Australia news live: six homes destroyed by Victoria bushfires; search for missing Sydney couple continues | Australia news

Lost Tasmanian bushwalker found

A bushwalker who did not return to camp has been found after his friends raised an alarm with Tasmanian police.

A helicopter was deployed to Federation Peak in south west Tasmania, with a ground search and rescue crew on board.

The missing bushwalker was able to contact authorities by phone and provide coordinates of his location. He had fallen and sustained a head injury.

The man, in his 30s, was found about 1:45am and flown to the Royal Hobart hospital for treatment.

NSW police commissioner apologises for historical failings

Karen Webb, the NSW police commissioner, has released a statement regarding the law enforcement response to the findings of the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes.

NSW police have previously been criticised for their “adversarial” and “defensive” approach to the 18-month inquiry that investigated historical hate-crimes carried out against LGBTQ+ people between 1970 and 2010.

The inquiry found that 14 of 22 unsolved deaths investigated by a police strike force were homicides. A remaining six should be classed as “suspected homicides”.

Webb apologised for the failure to adequately investigate the deaths.

I recognise that the investigation failings highlighted by the Special Commission of Inquiry (SCOI) report have resulted in enduring hurt for many. They do not represent the standards the community expect of us, and we expect of ourselves.

To the victims and families that NSW Police failed by not adequately and fairly investigating those deaths between 1970 and 2010, I am sorry.

I apologise for the gaps in those investigative processes where records and exhibits were lost or not examined with enough rigour.

I realise that this has meant missed opportunities to identify possible offenders as new leads emerged or as new forensic advances became available.

And I acknowledge the increased suffering experienced by victims and their families where the crimes were motivated by bias against members of the LGBTIQ community.

I assure the LGBTIQ community that under my leadership, NSW Police will use these lessons to continue to improve the way it serves all members of the community with respect, fairness, and inclusivity.

The mistakes of the past will not define our future.

For more on this story, read Guardian Australia’s previous reporting:

Police search waterway for missing men

Divers have scoured a waterway on the NSW north coast as the search continues for the bodies of a young couple who police believe were murdered in Sydney’s east.

Police divers have since been seen searching a waterway in Lambton, Newcastle as part of a continuing investigation into where the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies could be located.

– AAP

Rainfall and strong wind gusts as Lincoln impacts coast

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Lincoln could bring heavy rain and strong winds to Western Australia’s interior as it moves southeast on Sunday.

The system crossed the coast, near Carnarvon in the state’s northwest late on Saturday night as a tropical low.

It was previously forecast to intensify to a category 1 or 2 cyclone however the Bureau of Meteorology downgraded it on Friday.

Although Lincoln didn’t intensify as predicted, it still brought heavy rain and strong winds.

Since 7am on Saturday morning Carnarvon has received 78mm of rain, and at Geraldton wind gusts of up to 76km/h were recorded.

Flood watches are in place for the Pilbara, Gascoyne Coast and Central West District Rivers.

But severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the Kimberley have been cancelled.

Evacuation centres have been opened in Carnarvon and Exmouth.

Urban search and rescue specialists are among the dozens of emergency service personnel deployed to communities likely to be affected.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the system is expected to move south towards WA’s wheat belt on Sunday before dissipating on Monday.

Rain of up to 50mm is predicted for area’s in Lincoln’s path but there is a chance of severe storms and higher falls.

– AAP

Flash flooding fears after storms lash Queensland

Storms have lashed Queensland overnight and there are fears flash flooding and high humidity are to follow.

The Bureau of Meteorology has recorded more than 100mm of rain in some places, with additional falls expected on the Capricornia and Wide Bay coastlines.

The tropical northern stretch of the state is forecast to face a drenching as wet season conditions continue, but the rest of the state is expected to have a break and a chance to dry out on Sunday.

Victorian government announces $21m package for flood clean up

Symes also say the Victorian government has partnered with the federal government to deliver a $21m package to help those communities affected by floods across the Christmas and New Year period to clean up and dispose of debris.

This includes $8m for a council support fund.

We know that when emergencies hit communities, the first people on the ground is very often, your council workers who are side by side with our emergency responders.

They are the ones that are operating the relief centres. They are the ones that are working on the ground with their communities. They are the ones that have responsibility for preparing, repairing all of the damage to infrastructure, parks, footpaths, playgrounds and this support fund is going to go some way to ensuring that our councils can make those necessary repairs for their communities.

‘Grave concern’: Victorians in fire prone areas warned to prepare for hot weather

Symes says the Victorian government holds concerns about the next week with temperatures expected to soar, particularly around Wednesday and Thursday. She says government officials are meeting with fire agencies and the Bureau of Meteorology to “get a sense of what Wednesday looks like”.

What we know already is that the indicators are in the extreme range. I was with chief of the CFA, Jason Heffernan, yesterday. He expressed his grave concern about what may eventuate on Wednesday. We’re expecting not only high temperatures but also wind is expected. And given the hot weather that we have had in recent weeks, a lot of drying has occurred, particularly in the west of the state. We will have more to say in the coming days, but I do want to take the opportunity to remind Victorians who are in fire prone areas, particularly the west and central parts of the state, you must act.

You must have your fire plan developed. You must have the conversations with your family members, your neighbours, and know what you’re going to do in the event of an evacuation.

Six homes destroyed in Victorian bushfires

A security guard has died after alleged assault in Sydney’s South

Emergency services were called to a licensed premises on East Parade, Sutherland after reports a security guard had been assaulted.

Officers attached to Sutherland Shire police area command attended and found a man unconscious outside the hotel.

Police performed CPR before the man was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics but died at the scene.

The man hasn’t been formally identified; however, is believed to be aged in his 30s.

A crime scene was established and an investigation into the incident commenced.

Police were told the security guard was allegedly punched to the head by a patron after an altercation. It’s alleged the patron was asked to leave the hotel before the assault.

Following inquiries, a 31-year-old man was arrested and taken to Sutherland police station.

Police will speak to the media regarding the investigation at 11.30am on Sunday morning.

Large bushfire in western Victoria continues to burn

Hundreds of firefighters battling a large bushfire in western Victoria have been aided by cooler weather conditions but residents are warned to remain across emergency alerts.

As of Saturday afternoon, a large fire west of Ballarat had destroyed at least three homes and other buildings after tearing through nearly 16,000 hectares.

Premier Jacinta Allan, who visited affected communities on Saturday, said it was lucky no lives had been lost but that residents should continue to be aware of the risk.

It’s a big fire that’s already burned a lot of land, but it also is continuing to burn and will burn for a number of days and weeks ahead.

There is a very wide fire front that remains very active and there’s currently around 700 people out on the fire ground out actively working on this fire.

On Saturday, the Country Fire Authority issued a leave-now warning for Amphitheatre residents as the blaze approached the town.

People told to evacuate earlier in the week have not yet been able to return to their homes.

They include residents from Avoca, Bayindeen, Chute, Elmhurst, Mount Lonarch and surrounds, Main Lead, Raglan, Middle Creek, Waterloo, Glenlofty, Glenpatrick, Glenshee, Green Hill Creek, Nowhere Creek, Crowlands, Eversley, Landsborough, Percydale and Warrenmang.

While weather conditions eased on Saturday afternoon, authorities were concerned about upcoming forecast hot temperatures.

Wednesday is of the most concern to firefighters, described as a “spike” day when the mercury is set to soar above 40C.

– AAP

This weekend’s pro-Palestine rallies

Weekly pro-Palestine rallies are being held across Australian capitals. Here are the details of the protests planned for Sunday (and those that were held on Saturday):

• Sydney: 1.30pm at Hyde Park.

• Melbourne: 12pm at the State Library of Victoria

• Perth: A march was organised on Saturday starting at Hillary’s Boat Harbour at 7am and ending at Bathar’s Beach at 5.30pm.

• Brisbane: A rally was held outside Dr Jim Chalmers office in Rowan Park on Saturday.

• Adelaide: 2pm Sunday, outside Parliament House.

• Hobart: A rally was held on Saturday at 11am on Davey Street.

Australia supports fourth round of strikes against Houthi targets

Jason Clare wants to ‘finish’ the Gonski model and close the education gap

Funding transparency key, says Clare

Clare says he won’t be drawn on the negotiations the federal government is having with the states, but says he wants to “do a deal with every state and territory to get every public school up to that full-funding level and make sure the money we tie to the things that we know work to tackle the sorts of problems that exist at the moment”.

The point I would make is I want taxpayers money to glow in the dark. I want parents and teachers to know where the money is going, whether it is in a public school or non-government school. That’s the key here.

Changes to philanthropic funding for universities ruled out

Clare has ruled out making changes to philanthropic funding for universities that may share around bequests, saying people may chose to donate to a higher education future fund rather than a specific university or to a particular institution.

On public school funding, the minister said the current arrangement left a 5% gap between what government provided and what public schools were expected to cough up.

The negotiations we are having now is how we fill that gap. What the commonwealth government chips in and what the states chip in, and importantly what we use that money for, what we tie that money to, to make it work, making sure we invest that money in the sort of things that will help make sure more kids do finish school and a big part that have is going right back to the start – identifying kids who are falling behind early.

Changes to indexation for HECS-HELP payments coming soon: Clare

On indexation, Clare says the government will look at making changes about how this interest payment is applied to HECS-HELP payments “in the next few months”.

It is worth remembering that a generation of Australians will be making those payments, which are due from 1 July at tax time.