Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Flood rescues among more than 1400 SES incident responses as wild weather lashes NSW
NSW State Emergency Service has responded to 1442 incidents in the last 24 hours, including two floods rescues.
Majority of those incidents involved fallen trees and powerlines, damaged properties and vehicles, and flood related tasks, NSW SES said in an update this morning.
More than 2,000 NSW SES volunteers and emergency service partners have been involved in the response. Three storm teams have also deployed from the ACT SES to assist affected communities.
Since the start of the complex coastal low lashing the NSW east coast, SES have responded to 3808 incidents.
ShareRafqa Touma
Thank you to Martin Farrer for kicking off the live blog this morning. I’ll be keeping you updated with the day’s news from here – let’s go.
Share
Beetaloo fracked gas would take Australia 237 years to use: report
Fracked gas from the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin would produce more than nine times the entire gas demand forecast for Australia’s national electricity market (nem) for the next 25 years, according to an analysis released today.
The report by Market Forces suggests it would take 237 years for Australia to use the proposed Beetaloo fracked gas.
Market Forces, which examines the environmental impact of business and investments, claims the numbers “make a mockery” of claims that new gas fields such as Beetaloo are needed to support Australia’s transition to net zero by 2050.
The report, entitled Pipeline to Nowhere: APA Group’s dangerous bet on Beetaloo fracking, also finds that Australia has more than enough gas for domestic consumption and the vast majority of Beetaloo’s gas would be shipped overseas. Less than two years (21 months) of liquefied natural gas exports from just Queensland alone would cover all demand the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (Aemo) forecasts for Australian gas power generation in the national electricity market until 2050.
Will van de Pol, chief executive officer of Market Forces, said:
Our analysis confirms that fracked gas from Beetaloo is not needed at all to power Australia and would lead to much higher electricity prices for consumers.”
Over the past 10 years, despite east coast Australia more than doubling gas production, wholesale gas prices have more than quadrupled.
APA must stop gaslighting investors and Australian consumers, and drop its costly plans to unleash dangerous fracking in the Northern Territory.
Lisa Cox has previous reported on questions over the Beetaloo project’s emissions – read more here:
Share
Severe weather warning for Lord Howe Island
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of “notably windy conditions and elevated seas” today for Lord Howe Island, 600km east of Port Macquarie.
Strong to gale force winds and large and powerful waves are expected.
Damaging winds west to north-westerly averaging 50 to 60 kmh and gusts reaching 90 kmh are possible this morning.
Share
Sydney’s Warragamba Dam set to spill after heavy rain
Water flowing out of Australia’s largest urban water supply will add to the risk of flooding after a damaging and complex low-pressure system caused widespread havoc, Australian Associated Press reports.
Warragamba Dam west of Sydney was expected to begin a “moderate spill” into this morning after days of heavy rain, WaterNSW said.
State regulations do not allow water to be released at the dam before predicted rainfall or to mitigate floods as it supplies 80% of Sydney’s drinking water.
Spills at the dam are not uncommon, previously occurring in May, and three times in 2024.
Warragamba Dam flows into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river catchment, where the bureau has warned flooding could occur today.
Other, smaller dams were also spilling after reaching capacity following heavy rains.
Read more here:
Share
Updated at 22.14 BST
NSW low-pressure system will ease this morning, says BoM
The Bureau of Meteorology said this morning that a series of low-pressure systems that has battered New South Wales remain in the Tasman Sea.
But a secondary low that was moving northwards and brought more wild weather has begun to weaken. Winds are expected to ease today around higher ground in the north of the state later during the morning, the BoM said.
There would be strong to damaging west to south-westerly winds averaging 55 to 65km/h, the 4am update said, with peak gusts of around 100k/mh likely around parts of the northern tablelands, the mid-north coast hinterland and the Border Ranges. But the wind is expected to ease later this morning.
Severe weather “is no longer occurring in the Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra and south coast districts”, the BoM said, and the warning for these districts was cancelled.
However, there would damaging surf conditions on the coast between Seal Rocks in the north to the Victorian border with the threat of “coastal erosion and localised damage to coastal infrastructure”.
Share
Updated at 22.13 BST
Qantas customers told to stay on high alert
Qantas customers have been told to be on high alert for scams after one of the worst cyber attacks in months, Australian Associated Press reports.
Qantas yesterday revealed a cyber incident on a third-party platform used by the airline’s contact centre that exposed the details of six million customers.
Names, phone numbers, dates of birth and email addresses are among the data believed to be exposed in the leak.
But Qantas reassured customers financial information, passport numbers, credit card details and frequent flyer PIN codes were not accessed.
Customers are urged to stay on high alert in coming months because they may experience targeted phishing scams.
The type of personal information could be used in further cyber attacks, a security expert says.
“I think even with reassurances, the breach of names, email addresses, phone numbers and perhaps most importantly, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers, it’s still significant,” the executive director of Macquarie University’s cyber security hub, Prof Dali Kaafar, said.
Kaafar said the details could lead to malicious actors building a more complete profile about individuals to make them more susceptible to other forms of cybercrime.
Qantas launched an investigation into the attack on Wednesday as customers reeled from the news. There has been no confirmation of the group responsible.
Qantas shares on the ASX shed about 3.6% to $10.38 on Wednesday in response to the news.
Share
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the early headlines and breaking news, and then it will be Rafqa Touma in the chair.
There is relief in sight for wind and rain-battered New South Wales after the Bureau of Meteorology said this morning that the low pressure system that has caused havoc for the state has begun to weaken. However, it looks like there will still be high winds and damaging surf conditions today. More coming up.
Qantas customers have been told to be on high alert for scams after another cyber-attack hit the company this week and exposed the details of 6 million customers.
More coming up.
Share
Updated at 22.04 BST