Australia news live: second flood death in Victoria as evacuation orders issued in state’s north | Australia news

Andrews goes on to announce the government will be providing $10,000 one off payments to farmers affected by flooding, as well as subsiding transport costs and offering concessional loans.

I said yesterday we would be back with you with some information in relation to the ag sector. Today I can announce a $19.5m initial package. This is the first package and there will be more. This is us getting in as quickly as possible. There’ll then be further support under the DRFA partnership arrangements with the Commonwealth government, but we’ll leave those announcements as joined announcements a little bit later on.

This is all about clean-up and about support for those who are without income and are in the most uncertain of times. Primary producers have been directly affected by these needs have access to a one-off direct payment of $10,000 to support clean-up, re-establishment, and all the other efforts that they’ll need to go to over coming weeks and months.

As I said, this is an initial payment and we’ll get these out the door as fast as we possibly can but just the certainty of knowing that this is coming will be a comfort. Agriculture. Vic.gov.au is the place to go for details about that.

We’ll provide subsidised transport. So we’ll subsidise transport up to 50% to help farmers to transport emergency water and fodder, and stock, whether they’re going to agistment, sales or abattoirs.

Finally agriculture, primary production, will also be able to access concessional loans of up to $250,000, those loans are stretched out at a reduced interest rate over five years and, again, an important part of our support for that very directly-affected sector.

Our agriculture sector is such an important part of our economic outlook, our prospects, so important to communities, flood-affected and indeed well and truly beyond. This is the food bowl of our nation and we’ll stand with every farmer, every primary producer, everybody in the agriculture supply chain at this really difficult time.

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has stepped up for a media conference where he has confirmed a second man has died in the state’s flooding.

It is my sad duty to confirm that the body of a 65-year-old man has been found near Nathalia. We send our deepest condolences to his family, our thoughts and prayers are with him and all in that community.

Police will provide further details.

People located in Barmah and Lower Moira in Victoria have been recommended to evacuate immediately by the Victoria emergency services.

The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, will have to pay $250,000 in damages after defaming former senator Brian Burston on the Today Show by falsely claiming he sexually abused a female staffer in his parliamentary office, AAP reports.

In the federal court on Wednesday, Justice Robert Bromwich ordered Hanson pay the penalties after “seriously damaging” Burston’s reputation on the Nine Network.

As well as incorrectly stating that Burston sexually abused a female colleague, Hanson also falsely claimed he had assaulted One Nation chief of staff James Ashby without provocation in the great hall of parliament, the judge found.

Bromwich said:

I find that both the fourth imputation and the sixth imputation were seriously damaging to Mr Burston’s reputation, being broadcast on a nationally broadcast television program watched by over 290,000 people at the time. They were both false.

Burston failed to prove that a number of other imputations were defamatory, including that he sexually harassed staff in his office, that he harassed a female staffer in his office, and that he brought the senate into disrepute by his shocking behaviour towards staff.

Burston launched the defamation suit in June 2020 over what he said were false claims of sexual harassment made against him on social media, via text and on television.
He argued the statements painted him as a sexual harasser, and someone who acted disgracefully and brought the senate into disrepute.

He repeatedly denied the allegations of misconduct, saying the events described never occurred.

Hanson filed her own counter suit in the federal court in November 2020 claiming Burston’s defamation case and sexual harassment allegations made against her amounted to sexual discrimination.

On Wednesday, Bromwich allowed this case to proceed, tossing Burston’s bid to entirely dismiss the lawsuit on grounds that the court did not have jurisdiction to hear it.

More than 1,400 jobs for Tasmanians from Marinus Link project, PM says

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is in Tasmania today, visiting flood-affected regions and spruiking his government’s new investment in the Marinus Link clean energy project. Last night, the government announced $1.5b under its rewiring the nation policy for various renewable schemes, including a plan for joint investment in the Marinus Link between the federal, Victorian and Tasmanian governments.

Speaking on ABC Hobart radio, Albanese called it a “nation-building project” that would generate 1,400 jobs in construction and 1,120 other jobs.

He said:

This will result in cheaper energy for Tasmanians and that’s why the Tasmanian government are backing this project.

Marinus has a $3.8bn price tag, according to modelling. Albanese said the project had been “studied to death” when asked to confirm whether the bill would blow out, or whether it would actually generate as many jobs as the government claims.

There’s ongoing jobs with renewables … they require an upfront capital cost.

Once that capital cost of doing the solar panels, having them up there on the roofs, over a period of time that gets repaid reasonably quickly and from then on, the consumer is better off.

Asked about another hot local issue in Tasmania, the calls for an AFL team in the state, Albanese said it would be a “terrific” thing but that his government wouldn’t pump money into requests for a new football stadium without seeing a business case for the investment.

Dean Narramore, a senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, has told ABC News there is not going to be a break in the wet weather anytime soon.

That low will move towards the South Australia and New South Wales border tonight. And slowly move south through western parts of NSW and Victoria as we move through Thursday and Friday.

What that means – widespread heavy rain and thunderstorms through NSW, and eventually into northern Victoria on Thursday and Friday. A bit more convective, this system, so more hit and miss storms.

We’re talking widespread 50mm to 100mm, over five days, across many of our flood-affected rivers. That means likely renewed river level rises in NSW and into northern Victoria as well.

Just as this clears away, it doesn’t really clear away, the moisture hangs on – our next system comes in Sunday and Monday with renewed bursts of rain and thunderstorms across SA, Victoria, Tasmania, and NSW.

That will continue in mid-next week. A lot of rain and storms on the way. Residents and communities in flood-affected areas need to stay up-to-date because it’s going to be a wet and stormy few days with lots of warnings likely issued.