predicated on principle.
Updated
O’Brien says Nationals could not give a guarantee for shadow cabinet solidarity
Ted O’Brien doesn’t see why differences between the Nationals and Liberals “couldn’t be settled in the usual way”. The deputy Liberal leader said the Nationals could not guarantee shadow cabinet solidarity. He was on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
I see no reason why those differences, again, the extent to which they were to arise, couldn’t be settled in the usual way.
But the National party did make the decision that the second point of difference, over and above process of formulating policy, was that the National party could not give a guarantee that shadow cabinet solidarity would be on it. As you can imagine, this is a big deal.
I’ve sat in the shadow cabinet room and you have fierce debate – and it’s not a debate always, by the way, between the National party the Liberal party – but that’s what that’s what a good cabinet process is all about.
But once things are thrashed out and resolved, you leave that room as a united shadow cabinet. So that was another sticking point, where the National party could not give a guarantee that that solidarity would be honoured.
Updated
Deputy Liberal leader says coalition split ‘on process to formulate policy’
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien is optimistic his party and the Nationals can get back together. He is speaking on ABC Radio National this morning.
He said the Coalition split “actually wasn’t on policy, it was on process to formulate policy”:
None of the policy positions that David Littleproud put to Sussan Ley were rejected. None of them were.
Instead, as Sussan had made it clear to the Australian people last week, we heard a big message from the Australian people on the third of May. We now need to listen to them. We need to respect, reflect and represent modern Australia, and we need to go through a process, and that process includes having every MP and every senator in the Liberal party who were elected by their constituents to be heard, to have a say, and the policies that the National party have very deep interests in, and I respect that, that they will go through that process.
That was the big issue that came to a head. To do anything other than that would be for Sussan Ley to make a captain’s call, and she made it very clear that she won’t be doing that. That’s not the style of her leadership.
Updated
Bridget McKenzie says Nationals left coalition as Liberals could not guarantee nuclear and supermarket policies
The Liberal party could not guarantee keeping policies on nuclear and divestiture of supermarkets, Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie says.
She is speaking on ABC News Breakfast:
The decision we made yesterday was to leave the Coalition and it was based on principles. We had four policy positions that were really the first gate for us to get through as a partnership before signing a coalition agreement and it was clear to us that the Liberal party had no way to be able to guarantee that we would be keeping policies that we believe deeply in, like divestiture of supermarkets and big-box retailers, like mobile-phone coverage in the bush, like nuclear power generation, and indeed our $20bn regional futures fund.
If you can’t get through the front door and guarantee the bare minimum, we saw that as an opportunity for us now to go alone.
Updated
SES issues evacuation warnings in Buladelah as rain threatens mid north coast
More on the heavy falls around the NSW mid north coast continuing today: six-hourly rainfall totals between 100mm and 140mm are possible through the day, the SES has warned.
In the state’s Hunter region, the Myall River is among the areas on flood watch with local residents warned to monitor forecasts and rainfall and be ready to move to higher ground. The SES warned Buladelah residents to evacuate some areas yesterday afternoon.
Rain is expected to continue into the weekend amid the multi-day flood event.
Taree copped more than 267mm of rain across Monday and Tuesday, among some of the heaviest falls from the system.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
People trapped by flooding as river rise breaks record
Intense falls and major flooding have hit Australia’s most populous state as a slow-moving system dumps rain, causing a major river to rise to the highest level in almost 100 years.
Heavy falls are occurring around the NSW mid north coast and will continue today as a coastal trough slowly tracks north.
Heavy rainfall may cause life-threatening flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Barrington Tops, Wingham and Yarrowitch are in line for more rain as rivers continue to rise.
Locals around the Manning River were warned to evacuate yesterday evening as the river surged past major flooding levels.
By this morning, the river was flooding at a level “never seen before” at Taree, surpassing the 1929 record of six metres, the NSW State Emergency Service said.
In the past 24 hours, the SES responded to 892 incidents, including 130 flood rescues, the bulk of which were in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne.
The rescues included several cars caught driving into flood water, and as the night progressed, many people reported rising water into their homes, with some needing to seek refuge on their roofs, the SES said.
“Unfortunately, we’ve … had a large number of calls for help in areas that were subject to evacuation warnings and we are still assessing how best to access those locations,” state duty commander, the assistant commissioner, Colin Malone, said today.
🔴 Emergency warnings have been issued with some communities now isolated due to major flooding in Northern NSW.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 20, 2025
NSW SES is urging the community to monitor conditions, know their risk and leave early if required.
📰 Read more on our website: https://t.co/F80xLZRhy0 pic.twitter.com/4iwZ7hUrYR
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Tim Wilson claimed victory in Goldstein last night but Zoe Daniel yet to concede
In the electorate of Goldstein, Liberal Tim Wilson has hung on to beat Zoe Daniel by 128 votes, which we reported in the blog last night. There are no envelopes left to count.
But Daniel, who won the seat off Wilson at the 2022 election, is yet to concede despite Wilson claiming victory. And although the margin is over 100 votes, the independent can request a recount.
Updated
Taree expected to be hit by record flood
The town of Taree in NSW is experiencing major flooding, the NSW SES says.
The Manning River was expected to peak at a new record of 6.3 metres, and remain above the major flood level of 3.7m all today.
The SES warned people not to enter flood water for their own safety this morning.
The ABC reported that some residents in Taree and nearby towns had been isolated by flood waters and some had taken refuge on their roofs.
Thank you to Martin Farrer for getting us started on the blog this morning. I’ll be keeping you posted from here – let’s go.
Sydney commuters told to avoid train travel on morning after high-voltage wires collapsed on train
Sydney commuters have been told to avoid travelling by train this morning after major disruptions to the network yesterday afternoon involving high-voltage wires collapsing on the top of a train and shutting down the entire westbound line.
“Passengers planning on travelling on the rail network this morning are advised to avoid travel or use alternative transport if possible,” Transport for NSW said in a media release this morning. Trains are running on all lines but at a reduced frequency.
A defective train has been removed and repairs have been completed to overhead wiring overnight.
Final inspections are being completed before Transport for NSW reinstate power later this morning so all six tracks from the west through Homebush can operate. Normal timetabled services are expected to return for the afternoon peak.
“Sydney Trains apologises again to passengers for the inconvenience of the continuing disruption,” Transport for NSW said.
“Where the incident occurred is a major rail artery and critical part of the network, which saw five of the six lines closed from 2:30pm yesterday.”
Updated
Dutton hit wrong note throughout campaign – Labor chief
The architect of federal Labor’s 3 May election victory is speaking at the National Press Club today, explaining how Anthony Albanese held onto government in a landslide result.
The Labor party’s national secretary and campaign boss, Paul Erickson, will speak at 12.30pm and take questions from the Canberra press gallery. Excerpts of the speech provided to the media last night show Erickson will talk about how efforts to bring down inflation and sell Labor’s cost-of-living message helped secure the historic win.
He says the prime minister hit his strides just at the right time to win. He will say:
From the first Monday of January through to election day, the prime minister was in the form of a lifetime. At a presentational level, the prime minister’s campaigning was exemplary.
The rallies, the speeches and the launch. The street walks, the school visits and the shifts on pre-poll. The debates, which every sensible observer scored four-nil.
Albo was in his element, connecting with everyday people and enjoying it.
Erickson will say defeated opposition leader Peter Dutton hit the wrong note for voters:
Peter Dutton was gloomy about the country, downcast about the future, and most animated when magnifying the problems facing Australia. Which connects to the more substantive dimension to the leadership contrast.
The prime minister and the opposition leader were confronted by some critical leadership tests. The imposition of tariffs on Australian aluminium and steel. Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Liberation Day. The disruption of Anzac day commemorations by a neo-Nazi.
The contrast was as clear as night and day: the prime minister offered authentic, measured and firm leadership. And Peter Dutton never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
If you’ve not heard of Erickson before, we have a handy profile which you can read below.
Albanese due home after international post-victory tour
The disarray in the opposition ranks will no doubt put a spring in the step of Anthony Albanese when he returns home today after completing his first international engagements since being re-elected.
After meetings with President Prabowo Subianto in Indonesia, the prime minister joined Catholics and world leaders at the Vatican to represent Australia at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
Albanese had a private audience with the newly elected pontiff and formally invited him to Australia for the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028.
Albanese also met a range of other world leaders, including Volodomyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Ursula von der Leyen from the European Commission.
On his final stop, Albanese met the prime minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, during a stopover in the city state on the way back to Australia.
Speaking about his last leg, Albanese said: “Australia’s prosperity and economic future are linked with south-east Asia. I look forward to further discussing with Prime Minister Wong my government’s focus on expanding Australia’s comprehensive strategic partnership during our annual leaders’ meeting later this year.”
Updated
Ley and Littleproud refuse to take blame for Coalition split
Sussan Ley and David Littleproud both spoke to media last night, refusing to take the blame for the coalition breaking up.
On ABC 730, Sarah Ferguson asked Ley whether she’d “blown up” the Coalition. Ley said “absolutely not”.
“Absolutely not. I’m very disappointed that the Nationals have chosen to walk away from the Coalition. But I remain very respectful of David Littleproud and his team.”
Ferguson asked Littleproud the same question in an interview on the program. The Nationals leader said the party was in an “untenable position” after not getting a guarantee from the Liberal party on four policy areas they wanted in the new Coalition agreement.
Ley told 730 she was also concerned that the Nationals would break shadow cabinet solidarity, particularly over climate policies.
“Obviously, the concern would be that it [breaking solidarity] might relate to climate policy and it might relate to other policies, where we should present a united front to the Australian people.”
But Littleproud told 730 earlier in the program that the splinter wasn’t related to net zero by 2050 or other climate policies. “Our position at the moment is to support net zero,” he said. “So, nothing has changed with respect to that.”
Sydney trains still disrupted after yesterday’s power failure
Sydney commuters face widespread disruption this morning as the city’s train network recovers after a high-voltage wire fell on to the top of a train at Strathfield yesterday afternoon, trapping 300 passengers and sparking chaotic scenes during the evening rush.
Sydney Trains said earlier that “services on most lines will be impacted this morning due to power supply issues at Strathfield. Trains will continue to operate on all lines but will not run to timetable and the frequency of service will be reduced”.
Train services on most lines will be impacted this morning due to power supply issues at Strathfield.
— T9 Sydney Trains (@T9SydneyTrains) May 20, 2025
Trains will continue to operate on all lines but will not run to timetable and the frequency of service will be reduced. pic.twitter.com/1R7XvRPOJe
In another social media statement, the organisation said people should avoid non-essential travel. All lines would be working through Strathfield by 6.30am it said.
Limited buses are supplementing trains between Lidcombe and Ashfield.
— T9 Sydney Trains (@T9SydneyTrains) May 20, 2025
Please delay all non-essential travel or consider using other transport where possible.
We expect all lines at Strathfield to be open again around 6:30am. pic.twitter.com/dkPYPqIbdF
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then my colleague Rafqa Touma will take over.
Sydney Trains have warned commuters to expect delays this morning and try different travel options after yesterday’s overhead line collapse at Strathfield paralysed large parts of the system and caused extensive delays. Train services on most lines will be affected this morning, Sydney Trains said. We’ll have updates soon.
The gender pay gap at more than 100 commonwealth public sector employers including the ABC has been laid bare for the first time. Data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows the national broadcaster pays men nearly 10% more than women, but the private sector gap (21.1%) was more than triple the average public sector gap (6.4%).
Sussan Ley and David Littleproud have both refused to take the blame for the Coalition breaking up. On ABC 730 last night, Ley responded “absolutely not” when asked if she had “blown up” the Coalition, while Littleproud said he had been left with no choice but to pull the Nationals out. More coming up.
And the NSW floods have continued to hit regional towns, with Taree a particular focus, where residents have reportedly had to wait on their roofs for rescue. More on this soon too.
