The Loop: Echuca residents prepare for second flood peak, Medicare fraud claims, and *that* photo of Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez

Hi there. It's Monday, October 17, and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.

Let's start with the flooding in Victoria

Thousands of people have been displaced by floodwaters across Victoria as they move downstream and the clean-up begins. 

Here are some of the developments from today:

• Conditions in Echuca and Shepparton appear to have stabilised, but thousands of properties in the area remain at risk
• Echuca residents are bracing for a second flood peak on Wednesday, where residents are working to create a higher levee to protect the town's centre
• In Rochester, around 85 per cent of properties have been flooded according to early estimates, but a clearer picture will form as flood water from the Campaspe River begins to recede
• There are current evacuation orders in place for Bunbartha and Charlton
• The extent of damage to Victoria's roads is also slowly being revealed as floodwaters recede, with Premier Daniel Andrews committing to spend $165 million on fixing the worst-affected roads

If you need emergency assistance, contact the SES on 132 500, and keep up-to-date with the latest Victorian evacuation orders here.

We heard about reports of Medicare fraud

Here's the lowdown:

• A joint investigation by the ABC's 7.30 program, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has found flaws in Medicare's systems that make it easy to rort and almost impossible to detect fraud, incorrect payments and errors
• It's estimated the leakage represents around 30 per cent of Medicare's annual budget, or about $8 billion a year, according to Medicare expert Margaret Faux
• The federal government has labelled the investigation as "troubling", and has ordered a report from the Health Department to get to the bottom of the issue
• But the AMA has described the reports as an "unjustified slur" on doctors, and was "an undeserved attack on the whole profession" that was based on "anecdotes and individual cases"
• The Department of Health and Aged Care says it has a strong compliance program to ensure the integrity of Medicare, and takes any allegations of non-compliance seriously

News you might have missed

• The Star's licence to operate its Sydney casino will be suspended from 9am AEDT this Friday and has been fined $100 million in response to a damning inquiry into the casino's operations. The venue will remain operational

• Hillsong has denied claims in court that it intentionally deceived the Australian charities regulator about its financial records. The megachurch is being sued in a Fair Work case by Natalie Moses, who alleges she was unfairly suspended from her role in the finance department after she complained about financial misconduct and questionable expenditures inside Hillsong

What Australia has been searching for online

• Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber. The pair have put rumours of a feud behind them after photographer Tyrell Hampton captured a photo of them at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. (If you're out of the loop, Hailey married Justin Bieber in 2018, months after he split from Selena, his longtime on-again, off-again girlfriend.)

One more thing: Look at these sheep

Ever heard of Babydoll Southdown sheep? Well, ewe heard it here first.

These unique sheep have beards and boots with the fur — or ugg boots, if you're not about Flo Rida.

They're becoming highly sought after for hobby farms because they make great lawn mowers (plus, why wouldn't you want a flock of sheep that looks like this roaming around your property?).

You're up to date

We'll be back with more tomorrow.

ABC/wires