NT chief minister Natasha Fyles set to resign – reports
The NT’s chief minister, Natasha Fyles, is reportedly set to resign today, with the ABC reporting that she will step down amid mounting pressure on her leadership.
Fyles is also the NT’s health minister.
We’ll have more on this as it firms up today.
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Some communities, like Wonga, are onto their seventh day without resupply and have virtually run out of food and water, he said.
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“We’ve got people yelling out now they’re desperate. They need assistance now and this was coming yesterday,” he said.
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There was one lady who got a message out from Cape Tribulation this morning that they are desperate, they’ve got no petrol left in the generator. They’ve got no food, they’ve got no water. They are absolutely struggling. They need help. Where is everyone?
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They’re showing photos of this 120-metre landslide saying we can’t get out. We need help.
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The council has yet to be able to even reach some parts of the LGA, with areas still yet to have a damage assessment of homes or road infrastructure. In some places entire roads have been lost to landslides and flooding, he said.
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Kerr said the rain has now stopped, and water is gradually draining away from communities.
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We can’t see the flooding occurring now. Now it’s going to be getting into rescue and recovery mode, especially across the river. Hopefully we’ll get the Daintree River down enough by tomorrow that we’ll be able to get the ferry back in the water. And get some crews across there to start clearing the roads over there because from what we’re hearing … landslides that happened, 20 metres wide.
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Some council crews have been working non-stop for a week and need time off, he said.
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The NT’s chief minister, Natasha Fyles, is reportedly set to resign today, with the ABC reporting that she will step down amid mounting pressure on her leadership.
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Fyles is also the NT’s health minister.
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We’ll have more on this as it firms up today.
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The runway is open and flights have recommenced at Cairns Airport this morning.
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Conditions on the runway were “clear and serviceable”, and passenger flights would begin again, an update posted at 8am on the airport’s website said.
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The airport warned that airlines were determining their own flight operations and schedules and patrons should contact their airline directly for information about specific flights.
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The car parks in the domestic and international terminals were negatively affected by the flooding, the airport advised, and the main access road into Cairns Airport, Airport Avenue, was also open and clear to traffic.
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Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika is set to be released from prison within hours and placed on an extended supervision order that will force him to comply with 30 conditions including electronic monitoring.
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The Victorian supreme court heard on Tuesday that Benbrika would be released later that day, pending a finalisation of the order.
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Judge Elizabeth Hollingworth has imposed a year-long order with conditions requiring Benbrika to comply with electronic monitoring, conditions about deradicalisation and psychological treatment, and bans on who he can associate with.
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She said she planned to finalise the order later today, and that it would come into effect three hours later, allowing corrections authorities to release Benbrika.
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He has been in custody since he was arrested in 2005 as part of the Operation Pendennis terror plot.
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Nacer Benbrika will be released from prison under more than 30 strict conditions.”,”caption”:”Abdul Nacer Benbrika will be released from prison under more than 30 strict conditions.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Network 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EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1702944593000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”19.09 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1702944082000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.01 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.01″,”title”:”Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika monitored upon release”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Nino Bucci”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2020/11/26/Nino_Bucci.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3521e99a0dc125f278aac3d5287782ba”,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2020/11/26/Nino_Bucci.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=484749567f72517cc99dd87a5930d21f”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 18 Dec 2023 20.48 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 18 Dec 2023 14.32 EST”},{“id”:”6580ce498f08e82ef8e59e6a”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Victoria police are investigating after a man was found dead on the Western Freeway in Truganina last night.
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Officers were called to the scene at about 11.30pm last night, and the major collision investigation unit believes the man had been driving a car which was involved in a crash.
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While the exact circumstances are yet to be established, they believe the 23-year-old Thorn Hill Park man got out of his car and was struck by another vehicle which failed to stop.
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Detectives are investigating after a man was located deceased on the Western Freeway last night. Investigators believe the 23-year-old Thorn Hill Park man exited his car and was struck by another vehicle which failed to stop at the scene. https://t.co/llZIQLvG8P
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) December 18, 2023
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Desmond Tayley, former mayor of Wujal Wujal, has said he has “grave concerns” for elderly people and people with disabilities in that small community, who may need medical attention:
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\n
The majority of the community is my family, you know. I’m very concerned about what’s going on now. I think – you hold grave concerns for the elderly people.
\n
And some of the people are on dialysis. Normally they would go to Cooktown on a weekly basis to get it done. I haven’t heard nothing around that as of yet. But if we don’t get urgent medical attention to these elders, unfortunately, we may hear bad news.
\n
So we’ve got to make sure that we treat this disaster real urgently and get some medical supplies in there. Get the support the community needs.
\n
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Tayley commended the local council and the efforts of other authorities in their attempt to support and rescue residents.
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An 85-year-old man has been reported missing in the flood waters. A search and rescue operation has commenced, Chelepy says:
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\n
No. So we have commenced a search and rescue investigation into that. Degarra was one of the communities we couldn’t get into yesterday, but we have been speaking to a local man where there were a number of rescues completed yesterday in Degarra. So we have dispatched the water police vessel this morning, which left in the early hours of this morning and is on the way to that location. And in addition to that, we’ve now got rescue helicopters going that way as well.
\n
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The last update posted by the NSW Rural Fire Service on that Narrabri bushfire, at 4.37am – just a few hours ago – describes a “dangerous and erratic” situation in the region.
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Overnight, the fire generated a thunderstorm (called pyro-cumulonimbus) to the south-east of the fireground, “causing dangerous and erratic fire behaviour” and embers being blown long distances ahead of the main fire front, the RFS said.
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Properties may be in danger earlier than expected as a consequence.
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There are evacuation centres set up at The Crossing Theatre, 117 Tibbereena Street, in Narrabri, and Gunnedah PCYC, View St, Gunnedah.
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More information about what people in the affected areas need to do can be found on the RFS website.
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A community escaping flood waters in far north Queensland is set to be evacuated to a town that is low on water and has only three days of food left, AAP reports.
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Cooktown, north of Cairns, was at one stage standing by to take in the entire 300-strong population of nearby Wujal Wujal after record rainfall in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
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Wet weather forced the operation to be postponed, with most residents of the Aboriginal community now to be relocated to Cooktown from early today.
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But the Cooktown region’s mayor, Peter Scott, said he would be scrambling to find food and supplies before their arrival:
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We are ourselves low on food and supplies. We’ve still got enough tucker for another three days. We’ve also got water restrictions at the moment because our water treatment plant was flooded.
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We are running around trying to get food, blankets, that sort of stuff. We will see what the state government can organise – it will be a tough ask.
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Scott insisted the town still could host the evacuees, with the Cooktown PCYC equipped to house up to 1,000 people:
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Wujal Wujal have copped it very badly. Some of those poor people have been on the roof of their houses for two or three nights with no power, no communication, no food probably.
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About 16 people – including a seven-year-old boy at Wujal Wujal hospital – were stuck on rooftops before reaching higher ground yesterday.
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But nine people remained on top of houses at nearby Degarra and Bloomfield.
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Scott said he had been told that one Australian defence force helicopter would be available to transport Wujal Wujal residents to Cooktown, only taking six at a time:
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That’s a lot of trips going backwards and forwards. But the access road down there has been washed away.
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The only way to come is by air. The river is running too strong to think about barges or boats.
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Yesterday the state disaster coordinator Shane Chelepy assured all councils that assistance was on its way, with supplies reaching flood-hit councils by “first light” today:
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We have engaged through the disaster management network with all the councils and we are actively planning to be able to re-supply food, water and medical supplies into all of the isolated communities.
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Nikki Boyd is assisting the effort after being sworn in as the new fire and disaster recovery minister yesterday:
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To those folks who are still waiting for that assistance, help is definitely on its way.
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Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be running you through the main stories of the day before my colleague Stephanie Convery takes the helm.
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There’s a cyclone roughly every two years, people are super-prepared for extreme weather and had plenty of notice as Tropical Cyclone Jasper rolled across the Pacific towards far north Queensland. But somehow no one was quite ready for what happened when it hit land and dumped more than two metres of rain. “It was just unbelievable,” says Peter McKewon, a cafe owner in Mossman in far north Queensland as he describes the flooding that has left the town inundated in the wake of ex-Tropcal Cyclone Jasper and has required the military to assist with rescue and recovery. Our experts look at whether global heating is to blame for the extreme event, and how road closures in the region could push up the cost of bananas and mangoes.
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Less than half of Australians who seek a refund for a cancelled flight receive it within a month while one-fifth of those seeking a refund wait more than six months. A poll by Choice also finds that two in five respondents had a flight cancelled or delayed in the 12 months in the year to October. Bea Sherwood, Choice’s senior campaigns and policy adviser, said Australians were having to “fight tooth and nail with the airlines” to receive refunds they were entitled to.
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More than 40 housing and welfare groups say they are concerned migrants are being scapegoated as the main reason for Australia’s housing crisis, calling on the prime minister and opposition leader to show leadership on the issue. The organisations – which include the Australian Council of Social Services, the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia and National Shelter – say decades of poor policy choices by successive governments, including investor tax incentives and the chronic undersupply of social housing, have fuelled the crisis.
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A major out-of-control bushfire in north-west NSW has flared, with residents in the remote area told it is too late to leave.
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The bushfire in forest at Pilliga, near Narrabri, was relisted at emergency level on Monday afternoon after earlier being downgraded to watch and act.
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Residents to the south of Narrabri were told to seek shelter as the fast-growing 64,700ha fire burned towards them.
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“If you are in the area of Bohena Creek, between McCanns Road, Perimeter Road, Tomlinson Lane and Newell Highway, your life is at risk,” the NSW Rural Fire Service said in an emergency alert.
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“It is too late to leave.”
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As of 6pm, there are 62 fires burning across the state, with 19 not yet contained. There is currently one fire burning at an emergency warning level, with more than 600 firefighters and incident management personnel working across NSW.
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As of 6pm, there are 62 fires burning across the state, with 19 not yet contained. There is currently one fire burning at an Emergency Warning level, with more than 600 firefighters and incident management personnel working across NSW. For more info: https://t.co/SwFG8PzKTA pic.twitter.com/QbrPHV75Iv
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 18, 2023
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A shelter now warning remains in place for Bohena Creek with those in the vicinity of Willala, Baan Baa and Goolhi advised to be aware of falling embers catching alight.
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Firefighters were continuing to work with the support of aircraft to slow the spread of the fire and protect properties across a number of areas.
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An RFS spokesperson said there were was no confirmed reports of properties being lost or damaged, but further assessments would be conducted in coming days.
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Smoke could be seen across an area spanning hundreds of kilometres areas around Tamworth, Walcha, Armidale and even coastal communities near Port Macquarie.
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An evacuation centre was set up at Narrabri, a town of around 13,000 people, for those who had fled the fire.
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Key events
Cairns mayor says situation desperate in remote communities after Cyclone Jasper
Andrew Messenger
Mayor Michael Kerr says the situation is dire in the Douglas shire area, north of Cairns, particularly in a number of remote communities.
Some communities, like Wonga, are onto their seventh day without resupply and have virtually run out of food and water, he said.
“We’ve got people yelling out now they’re desperate. They need assistance now and this was coming yesterday,” he said.
There was one lady who got a message out from Cape Tribulation this morning that they are desperate, they’ve got no petrol left in the generator. They’ve got no food, they’ve got no water. They are absolutely struggling. They need help. Where is everyone?
They’re showing photos of this 120-metre landslide saying we can’t get out. We need help.
The council has yet to be able to even reach some parts of the LGA, with areas still yet to have a damage assessment of homes or road infrastructure. In some places entire roads have been lost to landslides and flooding, he said.
Kerr said the rain has now stopped, and water is gradually draining away from communities.
We can’t see the flooding occurring now. Now it’s going to be getting into rescue and recovery mode, especially across the river. Hopefully we’ll get the Daintree River down enough by tomorrow that we’ll be able to get the ferry back in the water. And get some crews across there to start clearing the roads over there because from what we’re hearing … landslides that happened, 20 metres wide.
Some council crews have been working non-stop for a week and need time off, he said.
Westpac and St George bank hit by network outage
Westpac and St George customers are being hit by a network outage affecting online and mobile banking.
On X, formerly Twitter, Westpac said it was “aware” customers were experiencing “intermittent issues” to their services.
Our teams are working to fix the issue. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and will continue to share updates here.
St George customers have reported a surge of outages in the past 24 hours, with more than 800 incidents since this morning. Some 90% of the problems are related to online banking.
Online, users have reported their apps crashing and unsuccessful payments.
NSW RFS say Duck Creek Pilliga Forest fire still out of control, issue shelter now warnings
The NSW RFS has provided an update on the Duck Creek Pilliga Forest fire, which has burnt through more than 110,000 hectares of land and remains out of control.
Overnight the fire generated a thunderstorm to the south-east of the fire ground, causing dangerous and erratic fire behaviour.
Lightning from thunderstorm activity may have sparked new ignitions. Embers will be blown long distances ahead of the main fire front starting spot fires. These may impact your home earlier than the main fire front.
Residents in the area of Baan Baa, Willala, Goolhi, Rocky Glen and Stannix Park have been told it is too late to leave and urged to shelter now.
The area of Bohena Creek, Jacks Creek or Wynella has been told to stay alert and monitor surroundings.
There are 80 incidents across the state, with all other fires at “advice” level.
Body found in search for missing boater
The body of a man has been found on the far south coast of New South Wales following an extensive search after a boat washed onshore.
About 3.15pm on 12 December, emergency services were called to Haywards Beach, near Bermagui, following the reports of a washed up boat. Officers commenced a search of the water and surrounding area for its occupant, a 60-year-old man from Victoria, with assistance from Surf Life Savers, state emergency services and a helicopter.
The search was suspended last Thursday.
About 5.30pm yesterday, a body was found in the water at Haywards Beach. He is yet to be formally identified, but police believe him to be the missing man.
NT chief minister Natasha Fyles set to resign – reports
The NT’s chief minister, Natasha Fyles, is reportedly set to resign today, with the ABC reporting that she will step down amid mounting pressure on her leadership.
Fyles is also the NT’s health minister.
We’ll have more on this as it firms up today.
Caitlin Cassidy
New Universities Australia CEO appointed
The peak body for Australia’s tertiary sector has announced Luke Sheehy as its new chief executive, to join Universities Australia from February next year.
Sheehy is the current head of the Australian Technology Network (ATN) of universities, composed of Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, the University of Newcastle, the University of South Australia and the University of Technology Sydney.
He takes over from Catriona Jackson, who navigated the helm during the pandemic.
Universities Australia’s Prof David Lloyd said the body was “delighted” to welcome Sheehy through what would be a “crucial period” for universities. The universities accord, to define the future of the sector, was handed down to the federal government this month and is likely to be released publicly in the new year.
Sheehy said as the first member of his family to graduate from university, he “knew first hand” the power of education to transform lives:
I am driven to ensure that opportunity is provided to as many people as possible.
Josh Butler
A crackdown on what the federal government refers to as “black cladding” will be included in planned reforms to the Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) to promote First Nations businesses – including proposals that businesses accessing such programs must be majority Indigenous-owned and managed.
Assistant minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy announced overnight that the government was opening consultation on strengthening the IPP, a program meant to boost the Commonwealth’s use of Indigenous-led businesses.
The minister said the IPP had generated over $9 bn in contracts for more than 3,600 Indigenous businesses since 2015, and that it was “key to recognising Indigenous businesses across Australia as critical delivery partners in major government projects.”
McCarthy raised the term “black cladding”, which was defined in a media release as “when a business unfairly uses policies not intended for them, like the IPP, to access markets”.
McCarthy said:
The consultation will seek to gather perspectives around several priority reform areas, including a proposed shift to require that Indigenous enterprises be majority Indigenous owned, managed and controlled.
Indigenous businesses across the country have demonstrated their ability to consistently deliver high-quality work for government.
This consultation process will provide valuable insight into ensuring economic benefits are flowing to First Nations people, businesses and communities
Cairns Airport reopens after flooding
The runway is open and flights have recommenced at Cairns Airport this morning.
Conditions on the runway were “clear and serviceable”, and passenger flights would begin again, an update posted at 8am on the airport’s website said.
The airport warned that airlines were determining their own flight operations and schedules and patrons should contact their airline directly for information about specific flights.
The car parks in the domestic and international terminals were negatively affected by the flooding, the airport advised, and the main access road into Cairns Airport, Airport Avenue, was also open and clear to traffic.
Josh Butler
State and commonwealth ministers to meet to discuss national migration strategy
Housing, infrastructure and services are on the agenda as the federal government convenes the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Migration Roundtable today.
State and commonwealth ministers will meet to discuss the recent national migration strategy and what it means for each jurisdiction. The immigration minister, Andrew Giles, will lead the meeting.
The attendees will discuss how they cooperate on planning Australia’s migration intake, including using the strategy to address skill shortages for local economies. High on the agenda are infrastructure, housing and service delivery issues as they relate to migration.
Giles said:
It’s integral that as we look to implement reform through the migration strategy, states and territories have a seat at the table – something that the former Liberal government failed to do.
We must ensure that our long-term planning for migration aligns with population, infrastructure, housing and services planning, across all levels of government.
Surat residents told to boil water before drinking
Residents of the outback town of Surat should boil water before drinking due to the cloudiness of the water supply, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has said.
QFES issued an emergency alert this morning for Surat, saying residents should boil water for drinking, food preparation, brushing teeth and baby formula, and use bottled or cooled boiled water.
The advice continues:
Tap water is OK for non-drinking purposes. Free bottled water is available at Surat library. Council is working with Qld Health to address the issue.
Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika monitored upon release
Nino Bucci
Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika is set to be released from prison within hours and placed on an extended supervision order that will force him to comply with 30 conditions including electronic monitoring.
The Victorian supreme court heard on Tuesday that Benbrika would be released later that day, pending a finalisation of the order.
Judge Elizabeth Hollingworth has imposed a year-long order with conditions requiring Benbrika to comply with electronic monitoring, conditions about deradicalisation and psychological treatment, and bans on who he can associate with.
She said she planned to finalise the order later today, and that it would come into effect three hours later, allowing corrections authorities to release Benbrika.
He has been in custody since he was arrested in 2005 as part of the Operation Pendennis terror plot.
Pilliga Forest fire still heading south
The out-of-control Duck Creek Pilliga Forest fire ran 30km south overnight towards Rocky Glen and Stannix Park, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service has said. It’s still heading in a southerly direction and warnings to shelter in place for some locations remain current.
Sarah Basford Canales
More than 50 former and current Labor MPs, including the former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr, have signed a letter condemning Israel’s “domination” of Palestine and demanding Australia recognise Palestine as a state and examine its relationship with Israel.
The letter released on Tuesday morning, initiated by the NSW Labor upper house member Anthony D’Adam and the state Greens MP Jenny Leong, calls for an “immediate, permanent ceasefire and a just and lasting peace” in Gaza, and accused Israel of “grossly” violating human rights law with its ongoing blockade of the besieged strip.
The letter reads:
It is beyond dispute that Israel is committed to policies designed to entrench the domination of one people over another in the territories of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Attempts to deny this, or smear those who allege it, are an attempt to defy truth and reality.
These events and policies have involved the destruction of Palestinian society and the denial of the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Read the full story here:
Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial continues
Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial continues today. Lehrmann is suing Lisa Wilkinson and her employer Network Ten for an interview with Brittany Higgins that was broadcast on The Project in 2021.
Lehrmann alleges the story, which did not name him, defamed him by suggesting he raped Higgins in 2019. Lehrmann has always denied the rape allegation and, in a previous criminal trial, pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
The cross-examination of former Liberal staffer Fiona Brown will continue this morning without the federal court’s live stream but with media present in the courtroom.
Amanda Meade will have all the updates for you in our separate live blog for the trial, here: