East coast braced for heavy rain and damaging winds
Australia’s eastern states are in for another lashing of rain as a powerful low pressure system develops off the coast with flood-weary regions a possible target.
“Tuesday and Wednesday are the two biggest days in regards to rainfall and weather impacts,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines said.
Hines said it would an anxious wait for residents on the NSW mid-north coast who are still recovering from record floods in May that claimed the lives of three people and damaged hundreds of properties, reports AAP.
“The current event is shaping to bring most of the rainfall south … but it would take a subtle shift … and bring in some of that heavier rain into the mid north coast which is extremely sensitive to rain,” he said.
The NSW central coast will cop up to 200 mm along, with damaging winds, taking in areas from Sydney, the Hunter Valley and Illawarra regions as well as southern Queensland.
The system could potentially spread to eastern Victoria including areas around Gippsland.
Flash flooding and riverine flooding, where banks could burst, are also a possibility with wild and hazardous surf conditions expected.
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Updated at 00.09 BST
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Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese reaffirms US tariffs on Australia ‘should be zero’
Anthony Albanese says tariffs placed on Australia by the US Trump administration “should be zero” as leaders around the world prepare for a second “liberation day” announcement following a 90-day pause on tariffs.
In a frosty, sub-zero morning in Canberra’s Bruce, the prime minister said Australia would continue to put its case forward with the close ally.
Albanese said:
We’ll continue to put our case forward that it shouldn’t be 10. It should be zero. That is what a reciprocal tariff will be. We have a US free trade agreement, of course, and we’ve put forward very clearly our arguments.
Flanked by finance minister Katy Gallagher and skills minister Andrew Giles, Albanese was there to talk up a new $10,000 incentive payment for students in construction but the questions centred heavily on defence spending and tariffs.
Asked whether his government could increase defence spending next April as part of the national defence strategy, Albanese bluntly replied “No”.
No, because you’re seeing it now with $57bn that we have in the budget – $57 bn isn’t nothing … What we want to do is to use defence procurement, not just to assist in the defence of Australia, but also to be a facilitator of that advanced manufacturing.
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Updated at 01.02 BST
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson calls for ‘agenda of intolerance and anti-protest measures’ to end
New South Wales Greens MP Sue Higginson says in relation to allegations by Greens candidate Hannah Thomas that she was assaulted by police during a protest:
The level of impunity the police displayed doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s written there in black and white – a direct reference to the anti-protest laws rushed through the NSW parliament.
The Greens spokesperson for justice said in a statement that she called for the “agenda of intolerance and anti-protest measures” to be reversed.
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Updated at 01.09 BST
Sporadic communications for regional Queensland residents ‘rather traumatic’, local mayor says
Councillor Andrew Smith, the mayor of Western Downs regional council, which includes the town of Dalby, has said locals without connectivity from 16 June to today are “frustrated”.
The ABC said 13,000 people in regional Queensland had had sporadic mobile communications for two weeks while upgrades were made to the local 5G network.
Speaking with the ABC’s Radio National, Smith said the past two weeks had been “rather traumatic”.
“We live and die almost by our communications these days, and unfortunately, the Dalby community has had sporadic communications via upgrades that Telstra are delivering,” he said.
He said Telstra’s messaging was “unclear about the planned outages and the potential consequences” and had impacted emergency services, businesses, farmers and schools.
Clinicians were told to stay within wi-fi range, while “diabetes alert devices were rendered inoperable” with “no back-up support”, he said.
He said:
It’s really not acceptable in 2025, from what’s considered to be our national carrier, that the planning isn’t clearer, but also the contingency planning was basically nil.
We’ve got a regional community that is very active. People are on the road, they’re out in paddocks, and those people lost communications altogether. That’s not only an emergency services issue, but it makes business very, very difficult.
So, you know, we’ve got schools that are trying to get in touch with parents with sick children. Parents are unattainable via the communications, it becomes a real concern, and we had those concerns during the week.
He said “people were left with no communication whatsoever” and that people “weren’t aware of the impacts and consequences” before the work took place.
“It goes back to the contingency planning, something needs to be in place to continue with communications through these upgrades. We really appreciate the upgrades,” he said.
In a statement to the ABC, Telstra said:
Our technicians made good progress and services were restored on Monday. Landline, NBN and other broadband services were not affected at any stage.
We sent customers texts to give them a heads up about the upcoming works and we thank everyone for their patience.
Having a second type of connection like NBN, satellite internet or a landline is the best way for customers to make sure they can stay connected even when any mobile outage occurs.
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Updated at 01.07 BST
Remains found during Melbourne search for 23-year-old
Loved ones and community members have been left heartbroken after human remains were discovered during the ongoing search for 23-year-old Joshua Bishop.
Officers executed a search warrant at a home in the quiet suburb of Westmeadows, north-west of Melbourne, on Saturday, where they made the grim discovery and arrested a man, later charging him with murder, reports AAP.
While the remains are yet to be formally identified, in the hours following the discovery, a close friend, who had organised a fundraiser on behalf of the family, provided an update.
The family had been fiercely searching for Bishop, who was last seen by his housemate on Lalor Crescent in Sunbury, in the city’s north-west, on 27 May.
“With the heaviest hearts, we share that our beloved Joshua Bishop has been found – but sadly, not in the way we had hoped. We are devastated and struggling to find the words,” Daniel De Vivero wrote.
“Your incredible support, generosity, and compassion throughout this heartbreaking time have meant more than we can express. The Bishop family has felt truly surrounded by love through every moment of this journey.”
“Rest in peace, Josh. You are deeply loved, and you will never be forgotten.”
Bishop was reported missing on 29 May by his mother, after he failed to access his phone or bank accounts. The home on Erinbank Crescent, where the remains were found, is just kilometres from Broadmeadows Valley Park, where Bishop’s phone had last been traced.
Detectives arrested a 27-year-old Westmeadows man, who was charged with murder on Sunday night. He will appear in Melbourne magistrates court on Monday.
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Updated at 00.23 BST
Pheobe Bishop to be farewelled in Queensland funeral
A teenage girl allegedly murdered by her housemates will be laid to rest in a funeral service as loved ones remember the “free-spirited” girl.
Family and friends donned in bright colours will farewell Pheobe Bishop in southern Queensland on Monday afternoon, six weeks after the 17-year-old disappeared, reports AAP.
Pheobe was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend.
Queensland police allege her housemates, Tanika Bromley and James Wood, drove Pheobe close to the airport in a grey Hyundai, but no one left the car.
Pheobe was allegedly murdered and her body was moved more than once from the Good Night Scrub national park, an hour’s drive from the airport.
Phone data had led officers to focus their search on the park before her remains were found on June 6.
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Updated at 00.21 BST
Search continues for missing hiker on NSW south coast
A multi-agency search continues today after hiker went missing from the New South Wales south coast.
Christopher Moore, 38, was last seen on Twelve Mile Road, Jerrawangala, about 32km south of Nowra, about 10.30am on Wednesday, when he was dropped off for a camping trip, NSW police said in a statement.
The man was due to be picked up at the same location on Friday, and when he did not arrive, officers attached to the South Coast Police District were notified and a search commenced to locate him, police said.
Search efforts in bushland around the Jerrawangala or Wandandian areas have been coordinated by NSW Police Rescue Squad, with assistance from local police, Polair, SES, and NSW Rural Fire Service, police said.
Police and family hold concerns for Christopher’s welfare. He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall, of thin build with short light brown hair, a beard and a moustache.
He was last seen wearing khaki and black pants and a khaki-coloured hooded jumper.
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Updated at 23.57 BST
East coast braced for heavy rain and damaging winds
Australia’s eastern states are in for another lashing of rain as a powerful low pressure system develops off the coast with flood-weary regions a possible target.
“Tuesday and Wednesday are the two biggest days in regards to rainfall and weather impacts,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines said.
Hines said it would an anxious wait for residents on the NSW mid-north coast who are still recovering from record floods in May that claimed the lives of three people and damaged hundreds of properties, reports AAP.
“The current event is shaping to bring most of the rainfall south … but it would take a subtle shift … and bring in some of that heavier rain into the mid north coast which is extremely sensitive to rain,” he said.
The NSW central coast will cop up to 200 mm along, with damaging winds, taking in areas from Sydney, the Hunter Valley and Illawarra regions as well as southern Queensland.
The system could potentially spread to eastern Victoria including areas around Gippsland.
Flash flooding and riverine flooding, where banks could burst, are also a possibility with wild and hazardous surf conditions expected.
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Updated at 00.09 BST
Former Asio head says ‘sense of urgency’ lacking in defence spending debate
Duncan Lewis, the former head of Asio and chair of defence manufacturer Thales Australia, has questioned whether Australia’s defence spending is both “enough” and “fast enough”.
“If we are going to run a fleet of nuclear powered submarines together with an effective defence force that’s capable of doing the kind of things that we expect might be required in the future, there will have to be an increase in due course,” he told ABC’s Radio National.
“But look, I’m cognisant of the fact that there are competing challenges for the public purse … But I think there is a sense of urgency in this matter which is not universally being exhibited,” he said.
When asked whether he had confidence in the Aukus alliance, Lewis said:
I do. I think this review that’s going on in the United States at present is fairly unremarkable. I mean … the other governments, the British and Australian governments … when they changed, had a review – so it’s not unreasonable the Americans do that.
I think, at the end of the day, a decision to have a nuclear powered submarine is a good one.
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Updated at 23.14 BST
Minister rejects criticism of government inaction over online gambling
Amanda Rishworth says the government has not been “sitting on its hands” two years after the inquiry into online gambling made 31 recommendations that have yet to be fully implemented.
The minister for employment and workplace relations told Radio National the Albanese government had brought in “probably the largest number of measures” of any Australian government, including banning the use of credit cards, the introduction of activity statements and pre-verification.
“We will continue to recognise and look at how we can best support people when it comes to minimising the harm of online gambling, but there’s no silver bullet,” she said.
Critics say the government’s inaction is “costing lives”.
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Updated at 23.05 BST
Teenager taken to hospital after shark attack on NSW north coast
New South Wales Ambulance has confirmed a teenage boy was airlifted to hospital in the Gold Coast after being mauled by a shark on New South Wales’ north coast.
Emergency services were called to Cabarita beach at about 3.45pm on Sunday after a teenage boy was bitten by a shark.
The boy sustained injuries to his hand and arm and was taken to Gold Coast University hospital by helicopter.
We’ll update you when we learn more.
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Updated at 23.08 BST
Hannah Thomas charged after she was injured during arrest
Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas has been charged with resisting police.
Thomas sustained facial injuries during arrest at a pro-Palestinian protest in Belmore on Friday morning and was taken to hospital.
She shared a video on social media on Sunday evening, thanking her community for their support and explaining that there was a possibility she could lose her sight in one eye.
“I’ve been very lucky to have been looked after so well,” she said in an Instagram post recorded at Bankstown hospital.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail about the traumatic events on Friday but I’m five-foot-one, I weigh about 45kg, I was engaged in peaceful protest … My interactions with NSW police have left me potentially without vision in my right eye permanently.”
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson has called for an investigation into the incident.
In a statement on Sunday evening, NSW police said a 35-year-old woman had been issued a future court attendance notice for hindering or resisting a police officer in the execution of duty and refusing/failing to comply with direction to disperse.
She will appear at Bankstown local court on 12 August.
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Updated at 23.50 BST
Cait Kelly
Grattan Institute blueprint would reduce NDIS payments by $12bn over 10 years
The Grattan report urges the Albanese government to make four big policy changes to save the NDIS.
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The NDIS needs firmer boundaries so it is clear who the scheme is for and what needs it is intended to meet.
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The way the NDIS manages claims needs to change so funding is allocated fairly and consistently. People should have more choice and flexibility in how they use their NDIS funding.
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The federal, state, and territory governments should finally establish a strong tier of “foundational supports” to ensure disabled people get appropriate supports when and where they need them. Under Grattan Institute’s plan, the existing NDIS budget would be used to fund foundational supports from within the same funding envelope.
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Australia needs a new National Disability Agreement, to clarify the relationship between all aspects of the disability policy landscape and to facilitate cooperation and greater accountability between governments.
The Grattan Institute blueprint to rebalance disability services would reduce NDIS payments by about $12bn over the next 10 years, and create further savings of $34 bn over the same period by not requiring new money to fund foundational supports.
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Updated at 22.41 BST
NDIS has grown too big too fast and costs must be reined in, report says
Cait Kelly
The National Disability Insurance Scheme has grown too big too fast, and its future is now at stake, a new Grattan Institute report finds.
The report, Saving the NDIS: How to rebalance disability services to get better results, says costs must be reined in – but this can be done in a way that ensures disabled Australians can get the help they need.
The scheme cost nearly $42 billion in 2023-24 and is expected to cost more than $58 billion by 2028.
Grattan Institute Disability Program Director, Dr Sam Bennett:
The problem is the NDIS has become the only game in town: you either get an NDIS package, or you get minimal mainstream services.
That means disabled Australians have an incentive to try to get into the NDIS – and once people get in, they tend not to leave.
To address this issue, the federal, state, and territory governments agreed in 2023 to fund new ‘foundational supports’ – disability-specific supports outside of individual NDIS packages – which were supposed to be operational by 1 July 2025 – tomorrow.
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Updated at 23.20 BST
Penny Wong heads to US to meet Quad counterparts
Tom McIlroy
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is off to the United States this week for a meeting of Quad countries in Washington, DC.
Hosted by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the meeting is the second time this year the foreign ministers of the US, Australia, Japan and India have gathered.
Wong said in a statement the trip will reflect “the importance of our partnership and the strategic circumstances confronting our region and the world”.
“I look forward to engaging with my Quad counterparts as we strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” she said.
Wong will use the visit to hold bilateral meetings with each of the participants.
It comes as Donald Trump presses Australia and other US allies to hike defence spending to at least 3.5% of GDP, and as the federal government works to get Prime Minister Anthony Albanese into the same room as the US president.
“The United States is our closest ally and principal strategic partner. Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share,” Wong said.
“We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.”
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Updated at 22.23 BST
Queensland nurses issue strike ultimatum
Andrew Messenger
The Queensland nurses union has issued the state government an ultimatum for a pay deal, threatening to authorise strike action as soon as this week.
The state government and Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union have been locked in negotiations since January.
The state government has offered an 8% pay rise over three years. The union has announced its demands of 13%, also over three years.
The QNMU secretary, Sarah Beaman, said Queensland’s health minister, Timothy Nicholls, had until Tuesday to agree to the union’s terms or they would escalate to stage two protected industrial action, effectively strike action, the following week.
“We thought we had made progress in defending the most serious attacks on members’ existing rights and conditions, but last Thursday it all fell apart,” she said.
“On the final day of talks, the government pulled the rug out from under us. They told us everything we thought was agreed was suddenly off the table.”
Beaman said union members are “furious”, claiming the government had continue to shift its position.
“That’s why Queenland Health’s 55,000 frontline nurses and midwives have formally put health minister Tim Nicholls on notice. The gaslighting stops here. A letter outlining our demands and a deadline of Wednesday July 2 has been delivered,” she said.
Strike action would begin in the week of 7 July, she said.
Nurses have not walked off the job since 2002. They voted to take protected industrial action earlier in June.
“This is a government who knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. The government needs to do better by putting forward a better EB12 offer,” Beaman said.
“It is also clear the state budget does not allocate adequate funding to deliver the nation-leading wages and conditions Queensland deserves – and was promised”.
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Updated at 22.15 BST
Good morning
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, will meet with her US counterpart for crucial talks as America ramps up pressure on Australia to increase defence spending.
She will fly out to Washington on Monday ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
Australia’s eastern states are in for another lashing of rain as a powerful low pressure system develops off the coast, with flood-weary regions a possible target.
And the search continues for a hiker missing on the New South Wales south coast.
We’ll be bringing you updates on all these stories and the latest news today, stay tuned.
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Updated at 22.13 BST