Jim Chalmers hints concession on threshold for imports could finally lead to an agreement. Follow the latest updates live
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Two flights from Dubai land in Sydney and Melbourne
A second commercial flight landed in Sydney last night from Dubai and the first made its way to Melbourne from the Middle Eastern hub.
Continue reading...SA premier Peter Malinauskas warns residents to prepare for heavy falls and possible flash floods
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Late summer rain is causing havoc across Australia, with South Australia on flood watch, Victoria cleaning up after a downpour, and Sydney issuing a shark warning after heavy falls.
Almost all of South Australia, much of western Victoria and parts of western NSW were on flood watch as a slow-moving pressure system from central Australia moved east. Queensland had also seen severe rainfall.
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Greens senator says party wants native forest protections as part of nature law negotiations
The Greens’ environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young has appeared on ABC’s Insiders amid the government appealing to the minor party with concessions in order to pass their nature laws.
Three more years of the destruction of our native forests when we’ve got 2,000-plus species already endangered in this country, where we’ve got billions of dollars of taxpayer money already being spent subsidising an industry that’s about destroying our native forests. I mean, it’s 2025 and it’s time we ended native forest logging, protected these beautiful, ancient forests that aren’t just there for the richness of biodiversity, but they’re so important when it comes to combating climate change, they are carbon sinks.
I was probably finally convinced only in the final couple of days, to be honest, I had colleagues come and have chats. I have a really good relationship with Mark Speakman. It was a friendly chat with Mark. It was a hard chat, but it was a very friendly one. And then when I’m in, I’m in 100%. I think what a lot of people would do in my position is weigh up the pros and cons and think of all the reasons that I shouldn’t do it, but at the end of the day, the reasons I should outweighed those, and I’ll be a committed leader. I’m very clear eyed once I’ve made up my mind.
Continue reading...If it makes impact on Friday, it would be the earliest cyclone of the season to make landfall in Australia since 1973
If tropical cyclone Fina crosses the Northern Territory coast on Friday, it could equal the earliest cyclone to make landfall in Australia.
Fina intensified to category two storm on Wednesday night, the Bureau of Meteorology said, and was moving east about 370km north-east of Darwin before making an expected turn south on Thursday.
Continue reading...BoM forecasts possible storms from tropical north and WA to central and eastern parts, with potential for strong winds and heavy rainfall
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Much of northern and eastern Australia faces a risk of severe thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon and evening, with millions of people potentially in the firing line.
“It’s another severe thunderstorm outbreak for eastern parts of the country. It could be an active one,” said Angus Hines, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology on Saturday.
Continue reading...BoM says destructive winds and ‘very dangerous thunderstorms’ are most likely across the Hunter, mid-north NSW coast and northern tablelands
Severe storms with the potential for destructive winds and large hail are expected to move across New South Wales on Saturday.
Storms were also expected in parts of Queensland and Victoria.
Sydney 32C with showers and then storms developing.
Melbourne 13C with rain increasing.
Brisbane 31C with a late shower or two.
Perth 28C and sunny.
Adelaide 18C and cloudy.
Hobart 15C and partly cloudy.
Canberra 26C with a shower or two and then becoming windy.
Darwin 34C and partly cloudy.
Continue reading...Meanwhile PM says he’d like ‘more cooperation’ between China and US on artificial intelligence. Follow updates live
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Watt says Labor doesn’t have a policy to end native forest logging
Asked if he wanted native forest logging to continue (it’s not banned in the legislation, despite the significant negative environmental impact that it has), Watt dodges the question by saying the party doesn’t have a specific policy of ending native forest logging.
What we have said, though, is that we will follow the recommendation from Graeme Samuel to apply national environmental standards to the regional forestry agreements that are used for native forestry, so what that means in practice is that native forestry would need to meet higher environmental standards than are currently required under the legislation. That’s a big step forward in terms of the environmental management of native forestry. But it doesn’t go as far as what the Greens party is seeking in being an all-out ban.
Not in its own right. We haven’t taken the approach of saying that particular projects are altogether banned. Every project will be assessed on its merits whether it be a coal and gas project, whether it be a housing and renewable project, they have all got to demonstrate they’re not having a significant impact on one of the nine matters of national environmental significance under the act.
If a coal or gas development was seeking approval, then it would need to meet the national environmental standards. It would need to avoid and minimise its environmental impacts and offset them to achieve a net gain. So they would be improvements compared to the criteria that apply to a project at the moment. If it was considered to have an unacceptable impact on the environment then it would get knocked back as would a housing development or a renewable project.
We’re not trying to sort of put in particular criteria for particular sectors. What we’re trying to do is put in a balanced package for all sorts of projects, for all industries, that deliver environmental and business gains.
Continue reading...Bureau of Meteorology says band of severe thunderstorms bearing down on Australia’s east coast
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Destructive winds, giant hail, flash floods and tornadoes could wreak havoc on southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
A major band of severe thunderstorms was bearing down on Australia’s east coast on Saturday, senior BoM forecaster Angus Hines said.
Continue reading...Sydney’s Observatory Hill peaks at 37C on Wednesday – below the 39C forecast – as the mercury in other parts of the city neared 40C
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Two men have died after being pulled from the water at a Victorian beach amid wild weather in the state.
On Wednesday evening, Victoria police confirmed two men were found unresponsive in the water at Frankston beach, on the Mornington Peninsula, just after 5pm. The men, who are yet to be identified, could not be revived.
Continue reading...Unusually high temperatures in the low to mid 40s to hit parts of NSW, Queensland and SA, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts
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Multiple October weather records could tumble over the weekend as temperatures are expected to rise up to 15C above average across parts of Australia.
Parts of South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT are forecast to experience soaring heat, while parts of the east coast will be hit by severe thunderstorms on Saturday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Continue reading...Warm weather follows deluges in more than a dozen places in NSW and Queensland which topped daily records for the month
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Sydney and Brisbane are in for a hot public holiday on Monday, with temperatures set to pass 30C in both capitals.
The warm weather comes after a soaking September on Australia’s east coast smashed monthly rain records across 21 places in Queensland and six in New South Wales following a record-breaking rain in August.
Sydney – sunny, minimum 20C, maximum 31C
Brisbane – sunny, minimum 15C, maximum 32C
Melbourne – shower or two, minimum 12C, maximum 16C
Adelaide – shower or two, minimum 11C, maximum 17C
Canberra – shower or two, minimum 11C, maximum 23C
Perth – sunny, minimum 8C, maximum 21C
Hobart – possible shower, minimum 7C, maximum 14C
Darwin – partly cloudy minimum 25C, maximum 35C
Continue reading...Phenomenon extremely unusual in southern hemisphere and last occurred in 2019 when it contributed to worsening of black summer bushfires
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A rare rise in stratospheric temperatures over Antarctica could influence weather into summer, with previous events driving hotter and drier conditions for south-east Australia.
The phenomenon – called sudden stratospheric warming – is extremely unusual in the southern hemisphere.
Continue reading...Light rail passengers rescued in Randwick on Wednesday night as severe weather warnings remain in place across NSW
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Two tornadoes, record-breaking rain and large hail have hit New South Wales in the 24 hours to Thursday morning, as supercell thunderstorms and a band of rain sweep the state.
Heavy downpours triggered a surge in calls for assistance.
Collaroy (Long Reef golf glub): 108mm
Sydney Botanic Gardens: 116mm
Rose Bay (Royal Sydney golf club): 110mm
Randwick (Randwick St): 145.8mm
Marrickville golf club: 81mm
Peakhurst golf club: 113mm
Cronulla South bowling club: 147mm
Campbelltown: 99mm
Camden airport: 77.8mm
Continue reading...Heavy rainfall forecast to continue in Sydney on Thursday as low pressure weather system heads for parts of Queensland
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Two groups have been rescued from flooding while a tornado warning for central New South Wales has been downgraded as large parts of the state brace for a further battering of rainfall and heavy winds from a low pressure system off the Tasman Sea.
The NSW State Emergency Service said it had responded to more than 90 incidents in the past 24 hours, including flood rescues for a motorist who had driven off a cliff face at Camden Bypass and a group of bushwalkers trapped by flood waters at Wattamolla.
Continue reading...Gusts reaching up to 130km/h expected to push further into south-eastern states on Saturday, bringing showers, hail and thunderstorms
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Blizzards have been forecast for parts of Victoria and residents have been warned to prepare for power outages and “destruction” as damaging winds are expected to lash the south-eastern states into the weekend.
An intense cold front began moving across Victoria from South Australia on Friday, after rain, thunderstorms and destructive winds battered the Adelaide metro area and surrounds on Thursday night and Friday morning, and a tornado warning was briefly issued.
Continue reading...Flood concerns along east coast and severe weather warning for west coast amid national cold snap
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Daily rainfall in parts of New South Wales could hit triple figures this week, as Australia’s east and west coasts brace for more wet and cold weather.
Several places along the NSW coastline saw rainfall of more than 50mm overnight into Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which warned that the wet weather would persist and intensify on Wednesday and Thursday.
Continue reading...Meteorologist says while there is disagreement over how much rain will fall, the general consensus is NSW and Queensland will have another wet week
For Australia’s east coast, the wet weeks are dragging on with no immediate reprieve in sight.
“I know people in Sydney and other parts of New South Wales will be sick of hearing this,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines told the ABC on Saturday. “But it will be another wet week across the eastern coastline, all the way from the Illawarra through New South Wales, through Sydney, Newcastle, through Brisbane up to the Wide Bay in Queensland”.
Continue reading...More than double the monthly average rain fell in the first 11 days, marking the wettest start to the month since 1998
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After Sydney’s soggiest start to August in nearly three decades, even more rain could be on the way, with a wetter than usual spring forecast for eastern New South Wales.
Only 11 days into August, rainfall in the city had reached 194mm – more than double the monthly average – marking the wettest start to the month since 1998, according to Weatherzone.
Continue reading...Major flood warning remains in place along Namoi River as parts of coastline receive almost double August monthly rainfall in eight days
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Heavy rainfall across Australia’s eastern states has prompted the cancellation of the Byron writers festival and a warning for participants in Sunday’s City2Surf race in Sydney to take care, after parts of the east coast received nearly double the typical August monthly rainfall in eight days.
The Byron festival organisers said they were “devastated” to announce the cancellation of the annual event due to the condition of the festival site and ongoing rain, and that it was a “deeply regrettable but necessary decision”.
Continue reading...Twenty-six-year-old Chinese engineer was trying to flee a vehicle in a swollen creek in Rothbury, near Cessnock
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A search was under way after a woman was swept into a flooded creek in the Hunter region overnight, as heavy downpours continued to batter large parts of northern New South Wales.
Police said a Mini was being driven by a 27-year-old woman in Rothbury, near Cessnock, when it became stuck in a swollen creek on Old North Road just before 8pm on Saturday.
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