Four dead in NSW floods

Australia Broadcast Center

23-05-2025

Samantha Donovan: Hello, welcome to PM. I'm Samantha Donovan, coming to you from the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne. Tonight, as floodwaters make their way slowly downstream in New South Wales, authorities are working to resupply isolated communities. Also, the Liberal Party agrees in principle to the National's policy demands and a native Australian orchid wins gold at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Prof Kingsley Dixon: It's extraordinary to see these little blue Aussie orchids shining and people think they're the most amazing things.
Samantha Donovan: We begin tonight with the flood disaster in New South Wales. Four deaths are confirmed so far. Thousands of homes are without power and many residents remain stranded in an area stretching from the state's central coast up to Grafton in the Northern Rivers region. The rain has eased in that area but an enormous logistical operation is underway. Getting supplies of food, water and other essentials into isolated communities is a major priority for authorities and on top of that the risk to lives remains. Alison Xiao filed this report.
Alison Xiao: In Port Macquarie about 300 kilometres north of Sydney, locals like Dale Jordan are helping bring supplies to neighbours who've been stranded.
Dale Jordan: We've got a lot of the locals on the north shore who need just basic supplies like water, eggs, milk, alcohol obviously. So we've got some local guys here, local oyster farmers and boaties who are actually willing to go over in the waters.
Alison Xiao: Others in the town like Julie Norman are still cut off from their homes by floodwaters and running low on supplies.
Julie Norman: We have no power now and we have no internet of course but I can still use a gas stove and we're having lots of Suimins. Yes, noodles. Probably till Sunday we've got milk in the cupboard, long life milk, Vegemite. So we all have Vegemite sandwich early.
Alison Xiao: She dealt with similar floods four years ago and is waiting anxiously for waters to recede so she can check on her home.
Julie Norman: If it starts receding now and it looks like it, my house might be saved. Last time I lost all my photographs, my family albums and everything so I've put them up high before I left the house. Then last time I lost everything so I know what to expect.
Alison Xiao: Further south but inland from the coast, fifth generation dairy farmer James McRae is counting himself lucky he hasn't lost any livestock but many of his neighbours in Barrington haven't been as fortunate. Mr McRae says many farmers who can't get back to their properties are feeling anxious about their animals.
James McRae: We've heard stories of farms losing all of their young stock, calves and heifers and stuff. There have been dairies and are currently dairies that are out of action and they haven't been able to milk the cows and those cows are in a real state at the moment which is really hard for the farmers, incredibly mentally difficult for the farmers.
Alison Xiao: Although the intense rainfall has eased in some of the worst hit towns including Taree and Kempsey, authorities are urging people to take care with dozens of emergency warnings still in place. Many main roads are also still cut off by flood water or landslips. The Premier Chris Minns says it still might not be safe to venture out.
Chris Minns: We're asking people to look at the app rather than the sky to make a determination about whether it's safe to go home or to use your local roads.
Alison Xiao: There have been four confirmed deaths in these floods but the Premier says without the work of emergency services performing more than 600 flood rescues the death toll could have been far worse.
Chris Minns: Without the SES, without the volunteers we would have had hundreds of deaths and we're in deep deep gratitude to those people who volunteered their time or work for emergency services.
Alison Xiao: The SES Commissioner Mike Wassing says the focus of the response is starting to shift.
Mike Wassing: Recognising the tempo that we're starting to see that is slowly decreasing the rescue operations that is allowing our resupply focus to turn to those people that have been very patient and I appreciate the community's patience where you have been isolated that we're actually able to focus more on our resupply.
Alison Xiao: Cameron Anderson is an emergency management specialist from La Trobe University and was a volunteer firefighter in the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. He says there are many priorities that authorities are balancing.
Cameron Anderson: People who are cut off from supplies are always a concern. Food and medication is another one that can run down quite quickly that can cause people who are otherwise vulnerable to become even more so after emergency and they can be a real challenge ensuring they get the support they need. The other challenges with floods can be the damage to infrastructure so we can have power and access to clean water can be cut off.
Alison Xiao: He says both residents and volunteers are feeling weary.
Cameron Anderson: We're seeing particularly with climate change we're seeing these disaster events happening more severely. We rely very heavily on volunteer emergency services in Australia and they're already seeing some challenges with getting enough members to undertake their workload. So it can put you know quite a burden on them and be quite a challenge when it comes to balancing those things.
Alison Xiao: Cameron Anderson says there's still a long road ahead.
Cameron Anderson: A lot of the challenge with floods comes from the fact that you know unlike fires and some of the other emergencies that Australia can experience flooding is quite a long-running and quite a dirty emergency. Floods have you know once they're long lasting after the flood waters recede then communities and responders are left with mud, mould you know along with the building damage and displacement. Then you've got social recovery and you know we need to rebuild people's confidence and their place in the community and adjust them to what that new normal looks like for them. And of course then there's the challenge of building back better.
Samantha Donovan: Cameron Anderson is an emergency management specialist at La Trobe Uni. That report from Alison Xiao and Myles Houlbrook-Walk. There's been another development in the rift between the federal Liberal and National parties this afternoon. In an online meeting, the Liberals have agreed in principle to four key policy demands from the Nationals. That breakthrough could clear the way for a new coalition agreement between the two sides. ABC political reporter Evelyn Manfield is in Parliament House in Canberra. Evelyn, what can you tell us about what happened in this meeting?
Evelyn Manfield: Sam, the Liberal Party has agreed in principle to the four key policy demands from the Nationals. This is of course part of an effort to bring the coalition back together after what's been a very dramatic week that's played out very publicly, not just here in Canberra, but right across television screens across the country. So the four key policy demands that they've agreed to in principle are this idea to lift the moratorium on nuclear power, divestiture powers to be able to break up the big supermarkets if they abuse their market power, a major regional fund to help with things like infrastructure, and then universal phone coverage and access right across the regions. So what's happened is Susan Lee has gone back to her party today. They've given that support. What triggered this of course was yesterday the Nationals leader David Littleproud insisting that the Nationals would provide solidarity in terms of the shadow cabinet, which is what Sussan Ley had been really wanting that sort of solid agreement on.
Samantha Donovan: I haven't seen any formal announcements about the outcome of this meeting and it's been a national online hook-up. Do you know if any of the four policy issues are proving more difficult for the Liberals to back?
Evelyn Manfield: Yeah, we certainly haven't seen anyone stand up and speak or anything like that, as you say. But look, what we are hearing from at least one source so far is that there are still negotiations to go. So they've reached this in principle agreement, but particularly around supermarket divestiture powers and the $20 billion regional future fund, there is still more to be discussed. The future fund is really interesting because we were actually hearing from former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning on an ABC podcast. He was raising concerns about the expense of $20 billion. He's saying, you know, when we would end up back in government or in three years time, you just don't know what sort of position the budget's going to be in. Also worth mentioning, nuclear, as I mentioned before, we understand the commitment now is to lift the moratorium on nuclear power. So very different than what was promised during the election, which of course was to build seven publicly funded power plants.
Samantha Donovan: So a bit of work still to be done. What happens now in terms of talks between the two sides to resume the coalition partnership?
Evelyn Manfield: So Sussan Ley, the Liberal leader, will go back to her Nationals counterpart, David Littleproud. They will have further discussions. But this is certainly a step forward towards trying to get the coalition back together. And as you said, the demands from the Nationals in terms of those four key policies have now be met in principle and the Liberals are happy that they've got that agreement around shadow cabinet solidarity.
Samantha Donovan: And has there been any reaction to the Liberal Party's decision yet to back those four policies, at least in principle?
Evelyn Manfield: Pretty limited reaction so far. We have had Nationals Senator Matt Canavan post on social media calling it a back down from the Liberals and saying well done to his leader, David Littleproud. We have also heard from Michael McCormack, who's just spoken to the ABC, of course, a former Nationals leader as well, but still current MP.
Michael McCormack: The opposition should be should be very much for those four policy areas. But we're also not in government. So you can't really enact the sorts of things that you'd like to from opposition. So what we need to do is we need to be united. We need to be strong. We need to have good policies out there to restore the faith of people that they obviously didn't have on May 3rd.
Samantha Donovan: Michael McCormack is the former leader of the National Party, and I was speaking to ABC political reporter Evelyn Manfield in Parliament House in Canberra. For the first time since World War II, German troops are to be based in another country. About 5,000 soldiers make up a new unit that will be stationed in Lithuania. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the unit's purpose is to bolster the defence of Lithuania and the neighbouring Baltic republics Latvia and Estonia. Isabel Moussalli prepared this report.
Isabel Moussalli: In Lithuania's capital Vilnius, soldiers march through the streets while dozens of military helicopters fly above. This is a momentous occasion, the inauguration of a new German brigade. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses the crowds.
Friedrich Merz: We must be able to defend ourselves against such attacks at all times. Freedom is not for free and we are aware of our own responsibility.
Isabel Moussalli: Germany has had troops in Lithuania since 2017, but this new unit represents a significant change as Germany works to strengthen its military in the face of Russian aggression. Lithuania borders the Russian area of Kaliningrad, which is detached from the rest of Russia, and Belarus, which is an ally to Moscow.
Friedrich Merz: More than ever before, we depend on solidarity and friendship among liberal democracies. Peace in Europe has been broken. Each and every day, Russia is violating the order that we collectively adopted as a lesson from the horrors of the Second World War. With a criminal war of aggression against Ukraine, but also with attacks and murders in numerous European cities, with acts of espionage and sabotage.
Isabel Moussalli: On these Lithuanian streets, residents take a closer look at the tanks moving through their neighbourhood. This man welcomes their arrival.
Opinion: It really gives us more safety, more precaution and we are just, as a country, we are more ready about it. So I'm very happy that Germans are here. I'm very happy that my country is collaborating with Germany.
Isabel Moussalli: But another resident, Nicole Zinkova, has mixed feelings.
Nicole Zinkova: You need to defend yourself, so this is important to have. But at the same moment, it makes me sad pretty much, because we need it.
Isabel Moussalli: Maria Rost Rublee is a professor of international relations at the University of Melbourne.
Prof Maria Rost Rublee: This is pretty historic. This is the first time since World War II that Germany is going to have a permanent foreign troop deployment. And it's historic because of course, World War II, you know, the German loss and concerns about German aggression. Germany had taken a very low profile in terms of defence and military spending. But now, with concerns about Russia's aggression, you know, Germany has taken on a new role.
Isabel Moussalli: While it may be a significant move, Professor Rublee says it's not significant in terms of numbers.
Prof Maria Rost Rublee: Essentially, this is a German brigade, which is about 5,000 troops and supporting civilians. And so it's not as though that this is going to turn the tide against any Russian invasion if Russia did decide to invade Lithuania. But what this says is that Germany is taking on a new role that sees that Lithuania's security is German security, that NATO security is German security, and that they're essentially going to, you know, stand up and move past the backseat role that it's been taking in defence and security for a long time.
Isabel Moussalli: And this isn't the only change.
Prof Maria Rost Rublee: Another historic first in terms of defence and security for Germany. They've just amended the country's basic law, essentially their constitution, allowing them to exempt defence spending from Germany's strict debt rules. And so Germany is taking on a much more, a much more leadership role in Europe in terms of defence spending, military positioning and thinking as well.
Isabel Moussalli: The new unit is expected to reach its full strength by the end of 2027.
Samantha Donovan: Isabel Moussalli reporting. Australian students are caught up in a battle between Harvard University and the American President Donald Trump. His administration has banned the university from enrolling international students because it claims the prestigious Ivy League school isn't doing enough to protect Jewish students on campus. It's also accusing Harvard of being sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party. Harvard says the ban on international students is unlawful and an attack on academia. Luke Radford has more.
Luke Radford: Graduating from university can be an emotional time with uncertainty about what comes next. But when you're also at risk of being deported, the anxiety is even higher.
Sarah Davis: It's obviously an incredibly stressful time for many of us.
Luke Radford: Sarah Davis is president of the Harvard Australia and New Zealand Student Society. Like many other students at the world famous university, she's just five days away from graduation. But that's the least of her concerns.
Sarah Davis: We actually rely on Harvard sponsoring our working rights after we graduate from the university. So those of us who are about to graduate in five days are currently in limbo about whether or not we'd be able to accept our jobs that we've all got lined up for after graduation.
Luke Radford: The administration of US President Donald Trump has revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, all six and a half thousand of them. The administration says this is a direct result of Harvard allowing anti-American pro-terrorist agitators to assault Jewish students on campus, as well as accusations the university hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group. But the Trump administration says it will reverse the decision if Harvard provides all records including audio or video footage of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activities on campus. The university has called this action unlawful. The president's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News other institutions should take note.
Kristi Noem: There should be a warning to every other university to get your act together because we are coming to make sure that these programs, that you are facilitating an environment where students can learn, where they're safe and that they're not discriminated against based on their race or their religion.
Luke Radford: There are those who support the ban, such as Jay Greene, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank who wrote the Project 2025 manifesto.
Jay Greene: So I don't believe it's illegal. Again, foreign student visas are a privilege, not an entitlement. In particular, students cannot enter the United States if they provide support for designated terrorist organisations.
Luke Radford: If the ban goes through, international students at Harvard will have two choices. Find another American university or leave the country. Former Harvard student Stephanie Pow says she was shocked to hear about the ban.
Stephanie Pow: If you're already on campus, I think you'd be worried about what that means for you if you're thinking about applying. It might actually make you think twice about applying to Harvard, but also potentially other universities in the US if the rules can change like that so quickly. You might actually look elsewhere and to other prestigious universities in other countries.
Luke Radford: Most students could look somewhere else, like Australia. Professor Peter Hurley is director of the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University.
Prof Peter Hurley: International students usually have two types of points. They're often after they finish high school, so that would be, say, going to university. So there's always a new cohort coming up and then often in the kind of graduate area. So I think those cohorts, those groups, are going, OK, I won't do that. But I can imagine a lot of Australians are saying the same thing about travel to America at the moment because of that kind of uncertainty.
Luke Radford: All this has alarmed members of the academic community, both in the US and abroad. Brian Schmidt is former vice-chancellor of Australian National University, a Nobel laureate and a Harvard alumnus.
Brian Schmidt: It's more than sad. It's scary. I have lived my entire life in a period of time where within our Western democracies, our lives have gotten better and better. It's been largely secure and we are literally looking at going back into the dark ages here where we're going to go backwards, where we're going to have conflicts, where there is no way our children are going to have lives as good as we had. And I find that very scary.
Luke Radford: The international student ban is likely to be challenged in the US Supreme Court.
Samantha Donovan: That report from Luke Radford and Kimberley Price. Well, let's have some good news now. A display of a rare Australian orchid has been awarded a gold medal at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London. The Great Sun orchid only grows in parts of southern Australia and flowers between September and December. It was its first appearance at what is regarded by many as the world's top horticultural event. Kingsley Dixon is a professor of botany at the University of Western Australia and organised the Great Sun orchid display. Speaking from London, he told me the gold medal was unexpected.
Prof Kingsley Dixon: It's extraordinary to see these little blue Aussie orchids shining brightly and people think they're the most amazing things and people keep saying, oh my god, you have blue orchids in Australia and I said, no, we have a lot more than that. So I think it's just our little Aussie native plant battlers that are actually winning the day. So it's been an extraordinary feeling and makes you very proud to be an Australian.
Samantha Donovan: So they're blue. Tell us a little bit more about what a Great Sun orchid looks like.
Prof Kingsley Dixon: These are sun orchids. We had to source them from a colleague in Germany who I've worked with for about 40 years because we, of course, our orchids don't flower for another five or six months in Australia. And he just happened to have some which we managed to get over. And they're sun orchids, which of course someone said to me at the display before we were setting up and he said, you brought sun orchids to London. That's very brave because they need warm sunny conditions to flower. But they've turned it on inside the massive marquee at the Chelsea exhibit and do look amazing against that beautiful backdrop of the Australian bush.
Samantha Donovan: And what were some of the comments or observations of all those crowds at the Chelsea Flower Show?
Prof Kingsley Dixon: Just disbelief. We had, of course, the message that we're giving through the display is the urgent need for global orchid conservation and particularly in Australia, as we know, climate change and land clearing and continued impacts like weeds taking out this extraordinary orchid flora. And that's right through temperate Australia and through the tropics. But the comments are just disbelief. They all want to come and see them now. So look out Australia. Our orchids are now centre stage in people's minds.
Samantha Donovan: Orchid tourism might take off. Professor Dixon, you mentioned the importance of conservation. Apart from looking good, what is the importance of the orchid and similar Australian orchids to the environment?
Prof Kingsley Dixon: So orchids are amazing. The best way to describe them is they're the canary in the mine. They really tell you, are you doing well or are you doing badly? Orchids are the first thing often to depart when your bushland, your ecosystem begins to collapse. I've worked on them all my life and have watched them dwindle to nothing, including in places, wonderful places like Kings Park in Perth, which has 300 hectares of bushland. So they really say well ahead, things are not good. And I always say to all of my research students and the communities, including indigenous communities, if we can get the orchids right, the rest of the ecosystem will follow. So they really are the profits of how well you're doing with managing bushland. And there are many areas where we're now succeeding with orchids, but the journey is a very long one and a very complicated one. And we're looking to Australian mums and dads and school kids to join us in the fight forward so that we have our own Chelseas in everyone's backyard across Australia.
Samantha Donovan: Professor Dixon, I know someone else who's interested in orchid conservation is King Charles. Did he stop by your orchid display?
Prof Kingsley Dixon: The Royals came on Monday. Queen Camilla in particular! I was not at the display because they restrict the numbers. So we had one of our anchor people at the display for security reasons and she was there for a very long time and very interested. And we are having discussions with them about what might happen next year. So it is, he loves his meadow orchids at his place at Highgrove, which are British orchids and wants to see more meadow orchids in Britain. And so I think we've really got the patron of orchid conservation there already.
Samantha Donovan: Kingsley Dixon is a professor of botany at the University of Western Australia. And that's PM for this week. PM's producer is David Sparkes. Technical production by Joram Toth, David Sergent and Nick Dracoulis. I'm Samantha Donovan. I hope you have a great weekend. Good night.