Morning mail: Putin confronted by Austria’s leader, flood-related scams, Sydney’s last video shop

Tuesday: Austrian chancellor becomes first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with Russian president since invasion of Ukraine. Plus: Australia’s top travel experiences

  • Want to get the morning mail to your email inbox every weekday? Sign up here

Good morning. Putin meets Austria’s chancellor in his first face-to-face visit with a western leader since the invasion of Ukraine. Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese will be out campaigning in marginal seats, with jobs and healthcare on the election agenda. And Lonely Planet selects Australia’s top travel experiences.

The last Ukrainian soldiers defending Mariupol said they were “running out of ammunition” on Monday and expected to be killed or taken prisoner very soon by Russian forces surrounding the city. Writing on Facebook, the 36th brigade said its 47-day defence of Mariupol was coming to a tragic conclusion. “We were bombed from airplanes and shot at by artillery and tanks. We have been doing everything possible and impossible,” it said. Meanwhile, Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, said he told Vladimir Putin that “all those responsible” for war crimes must be brought to justice and warned that western sanctions would intensify as long as people kept dying in Ukraine. After becoming the first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with the Russian president since the invasion, Nehammer said his trip to Moscow was not “a visit of friendship” and that the two had had a “direct, open and hard” conversation.

Continue reading...

Advocates say people with disability are increasingly ‘forgotten’ in emergency planning

Insufficient accomodation and government support spark calls for better resourcing and planning in disaster responses

After being evicted from her short-term accommodation to make way for tourists, flood victim Margaret was left with nowhere else to go.

“I would have been homeless, living out of my car with two dogs,” the 79-year-old said.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Australia news live updates: NSW flood evacuation orders; asylum seekers to be released from detention; 30 Covid deaths

Seventeen asylum seekers expected to be released from detention; flood evacuation orders in NSW; Marise Payne meeting Nato members to discuss Ukraine; NSW records 16 Covid deaths and 22,255 new infections; Victoria records four deaths and 12,314 new infections; WA records 7,998 new infections and three deaths over past weeks; Queensland records seven deaths and 10,984 new cases. Follow all the day’s news live

The man seeking a high court challenge against federal intervention in NSW Liberal preselections has been expelled from the party.

In an escalation of the factional stoush, Matthew Camenzuli has asked the high court to prevent Scott Morrison’s hand-picked candidates from receiving Liberal endorsement on ballot papers pending the urgent case.

Continue reading...

More floods evacuation orders issued as Sydney exceeds annual rainfall in just over three months

Residents in suburbs including Woronora, Bonnet Bay and Chipping Norton, near Liverpool, told to leave as Bureau of Meteorology forecasts more heavy rain

Residents in parts of Sydney’s south have been ordered to evacuate their homes on Thursday with severe storms across the eastern part of New South Wales prompted flood warnings.

State Emergency Services in NSW ordered residents in low-lying parts of Woronora and Bonnet Bay, in Sydney’s south, to evacuate the area by 11:30am on Thursday, in anticipation of worsening rain and flash flooding.

Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands of fish dead after NSW floods

Scientists find fish that could normally tolerate low oxygen levels among those killed in Richmond river

Hundreds of thousands of fish have died after recent flooding in northern New South Wales caused “severe deoxygenation” of rivers, with researchers alarmed at discovering carcasses of species that traditionally tolerate lower oxygen levels.

Scientists are still researching the full of extent of the destruction to marine life along the Richmond river, where multiple fish kill events occurred following flooding in late February and early March. The flooding led to a total lack of oxygen in a 60km stretch of the waterway, between Coraki and Ballina on the northern NSW coast.

Continue reading...

Uninsured flood victims can receive up to $20,000 payment under NSW scheme

Money can be used for repairs to gas and electricity services, rebuilding, and purchase of white goods

Uninsured residents in flood-affected areas of New South Wales can apply for new cash payments, as recovery efforts continue after the state’s second major flooding event in a month.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced the grants of up to $20,000 in Lismore on Monday, his first day back from parental leave.

Continue reading...

Australia live news updates: Severe weather and flood warnings for Victoria; NSW reports 11 Covid deaths, Victoria records two Covid deaths, WA reports three historical deaths

Dangerous flash flooding possible in East Gippsland; NSW reports 11 Covid deaths and 16,807 new cases; Victoria has two deaths and 9,008 cases; Towke breaks silence over 2007 preselection fight with Morrison

We were expecting to hear from Scott Morrison this morning during his visit to Devils Gate Hydroelectric Power Station in Tasmania.

There’s no media conference yet from that visit, but if and when it does happen we’ll let you know.

Continue reading...

NSW flood victims to be relocated to Queensland to make way for Byron Bay tourists

As Easter visitors arrive in the northern rivers, at least 60 people will be moved to alternative accommodation

Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing

At least 60 flood victims in temporary housing in the New South Wales northern rivers will be relocated across the border to make way for tourists travelling to Byron Bay for the Easter holidays.

Widespread flooding in the northern rivers region has resulted in 28,000 people being relocated across the region.

Continue reading...

Northern NSW floods: evacuation order reissued for Lismore CBD as levee expected to be breached

A reprieve from floodwaters on Tuesday afternoon did not last, with Lismore locals waking to news the town’s levee is again set to be topped

Thousands of northern New South Wales residents still reeling from catastrophic flooding have been forced to evacuate their homes for the second time in a month as heavy rainfall lashed Lismore, Mullumbimby and Tumbulgum.

Some Lismore residents on Tuesday evening were told it was safe to return home after evacuation orders were lifted for the northern rivers town’s CBD, Lismore Basin and low-lying areas of East Lismore and Girards Hill.

Continue reading...

Flood evacuation orders issued for Lismore after man and dogs die in Queensland

Severe weather warnings issued for parts of eastern Australia still recovering from recent floods, with heavy rain forecast

Towns in northern New South Wales are bracing for another bout of possibly life-threatening flash floods, with the State Emergency Service ordering parts of flood-hit Lismore to move out of harm’s way.

The NSW SES on Monday issued an evacuation order about 7.30pm for North Lismore stating “residents must evacuate by 9pm”. Residents of South Lismore were ordered to leave by 10pm.

Continue reading...

Australia live news update: man drowns at Sydney beach; Labor’s Katy Gallagher says ‘mean girls’ label ‘diminishes women’; 11 Covid deaths

Man drowns on Sydney’s northern beaches; Labor senator Katy Gallagher says she had no ‘difficult arguments’ with Kimberley Kitching beyond what was normal in politics; Victoria records five Covid deaths and 7,466 new cases; NSW records one death and 17,450 new cases; Queensland records 7,738 new cases and one death; Western Australia records 7,197 new cases, four deaths. Follow developments live

The NSW Labor opposition has outlined a plan for the state to rebuild and recover from the devastating floods that have left about 1,500 people in emergency accommodation and damaged or destroyed about 95,000 homes, AAP reports.

The federal and New South Wales governments were too slow to act in the immediate response and have been too slow in their support, NSW Labor has said in a statement today.

The difference is, David, we’re looking for maximum community benefit and economic benefit while the government’s looking for maximum political benefit.

Continue reading...

Flood-hit Queensland renters have just days left to negotiate a break in their lease

With rental properties in short supply, many tenants are facing a difficult decision whether to stay or go

Howard Marshall and his partner, Gavin Chuah, have spent three weeks living out of suitcases and bed-hopping in and out of friends’ homes.

Flood water inundated the garage of their South Brisbane unit on 27 February, interrupting the building’s electricity and hot water supplies, and shutting off the lift and fire alarm.

Continue reading...

Climate change spat splits Lismore council in flood aftermath

Motion thanking community should not be ‘political’ and reference to climate change was ‘piss poor’, councillor says

The Lismore council was gripped by in-fighting on Tuesday night over whether it should make references to “climate change” following the flood disaster and an eleventh-hour decision to pause its work on flood mitigation, despite warnings the “optics” of doing so were “not good”.

The disaster-ravaged town is still in the early stages of recovering from an unprecedented 14.37-metre flood, which wiped out thousands of homes and businesses and brought Lismore to its knees.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Flood-affected Lismore residents with nowhere to go return to homes deemed uninhabitable

Exclusive: Multiple families who evacuated during the NSW floods left with no choice but to move back home in recent days

Residents in Lismore have been left with no choice but to move back into their houses that have been deemed uninhabitable, with some sleeping on swags in mouldy rooms without electricity, as they are unable to find safe accommodation three weeks after floods devastated the town.

In South Lismore – a low-lying part of the town that bore the brunt of historic flooding this year and an area well known for attracting residents seeking affordable housing – Guardian Australia spoke with multiple residents who had evacuated town following the floods but had returned to their homes in recent days.

Continue reading...

Josh Frydenberg open to intervening in insurance market as climate change pushes up premiums

Treasurer says he’s conscious premiums too high for many people in disaster-prone areas, but says more work needed on a proposal to extend reinsurance scheme

Josh Frydenberg has flagged he is “open” to further market interventions making insurance more affordable, but says more preparatory work will need to be done before the Morrison government would extend its $10bn cyclone reinsurance pool in northern Australia to cover more natural disasters.

In an interview with Guardian Australia ahead of the budget on 29 March, the treasurer said he was conscious that a changing climate rendered insurance problematic in some parts of Australia.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Motor homes for flood-affected Lismore residents empty while more temporary housing yet to arrive

Exclusive: Linen and water sources have not been organised for the homes, leaving locals waiting in evacuation centres

Motor homes intended for Lismore residents whose houses were inundated in this month’s floods are lying empty because linen and water sources have not been organised, while housing “pods” promised by the New South Wales government are yet to materialise.

The measures were announced as part of a temporary housing package last week, but three weeks on from the flood, thousands of locals are still living in evacuation centres due to the lacklustre speed of official support.

Continue reading...

Seventh Japanese encephalitis case in NSW; nation records 17 Covid deaths – as it happened

PM highlights China’s ‘chilling silence’ on Russian invasion as Labor says China has ‘responsibility’ to call out Putin’s actions; NSW Health confirms seventh case of Japanese encephalitis; man in court over Sydney boarding house fire; Coalition to spend $243m on four mining projects; a man has died in Broken Hill after driving his ute into flood waters; nation records at least 17 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

NSW Health has added the results from 10,000 additional positive rapid antigen tests to its official numbers after a data error meant they were left out.

The results were registered between Sunday 13 March and Monday 14 March, with NSW Health warning the numbers will “inflate the cases being reported today for the 24 hours to 4pm yesterday (Tuesday)”.

Continue reading...

Flooded NSW communities call on government to fund more resilient roads

Local leaders are calling for a loan system or longer-term funding to build more resilient roads than those washed away

Leaders in northern New South Wales are concerned they will not be able to “build back better” with flood relief money and will instead be forced to rebuild the same flood-prone roads and bridges, leaving communities at risk.

While Transport for NSW works to restore the most critical of the hundreds of roads that have been damaged or swept away in the disaster, councils are also turning their thoughts to the future.

Continue reading...

Nation records 16 Covid deaths; 25% of assessed Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley properties uninhabitable after floods – as it happened

‘This event is not over’, Dominic Perrottet says of east coast floods; 25% of assessed Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley properties uninhabitable; mental health support package announced as PM defends pace of flood relief; weather warning for Victoria; 16 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

Thinking of all those emergency crews and volunteers who must be exhausted.

With Japanese encephalitis outbreaks in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, health authorities are urging people to protect themselves against mosquitos over the long weekend.

Mosquitoes can be active throughout the day, but the peak period is often around the late afternoon and into the evening as well as around dawn and dusk. People should wear long, loose fitting clothes and use repellents containing picaridin or DEET on exposed skin. Mosquito numbers can be reduced by getting rid of stagnant water around the home or campsites.”

Continue reading...

Scott Morrison says locals will always play key part in natural disaster response

Prime minister says more than 100 mobile homes are on their way to northern NSW as he tours flood-hit Hawkesbury region

The prime minister says civilians will always be at the centre of flood rescue and recovery strategies as his government continues to face criticism for not deploying defence forces in flood-ravaged areas sooner.

Scott Morrison declared a national emergency in NSW late on Friday, triggering additional resources for the state and allowing the federal government to access stockpiled resources and remove red tape in terms of business and welfare support.

Continue reading...