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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy, Cait Kelly, Royce Kurmelovs and Matilda Boseley

Fifth death reported in NSW; ‘it’s climate change,’ Palaszczuk says as Qld death toll rises to 10 – as it happened

New South Wales Queensland Australia Alan Tudge Scott Morrison Victoria SES Sydney Annastacia Palaszczuk Rachelle Miller
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk addresses the media during a press conference in Brisbane
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Friday that the flood crisis in south-east Queensland and in New South Wales was ‘unprecedented’. Photograph: Russell Freeman/AAP

What we learned, Friday 4 March

With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Wherever you are, stay safe and dry. And happy Mardi Gras!

Here are today’s major developments:

  • Alan Tudge will not return to the front bench before the election after the Thom Report found his relationship with former staffer Rachelle Miller did not breach ministerial standards.
  • As clean up in the wake of the floods continues, the Australian Medical Association has released a statement calling for more to be done to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she had “never seen so many natural disasters” and acknowledged - “let’s face it, it is (the floods) climate change”. The death toll nationwide has risen to 16.
  • Rod Marsh has died aged 74 after suffering a major heart attack. Tributes have been flowing in for the Australian cricket legend.
  • The federal Liberal party has released a statement confirming it will temporarily dissolve the New South Wales branch and appoint its own committee to take over, comprising of Scott Morrison, former federal Liberal president Christine McDiven and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet. They will remain in charge until 8 March.
  • The Australian government is making preparations to impose sanctions on members of Myanmar’s military junta, amid sustained pressure from human rights groups.
  • In Covid news, Australia reported 37 deaths today, the bulk of which were in Victoria. Some 26 people lost their lives to the virus in the state.
  • And if we weren’t dealing with enough, there are now 16 cases of Japanese encephalitis under investigation in Australia as health authorities urge Australians to maintain vigilance around mosquitoes and pigs.

Updated

Just how bad are telecommunications in the flood-hit northern NSW region?

So bad, it seems, that NSW Emergency Minister Steph Cooke was unable to dial into the daily resilience/emergency response conference at 5pm this evening.

Most calls have been at 8pm at the end of some long days, with some emotional outbursts. (Today’s call was more relaxed).

Some 60,000 people in the area have been badly affected with a couple of thousand in evacuation centres.

About 700 people from various agencies are on the ground, with formal “local recovery coordinators” to be appointed soon.

Among the requests are fodder drops to help feed starving livestock and horses.

Here is the full statement from NSW police on the sixth statewide death in the floods.

A fifth person has been located deceased during the ongoing flood operation in Northern NSW.

Shortly after 2pm (Friday 4 March 2022), the body of a man, believed to be aged in his 40s, was located at Byrril Creek Road near Terragon, south of Murwillumbah.

The man is yet to be formally identified.

Officers from Tweed/Byron police district have attended and established a crime scene.

A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.

Updated

Just when you thought the rains might abate, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting some fairly heavy falls over the Sydney region on Sunday and Monday.

For Sydney, a relatively dry 6-15mm on Saturday shifts up a rain gear to 35-60mm on Sunday and 30-50mm.

Richmond and Penrith, near where the Hawkesbury-Nepean River has been flooding these past couple of days, the forecast is for 10-20mm on Saturday with 40-70mm possible on Sunday. Monday trails off a bit, in the order of 10-30mm.
Wollongong, too, may collect 40-70mm on Sunday.

On their own, such totals would make much difference but the river will probably still be high even if Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s biggest catchment, has stopped spilling by then.

The rain, though, looks likely to make its way inland a bit too, with Warragamba (only the eastern edge of the catchment, mind) may collect another 35-60mm on Sunday. Given how wet the catchment is already, all of that rain is will likely add to the already swollen inflows.

My bet would be that it would spill again and prompt more flood warnings.

Mercifully for the NSW northern rivers region, the forecast falls in places such as Lismore and Graftonthis weekend and early next week are less than around Sydney.

A fifth death has been reported in the northern New South Wales floods.

A man believed to be in his 40s was found at Byrril Creek Road south of Murwillumbah. He is yet to be formally identified.

It brings the total death toll in the state to six with the death of the man on the central coast last Friday.

Updated

In Queensland, three people have been charged with stealing by looting offences overnight as police target property crime in areas affected by the floods.

Since the operation began on Tuesday, seven people have been charged in relation to 18 incidents.

Acting superintendent Paul Austin said police were receiving reports of people scouting out furniture and belongings that had been left on nature strips.

This is a timely reminder to all members of the public that often these are treasured possessions that flood victims are having to sift through. Please show compassion and consider asking permission from owners before assuming items left out in front of houses are rubbish.

Trespassing on residential properties and taking items without permission is considered stealing and police will take action against those offending.

Updated

The big clean-up continues.

The Victorian government says there has been a rise in suspected Japanese encephalitis cases following the detection of the virus in Queensland.

Since last week, there have been eight suspected human cases of JEV infection in Victoria, including six people who have been hospitalised – among them two children under 10.

All cases are awaiting confirmation and several remain in hospital.

Deputy chief health officer, associate professor Deborah Friedman, said the eight people all had exposure to mosquitos before they became unwell:

It’s really important for people to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially anyone who lives, works or plans to visit areas in northern Victoria where mosquitoes are prevalent, especially if they are camping.

There are some really simple steps people can take, including covering up exposed skin, wearing loose fitting clothing, using repellent and sleeping under mosquito nets if you’re outdoors.

JEV is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause encephalitis in approximately 1% of infected cases. Most people have no or mild symptoms but anyone who develops a sudden onset of fever, headache, vomiting, seizures or disorientation should seek urgent medical attention.

Updated

Amid these seemingly endless weather warnings, this is an extremely powerful piece from Lismore resident Eddie Lloyd:

We are at the threshold of climate catastrophe and it’s communities like ours that are bearing the brunt of it. It has not just lapped at our doorstep, it smashed right through our doors. It has destroyed our CBD and our loved ones have drowned to death.

These climate catastrophes are going to happen more frequently, with more intensity, more damage and more deaths, and we will see more communities collapsing.

Alan Tudge has confirmed he won’t return to the frontbench “before the election”.

Updated

Federal government paves way for expanded Myanmar sanctions

The Australian government is making preparations to impose sanctions on members of Myanmar’s military junta, amid sustained pressure from human rights groups to take a stand.

More than a year after the deadly coup, the Australian government has quietly updated its sanctions regulations for Myanmar to add categories of officials who could face targeted financial sanctions and travel bans.

The changes, taking effect on Saturday, will allow the government to impose sanctions on any current or former members of the State Administration Council, the military junta that is chaired by commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.

The expanded criteria will also allow sanctions to be imposed on members of another body called the National Defence and Security Council, which is also controlled by the military.

The new regulations also cover any other regime-controlled governance bodies and any political party or association that is participating in the regime.

It is important to emphasise that this step doesn’t guarantee the Australian government will then impose sanctions – but it would be curious if it expanded the criteria in this specific way and then didn’t do anything about it.

When asked for comment, Elaine Pearson, the Australia director of Human Rights Watch, said:

It’s a welcome step for the government to create a clear pathway to sanction individuals and entities connected to the junta. Australia should implement targeted sanctions without delay; it has a lot of catching up to do with like-minded governments following the coup one year ago.

Pearson said the government “should urgently sanction Myanmar’s abusive generals and military-owned businesses” because “depriving the military of its sources of revenue it the best way to maximise pressure on the junta to end its campaign of terror”.

The Australian government has repeatedly said it has not ruled out expanding sanctions on Myanmar’s military figures, but it has sought to remain in close coordination with the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) since the coup in February last year. Leaders in the region have become increasingly frustrated about a lack of progress in implementing Asean’s “five-point consensus” on resolving the crisis.

Updated

Alan Tudge will not return to his post as education minister, Scott Morrison says, but a report into allegations made against him by a former staffer did not make findings that he breached the ministerial standards.

Tudge was accused by former staffer Rachelle Miller of being emotionally, and on one occasion physically, abusive toward her during a consensual relationship they had in 2017, while she was a member of his staff. Tudge strenuously denied the allegations.

Tudge stood down from the ministry in December and an investigation by respected former public servant Dr Vivienne Thom was launched. Miller chose to not participate in the report.

Just before 4pm today, Morrison released a statement to announce the report would be released publicly this afternoon. He said Thom “had found that ‘the evidence considered in this Inquiry does not provide a basis for a finding that Mr Tudge’s conduct breached the Ministerial Standards’. I have accepted her advice.”

However, Morrison said Tudge was “not seeking to return to the frontbench”, citing “the interests of his family and his own well-being and in order to focus on his re-election as the Member for Aston”.

Stuart Robert, who has been acting as education minister, will continue in that role.

The Thom report has been released on the website of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Updated

Rachelle Miller posted this on social media, minutes before the report was released:

Alan Tudge opts not to return to frontbench

The prime minister’s office has released a statement on the Thom Report into Alan Tudge.

Dr Vivienne Thom did not find sufficient evidence that Tudge’s conduct in relation to former advisor Rachelle Miller breached ministerial standards, however Tudge will not seek to return to the frontbench in the wake of the findings.

Tudge admits to having an affair with Miller in 2017, saying he deeply regrets it and it contributed to the end of his marriage.

Last year Miller said the relationship was defined by a power imbalance and alleged it was at times “abusive”, claiming Tudge once “kicked” her out of bed. Tudge has denied the allegations.

The statement from the prime minister’s office reads:

Earlier today the department of the prime minister and cabinet provided me with advice following the process undertaken in relation to Dr Vivienne Thom’s report into serious allegations made by Rachelle Miller regarding the then minister for human services, Alan Tudge. These allegations related to events in 2017.

This process started in December last year, at my instruction, after serious allegations were raised by Miller that required a fair, independent and vigorous investigation by a qualified and independent person ...

Miller and minister Tudge were invited to take part in this process by Dr Thom and the investigation was aimed at properly assessing views by a number of parties in relation to these issues. Ultimately, Miller chose not to participate in the inquiry but the inquiry was able to draw on her public statements ...

Dr Thom found that ‘the evidence considered in this Inquiry does not provide a basis for a finding that Mr Tudge’s conduct breached the Ministerial Standards’. I have accepted her advice ...

In December, minister Tudge agreed to my request to stand aside from the ministry, while these allegations were examined. Today he has informed me that in the interests of his family and his own well-being and in order to focus on his re-election as the Member for Aston he is not seeking to return to the frontbench, and I support his decision.

Minister Stuart Robert will continue in his role as acting minister for education and youth and minister for employment, workforce, skills, small and family business.

The report will be released in full, with minor redactions.

Updated

Perrottet says the government will be doing “everything we can” to assist in the recovery, starting with the “immediate shock of the situation”.

We are dealing with getting people back on to their feet and into housing. There is still a situation here with telecommunications - communications are down.

I want to thank members of the SES here. They have done an absolutely amazing job ... they have been run off their feet, they don’t know what day it is, it has all become one.

To hear the stories of the calls they have had to make, not knowing if the person they are speaking to at the other end is the last call they will ever make – it has been incredibly emotional. They remain incredibly strong.

Updated

The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, is speaking from Ballina now, providing a flood update. He reiterates the state “will get through this”, though it will be a “tough journey” ahead.

He says the spirits of volunteers are high:

What we have seen here in Ballina is the great Australian spirit. We have seen so many people come forward, whether they are registered volunteers, we [have] seen members of the public come together and lend a hand. It has been flat out here for the last five days. And it has been an absolute team effort.

It is why we should be proud to be Australians, because of this coming together of community spirit and looking out for our neighbours and getting through – even speaking to many people that still don’t know if their house will be there when they get back, what the extent of the damage will be.

Updated

The latest insurance figures for the current flood calamity in eastern Australia show the number of claims is increasing, but at a slower rate.

According to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), insurers have received 67,537 claims, with about three-quarters from Queensland and the rest from NSW. Some 82% are for domestic property, with the remainder motorvehicle-related.

“Based on previous flood events the estimated current cost of claims is now just over $1 billion,” the council said.

S&P Global earlier this week said the exposure to insurers could reach $2bn.

Of course, with the rising cost of premiums, particularly for flooding, many of those affected will either be under-insured or not insured at all, so the economic losses will be higher still.

Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer (the firms that take on most of the risk from general insurers) also expects the event to be a significant one.

Ernst Rauch, chief climate scientist at Munich Re, said the trend is towards increasing damage bills for floods down under.

“The losses from flooding in Australia, both economic and insured losses, do show significant changes which actually started around the year 2008,” Rauch tells us.

More from him later.

Updated

National Covid-19 update

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 37 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 794
  • In hospital: 35 (with two people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: two
  • Cases: 9,466
  • In hospital: 1,000 (with 42 people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: seven
  • Cases: 5,446
  • In hospital: 284 (with 25 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: two
  • Cases: 2,047
  • In hospital: 106 (with nine people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 937
  • In hospital: 14 (with 10 people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 26
  • Cases: 6,545
  • In hospital: 245 (with 28 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 2,137
  • In hospital: 21 (with no people in ICU)

Updated

The flood clean-up in Queensland continues.

Updated

The Victorian opposition have rejected premier Daniel Andrews’ wind targets announced today. They say the new environmental policy is a distraction from the pandemic.

The foreign minister, Marise Payne, has responded to reports of shelling and fire at a Ukrainian power plant.

Updated

Advocates for WA’s homeless have again raised alarm this week about the comparatively low vaccination rates for rough sleepers with the state’s hard border now down and vaccination rates lagging for that particularly vulnerable community.

Guardian Australia first reported exclusively in January data from Homeless Healthcare that showed a third of the homeless community living on the streets in WA were completely unvaccinated.

Updated vaccination data was released this week by Prof Lisa Wood from the University of Notre Dame in conjunction with Homeless Healthcare, showing the rates of vaccination among WA’s rough sleepers – about 41% of whom are Aboriginal people – are still well behind the state average:

A graphic showing homeless vaccination rates for Perth rough sleepers from audit by Homeless Healthcare WA
A graphic showing homeless vaccination rates for Perth rough sleepers from audit by Homeless Healthcare WA Photograph: Prof Lisa Wood, University of Notre Dame and Homeless Healthcare

Wood said WA was also lagging in its Covid outbreak response:

Other states with earlier peaks of Covid were much stronger on preventively getting people rough sleeping off the street to reduce risk of Covid exposure and transmission among this high-risk population.

The data comes after representatives of the homeless community and their advocates this week wrote an open letter to the premier, Mark McGowan, urging the government to open hotels and provide accommodation to people sleeping on the streets amid ongoing concerns about WA’s homelessness crisis.

There were 1,001 people known to be living homeless in Perth and Fremantle at the end of last year, according to the Zero Project – the same as a year prior – while the public housing waitlist has risen by more than 3,000 households to 18,388 in 12 months.

The WA government indicated last month in parliament that hotel rooms had been purchased by the Department of Communities for people to isolate or recover from Covid if they had nowhere else to go.

Updated

Many beaches across New South Wales will be closed this weekend due to erosion and hazardous surf conditions, Surf Life Saving NSW has confirmed.

Some beach setup patrols and position rescue equipment remain shut off to clubs, while conditions remain dangerous for coastal activities including swimming, rock fishing and boating.

Surf Life Saving says red and yellow flags will be down at a number of beaches:

While riverine flooding in some locations is easing, the situation on NSW beaches is one of widespread erosion, damage to seawalls and access ways due to high tides and powerful surf.

Hazardous surf, lack of access for rescue craft, coupled with the strain on volunteer resources due to the flood response, particularly in the north, means many clubs will not be able to patrol this weekend and beaches will be closed.

Beaches closed include Sawtell, Coffs Harbour, Black Head, Stockton, Soldiers, The Lakes, Shellharbour and Gerringong due to the conditions.

Some Friday afternoon motivational content:

More tributes are rolling in for cricket great Rod Marsh, this one from former captain of the men’s Australian team Justin Langer.

South Australia records two deaths from Covid

South Australia’s daily Covid update has just been released.

There have been 2,047 new Covid cases overnight and, sadly, two further deaths.

There are 106 people being treated in hospital with the virus, including nine people in intensive care and one requiring ventilation.

Updated

The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, and minister for emergency services and resilience, Steph Cooke, will visit Ballina this afternoon to provide an update on the flooding situation in NSW.

We should be hearing from them both at 3.30pm.

Updated

Unvaccinated members of the South Australian police force can return to work from Monday provided they return a negative rapid antigen test and wear a mask while on the clock.

The below announcement came as Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, gave his first State of the State address to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia since December 2019:

The state of our state is strong, because the people of our state are strong. We have been through so much as a community but through unity, by sticking together through untold acts of kindness and courage, we have been able to achieve something that is unique.

We are one of the most vaccinated jurisdictions anywhere in the world. We have stuck together, and that’s why we can, with optimism and confidence, look to the future. But that future was never going to be easy, pandemic or no pandemic.

Andrews went on to say the biggest drivers of growth over the next 10 years will be states and territories:

The problem at the moment is that there is no national reform agenda coming out of the national government. It’s disappointing, but you cannot have a debate and the discussion about the future, without acknowledging that point.

... The levers that drive economies, that build infrastructure, that improve lives and create momentum, are now, in my judgment, all pulled by state and territory governments.

Updated

Victoria has just launched Australia’s first offshore wind targets.

The policy, announced today by the premier, Daniel Andrews, includes procuring projects that will generate at least two gigawatts of offshore wind by 2032 – anticipated to power 1.5m homes.

The first power from offshore wind is expected from 2028, with targets of four gigawatts set for 2035 and nine gigawatts for 2040.

Victoria is aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Andrews said:

What’s clear is that the transition to cheap renewable energy will only get done if it’s led by states and territories. When we came to government, Victoria’s natural ability to generate cheap and efficient wind and solar power was essentially untapped.

It comes after the state government pledged $40m to fund feasibility studies and pre-construction development for three major offshore wind proposals in November 2021.

Updated

Scott Morrison says Vladimir Putin will not be “dissuaded from his murderous acts” in Ukraine but that shouldn’t stop the rest of the world from “tightening the vice” on the Russian leader.

The prime minister today raised “deep concerns” about the close alignment between China and Russia, and said it was important to send a “very clear message to anyone else, any other autocratic regime, and we know about a few of those in our own region … [to] not take the wrong lesson out of this”.

Morrison told Perth radio station 6PR:

If you seek to violate the international order – rules-based order – and the principles that underpin it, there will be a heavy transactional cost in reputation and in economic terms, and potentially even militarily.

Morrison acknowledged there were differences between Taiwan – the democratically governed island of 24 million people that Beijing claims as its breakaway province – and Ukraine.

But he also called for greater preparedness for potential instability in the Indo-Pacific region, after joining a virtual meeting with his counterparts from Japan, India and the US – known as the Quad – early this morning.

Morrison said Quad leaders needed to realise “autocrats will pursue their agendas and won’t always play by the same rules as the rest of us and we need to be prepared”.

He said he believed there was “a very clear understanding of what the implications would be if China were to seek to realise its ambitions for Taiwan”.

The longstanding US policy is to support Taiwan’s self-defence – including by arms exports to Taiwan – and to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo. The US retains “strategic ambiguity” about whether it would come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of a military conflict.

The Australian defence minister, Peter Dutton, was accused of going beyond the longstanding bipartisan position in November when he said it would be “inconceivable” that Australia would not join US-backed military action in the event Beijing sought to seize Taiwan.

Updated

WA records 2,137 Covid cases

Western Australia has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 2,137 new Covid cases overnight, bringing active cases to 9,660.

There are 21 people being treated in hospital, none of whom require intensive care.

There have been no further deaths.

Updated

Clive Palmer claims he’ll launch legal action against Home Affairs minister, Karen Andrews, claiming she had spread “outrageous fake news” that he was buying Adolf Hitler’s car.

That story circulated earlier this week, but Palmer denied it on Thursday, tweeting: “I did not buy Hitler’s car.”

The United Australia party chairman said on Friday that he would take action against Andrews, and claimed to also have “taken extreme offence” to comments about the story made by Labor MP Patrick Gorman. Palmer accused opponents of “mud-slinging and pushing lies” about him.

“These outrageous lies have caused considerable damage to my reputation and I will be bringing the people responsible to account through the courts,” Palmer claimed.

We’ve contacted Andrews and Gorman for comment.

Updated

Many thanks to Cait Kelly and all those who have manned the blog today. I’ll be with you for the rest of the day. You can tweet me at @caitecassidy.

Updated

And with that, I am going to hand this blog over to Caitlin Cassidy, whose capable hands will take you through the afternoon.

Finally, chief executive of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, Tanya Barden, is up.

It is really critical that, first and foremost, we’re getting food and grocery supplies into these communities that have been cut off.

So we’ve seen food and grocery manufacturers and retailers donating significant amounts of bottled water, grocery items, personal care, nappy, feminine hygiene [products] ... To get these products to communities in need, that’s our immediate priority.

... What I would say is that the food and grocery supply system has shown enormous resilience through the pandemic, through the weather events that we saw in the west coast.

Barden added:

I want to reassure consumers ... it will be some period of some disruption – there might be some products available in limited supply in some areas – but please be patient, recognise that the retailers, the farming community are working hard to get products restored and that that will happen.

We’ve seen it happen again before. Have that patience and respect the fact that this will take a little bit of time, but we’re working with what is a generally resilient food supply system.

Updated

Chief executive of the National Farmers’ Federation, Tony Mahar, just spoke. He says the agriculture sector has been hit hard across multiple industries.

Everything in those two states have been impacted, and the cost will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars for farmers and businesses and importantly, the communities in which they are embedded ... are very small.

So what we need from the government, and what we’ve mentioned and had great support from minister McKenzie [on] this morning, is immediate access back into those communities when it’s safe to make sure that people can look after animals and make sure people can get into their properties.

That means access. Roads, infrastructure – it must be the immediate priority so people can get into those communities, get the food and fibre into supply chain and logistics centres so it can get to supermarket shelves.

The third thing we need is skills. We simply have to have the resources. We have to have people in those communities that are going to help recover, help manage and help build back better these farm communities and farm businesses. So we’re still managing the impact.

Updated

Jennifer Westacott from the Business Council of Australia is up now. Westacott says some supply chains will be impacted – some normal products may be missing from the shelves.

Everyone needs to be chill about it and understand it’s because of the floods.

Many businesses have been hammered. They either can’t operate, or many of their teams have lost their homes. We really put a call out to everyone to be patient about stock not being on the shelves, to show respect and courtesy to people in businesses because people are doing it tough.

We now need to start working on recovery. The Business Council has started up its business rebuild again and that means we’ll be giving vouchers to people for their tools, for their office equipment, to get their businesses back up and running and making sure they can see the light at the end of the tunnel – they can get going again, get cracking again, get their shops open, get customers in the door.

It’s very important at the moment that we give people that sense of hope, but we do continually call on people to be kind and courteous to people in the business community, because they’re doing it tough, and many of them have done it tough personally.

Updated

McKenzie:

And we know this is not our first rodeo as a country in this space. We know that this recovery will take time.

What you’ve been able to see through ... collaboration between state governments and the commonwealth government and our emergency services and the ADF is swift support in a time of need, and then the ongoing rollout of support packages, which will not stop on this long road to recovery.

Updated

McKenzie says the first food drop has been done in Casino.

Thanks to Covid, getting access to cash and income and money when comms are down, when energy supply is cut off, is becoming increasingly difficult ... I want to hear from the banking sector more generally about what needs to be done, and how we can support them, and what are the issues that they’re hearing from the ground.

We’ve also announced quite a significant package yesterday of ... support with New South Wales – including small business support, primary producer support, which was welcomed today by the agriculture industry – and grants to local councils to help them with the immediate clean-up.

Updated

McKenzie says she has spoken to dairy farmers and food processors about the impact the floods are having.

She says the event has shut down 10 meat-processing works which together process a quarter of Australia’s red meat.

Then you’ve got the horticulture, everything from the magnificent macadamia and avocado industry to the grains industry and beyond.

The impact on agriculture has been significant. [We have had] them around the table for their first, and I hope not the last, national coordination meeting so we can get support to the right places and spaces.

Critical issues for agriculture this morning were infrastructure access to get back on farms to shore those animal welfare issues.

We need to get fodder to animals quickly and they need access to vets. Many animals need to be euthanased, and it needs to be done safely and securely, and disposal of carcasses.

Updated

Minister for emergency management, Bridget McKenzie, is speaking now from Canberra.

We’ve seen 15 Australians lose their life through this event and we hope for the best but always prepare for the worst. As always in natural disasters in this country, there are also amazing stories of bravery and kindness, and whether it’s the ADF or the local SES rescuing anything from families with small children to animals from flooded communities, it buoys our spirits.

Today, I’ve called urgent meetings with stakeholders from the agriculture industry. We know that, through Queensland and New South Wales, the range of commodity groups that have been impacted has been significant.

Updated

Devastating floods reinforce need for urgent action on climate change, says AMA

The Australian Medical Association has released a statement calling for more to be done to mitigate the impact of climate change after the floods.

AMA president, Dr Omar Khorshid, said the widespread devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales and the lasting impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires were more proof that climate change is directly affecting people’s health.

More needs to be done to meet the challenges of climate change. There are practical and tangible things Australia must do to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Comprehensive short and long term planning is needed and preventative and anticipatory action is required over a reactive approach to climate change events.

As doctors we see and understand health threats posed by climate change and Australians are experiencing these impacts on an increasingly regular basis.

Khorshid said the AMA has called for immediate practical action, across the economy and including the healthcare sector, to start tackling climate change while graphic images of the devastating floods are demanding public attention.

Events such as these devastating floods demonstrate that there is a real human cost to a changing climate. It should not be left to communities to respond to these events alone. We need a unified national approach to mitigation, preparedness and response to climate change events.

Updated

‘Catastrophic failure of government’: local slams federal government over flood response

Megan Whitaker, a resident of Lennox Head for 17 years, found herself in a strange position when the floods hit.

Trapped in Melbourne as the waters peaked, Whitaker had to coordinate the rescue of her friend and her unconscious husband trapped on Tamar Street, Ballina. Calls to the state emergency service left her with little certainty about when they would get to the pair.

The emergency services, she said, were clearly overwhelmed.

She turned to local Facebook community groups, where she found a woman whose father lived in Tamar Street and was a surf lifesaver. He promised to take the surf lifesaving dinghy to evacuate the pair.

They managed to, after a number of hours, evacuate the husband, who needed medical attention. But they didn’t have enough room to evacuate my friend and her dog. So I had to repeat the whole process about five or six hours later, when her battery was running low and the waters were potentially going to peak again. I had to once again call the SES, get through to NSW, post on a Facebook page.

Her friend eventually got out and Whitaker has spent the days since acting as a conduit for communications between people in the area and emergency services. The ordeal has made one thing clear to Whitaker: the level of assistance and help being provided by the state and federal government in the area is woefully inadequate.

This has been a catastrophic failure of government to provide the services we pay for as taxpayers. The impact of this is going to be so far-reaching, and for so long. I’m just so angry.

Whitaker said it was clear the state emergency services were doing the best they could, but were completely overwhelmed. The federal government had acted far too slowly and not deployed enough resources, including Australian Defence Force members, she said.

I understand that there were about 170 ADF [members] in Lismore to assist with the clean-up; there should have been far more. I understand that Peter Dutton said more resources would be diverted to the area, but when? It should have been done two days ago.

Updated

Hello everyone, this is Cait Kelly. A big thank you to Royce Kurmelovs for blog expertise the past hour.

As always, if you want to contact me, my Twitter is @cait__kelly. It’s going to be a big afternoon, so let’s get cracking.

Warragamba Dam now is receding after multiple days over capacity.

Updated

I will now pass over the blog to Cait Kelly, who will take you through the rest of the afternoon.

Ukrainian women and children fleeing the war are set to begin arriving in Australia as early as this weekend, AAP reports.

More than 1,000 people have been issued Australian visas since the war began according to the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, and many have fled to Poland and Romania.

Federation co-chair Stefan Romaniw said he expects women and children to begin arriving within days.

“Australia is 20,000 kilometres away, they’ve come from a war zone ... those children obviously have seen things. We have to deal with trauma, with families being disconnected,” he said.

The federation has been preparing support for people when they arrive, including medical checks and accommodation, and links to welfare organisations.

“We’ve got our finger on the pulse, we’re coordinated and we know what we’re doing ... As soon as they land, we will meet them at the airport and work out what are the next steps,” he said.

It’s expected most people will land in Sydney and Melbourne, along with Adelaide and Brisbane.

Updated

With that, I shall hand you over to the fantastic Royce Kurmelovs. See you next week!

The wonderful Anne Davies has written more about the Liberal party takeover here:

Updated

Morrison takes control of NSW Liberal party branch

The federal Liberal party has released a statement confirming it will temporarily dissolve the New South Wales party branch and appoint its own committee to take over.

This committee will comprise Scott Morrison, the former federal Liberal president Christine McDiven and the NSW premier Dominic Perrottet. They gain control immediately and will remain in charge until 8 March.

The intervention ground is based on the circumstances that decisions have not been made in relation to the endorsement of three incumbent Liberal members of parliament as Liberal candidates to recontest their seats in the electorates of Farrer, North Sydney and Mitchell.

Here is the full statement:

Updated

In Ocean Shores, not far from Mullumbimby, Rosie Wild has lost everything.

She tells the Guardian:

Every single room is just totally flood-impacted. All of my furniture is gone. All of my white goods, everything.

So the last three days, we’ve managed to get back in, and I’ve just had a team of people clearing the house. And I don’t know what to do about the walls or about the wooden floor, I’m not sure whether it’s going to dry, or not going to dry.

Wild, like many in the area, is keeping busy with practical work: cleaning up the house, helping others, organising inspections.

But in the evenings, her mind wanders.

It’s all a bit devastating and personally, in the days, I’m just being strong, and just going and doing what I need to do and trying to be practical and get everything done.

But in the evenings, it just dawns on you. It’s such a loss.

The $1,000 disaster payment, she says, is laughably insufficient, given the scale of the damage.

At the end of the day, it’s very, very disappointing. After I’d done my entire cleanup, I went back to my partner’s house, and worked out that all I was going to get is $1,000 ... I’ll probably have to out and get another loan.

The coordination of the response has also been lacking, she says, leaving locals to rely on one another.

The amount of care and community support has been absolutely incredible.

Updated

Mullumbimby flood update

Locals in the town of Mullumbimby in northern New South Wales are organising makeshift rescue teams after serious rain damage cut off roads to nearby hinterland residents.

Pictures have emerged illustrating the extent to which the weather has damaged roads, upturned vehicles and left the Mullumbimby area in a state of ruin.

On Friday morning, scores of locals gathered at the civic centre to volunteer their time and donate food.

Volunteers are linking up people with similar skills, and are consulting whiteboards with a long list of properties where residents require help.

While there is frustration among locals about government assistance, emergency services have also set up in town and are conducting operations.

The town has been without internet for days, and is largely cash reliant and short of other supplies.

In addition to being one of the few wifi access points in town, the civic centre can be used by displaced locals to find crisis accommodation. There is also free food.

Updated

ACT has recorded 794 new Covid infections

Updated

A fire has broken out in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant located in Zaporizhzhya, according to an announcement from plant employees and the mayor of the nearby town of Enerhodar.

“As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is on fire,” the Enerhodar mayor Dmytro Orlov said on his Telegram channel, citing what he called a threat to world security. He did not give details, Reuters reports.

Orlov recorded a short video message that has now been shared by multiple local Ukrainian media outlets, urging Russian troops to immediately stop shelling the plant.

The official earlier said Ukrainian forces were battling Russian troops on the city’s outskirts and reported that a Russian military column was heading toward the nuclear plant. Loud shots and rocket fire were heard late on Thursday.

I’ll bring you any Australian reactions to this news, but you can follow the Guardian’s Ukraine conflict live blog below for all the breaking news updates.

Updated

Palaszczuk: 'let's face it, it's climate change'

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the flood crisis in south-east Queensland and in New South Wales was “unprecedented”.

Let’s face it, it is climate change. I have never seen so many natural disasters. We seem to be dealing with more and more. More cyclones, more floods. A couple of years ago – the commissioner and I were talking the other day – we had the catastrophic fire event in central Queensland – Queensland had never seen catastrophic before.

But we are a great state, a resilient state. I tell you what, one thing is that people of this state inspire me every day – to see how they are getting up and getting on with things, you know, it’s, it is actually outstanding.

Updated

A little bit more information on that Japanese encephalitis case.

It brings the reported number of cases of the virus in humans in Australia to nine, after it was first reported in Victoria this week.

Health minister Yvette D’ath said the confirmed case is in a person who works at a piggery in Goondiwindi.

D’ath said:

The confirmed case had recently travelled in regional southern Queensland and is currently being treated in a Brisbane hospital.

This virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, to people and animals. In animals, it mostly occurs in pigs and horses. Clinicians and hospitals have been asked to be alert to the possibility of the Japanese encephalitis ... Most human infections of this virus present with no symptoms or mild symptoms, such as a headache or fever.

However, a person with severe disease may present with inflammation of the brain, characterised by sudden onset of vomiting, high fever and chills, severe headaches, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness and nausea, vomiting. Children aged under five years of age and older people who are infected with this virus are at higher risk of developing more severe illness.

Updated

Queensland’s deputy premier Steven Miles said the state has asked the federal government to contribute 50% of the funding for a $559m small business support package, which will provide targeted support to flood-affected areas.

The package will provide grants of up to $50,000, including a $15,000 upfront payment, and Miles said up to 6,100 organisations may be eligible.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote to prime minister Scott Morrison on Thursday night asking for him to endorse the package.

At the moment, it’s open to primary producers and sporting and community organisations.

Miles said:

We have allocated $257m in business support. We know businesses and organisations out there affected by this disaster are struggling and we want them to know that we will be there to support them and to support them quickly. To give them some sense of scale, this is the biggest business support package post-disaster since 2011. So it is a very significant investment.

He added:

Once the commonwealth has approved this category D package, we will be able to outline how small businesses and organisations can apply for the grants, and of course we will be there to assist them.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology says the severe storms will be replaced by ordinary thunderstorms over the next few days, but that water is still falling on sodden catchments so there is a chance of further flash flooding.

A spokesperson for the bureau told the Queensland press conference:

Although there is a possibility of some severe storms today, they don’t need to be severe for us to see impact across the south-east. If we do see any severe storms, the predominate factor in the severity today is the heavier rainfall and damaging winds. We saw some hail yesterday in severe storms but that risk has reduced today and we are now focusing more on damaging wins and the possibility of heavy rainfall.

The Brisbane River peaked at 9.1 metres on Thursday night and waters are expected to ease.

And because Queensland likes to keep things interesting, there’s also a heatwave in the north. That will affect towns from Mackay to Cairns. The maximum temperature record for March was broken in Emerald yesterday, with 42.1C, and Mackay airport recorded 34.7C.

Updated

One other person remains missing in Queensland.

Queensland floods death toll rises to 10

The death toll from the Queensland floods has risen to 10, after the body of a 53-year-old man was found under a wharf in the Port of Brisbane last night.

The man was reported missing on Monday.

Updated

Queensland has also recorded a case of Japanese encephalitis.

About $2m in disaster support payments has been issued to people affected by floods already in Queensland, with more support to come, Palaszczuk said.

That $2m has been paid out to 5,403 applicants. There have been 19,000 applications in total.

Damage assessments are still under way. Some 140 schools have been impacted, 64 of which are government schools. There are still 16,000 homes without power – there were 180,000 without power at the height of the crisis.

There are 260 people from the Australian Defence Force deployed to help with the flood response at Gympie, Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley, and another 142 people will join them tomorrow.

Updated

Palaszczuk has apologised to Queensland parents for the warning she issued yesterday, asking people collect their children from school if it was safe to do so.

That was off the back of advice from emergency and weather services, but the storm was not quite as damaging as forecast.

Can I say from the outset, can I say to all of the parents in the south-east, that I apologise for the inconvenience but I think everybody would realise, if you were in my shoes and you are given the advice that was given to us yesterday, I think everyone would have taken exactly the same decision.

But I do acknowledge there has been some inconvenience today for parents. But safety has to come first. At the end of the day, you can only act on the advice you are given and that advice given to me and to the senior management staff was that it was going to be very, very severe thunderstorms and hail yesterday. Thankfully that did not eventuate.

Updated

Queensland reports overnight flood death

In sadder news, another person has died in the flood waters in Queensland overnight.

This takes the state’s toll from the disaster to 10.

Palaszczuk said there were also two water rescues overnight.

Updated

The Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is giving an update on the flood situation in Queensland now.

The severe storm warnings have been cancelled and Palaszczuk says conditions are “easing, especially along coastal areas”, which means cleanup and recovery efforts can begin at first light tomorrow.

Updated

Looks like we are about to hear from the Queensland premier, who is stepping up for a press conference after meeting with the state’s disaster management committee.

Updated

Federal health minister Greg Hunt has posted about the passing of cricketing legend Rod Marsh.

Updated

Labor senator Murray Watt has some harsh words for the head of the federal government’s recovery agency, Shane Stone, who has come under fire for telling the Sydney Morning Herald:

“You’ve got people who want to live among the gum trees – what do you think is going to happen? Their house falls in the river and they say it’s the government’s fault.”

Watt has posted on Twitter calling for Stone’s resignation, calling him “Scott Morrison’s mate & hand-picked disaster tsar”.

Updated

Here is a cleanup update from the Brisbane lord mayor, showing ADF troops that have been deployed to the area.

Updated

Tasmania records 937 new Covid cases

Tasmania has recorded 937 new Covid-19 infections and an increase in the number active cases, AAP reports.

Friday’s daily figure is a drop from the 1,117 infections recorded on Thursday, which was the first time the number had been four digits since 19 January.

The state has 5,432 active cases, an increase from the 5,411 documented 24 hours earlier.

Fourteen people with the virus are in hospital, with 10 of those being treated for Covid-19.

Four patients are in intensive case, an increase of one.

Tasmania has recorded 25 virus deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, with 12 of those occurring since borders reopened on 15 December.

Updated

Marsh, who played 96 Tests for Australia between 1970 and 1984 and was regarded as one of the country’s greatest players, died in Adelaide on Friday.

Morrison is on the mend according the 7 News.

Cricket great Rod Marsh dies, aged 74

Australian cricket legend Rod Marsh has died, aged 74.

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the former wicket-keeper suffered a major heart attack last Thursday in Bundaberg.

I will bring you more information shortly.

Here are the latest figures on the scale of the Warragamba Dam spill, which contributed to the flooding of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River on Sydney’s western and northern fringe.

The government says the peak flow over the dam wall was 315 gigalitres a day, and that came at 3am on Thursday morning – or about 24 hours after the city’s biggest dam started spilling.

As of this morning, the flow rate was down to a rate of 128GL a day. Rainfall over the catchment also eased back and the inflows into the dam had dropped to 92GL a day.

Most Sydney dams are still spilling (except Prospect, Fitzroy Falls and Wingecarribee) but all rates of spill are receding.

As per yesterday, the city’s dams had just 2.5GL or so of “air space” ... which means they’re about as full as you can get.

Updated

NSW SES commissioner Carlene York says her teams received 700 calls for assistance overnight and conducted 13 flood rescues:

We are starting – have started yesterday in relation to doing our damage assessments and trying to get residents back into their homes and businesses back in so they can start cleaning up.

There’s an additional 600 resources that have been sent up through police and emergency services to work with the existing large number of local resources helping the communities already. In addition, there are 280 ADF Australian defence force personnel pre-positioned and going into communities to assist them with the clean-up.

There’s a lot of support, work, going up there as well as the local units part of the community, represent the community and are out there helping them clean up. So, again, based on the forecast from the bureau, we’re not passed the danger period yet.

The rivers are very high, fast flowing, there’s a lot of debris and it’s dangerous out there. These thunderstorms and isolated heavy showers create an additional risk to the community.

Updated

Dean Narramore:

Further north around the northern rivers, we’ve seen water levels drop to minor at Lismore and slowly for Ballina but a lot of water through the river systems there. Moderate to major flooding will continue today and ease tomorrow. We could see showers and isolated thunderstorms up there, but they will be hit and miss, thankfully. Most areas should be dry but be aware this afternoon for the possibility of severe thunderstorms up in the northern rivers this afternoon and this evening.

As we move through today, showers also continue from the Illawarra to the Hunter. They will be brief and isolated but with brief bursts of rainfall that’s heavy. The next system tomorrow will move in. We will see showers and thunderstorms through the Riverina, into the tablelands, Canberra and the south coast Saturday.

There will be showers and thunderstorms. We have a few minor flood warnings on the Bega River. The shower and thunderstorm activity is likely to be widespread Sunday and include the Illawarra, the Central Coast, into the Hunter. There could be widespread areas of rain associated with this, particularly some guidance is hinting to another low-pressure system along the New South Wales coast Sunday to Monday.

Here in New South Wales, the low-pressure systems are dynamic, so where other areas of heavy rainfall will fall, we won’t know yet but we are looking at widespread showers and thunderstorms across eastern Australia, from the mid-north coast all the way down to the Victorian border and inland on Sunday and Monday.

Updated

Let’s jump over to the NSW Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore to get an update on the flooding situation across the state:

As we mentioned yesterday, the focus on the heavy rain was around the Hunter region last night and early this morning. Rain has eased through there, but we saw widespread 50mm to 100mm, with some isolated totals near 200mm around the Barrington Tops.

Because of the rainfall we had moderate to major flooding on rivers across the Hunter. The Paterson Williams River is in moderate flood and we could see major flooding on the Gloucester River late this morning into the early afternoon. We could see moderate flooding at towns of Wingman and Taree.

Further south, through the Hawkesbury and Napean catchment, we’ve seen the rivers on the Nepean River slowly fall overnight but there’s still moderate flooding at many locations. On the Hawkesbury River, we’re experiencing major flooding on North Richmond and it looks like the water peaked around Windsor just below the major flood level.

There’s a lot of water in the catchments. It will take a while to slowly fall, particularly with showers continuing through today and tomorrow.

Updated

Queensland reports Japanese encephalitis case

Queensland has announced its first human case of Japanese encephalitis virus, as health officials investigate dozens of other potential cases across Australia, AAP’s Emily Woods reports.

On Thursday night, Queensland Health confirmed the infected person is being treated in a Brisbane hospital and had travelled to regional southern Queensland.

Overall, there are 16 cases of encephalitis “of unknown cause” under investigation across NSW, Victoria and South Australia, a federal Department of Health spokesperson said.

The news comes after Victorian health authorities confirmed four suspected cases of JEV, believed to be the first in southern Australia, connected to a piggery near Echuca in the state’s north. All four were admitted to hospital and one has since been discharged.

Federal, state and territory authorities are meeting regularly to discuss next steps as the disease continues to spread.

This week health warnings were issued in several states after the disease was found in one piggery in Victoria’s north, six piggeries in NSW and one in Queensland.

Japanese encephalitis virus spreads through mosquito bites and people in regional areas who are in contact with pigs may be at particular risk.

Two vaccinations are available for protection against JEV in Australia, with older people and those aged under five at a higher risk of developing a serious illness.

The disease is not transmitted from person to person and cannot be caught by eating pork or pig products.

Anyone who works with pigs or horses, even if they’re backyard pets, is urged to keep an eye out and report any possible signs of the disease.

People living in high mosquito areas encouraged to use repellent containing picaridin or DEET and to cover up with loose-fitting clothing.

Updated

The Greens are calling for disaster payments to be doubled in the wake of the devastating NSW and Queensland floods.

Updated

Scott Morrison met virtually with the other Quad leaders overnight to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

It seems the main thing to come out of that is Australia restating its disapproval of Vladimir Putin’s actions.

Here is the prime minister’s full statement:

Updated

NSW records two Covid deaths and 9,466 new infections

Victoria records 26 Covid deaths and 6,545 new cases

Victoria’s Covid death toll is once again in double digits today, with 26 Covid-19 positive people dying in the last 24 hours.

Updated

Just in case you were wondering how the beaches on the NSW south coast were faring after all this wild weather:

Beach foam covering a holiday park at Potato Point on the south coast of New South Wales
Beach foam covering a holiday park at Potato Point. Photograph: Helen Clarke

Updated

The last thing Krystle Henry and Matt Bridges thought they would be dealing with in the hours before the birth of their son was a complex logistical problem caused by catastrophic flooding across the state of Queensland.

Roughly 24 hours before a scheduled caesarean at Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ hospital, the family woke up on Monday to find themselves cut off by flood waters.

Though their two-year-old daughter had been thrilled at the unfolding crisis, Bridges said the water came as a shock:

The floods really snuck up on us. There was heavy rain on Saturday night, then we went to get coffee – our last as a family of three – on Sunday morning. We went to the bottom of the road and it was cut off. On both ends.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

Mehdi is free.

After nearly nine years in Australia’s immigration detention system, Mehdi Ali has flown out of the country to be resettled in the US.

Mehdi – who this year became the public face of, and a powerful advocate for, the refugees and asylum seekers detained in Melbourne’s Park Hotel – arrived in Australia as a 15-year-old seeking sanctuary.

A member of Iran’s routinely persecuted Ahwazi Arab minority, he was sent to Australia by his family, arriving by boat with his cousin, then 16-year-old Adnan Choopani, in 2013.

Mehdi was sent to Australia’s detention centre on Nauru, an experience that was, in his words, “a complete trauma”. He watched, helpless to intercede, as a fellow refugee burnt himself to death, he was beaten by guards employed to protect him; and jailed without charge. The school he went to, the one light in a dark existence, was suddenly shuttered.

You can read the full story below:

Updated

The commonwealth is working with Queensland to deliver further support to flood-affected areas, asking the state government for a list of projects where funding is required to rebuild, reports AAP.

It comes as the federal government announced a joint $435m support package with NSW on Thursday, with a second package in the works.

The package includes grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers and up to $50,000 for small businesses and not-for-profit organisations.

Large parts of Queensland and NSW remain underwater after heavy rain and flash flooding over the preceding days.

South-east Queensland is on alert for life-threatening floods from dangerous thunderstorms after deluges killed nine people and damaged more than 17,000 properties in the state.

In NSW, greater Sydney, the Central Coast, south coast and the Hunter region also remain on alert for more flooding.

The clean-up continues on the state’s north coast in cities including Lismore, which was hit by the region’s worst floods on record.

Shortages of critical supplies like food, fuel and fresh water also remain.

Supply chain problems caused by rising water blocking critical road and rail links led to Scott Morrison convening a roundtable with key ministers and officials on Thursday.

Defence chief Angus Campbell, emergency management minister Bridget McKenzie and disaster assistance coordinator Joe Buffone attended.

Since the flooding disaster, $62.7m in disaster recovery payments have been provided in response to 52,000 claims lodged with the federal government.

Updated

Resilience NSW commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has told ABC radio that flooding across the state was worst than predicted:

Unprecedented levels [of flooding] experienced up in northern NSW, flood levels that came in well above what was forecasted … And at the same time we’ve still got serious flooding concerns in Hawkesbury and Nepean ...

We’ve also formed up a significant taskforce, comprising of firefighters … the Australian defence force. So working shoulder to shoulder with business owners, with property owners, homeowners ...

In the last few months, we’ve had more than 70 LGAs … in NSW, declare natural disasters because of storms and floods.

Updated

A harsh sun shines down across the still partially flooded Lismore, spreading the smell of mud and sewage in the humid air, as Mark Bailey holds an album of vintage East German stamps that is dripping brown.

“Everything in there’s fucked,” he says as he hurls it on to a pile of ruined goods and furniture he had been amassing at the front of his store, just like many other shop owners along Molesworth Street in the centre of town.

While each pile looks a similar shade of brown, the muddied faces of Queen Elizabeth, Karl Marx, Michael Jordan and gold prospector Edward Hargraves on loose stamps, faded banknotes and sports cards are visible up close.

Bailey believes the collectibles in his pile are worth about $5m, at least they were, before flood waters rose above the ceiling of The Penny Man – the shop he manages as a partner – this week. Now, he will throw everything out, save for some antique items he believes he can salvage.

You can read the full report below:

Updated

Iranian refugee freed after nine years in immigration detention

Mehdi Ali, an Iranian man who was held in Australian immigration detention for nine years despite being found to be a genuine refugee by law, has been freed and is able to move to the US.

Ali’s story become widely known after tennis star Novak Djokovic was placed in the same Melbourne hotel-turned-detention centre after arriving in Australia without the proper vaccination exemptions.

Ali announced the news via his Twitter last night.

Tonight I am free and leaving Australia to start my life in the United States of America.

But I won’t be happy until all my friends are get released from detention. It’s not freedom until we are all free. Thank you all for your support.

Updated

The NSW government’s response to the unprecedented flooding on the north coast has come under fire from Greens and Labor MPs.

Greens MP Tamara Smith is dismayed by the lack of coordination among government relief agencies, relying on a local armada of as many as 150 private boats to rescue stranded people and deliver supplies five days after rivers broke their banks:

The anger is palpable. It’s like, what’s the use of governments if they can’t support people at these pointy moments?

Evening conference calls with emergency services have left locals “absolutely frustrated”, Smith says. Concerns ranged from empty shops to a helicopter being used to deliver medicine to a single person because other needs weren’t known or catered for.

Ballina shire has just 18 SES volunteers for 32,000 people.

Once you go out into the hills, you’re basically cut off, you’ve got nobody there.

Lismore, a flood-prone town that beat its previous record flood by 2m, is struggling to find homes for evacuees. About 800 people have been temporarily located at the local campus of Southern Cross University, according to Labor MP Janelle Saffin.

The Greens have called for a permanent rapid response team to be set up to respond to disasters, a proposal Saffin supports in light of the difficulties she is seeing on the ground:

We need rapid response. And also, if things can’t be done, we need to tell people and tell them why.

During the height of the crisis, Saffin had to swim from the house she was staying at, while her husband also had a narrow escape:

There was no one to rescue him but ended up getting into a private boat just before he drowned.

The big flood threat to Sydney and its surrounds has only complicated efforts. Challenges for many people include obtaining food and the fuel needed to secure essential supplies.

Both Ampol and BP blamed access problems rather than a supply shortage.

Flooding and road closures were making it difficult to reach retail outlets, both companies said, with a number of service stations forced to close.

Ampol shut five retail stores across the northern regions and north coast, including both its stores in Lismore, adding a “number of our employees have been directly impacted”.

It said it was working directly with emergency services to maintain adequate supplies.

BP said it was “working closely with partners and local authorities to navigate the impacts of the weather”.

Ballina mayor Sharon Cadwallader said emergency services in her area had managed to secure an emergency fuel from one local service station. The outlets that did have fuel were unable to use cards and the stations were out of cash.

“I’m not aware that we’ve had any fuel supply whatsoever,” she told Guardian Australia, adding that food was running low, including in evacuation centres.

We managed to get a canoe to get some food supplies out of one of the charities that wasn’t affected – well, it was affected, but a lot of product wasn’t. So that was good.

The industry peak group, the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association, described the damage to outlets as “unprecedented” . Chief executive Mark McKenzie told the ABC:

There are service stations where the water is basically to the top of the canopy. It’s going to be some time in those areas before we can get fuel flowing again.

Guardian Australia contacted the NSW premier Dominic Perrottet’s office and Resilience NSW for a response.

Updated

Good morning

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Friday. We’ve nearly done it!

It’s Matilda Boseley here but first up we actually have special guest Peter Hannam to bring you the latest flood updates:

Almost 400,000 people in NSW remain under evacuation warnings or orders on Friday morning as rain starts to dissipate but rivers in some areas remain at major flood levels.

Almost 94,000 people are covered by 69 evacuation orders with a further 287,000 residing in areas where evacuation warnings are in place, an NSW SES spokesperson said.

The latest of these is an evacuation order for low-lying parts of Gloucester, where officials say rising flood water could soon impact homes.

The SES has lifted a dozen evacuation orders, allowing 18,633 people to return to their homes.

The Hawkesbury-Nepean River on Sydney’s north and western fringe “is still a major concern”, the spokesperson said.

As of Friday morning, major flooding was still happening at North Richmond.

At Windsor, the river level remained just below major flooding levels.

The outlook, while improving in the near term, includes more rain over flood-hit areas of eastern Australia, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Up north of the border, a number of schools in Queensland’s south-east will remain shut on Friday as the area braces for more severe thunderstorms and torrential rain.

Totals of between 20mm and 80mm are expected as a trough lingers over the south-east, with high-intensity rainfall and totals of 150mm or greater expected in isolated areas.

The bureau has predicted flash flooding and minor to major flooding across areas in the south-east, stretching from Brisbane’s north to Bundaberg.

With all that in mind, why don’t we jump right into the day.

Updated

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