What we learned this Friday 23 May
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening.
The vote count in Bradfield continues to be on a knife edge and is expected to be completed very soon – keen an eye out for our upcoming story when the final result lands.
Here’s what else we learnt today:
Five people have died and more than 700 people have been rescued as heavy flooding continues to swamp areas of the Hunter Valley and mid-north coast of New South Wales.
Heavy rain is expected to gradually ease in NSW but the risk of flooding continues as water continues to make its way into the river system.
The reconciliation between the Liberals and the Nationals appears on track after opposition leader Sussan Ley held further party room talks on Friday.
Former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has added pressure on Nationals leader David Littleproud, confirming he held talks with Ley on Thursday.
An Indigenous traditional owner has launched legal action to force the new environment minister, Murray Watt, to consider protecting ancient rock art before he makes a decision on a major gas development.
The chair of Creative Australia, Robert Morgan, is retiring from his position on the board, arts minister Tony Burke has announced.
Elon Musk’s Starlink has been put on notice by the Australian communications watchdog after complaints about its record keeping.
Transport authorities have urged festivalgoers in Sydney to avoid the opening of Vivid on Friday night, as heavy rainfall across the city causes widespread chaos
The former foster mother of missing toddler William Tyrrell has had a conviction over the intimidation and assault of another child overturned.
Thanks for your company today. Look after yourselves!
Updated
Man missing in floods since Wednesday found alive
A 49-year-old man missing in the flooding near Nymboida has been found after a two-day search.
Police began searching for the man on Wednesday night after they received a report that he had failed to return home after walking near a flooded roadway at Nymboida, about 40km south of Grafton, NSW police said in a statement.
A crew comprised of police officers, SES, RFS and Fire Rescue services searched the area that night but were unable to located him. They resumed searching in daylight hours yesterday and today.
The man was located shortly after 5pm at a property at Kangaroo Creek, about 12km from where he had been last seen, after reports members of the community had found him.
He is reported to be in good spirits.
Updated
Fifth death confirmed amid NSW floods
A fifth person has been found dead in flood-affected areas of NSW, police have confirmed.
In a statement just now, NSW police said:
About 12pm on Wednesday 21 May 2025, a concern for welfare was raised for a man after he was unable to be contacted for several days, and a shed was reportedly alight at a Cooplacurripa property, about 50km north-west of Taree.
Emergency services were unable to access the property by road due to flooding and landslides.
Due to severe weather conditions in the area, air crews were unable to access the property until earlier today (Friday 23 May 2025).
Police Rescue officers aboard a NSW RFS helicopter attended about 1pm and commenced a search of the property with officers locating a body in a burnt-out vehicle inside the shed. Specialist forensic officers will attend and examine the scene.
While yet to be formally identified, the body is believed to be that of the occupant aged in his 80s.
Police attached to Manning/Great Lakes police district have commenced an investigation into the man’s death and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.
Updated
Disaster season’s now all year long, insurance council says
Hall claims insurers have changed their processes so that victims of disasters do not have to wait for extremely long times just for temporary accomodation, assessment or repair.
Insurers, Hall says, now recognise that disaster season goes all year:
Nowadays for the insurance sector, we have to have a workforce that is operating across the 12 months. It’s no longer just a case that we have a workforce over the summer holiday period when we usually have these events. We’re now seeing a disaster season really stretched throughout the year, and insurers have had to rebuild their workforces to be able to cope with that.
He says the biggest problem that Australia needs to address, though, is preventing homes from flooding in the first place:
People should not be living in areas where they have two or three metres of dirty, muddy water go through their property every four or five years. We’ve really got to address this problem in this country.
I think we’ve got to look at towns like Taree, Kempsey and the like and work out how do we finish off the flood defences for those communities so that these homes don’t flood in the first place?
Updated
Flood victims advised not to delay clean-ups
Hall says that as of this afternoon, about 1,600 claims have been reported to the council, but its expects that with tens of thousands of people evacuated and a lot of communities cut off from communication, that will go up.
People often return to their properties, realise there is damage and then start contacting their insurance companies to lodge a claim, Hall says.
As soon as we’re aware that you may have a claim, we can start getting assessors lined up to be able to get out to your property.
Hall advises people not to wait for the insurance assessors to clear out waterlogged furniture, as getting it out quickly will help to prevent mould, but to document everything with photos:
I think the other key message that we’ve got for people is that when you get back to your property, you do not need to wait for an assessor to start cleaning out. If you’ve got the all clear from the SES and authorities to go back into your property, and you’ve got waterlogged and damaged furniture and the like, if it’s waterlogged and damaged, get it out of the house. Because the sooner you can get it out, the sooner you can fight off things like mould.
All we ask for people to do is use your phone to take photos of everything that you’ll be making a claim on.
Updated
Insurance council declares ‘significant’ flood event
Andrew Hall, the chief executive of the Insurance Council of Australia, has been speaking to the ABC about the NSW floods.
The Insurance Council has declared a “significant event” in for the mid-north coast and Hunter regions – one level below “catastrophe” – which means, he says, that:
We’re collecting data from across the industry to track where the claims are coming from, where the problems are. It means that we’re activating insurance teams so that there are people already on the ground. And then as we get into next week, we’ll be looking to open up insurance hubs in some of those affected communities so that people can come in and speak to someone face-to-face.
Updated
Tacoma South residents urged to seek higher ground
The NSW SES is advising people in low-lying areas of Tacoma South on the Central Coast to move to higher ground due to hazardous major flooding in South Tacoma Road, Kingsland Close and Raymond Street.
The NSW SES is advising people in the following area(s) to MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND due to hazardous major flooding:
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 23, 2025
- South Tacoma Road
- Kingsland Close
- Raymond Street
EMERGENCY WARNING
Next update: Saturday 24 May 5:30 pm
Find out more: https://t.co/8EFXYPDWWL pic.twitter.com/N58xMbPu3x
They are also advising people in the following areas of Chittaway Point to move to higher ground due to major flooding:
Low-lying areas along Geoffrey Rd, Royle St, Henery St and Hyles St
Low-lying areas around the Ourimbah Creek, Chittaway Bay
Updated
Bradfield lead drops to four votes
Yes I am going to continue to give you a blow-by-blow account here: Gisele Kapterian’s lead on Nicolette Boele in Bradfield is now down to four votes.
Updated
Taree hospital advises near-term pregnant women to have back-up birth plan
Manning hospital in Taree remains open and operational amid the floods on the NSW mid-north coast but the staff have advised women who are nearly full term in their pregnancy to ensure they have alternative plans in place if needed.
The health service functional area coordinator for the Hunter New England local health district, Elizabeth Grist, said pregnant women and families should call the maternity unit at the hospital if they had concerns, or triple zero in an emergency:
We also have midwives on call in all isolated areas to assist NSW Ambulance if required.
We continue to use and leverage virtual health to deliver clinical appointments, welfare checks and follow-ups for those unable to attend the hospital.
We continue to contact patients and thank them for their understanding as we reschedule appointments and planned surgeries over the next couple of days.
Updated
Liberal pulls six votes into Bradfield lead
And the lead has shifted in Bradfield: Liberal Gisele Kapterian is now six votes ahead of independent Nicolette Boele.
Updated
If you want to quickly catch up on all today’s news, the Afternoon Update is a great place to do that:
High winds set to buffet south-east Australia on Sunday and Monday
On Sunday, a strong, windy and wintry cold front is expected to cross south-east Australia.
Miriam Bradbury, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said a strong cold front coming up across the Great Australian Bight would push towards South Australia on Sunday.
She said:
It will be a very windy night for the likes of Melbourne and Adelaide as this front approaches and moves through the day.
On Monday, the cold front will push across Victoria and Tasmania towards the New South Wales coast with very strong westerly and then southerly winds pulling up behind the cold front.
Large waves and abnormally high tides were expected for South Australia and parts of Victoria and Tasmania in the wake of the system.
Fallen trees and tree branches are likely, along with power outages and property damage, Bradbury said.
Updated
Public urged to avoid Vivid Sydney opening tonight amid downpours
Transport authorities have urged festivalgoers in Sydney to avoid the opening of Vivid on Friday night, as heavy rainfall across the city causes widespread chaos on roads and railways.
Flash flooding closed sections of the Airport and South line and the Central Coast line, and there were widespread delays and disruptions on other heavy rail lines across the city.
The intense rainfalls also saw Lewisham station shut so water could be pumped out of the station.
Services on the Airport and South line have since resumed but “residual delays” were expected to continue across the majority of Sydney’s train network for the rest of Friday.
Meanwhile, there were major road closures across Sydney, while almost all ferry services were affected by the weather, including flooding on the Parramatta River.
As a result of the chaos, Transport for New South Wales was on Friday afternoon warning Sydneysiders to reconsider their need to travel – including for the opening night of the Vivid light festival.
Transport for NSW coordinator general Howard Collins said:
If you can come early next week instead, please consider doing that.
You won’t get to see it all in one night – plan your Vivid Sydney experience over a few nights.
Updated
Bradfield race tied
The margin in Bradfield is now zero (0). It is officially, at this moment, a tie between Liberal Gisele Kapterian and independent Nicolette Boelle.
Updated
More than 1,600 flood insurance claims already lodged
Insurers have received more than 1,600 claims in relation to severe flooding affecting the mid-north coast and Hunter regions of NSW, with more expected to come through over the weekend, the Insurance Council of Australia said.
The council’s chief executive, Andrew Hall, said:
We acknowledge the tragic loss of life and the ongoing impact this event is having on the affected communities. We know that for some this is the second or third flood event in the last few years.
We strongly encourage anyone in the impacted areas to listen to emergency services, take shelter where it is safe to do so and to not put themselves or others at risk. Once safe, please contact your insurer as soon as practicable to let them know you have any loss or damage.
On Wednesday 21 May, the council declared a “significant event”, activating disaster response capabilities. Insurers already have people stationed in communities where it is safe to do so, and more claims staff will be activated once teams can access the flood-affected areas.
Updated
Fiji piña colada poisoning victim says she’s spent ‘four months trying to recover’
Fiji’s government is conducting a fresh probe into a piña colada poisoning incident after an Australian victim revealed their distressing experience, AAP reports.
Seven people, including four Australians, fell ill after consuming drinks at the five-star Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast in December.
Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka said a toxicology report showed there were “no illicit substances or methanol” involved.
One of the victims disputes this, saying she was violently shaking after “two sips” of an odd-tasting piña colada. She fell unconscious and spent three days in a coma in a Fiji hospital before a medevac flight and another six days in an Australian intensive care unit.
She told the ABC:
I’ve spent the last four months trying to recover, seeing lots of specialists, heart specialists, neurologists, blood specialists, trying to recover.
She said she was considering legal action against the hotel, which she said had not apologised despite the “traumatising” incident.
Following the interview, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka conceded the initial testing may have been wrong, telling the ABC:
My first reaction, and probably the most logical response from me as prime minister, is that I have not been told the whole truth.
I would like all government agencies to cooperate if it’s more than just a case of probable poisoning, accidental or intentional ... it will affect Fiji as a tourist destination.
And if anybody is culpable in neglect or culpable in their deliberate attempt to harm people, they will be brought to justice.
Updated
South-west Sydney evacuation warning issued
The NSW State Emergency Service is now advising people in an area of south-west Sydney to prepare to evacuate due to minor flooding.
The affected areas are Rickard Rd, Riverside Rd and Arthur St in Chipping Norton.
The NSW SES advises people in the following area(s) to PREPARE TO EVACUATE due to current minor flooding:
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 23, 2025
- Rickard Road
- Riverside Road
- Arthur Street
WATCH AND ACT
Next update: Saturday 24 May 5:00 pm
Find out more: https://t.co/wN3AoO4KrB pic.twitter.com/tq8BuMIG6N
Updated
Ley praises NSW flood responders amid ‘increasing frequency of these events’
Opposition leader Sussan Ley hasn’t formally updated us on today’s party room meeting, but she has sent around a statement about the NSW floods.
Ley was briefed on the crisis by the emergency management agency in Canberra today, she said, continuing:
Like all Australians, I am deeply saddened at the loss of life and widespread destruction from the flooding across New South Wales. The scale of the disaster is distressing, with lives and livelihoods already lost. Homes, small businesses and farms have been inundated.
The professionalism and dedication of our emergency services personnel, as well as thousands of volunteers, is embodied in their rescue of Australians from roofs and in the steady thrum of dinghies giving safe passage to the vulnerable.
I am also proud of the efforts of the Australian defence force, Australian public service and New South Wales public service. These committed public servants are working overtime to support our frontline responders, and ensuring timely support to those in need.
We are all proud of these great Australians and it is right that their service is recognised.
In a reminder of the cruelty of our country’s climate, these floods come as many Victorian communities are enduring a devastating drought.
The Australian people are tough. As always, we will respond and rebuild, but we must also prioritise enhanced resilience to help withstand the increasing frequency of these events.
Updated
Court ruling on David McBride appeal nears
David McBride will learn next week whether he has successfully appealed against his five-year, eight-month prison sentence for taking and leaking classified material to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
McBride, a former army lawyer, leaked material that was used as the basis of an ABC investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan. He was subsequently prosecuted and jailed in the ACT supreme court for disclosing classified documents.
Earlier this year, McBride appealed against the severity of his sentence. He also appealed against his conviction, arguing his actions were in line with a duty he owed as a military member to advance Australia’s public interest.
A post from McBride’s account on X on Friday said judgment on the appeal would be handed down on Wednesday.
Updated
As we mentioned earlier, Creative Australia came under fire earlier this year after the board dropped Khaled Sabsabi, a western Sydney artist who fled Lebanon’s civil war as a child, from representing Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale – just five days after they had announced his selection.
Large sections of the Australian arts community and Creative Australia’s own staff expressed their anger and outrage at the decision, and it has continued to be a cloud over the arts council.
Updated
Morgan praised for ‘invaluable contribution’ to cultural sector
More on Creative Australia chair Robert Morgan stepping down.
Current deputy chair Wesley Enoch will step up and take the role of acting chair, arts minister Tony Burke said in a statement this afternoon.
Morgan had played “a pivotal role” in establishing Creative Australia and “modernising” the federal arts council and funding body, Burke said.
He continued:
Mr Morgan committed to leading the transition of the organisation and told me of his intention to retire once the legislation was in place and Creative Australia established. Music Australia, Creative Workplaces and the First Nations board are now in place and Writing Australia will commence from 1 July this year. Now is the time to hand over to a new chair.
As chair of the Australia Council since July 2021, Mr Morgan has made an invaluable contribution to the cultural sector in Australia and I thank him for his commitment, passion and professionalism.
Morgan said:
It has been a great honour to have served as the chair of Creative Australia during the period of its establishment and supporting its ambitions for Australia’s artists, creators and cultural visionaries.
Updated
Creative Australia head steps down
The chair of Creative Australia, Robert Morgan, is retiring from his position on the board, arts minister Tony Burke has announced.
The retirement comes more than three months after Creative Australia dropped artist Khaled Sabsabi as Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale, sparking outrage in the arts community.
Updated
Bradfield margin rises to three
I don’t want to give you all whiplash, but the Bradfield margin is back up to three votes, still in Nicolette Boele’s favour.
Updated
Court overturns William Tyrrell foster mother’s conviction over another child
The former foster mother of missing toddler William Tyrrell has had a conviction over the intimidation and assault of another child overturned, AAP reports.
The woman, who cannot be legally named, was convicted in March 2024 after magistrate Susan McIntyre found her threats to slap the child amounted to intimidation.
She earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of assault after striking the child with a wooden spoon and kicking them on the thigh.
Her conviction over these incidents was overturned on Friday at Sydney’s Downing Centre district court.
Judge Miiko Kumar found the offences proved but imposed a 12-month conditional release order without conviction.
Five counts of intimidation brought against the foster mother over alleged incidents related to the child were dismissed by McIntyre in March 2024.
William was three years old when he went missing while playing at his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast on 12 September 2014.
No one has ever been charged over his disappearance.
Updated
Bradfield lead down to two votes
The margin in Bradfield has narrowed yet again. Independent Nicolette Boele now retains the lead over Liberal Gisele Kapterian by just two (2) votes.
Updated
Thank you for joining me on the blog today. Handing over now to Stephanie Convery, who will keep you updated with the afternoon’s news.
Trump administration singles out Australia for criticism over screen content
The Trump White House says it wants to make American films great again (so no more Fast and Furious movies – make that an executive order).
In January, Trump appointed actors Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson as “special ambassadors to Hollywood” to “bring back the Golden Age of Hollywood”.
On Friday (Australia time), Donald Trump’s US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, took to X to argue foreign governments were engaging in what the US regarded as protectionist behaviour in cinema and television production.
Foreign governments undercut America’s audiovisual services providers, creators, and film-makers, offshoring Hollywood jobs, imposing burdensome fees, requiring opaque licensing, and limiting market access for US films.
Over 80 countries offer production tax incentives, resulting in many productions that could have been filmed in the United States locating elsewhere.
Recognizing America’s film industry decline, @POTUS took action and appointed Special Ambassadors to Hollywood, @jonvoight, @TheSlyStallone, and Mel Gibson, to bring back the Golden Age of Hollywood.
— United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep) May 22, 2025
Foreign governments undercut America’s audiovisual services providers,… pic.twitter.com/WBrGDR8cLq
And Greer singled out Australia’s national cultural policy, which proposes imposing local content quotas on streaming services in Australia. He said:
Australia’s National Cultural Policy, released in January 2023, recommends imposing Australian screen content requirements on streaming video services.
US platforms could be required to spend $220-440 million annually on Australian content, which would reduce expenditure on content production in the United States.
The Albanese government initially planned to introduce local content requirements for major streaming services in mid-2024, but negotiations over their implementation slowed over elections in both the US and Australia, as well as concerns over how they could impact the US-Australia free trade agreement. It was speculated the proposed rules would have required streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount to spend a percentage of their revenue on producing local content.
A spokesperson for arts minister Tony Burke said the government remained committed to local content:
Through Revive, the Albanese Labor government committed to introducing Australian screen content requirements on streaming platforms to ensure continued access to local stories and content.
We have brilliant talent in Australia and want to make sure that no matter what platform people are watching, Australian stories form part of their experience.
Consultation is taking longer than we would like, but the government remains committed to finding an outcome.
Updated
Liberals lock in on Nationals' policy demands
The reconciliation between the Liberals and the Nationals appears on track after opposition leader Sussan Ley held further party room talks on Friday.
A Liberal source said MPs agreed in principle to a series of demands from the junior Coalition partner, a deal that paves the way for the Coalition to sit together for the coming term of parliament.
Ley will now continue negotiations with Nationals leader David Littleproud, including on the opposition’s policy for tough new big-stick break-up powers for the supermarkets and large-scale retailers. This demand was subject to debate among Liberal MPs, with some concerned about unnecessary intervention in the private sector.
Friday’s talks are the latest in a series of meetings since the Nationals announced plans to walk away from the Coalition on Tuesday.
Moves on an opposition front bench line up can also proceed as a result of the agreement.
Updated
Severe weather warning for southern NSW and strong winds for Sydney coast
Heavier falls were focused on southern New South Wales on Friday afternoon but the weather system was moving southwards and expected to clear the state by late in the evening, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
At 2pm a severe weather warning was current for the NSW coastline across an area stretching from south of Wollongong to the Victorian border, including the south coast and parts of Illawarra, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains districts.
BoM senior meteorologist Angus Hines said:
Throughout this warning area, we could see a further 60 to 120 millimetres of rain today.
The rain would gradually ease in the afternoon and evening but the risk of flooding remained as rivers had not yet subsided, Hines said. The State Emergency Service reminded people not to drive, ride or walk through flood water and stay clear of creeks and storm drains.
Strong wind warnings were in place for Sydney enclosed waters, Hunter coast, Sydney coast, Illawarra coast, Batemans coast and Eden coast.
Hazardous surf warnings were in place across Coffs coast, Macquarie coast, Hunter coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra coast, Batemans coast and Eden coast.
Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating and swimming. People were advised to stay out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
Updated
Australian shares on track to make the week a winner
The Australian share market is set to finish the week higher, after Wall Street settled on the back of better-than-expected US manufacturing data.
By lunchtime on Friday, the S&P/ASX200 rose 17.6 points, or 0.21%, to 8,366.2, as the broader All Ordinaries gained 19.9 points, or 0.23%, to 8,591.3.
The top 200 is about 2.1% from its record-high close on 14 February, while Wall Street’s S&P500 index is almost 5% short of its peak and down 1.8% for the week.
Closer to home, NAB economists say Australia’s economy is on track to stick its soft landing, despite emerging downside global economic risks, while downgrading their national GDP growth forecast for 2025.
“We have lowered our expectation for GDP growth this year to 1.8 per cent year-on-year (from two per cent) but left our inflation and labour market tracks unchanged,” economists Michelle Shi and Gareth Spence wrote.
The RBA will need to continue to lower rates in the near term to ensure that the labour market remains healthy.
Six of 11 local sectors were trading higher by lunchtime, with financials, IT stocks and real estate helping lift the bourse.
All big four banks were in the green after trending lower on Thursday, with NAB and ANZ in front with gains of more than 1.1%.
Energy stocks pushed 0.7% higher with oil slipping since Thursday’s close because of a stronger US dollar and expected output increases from Opec+ countries.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Boele retains Bradfield lead by four votes
The count in Bradfield is still going, and the margin is just four votes in favour of independent candidate Nicolette Boele.
It’s expected that the distribution count will be completed today, and then we will almost certainly go into a recount, which the AEC generally carries out whenever there is a margin of 100 votes or fewer.
Once that recount is done, if there’s still a less than 10-vote margin – and this is very rare – the AEC or one of the candidates can consider going to the court to “void” the seat, which would trigger a full byelection.
One of the reasons to trigger that would be the number of unexplained multiple votes that could push the result in one way or another – that’s like when someone votes in the election twice.
In 2019, on average there were about 15 unexplained multiple votes per electorate, but psephologist Kevin Bonham has told me that those unexplained votes have been trending down in recent decades as the AEC develops ways to better control the issue.
So to repeat – this is very rare, but the AEC or a candidate can petition the court of disputed returns to void a seat if it’s just too close after the recount.
Updated
NSW floods map
More rain is forecast to drench flooded areas in the Hunter region and mid-north coast of New South Wales.
You can see the extent of the rainfall, areas affected by flooding, and how the rainfall compares to historical averages, in our flooding map and chart by Nick Evershed and Josh Nicholas here:
Australia must prepare for Hollywood-style cyber-attack
Australia has yet to suffer a critical, Hollywood-style cybersecurity incident, according to the nation’s top online cop, but our defences are being tested and criminals grow in number.
The rate of cyber-attacks against Australian businesses may also be higher than statistics indicate, she warned as small businesses continue bearing the brunt of financial losses.
National cybersecurity coordinator Lt Gen Michelle McGuinness issued the warnings at the AusCERT cybersecurity Conference on the Gold Coast on Friday, which comes a month after large superannuation firms were targeted in a coordinated online attack and less than a year after 12.9 million Australians had private information stolen in the MediSecure hack.
Despite a growing number of attacks on large Australian organisations including healthcare, telecommunications and legal firms, McGuinness told the audience none had damaged the nation’s critical infrastructure or had a lasting impact.
Australia has seen the dark side of significant cyber incidents such as Optus, Medibank, Latitude Financial, HWL Ebsworth, Ramsay Health Care and Medisecure [but] we are actually yet to see a catastrophic cyber incident with impacts across multiple critical infrastructure sectors.
We must continue to evolve and thrive to ensure that those scenes we see in Hollywood never actually eventuate.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
The prime minister is asked about insurance for people in flood-affected areas:
We have been in contact with the Insurance Council and we continue to engage with them. We need to acknowledge that whilst Australia has always had extreme weather events, the science told us that those events would be more frequent and would be more intense and that is placing pressure on the system. It is a challenge that we need to deal with and be conscious of and we certainly are. That is why we’re engaged directly, not just with the Insurance Council, the peak but also individual insurance companies.
Updated
SES commissioner says flood waters won’t recede quickly
The SES commissioner, Michael Wassing, says the flood-affected areas extend from north-east NSW down to Eden and the NSW border. Flood rescues are still occurring, even though the weather has started to moderate.
Severe rainfall overnight in some of the Sydney metropolitan areas has led to flash flooding and Wassing says emergency services are expecting possible minor flooding in the Hawkesbury and Colo river systems.
Wassing warns that people shouldn’t relax yet, as the water from rainfall overnight is still making its way through the river system:
We are still seeing, as we’ve already heard, some of that, even as late as the rainfall from overnight which was intense in many locations. We’re still seeing it come back through the river system so where locals would normally be used to flood waters receding very quickly in some cases, that is not the case.
Updated
More ADF personnel to help in floods crisis
The federal government will make more defence force personnel available to the emergency assistance and recovery effort, in addition to the ADF helicopter that has already been deployed to help, the prime minister says.
Updated
Disaster assistance has previously been activated for 16 local government areas, but Albanese announces it has now been extended to three more: Armidale, Muswellbrook and Walcha. Services Australia will provide “on the ground assistance” in coming days to help people access those payments, he says.
Albanese to flood victims: ‘You are not alone’
Emergency services have performed 177 flood rescues in the past 24 hours and a total of 678 since the floods began, which Minns says is “an amazing, heroic logistical effort”.
Minns acknowledges the communities that are still isolated, including people in Taree, which he says have had “a torrid three days”.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he had intended to go to Taree this morning but it was not possible. He continues:
But our thoughts are with communities that are cut off at this point in time. And we’re here to basically say, very clearly and explicitly, you are not alone. The federal government, the state government, local government as well as the whole of the people of New South Wales and, indeed, the people of Australia are with you at this time.
Tragically, we’re seeing more extreme weather events. They’re occurring more frequently and they’re more intense.
Updated
Chris Minns announces hardship grants
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has announced personal hardship assistance grants of $180 per individual or $900 per family will be available as soon as possible for those who are affected by the floods in NSW.
Speaking to the media in Maitland, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, behind him, Minns says there are still 39 emergency warnings still in place and many of them are evacuation orders.
Updated
Nicolette Boele's lead in Bradfield down to four votes
Hard to keep up with that margin in Bradfield at the moment, but Nicolette Boele’s lead is now down to four votes.
Updated
We’re expecting the NSW premier, Chris Minns, to give an update on the floods from Maitland in the next 10 minutes or so. We’ll bring that to you as soon as it happens.
Updated
RBA interest rate cut driving housing sales as auctions jump by a third
Nearly 2,400 homes will go to auction this week after the Reserve Bank cut its key interest rate and sparked hopes for a further cut in just over a month.
The figure is one-third higher than the near-1,800 put to market last week and marks the busiest week for auctions in more than a month, Cotality data shows. The property insights firm expects a further rise to 2,700 sales next week.
Power in the market is also slipping away from homebuyers towards sellers after the auction clearance rate rose to hold near 65% for the last two weeks, in a sign buyers are starting to grow more desperate.
All four major banks committed to drop their home loan rates by the end of the month after the RBA cut interest rates on Tuesday, which will likely drive homebuyer activity and lift home prices.
Consumer credit website Finder found the share of people who believe now is a good time to buy property has climbed back to 36% after taking a hit in April as the election campaign and Donald Trump’s tariffs rocked buyer confidence.
While rate cuts might pump up prices and worsen affordability, the Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, said that was out of her hands. She told reporters on Tuesday:
If the right thing to do in terms of employment and inflation is to lower interest rates, I think we have to accept what that might imply for housing prices.
Updated
Nicolette Boele’s lead in Bradfield down to five votes
An update on the count in Bradfield:
Independent Nicolette Boele’s lead on Liberal Gisele Kapterian is down now from seven to just five votes.
Read more on the crucial seat that is yet to be declared in Krishani Dhanji’s recent blog post.
Updated
Flash floods wreak havoc on roads and rail before Vivid
The heavy rainfall causing flash floods across New South Wales is wreaking havoc on roads and rail, with some Sydney train lines down, as authorities warn the travelling public of delays before crowds enter the city for the opening of Vivid on Friday night.
Just days after a downed power line crashed Sydney’s rail system for almost two days, the network is again plagued by disruptions, with stretches of two lines – the airport and south line between Revesby and Turrella due to flooding, and the Central Coast line between Newcastle and Morisset due to a landslip and flooding – not running.
Limited buses are replacing train services in the aforementioned sections of those two lines, with passengers advised to seek alternative travel or delay non-essential movements.
Trains are also delayed or changed to shuttle services on the Leppington, Liverpool and inner west, eastern suburbs and Illawarra, Hunter, southern highlands and south coast lines.
Meanwhile, Transport for NSW has warned that flood waters have led to “several major closures” on roads on the mid-north coast, Hunter and in parts of Sydney.
The transport issues come as Sydney’s Vivid festival begins on Friday evening. The Transport for NSW coordinator general, Howard Collins, said:
If you are heading in tonight to see Vivid Sydney, please allow plenty of extra travel time and check your transport apps before heading out.
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Nicolette Boele’s lead down to just seven votes in Bradfield
It’s been 20 days since the election and all eyes are on one crucial seat that’s yet to be declared – Bradfield.
Wondering what’s going on across the north shore Sydney seat? Let’s dive into it.
It’s safe to say the counting in this seat has been a rollercoaster but right now independent challenger Nicolette Boele is up on Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian by just seven votes while the full distribution of preferences is being carried out.
The seat was held by the Liberals, by longtime moderate MP Paul Fletcher who just retired.
Just this morning Boele was still up by 29 votes.
Earlier this week, the independent, who is backed by Climate 200, was declared the provisional winner when the final postal votes were processed on Monday, and the Australian electoral commission announced the indicative two-candidate preferred margin was 40. It then later showed the margin as 41, and then 39.
If, after the full distribution of preferences, the margin is below 100, the AEC will automatically conduct a formal recount.
The numbers do change during the distribution of preferences and if or when there is a recount.
ABC election analyst Antony Green says its because as the distributions are carried out minor discrepancies are located and, he writes on X, that it looks like a slightly bigger discrepancy has been found today, reducing Boele’s lead.
The Bradfield margin has been bobbing up and down for days as minor discrepancies are located. But a slightly bigger discrepancy has been found today and the lead of Independent Nicolette Boele over Liberal Gisele Kapterian is down to just 7 (yes, seven) votes.
— Antony Green - elections (@AntonyGreenElec) May 23, 2025
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Erin Patterson’s murder trial hears specialist thought surviving lunch guest was ‘going to die’
An intensive care specialist has told Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial doctors thought the sole surviving lunch guest was “going to die” while being treated in hospital for liver failure.
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
Prof Stephen Warrillow, the director of intensive care at Austin Health, where the four lunch guests were treated, began giving evidence via video link this morning.
He told the jury about the treatment doctors provided the lunch guests, who had acute liver failure. Three of the guests, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, died at the Austin hospital, the court hears.
Prosecutor Sarah Lenthall also asked Warrillow about Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch.
Warrillow says he was on ventilation but began to slowly improve.
“We thought he was going to die, he was very close,” he says.
Warrillow says no alternative cause was identified for the guests’ illness apart from death cap mushroom poisoning. He says the hospital does not have a test to detect the toxin in death cap mushrooms.
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The final stop for Myki the Melbourne metro cat
Myki, the fare-evading six-month-old ginger metro cat, made headlines in April after bypassing ticketing barriers and catching a ride into Melbourne’s Flinders Street station.
Despite politicians, media buzz and public appeals on social media for his owner, no one came forward to claim him from the Lost Dogs Home in North Melbourne.
Without a microchip, there was no way to track down Myki’s original owner so in accordance with the Domestic Animals Act 1994 (VIC) stray cats not claimed within eight days can be adopted if they’re suitable.
Luckily for Myki, he found his new owner and Craig adopted him after spotting a familiar spark which reminded him of his beloved cat he had recently lost.
“I was aware of his awesome train navigational skills. I remember seeing the posts online when he took his trip,” Craig said. “Although I am not sure he’s happy I have banned from any future unnecessary train travel.”
Myki has officially retired from solo commuting and is enjoying life as an indoor cat with the pair enjoying cosy nights on the couch and chill time at home.
In 2024, 11,578 cats arrived at the Lost Dogs Home as strays, but only 587 were claimed by their owners – usually because they were microchipped.
“Myki was immediately friendly and smoochy with Craig, exactly what he was looking for,” said customer experience officer Lachlan Sully.
Staff at the North Melbourne shelter were thrilled with the match.
“We were all pleased he found a great home,” Sully said. “We were hoping that an owner might come forward following all the media attention but they didn’t, and since he wasn’t microchipped we couldn’t verify if he even had one.”
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Heavy rains and flooding has inundated the NSW coast over the past few days, with rainfall of up to 90mm possible in the Sydney area today.
At Parramatta wharf, flood water has been flowing:
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Elsewhere in his round of interviews, Albanese said he hoped Pope Leo would visit Australia. After meeting the new Pope in Rome last week, following his inauguration, Albanese revealed the new pontiff had blessed his mother’s old set of rosary beads, and called the meeting “a great honour and privilege of my life and something I’ll never forget.”
“I took my late mum’s rosary across and Pope Leo was good enough to bless them and it was quite a moment to have 45 minutes of a one on one discussion with the Holy Father,” Albanese told 2HD radio.
Pope Leo has visited Australia a number of times in the past due to the role that he’s played with the Augustine Fathers and he hopefully will visit for 2028. Australia is hosting the World Eucharistic Congress and I hope that he visits for the Eucharistic Congress that’ll be held in Sydney in 2028.
PM says science predicted more frequent and intense weather events ‘and that’s precisely what is happening’
On ABC Newcastle, the prime minister added: “[Every] weather event can’t be traced down specifically to climate change, because there’s always been extreme weather events in Australia. But what you can say is … the science told us they’d be more frequent and more intense and that’s precisely what is happening, which is why my government are taking it so seriously.”
Albanese praised the SES, police, fire services and other emergency responders as “heroes”.
Listen to the advice, make sure you log on to the relevant sites and keep informed if you’re in these communities because we just don’t want to see any further tragedies because, you know, it is just heartbreaking what has occurred.
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Albanese urges people in flood zones not to take risks and await rescue
Anthony Albanese has urged those in flood zones to not take risks and to stay safe, saying help was on the way.
The prime minister says he is visiting the Taree and Cessnock areas today, and dialled into a number of local radio stations this morning to talk about the rain situation – Rafqa brought you some of that earlier.
On Triple M Newcastle, Albanese said the flooding was “horrific”.
“We have a loss of life with three people confirmed losing their life. That is a tragedy for them, for their families and for the local communities … one man is missing and we’re hopeful of good news there,” he said.
Albanese noted the federal disaster recovery allowance payment had been activated, giving support to people in affected areas, with 16 local government areas where disaster assistance has been triggered.
He also said the rain event was “unusual” in that it has not moved much, adding that climate change could be a factor.
“We live in an era where, of course, not every weather event can be brought down to climate change, but we do need to recognise the fact that there are more extreme weather events, they are more intense, they’re more frequent and it is occurring … we’re talking about from Grafton and that area around the Clarence right down to the Central Coast, and that is a very large area to be impacted by an extreme weather event such as this,” he said.
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Traditional owner launches legal action to force environment minister decision over protecting ancient art
An Indigenous traditional owner has launched legal action in a bid to force the new environment minister, Murray Watt, to address whether ancient rock art should be protected before he makes a decision on a major gas development.
Raelene Cooper, a Mardathoonera woman from Murujuga country on Western Australia’s Burrup peninsula, has asked the federal court to compel Watt to make a determination on what is known as a “section 10” cultural heritage assessment that began three years ago.
Cooper requested the assessment of Murujuga’s cultural heritage, particularly one of the world’s largest and oldest rock carving collections. The area has an estimated 1m petroglyphs, some of which are believed to be nearly 50,000 years old.
The assessment was commissioned by the previous environment minister Tanya Plibersek. Cooper said an independent reporter assigned to do the assessment submitted findings to the government in June 2023.
She said Watt should have to respond to the report before deciding on whether to allow Woodside Energy to extend the life of its North West Shelf gas processing facility from 2030 to 2070. Watt has promised that decision – which has been delayed – will be made by 31 May.
Cooper said she was “furious” Watt could make a decision that could lock in “ongoing and irreversible damage to my country” without addressing the cultural heritage application:
I am sickened that the minister would make such a decision without even paying us the respect of coming here to meet with the custodians of this place, and without even seeing the incredible Murujuga rock art with his own eyes.
A government spokesperson said they were aware of the legal action.
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Deaths and missing people in NSW floods
We’ve been updating the blog over the last few days with news from the New South Wales flood disaster.
The death toll has risen to four after a man’s body was found in a car in flood waters near Coffs Harbour this morning.
Police said a passing driver had reported seeing a vehicle that had run off the Orara Way at Nana Glen, about 30km from the mid-north coast city. Officers found the body of a man, believed to be in his 70s. Police said he appeared to be the vehicle’s only occupant.
The bodies of three other people have been found since the flooding: a man found in Rosewood, believed to be in his 30s, who was missing since Wednesday night, a 63-year-old man at a home in Moto, and a 60-year-old woman who was caught in flood water while travelling from Sydney to Coffs Harbour in a four-wheel drive on Wednesday night.
A 49-year-old man who failed to return home after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida was still missing.
Read Lisa Cox and Josh Taylor’s full story here:
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Weather researchers say climate change making ‘rare downpours’ the ‘new normal’
Climate change has contributed to wetter conditions off the New South Wales coast, amplifying the amount of rain, according to analysis by extreme weather researchers at ClimaMeter.
They found meteorological conditions were up to 15% wetter – equivalent to up to 3mm of extra rain per day – and up to +0.75C warmer compared with the past (1950-1986). The analysis, which investigated changes in weather patterns since 1950, said global heating intensified the extreme rainfall. ClimaMeter’s Davide Faranda said:
What once were rare downpours are now becoming the new normal – climate change is rewriting Australia’s weather patterns, one flood at a time.
It is urgent to devise adaptation strategy as these floods will happen again with more intense and devastating consequence unless we reduce immediately and effectively burning fossil fuels.
The Hunter and mid-north coast of New South Wales have been inundated with heavy rainfall since Tuesday, which has resulted in record flooding in places like Taree.
While rainfall projections are more complex than other events like heatwaves, climate change is increasing the amount of moisture the air can hold, which can lead to heavier rainfall.
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McCormack says he’s ‘ambitious’ for David Littleproud. But what does that mean?
Asked if Nationals leader David Littleproud has his full support for the future, the former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack of the Nationals said he is “ambitious” for the party leader, as Guardian political correspondent Tom McIlroy brought us earlier in the blog.
“I’m ambitious for him,” McCormack said.
The line echoes a notorious moment in 2018 when Scott Morrison was asked at a press conference “do you rule out having any leadership ambitions”? His response was to hug prime minister at the time Malcolm Turnbull and say: “This is my leader, and I’m ambitious for him”.
Morrison made the comment on August 22, 2018, and succeeded Turnbull after a leadership spill just days later on the 24th.
Morrison reflected on the moment with the ABC last year:
I’ll hug, I’ll shake hands. I’m a bit like that. And Malcolm and I would joke around like that. And yeah I think that moment has been interpreted unkindly to the genuine friendship we have.
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Thousands isolated as NSW faces worse flooding than many have seen in their lifetimes
Here is a video roundup of some of the damage sustained after massive storms and flooding hit the NSW coast over the past few days.
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PM and state premier to visit flood-affected NSW areas
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the NSW premier, Chris Minns will visit flood-affected regions this morning to see the disaster firsthand and thank members of the NSW State Emergency Service.
Albanese spoke on Triple M Newcastle radio this morning:
These are horrific circumstances.
That is a tragedy for them, for their families and for the local communities.
Those people are once again showing that, at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character.
- Australian Associated Press
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Michael McCormack says he is ‘ambitious’ for Littleproud, in echo of Scott Morrison
Amid a torrid week for the National party and the Coalition, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has added pressure on leader David Littleproud.
After calling into ABC radio in Canberra this morning, McCormack confirmed he held talks with the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, on Thursday as moves were under way to bring the two parties back together.
Asked if Littleproud has his full support for the future, McCormack said on Friday he is “ambitious” for the party leader. The comment echoes Scott Morrison’s statement about Malcolm Turnbull, in the final days of Turnbull’s leadership of the Liberal party.
“I’m ambitious for him,” McCormack said.
It’s been messy, it’s been really messy and for people on the outside looking in, they just wonder what the hell is going on.
McCormack stressed he wanted the Liberals and Nationals to come back together.
Sussan and I are very close and we speak together very regularly. The Nationals walked away from the Liberals and Sussan was the newly anointed Liberal leader. It’s important that I did talk to her to try and get things patched up.
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On Tuesday, the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, announced it was over – his party could no longer support the Liberals and the Coalition was finished. But by Thursday things were looking less certain, with negotiations between the parties back on in an effort to try to save the decades-long political partnership.
Listen to Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry on the future of an unsteady political marriage here:
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Heavy rainfall of up to 90mm is possible in the Sydney area today.
Here is a look at flash flooding in Marrickville this morning:
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The NSW SES reiterates the dangers of flood waters:
Do not drive, walk, play, do other things with the waters. They are dangerous. We’ve seen outcomes that result from the flood waters so please don’t take that risk. Even a small amount of water can cause your vehicle to move or for you to be carried away.
We will support the community with getting back into homes as soon as possible but assessing risk and assessing the damage is really vital. There are many risks that come with flood waters, if your home or premise has been inundated. Flood waters have contaminants. There can be vermin, snakes and other vermin as well. So you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well so, when you return, make sure you assess those risks.
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Several people still missing in NSW floods
NSW SES say there are still “a number” of people missing amid flood waters. A spokesperson is giving an update live:
Sadly, there’s a number of people that have lost their lives as a result of this severe weather events and our condolences go out to friends and family of those that have lost their lives. There are a number that are still missing as well and that search continues. And our thoughts are for those communities out there that have been affected by this major and significant weather event. It will take some time.
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Forty emergency flood warnings in place
There are more than 150 flood warnings in place in NSW’s mid-north coast, with 40 of those at emergency level. A NSW SES spokesperson is giving a live update:
With those emergency warnings, which is the most severe, it’s about shelter in place or evacuate. Shelter in place is really important as well if you can’t get out and the roads are cut off.
We urge the public to heed our warnings. We don’t issue them lightly. We assess the risks. Sometimes the risks are not realised but in this circumstance with record flooding, it’s really important that you listen to our warnings. If they don’t eventuate, that’s a good outcome, but we’re seeing significant flooding that is affecting the community and cutting people off where they are isolated and can’t access food and other items.
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More than 670 flood rescues so far, SES says
There have been more than 5,700 incidents since the start of flooding in the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions, NSW SES say. A spokesperson is giving an update live.
Overnight through to 5am this morning there were 535 requests for assistance. There were 177 flood rescues in the 24 hours prior.
[This is] a very significant event affecting large parts of community, and total flood rescues has been more than 670.
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‘If it is flooded, forget it’, minister Kristy McBain says
The Australian Defence Force has been conducting flood search and rescue operations overnight, the emergency management minister, Kristy McBain, says.
She spoke to ABC News Breakfast a short while ago:
We’ve still got rain falling in parts of the catchment and it will be heading further south. Some of these river systems have yet to reach their peak so if it is flooded, forget it. Don’t drive through it, don’t walk near it. It is really important to listen to those emergency broadcasts and keep your eye on what is happening in your local community.
We’ve had the ADF overnight the last two nights doing search and rescue with night-time capability. So we stand ready and able to assist and we’ll work with both the New South Wales government and local councils right across this region through this tragedy. Obviously, we’re in a response phase at the moment but recovery is a long cycle. We know things will go for a while and we stand ready to assist where we can.
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NSW flood death toll rises to four
A man in his 70s has been found dead in a car in flood waters north-west of Coffs Harbour this morning.
A passing motorist saw the vehicle about 4.30am, which had run off Orara Way at Nana Glen.
Officers and SES found the body of a man believed to be in his 70s inside. He is yet to be formally identified.
He is the fourth person to die amid flooding in the NSW mid-north coast.
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Emergency management minister gives flood update
Three people have died and one person is still missing amid flooding in the NSW mid-north coast and Hunter regions, the emergency management minister, Kristy McBain, says.
She spoke to ABC News Breakfast from Maitland a short while ago:
I’d like to pay my respects and condolences to the three lives that have been lost in this disaster, which has been obviously a big impact on local communities, friends and family. We still have one person missing at this stage so it’s really important to heed the emergency warnings.
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Rain fall of up to 90mm forecast for Sydney
Heavy falls of up to 90mm are possible in the Sydney area today, as rain brings the possibility of storms, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
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One dead after fire in Melbourne suburb of Langwarrin
A fire in Langwarrin, Victoria, has killed one.
Emergency services were called to the blaze at a residence on Lyppards Road about 2.10am, Victoria police said in a statement.
Three people were able to safely evacuate with no injuries. A fourth person, yet to be identified, was found deceased inside a rear bungalow.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and an arson chemist will attend the scene today.
Police urge anyone who witnessed the scene or with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
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Kempsey flood waters reached 7.1m, mayor says
Kempsey CBD was inundated as waters peaked at 7.1m last night, the Kempsey shire mayor, Kinne Ring, says.
She is speaking on ABC News Breakfast:
Many businesses have had water through and it’s going to be a mass clean-up in terms of the waste and what’s going to come out of those businesses who really didn’t have that much time to prepare.
Up to 50 businesses may have been affected, she says.
Downriver in Smithtown and Gladstone, houses have been inundated. Water coming through the bottom of their houses, it’s really awful to see and the water is going to take a bit of time to reside.
So even now, the water is at 6.8m, which is above the major flood level. It means we can’t get pumps in to pump out the CBD, so it’s going to be a challenging few days ahead.
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Darren Chester criticises ‘part-time parliament’
Chester says Australians have already moved on from the election.
With eight sitting weeks left until the end of the year, the Nationals MP says “we’re basically going to have a part-time parliament”.
He is speaking on ABC News Breakfast:
Parliament is not returning for seven or eight weeks. Only eight sitting weeks between now and Christmas. We’re basically going to have a part-time parliament this year. I have never seen anything quite like it. From now until the end of November is going to be eight sitting weeks.
We do have time now to finalise coalition conversations, hopefully reach an agreement, and get the shadow ministers in their new roles and then they can get out there and engage with the Australian people, because what I would say is Australians have moved on from the election already.
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Darren Chester says focus on Coalition split ‘frustrating’
Nationals MP Darren Chester says “there are bigger issues” than the makeup of the coalition.
He is speaking to ABC News Breakfast:
It’s been frustrating to be talking about ourselves at a time when, you know, much of the mid coast, the central coast and north coast of New South Wales is facing devastating floods including loss of life. And in close to home in Victoria central and western Victoria and northern Victoria right through South Australia there’s a devastating drought.
We need to resolve our issues as quickly as we can, because there are bigger issues facing rural and regional Australians than the make-up of the coalition. We need to make sure we get back being a strong and incredible opposition as quickly as possible and I’m hoping that these negotiations can consider – can continue now in a positive and constructive way.
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Rain and flooding continues to inundate the New South Wales Hunter and mid-north coast regions.
There have been 1,535 incidents, including 177 flood rescues, in the past 24 hours, the NSW SES says.
☔ In the last 24 hours from 5am, NSW SES has had 1,535 incidents reported including 177 flood rescues.
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 22, 2025
There are currently 153 warnings in place for areas across the state.
For safety advice and information: https://t.co/vUKSLKhhB7 pic.twitter.com/KWIbKAJLmt
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Malcolm Turnbull says Nationals 'holding a gun' to the Liberals
Commenting on the Coalition split, former liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Nationals are “holding a gun to [the] head” of the Liberals with their policy demands.
Turnbull said “policies are of academic interest only until such time as we get close to an election”.
He told the ABC’s Insiders: On Background podcast:
This is a fight about nothing. They’ve just done enormous harm for no purpose at all, the Nationals, by blowing it up in this way.
It’s really, really unwise, stupid politically.
The National party is treating the Liberal party with zero respect and trying to stand over them, and if Sussan Ley goes along with it … everybody will be saying this is just another case of the tail wagging the dog.
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Thank you to Martin Farrer for getting the blog rolling this morning. I’ll be updating you from here – let’s go.
A makeup is on the cards – but could a Nationals split have been good for rural voters?
As this week’s Newsroom edition of the Full Story podcast was recorded, the Liberal and National parties were still locked in discussions over the Coalition agreement after the parties dramatically parted ways earlier in the week.
But although a Coalition reunion is now on the cards, Bridie Jabour speaks to Mike Ticher and former rural and regional editor Gabrielle Chan about why the breakup could be good for regional voters.
Listen here:
Watchdog sends warning to Musk's Starlink
Elon Musk’s Starlink has been put on notice by the Australian communications watchdog, Australian Associated Press reports.
The controversial billionaire’s satellite internet service has received a warning from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) over complaints about recordkeeping.
Telecommunications companies with more than 30,000 active services are required to file complaints reports with the authority no later than 30 days after each quarter. But Starlink failed to do so on four occasions between October 2023 and July 2024.
“Starlink’s failure to submit the required complaints reports in a timely way hampered the ACMA in its role of monitoring whether Starlink is meeting its obligations towards consumers,” Samantha Yorke, a member of the Acma, said.
The company has since provided the outstanding complaints reports and cooperated throughout the investigation.
The Starlink satellite service has increased in popularity in parts of regional Australia, where internet is provided through the slower copper network instead of fibre-optic cables. Some say it could compete with Australia’s National Broadband Network as thousands across the country are now believed to use the service in their homes.
However, there are lingering concerns about the risks it could pose.
In December, a regional telecommunications review found the foreign ownership of systems such as Starlink raises questions about data security and sovereign risks.
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Possibility Warragamba Dam may spill with current load at 96% capacity
WaterNSW is advising the public that based on current rainfall forecasts by the Bureau of Meteorology, there is a possibility Warragamba Dam may fill and spill in coming days.
Warragamba Dam’s storage level is currently at 96% of capacity.
The timing and peak rates of a possible spill will depend on the exact timing and location of the rainfall received. The catchment area upstream of Warragamba Dam is more than 9,000 square kilometres in area and inflows can be received from a number of different rivers.
The bureau is forecasting periods of intense rain overnight in the catchment, which could see the dam fill and begin spilling as early as tomorrow (Friday) morning under the bureau’s less likely (25%) scenario.
Under the more likely forecast (50% chance) scenario, the dam would begin to spill later Friday or into Saturday morning.
It is likely that a number of other smaller Greater Sydney dams may experience minor spills in coming days, including Nepean, Cataract and Woronora.
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NSW flooding update
Large parts of New South Wales continued to be inundated with heavy rain, flash flooding and winds overnight as the coastal trough that has caused fatal flooding in the mid-north coast moved south.
Three people have died in the flooding and police and emergency services are continuing to search for a missing man.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain over the Illawarra, parts of the Hunter, Sydney, south coast, central tablelands, southern tablelands and Snowy Mountains.
There was also a warning for strong winds today on Sydney waters, the Hunter coast, Sydney coast, Illawarra coast, Batemans coast and Eden coast.
The BoM said the weather system had already caused havoc along the mid-north coast – including leaving 48,000 stranded in their homes – was now threatening areas further south with heavy rain and severe winds.
It predicted widespread rain with embedded heavy showers, particularly over the Hunter and into the Great Dividing Range, the BoM said at 11pm last night. Heavy rainfall was expected to extend further south to the southern tablelands and inland south coast later on Friday.
Ongoing moderate rainfall could develop into heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding over parts of the Hunter and Central Coast, as well as the Great Dividing Range to the north of Goulburn. This risk includes the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands.
Six-hourly rainfall totals of 60mm to 100 mm are possible, with 24-hourly totals between 100mm and 160 mm.
Rainfall is expected to ease gradually from the north, through the Hunter during Friday morning, central parts of the state during late Friday afternoon or evening, before finally easing over the south-east during Saturday morning.
Read our full story here:
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Two 12-year-old girls charged over alleged group assault in Sydney
Two girls have been charged over the assault of a man and woman in Sydney’s eastern suburbs yesterday, NSW police have said.
In a statement this afternoon, police said they responded to reports of an assault inside the courtyard of a unit complex in Eastgardens at about 5.15pm.
A 42-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were allegedly assaulted by a group of about seven teenagers. The pair were treated by paramedics for facial injuries and were taken to Prince of Wales hospital, Randwick. They have since been discharged.
Two 12-year-old girls were arrested today in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and each charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of others and affray. They will appear at a children’s court on 19 June.
Investigations are ongoing.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before Rafqa Touma picks up the slack.
Large parts of New South Wales continued to be inundated with heavy rain, flash flooding and winds overnight as the coastal trough that has claimed three lives in the mid-north coast moved south. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning of heavy rain last night for the Illawarra, parts of the Hunter, Sydney and other regions last night. A lot of water is falling in the catchment area for the Warragamba dam, which may spill later today. More details coming up.
Starlink, the satellite communications service set up by Elon Musk, has been put on notice by the Australian communications watchdog. The company received a warning from the Australian Communications and Media Authority about its failure to keep proper records of complaints made by customers. More coming up.
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