Queensland deluge forecast to continue for days
A persistent deluge is hitting rain-soaked northern Australia with floodwaters still rising, leaving some people isolated, without power and desperate for swollen rivers to subside, AAP reports.
The heaviest rain has fallen between Lucinda to Townsville in northern Queensland as the Bureau of Meteorology warns the big wet will continue for days.
Nearly one metre of rain was recorded at Paluma Dam in Townsville in the last 48 hours, while Ingham has copped more than 400mm in the past day.
The BoM has issued a severe weather warning from Tully to Ayr that’s likely to bring isolated falls of 300mm on Monday.
The continued deluge has led to swollen waterways with major flood warnings in place for the Herbert River, the Ross and Bohle River, the Horton River and the Upper Burdekin River.
Meteorologist Dean Narramore said persistent widespread rain would subside in the afternoon but increase again from Tuesday.
The State Emergency Service was under pressure on Sunday night with 11 swift water rescues and nearly 400 calls for help for leaking ceilings, roof damage, flooding, evacuations and felled trees.
Two people were saved from the roof of their car that was submerged in flood waters in Woodstock around 7pm, while another person was rescued from a truck stuck in floodwaters in Basalt.
Key events
Ben Smee
Meanwhile, the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, says communities between Mackay and Cairns should stay alert.
Speaking to the media this morning, he said authorities “remain prepared for the ongoing prospect of more rain and the likelihood of more flooding”.
He also urged residents in Townsville’s “black zone” – six suburbs: Hermit Park, Railway Estate, Rosslea, Idalia, Oonoonba and Cluden – who were advised to leave yesterday, should stay away until given the all clear.
He said more rainfall, tides, and dam releases meant those areas were still at risk of more flooding.
Our advice to people in the black zone at the moment is to stay outside the zone and to stay safe. We are prepared for a scenario where rivers continue to rise.
Benita Kolovos
Allan is also asked to respond to comments federal opposition leader Peter Dutton made on 3AW radio this morning, in which he said the state government’s Suburban Rail Loop project was a “cruel hoax”.
Dutton said Allan “doesn’t have a dollar to her name” to put towards it.
She replied:
Well, it’s pretty clear that the federal opposition leader doesn’t spend much time in Victoria, because if he did, he wouldn’t make these grossly uninformed comments that he’s just made … we’ve got funding from the state government, funding from the federal government committed to this project, and it’s clear to me that Peter Dutton is signalling he’s going to go back to the future.
He’s going to repeat to Victorians what we saw when he last sat at the cabinet table, dudding Victorians of their fair share of funding.
Benita Kolovos
In respect to the storms, the premier says the Barwon South West region was worst affected. Allan says:
Geelong was really, really hard hit. There were also parts of the south east and Phillip Island as well. Look, the clean up is obviously in full swing.
This morning, the SES had 820 requests for assistance, mostly for trees down but also for flash flooding and building damage. And there is likely to be more reports coming in over the course of the morning as people assess the damage in their local areas.
It was a wild storm, and that huge lightning event has caused a number of these fires that we’ve been talking about …with a predicted weather change tomorrow afternoon is also causing a worry that there’ll be more storm and wind and dry lightning damage that’s going to come with that weather change tomorrow afternoon.
Benita Kolovos
Allan also urged anyone who lives near the fires that can see smoke to report it to authorities, as it may be the result of the “huge lightning storm” overnight:
The commissioner has asked me to ask Victorians in these areas too, that if you see smoke on the horizon, if you see smoke in your local area, please report it. That huge lightning storm event that swept through the state yesterday has caused these fires, particularly around the Colac Otway area, and there’s a concern that they may have caused more that as the heat of the day rises, these fires will become active.
So please be alert to your condition. Please support the work of our emergency services, our volunteers. The state control center will be providing a more detailed update later on today, but again, I do ask all Victorians to stay alert to your conditions, look after one another. We’ve still got a couple of really hot days to come in just this week, and we’ve still got a number of weeks of summer ahead of us.
Benita Kolovos
Premier confirms two properties thought lost to fires in Victoria’s north-west
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference in Werribee earlier this morning, ahead of the byelection this weekend. She also provided an update on the extreme heat the state is experiencing.
Allan says:
For the next day or two ahead, the prediction is for ongoing extreme heat and when I was speaking with the emergency management commissioner earlier this morning, he asked me to remind Victorians that the cumulative impact of day after day of extreme heat is really impacting on vulnerable Victorians. So if you can, please check in on your loved ones, please check in on your neighbour and also look after yourself as we go through this period of extreme heat.
She says two fires continue to burn in the Grampians national park. A fire in Little Desert is also now under control after it broke containment lines due to extreme winds on Sunday, as is a blaze in Hattah. However, fires in the Colac-Otway regions continue to develop.
Allan says:
Our thoughts are with the community around Hattah in the north-west of the state, where there was a fire that they quickly got back under control, but very sadly, there were two properties that are believed to have been lost, and they’re doing further assessments in that community. And then we turn our attention to the fires around the Colac Otways area, where there are fires around the north and the west of Apollo Bay – and this is particularly concerning. There are huge resources, ground resources are being deployed right now to get on top of this fire.
Residents of parts of Townsville and nearby towns, including Ingham and Cardwell, have evacuated to shelters as rising flood waters inundate their homes.
Heavy rainfall is expected to continue to soak north Queensland, pouring more water into dams and rivers that have already overflowed, forcing further evacuations and threatening thousands of homes.
Authorities are warning the near-record deluge could become more severe than ‘once in a lifetime’ storms five years ago.
Amanda Meade
Lattouf to say she was sacked from ABC ‘because of her political opinions’, court told
Antoinette Lattouf will argue she was sacked “because of her political opinions, including her opinions critical of the conduct of the state of Israel in Gaza, and her opinions regarding press coverage of the Gaza conflict”, the federal court has heard in opening statements.
It is standing-room only in courtroom 16A and Justice Darryl Rangiah has adjourned briefly to try and accommodate more members of the public and media who have turned up to watch.
The court heard Lattouf will argue she was sacked following a campaign not by tabloid media but by a group of people which the ABC identified as a pro-Israeli lobby, “a group which quite openly and frankly targeted her because of her opinions in relation to the matters which I have just identified”, Lattouf’s barrister, Oshie Fagir, said.
The ABC admits that it removed Ms Lattouf from air because of her Instagram post. Its evidence appears to be to the effect that the post embodied some expression of an opinion which was controversial, but even so, it denies Ms Lattouf was removed because of her political opinion.
Now the logic of the position is not easily understood, but it appears to boil down to this: an ABC executive, Christopher Oliver-Taylor, believed that in re-sharing the post Ms Lattouf breached a direction which he had caused to be given to her.
Fresh reports of destroyed properties in Victorian bushfires
Returning to the bushfires in Victoria, where firefighters are working to contain a number of blazes amid a three-day heatwave.
Properties are feared destroyed in bushfires raging across regional Victoria as the state battles a slew of erratic weather, AAP reports.
Residents at Mirranatwa in the Grampians National Park have been urged to leave immediately. Five Watch and Act warnings are currently in place, with residents urged to monitor changing conditions and prepare to leave.
They cover Apollo Bay, Cape Horn, Hordern Vale and Cape Otway, and large parts of the Little Desert National Park and the Grampians National Park.
The blaze in the Little Desert National Park, about 375km west of Melbourne, was declared contained but broke away on Sunday afternoon.
Victorian authorities confirmed they received reports of property losses from a fire near Ouyen, north of the region’s national park, on Sunday night.
It is believed two properties have been lost, Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed, as the inferno heads west towards Kaniva-Edenhope Road.
“Our thoughts are with the community around Hattah in the northwest of the state,” she told reporters in Melbourne’s west on Monday.
The Little Desert fire covers 84,000 hectares, while dual fires burning in the Grampians total 46,000 hectares.
Josh Butler
The government came under fire late last year after it was briefed out to journalists that proposals to curb gambling ads wouldn’t be introduced to parliament in 2024 – shortly after communications minister Michelle Rowland had said “we are aiming to have it done this year.”
Government ministers gave varying responses as to the delay. Sports minister Anika Wells claimed “this wasn’t reform that was ready to go”; while assistant treasury minister Andrew Leigh suggested the government’s proposal was finalised, and that the government could “put it to the parliament immediately”.
Albanese, on The Daily Aus, denied there had been legislation.
“There was legislation that was shelved in November, right?” host Billi Fitzsimons asked.
Albanese replied: “No.”
Fitzsimons pressed: “So you’ve never considered banning gambling ads?”
Albanese replied: “No, we’re considering a range of measures, but there has never been legislation.”
What we are doing is consulting on a range of measures – what more can we do to address problem gambling? As I said, we’ve done more than any government in history, since Federation. We accept that there’s more to do, and we will do more.
Josh Butler
PM vows to ‘do more’ on gambling ads
Anthony Albanese has again defended his government’s inaction on curbing gambling advertising, claiming “there has never been legislation” produced by Labor to address the issue but promising “we will do more” on the issue.
The prime minister has appeared on a podcast with The Daily Aus, in the latest instalment of both he and Peter Dutton seeking to connect with listeners of popular local podcasters. Asked about gambling ads, the PM repeated his usual talking points that Labor had “taken more action on problem gambling than any government since Federation”, listing action on the self-exclusion register Betstop, and banning the use of credit cards.
“There’s more to do,” he said, before countering that “there are no ads for poker machine gambling, which is overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly where losses are”.
We accept that there’s more to do, and we will do more.
Asked further about why the government hadn’t taken up the recommendations of late Labor MP Peta Murphy to ban ads for sports betting, Albanese replied: “Well, which gambling ads?”
Ministers get amongst it with the voters of tomorrow
Meanwhile, the minister for early childhood education, Anne Aly, and the education minister, Jason Clare, are having a “great time” at a childcare centre in Canberra this morning following the federal government’s announcement to introduce legislation for subsidised care three days a week.
Aly said the bill would mean 100,000 more families across Australia would have access to the guaranteed care.
We’re … having a great time with some of the littlest Aussies here in Garran and talking to the staff here. When you look at the children here and you watch them play and you see their interactions, you get a bit of an understanding of just how important early childhood education and care can be in children’s lives.
Changing the activity test to ensure that there is a three day guarantee means that every family, no matter what their circumstances, and every child, no matter what their background, no matter what their postcode, no matter where they live, and no matter what their parents’ circumstances are, has access to good quality early childhood education and care.
Clare pointed to comments made by Peter Dutton on Insiders yesterday that he would cut “wasteful spending”, without announcing the scale until after the election.
He won’t tell you where the cuts will be. Well, you don’t have to be Einstein to work it out. It’ll be cuts to childcare, cuts to aged care, cuts to Medicare. It’s the same old story from the Liberals on repeat … My message to the Australian people is, if you don’t know, vote no. And if you do know what he’s going to cut, you would never, ever vote for this bloke.
Minister points to emergency payments for Queensland flood victims
The emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier on those emergency payments that have been activated for those impacted by flooding in north Queensland.
McAllister also says four ADF helicopters have been made available to support state emergency services, and defence personnel are working with local authorities on the ground in Townsville.
There are payments to support people who need to replace bedding or household goods that have been damaged by water. There are payments to allow people to make safe a home if they are uninsured and their home requires urgent repairs. There are payments for people who’ve been evacuated.
Really the best thing to do is to get online and see what the Queensland government has stood up and start to look at whether or not you may be eligible for those.
PM briefed on Queensland floods
Anthony Albanese says he’s received a briefing from Canberra on the flooding in north Queensland.
The federal and Queensland governments have activated disaster funding for parts of Townsville, Gordonvale, Hinchinbrook and Palm Island Council areas.
That includes emergency payments of $180 for individuals, and up to $900 for families of five or more.
In the worst of times we see the best of Australians.
And in recent days, I’ve seen Australians helping one another in their time of need.
This morning at the National Situation Room in Canberra, I received a briefing on the work underway to help those affected by the floods… pic.twitter.com/TOsb9386i5
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 2, 2025
Australian youth justice ‘persistently’ breaches human rights, inquiry told
A Senate inquiry is looking at Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system this morning, with advocacy groups pushing for national standards.
Save the Children Australia’s CEO, Mat Tinkler, says standards should be developed and enforced to ensure the human rights of children are protected.
The fact that state and territory governments persistently and systematically breach human rights in youth justice shows it is well past time for the federal government to step up.
Save the Children Australia is calling on the government to create a national taskforce and develop a 10-year strategy for national youth justice reform.
We acknowledge the very real concerns around community safety – everyone has a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities – however all the available evidence suggests the current approach to the youth justice system is not working.
The committee is due to report back to parliament by 1 July.
Petra Stock
Energy reserves can meet south-eastern demand amid heatwave – Aemo
The Australian energy market operator (Aemo) says there are sufficient energy reserves to meet expected demand on Monday, with extremely hot temperatures forecasted in Adelaide (41C) and Melbourne (39C).
It comes as one expert warns children are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, as they return to the classroom for the start of the school year.
You can read more about that here:
Tory Shepherd
Greens campaign to ‘get billionaires out of politics’
The Greens are gearing up to take on Australian billionaires including Clive Palmer and Gina Rinehart in Queensland.
Rightwing groups Advance Australia and Australians for Prosperity are also in their sights. The party says billionaires are spending big to influence the election results.
Members will doorknock, fundraise and letterbox, and have rented billboards that say “get billionaires out of politics”, featuring Palmer, Rinehart and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Greens democracy spokesperson Larissa Waters accused Australia’s richest people of trying to “stop the surge of Greens and independents that have changed the face of our parliament, and elect Peter Dutton”.
The Greens MP for Griffith, Max Chandler-Mather, said people wanted “big money out of politics”.
Billionaires and big corporations think they can export US-style divisive politics into Australia but standing in their way is a people-powered, community movement.
The Greens themselves appear to be preparing to run their most expensive local campaigns ever in Brisbane. The Queensland party has received more than $400,000 in donations since the start of November, including a $200,000 injection from the federal branch.
A spokesperson for Advance Australia said it “will not be listening to lectures about division” from the Greens.
The Greens are only crying about Advance because we are taking their agenda seriously and holding them accountable to the Australian people.
