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Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Epoch Times
Up to 13 Weeks' Pay for Workers Stranded by NSW Floods
As devastating floods continue to impact New South Wales, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed financial support for affected workers and praised the government's coordinated emergency response to the crisis. The Disaster Recovery Allowance would be available from 2 p.m. May 26, in the Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Mid Coast, and Dungog local government areas. The allowance provides income support for employees and sole traders unable to work due to disaster-related impacts, including access issues and property damage. Speaking to Sydney radio station 2GB, Albanese said the federal government was working closely with state and local authorities. 'There's seamless activity across the three levels of government, working with agencies and working with the SES, the Rural Fire Service, and everyone else,' he said. He later visited Maitland with NSW Premier Chris Minns, where he acknowledged the scale of the damage. Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/21/2025 'Some of the extraordinary footage of cattle and livestock are being impacted by this as well,' he said. ADF helicopters have also rescued more than a dozen people. An aerial photo shows NSW Fire Rescue personnel assisting an elderly resident during flooding in Port Macquarie, New South Wales on May 22, 2025. A slow-moving trough is dumping rain along the east coast of Australia, leaving thousands of people stranded AAP Image/Lindsay Moller 'The chopper has been rescuing people for the last 48 hours,' he said. He said while immediate rescue efforts were ongoing, a long recovery would follow. 'There's going to be a big recovery effort required. There's been massive damage to infrastructure and we're going to have to really all pitch i,' he said. 'Tragically, these events are becoming more frequent and more intense, but we're a resilient bunch, Australians. And that's precisely what we are seeing now.' More Rain Forecast as Toll Climbs Meanwhile, a fourth person has been confirmed dead, and another remains missing in the record floods along the NSW Mid North Coast. Thousands are without power as the weather system moves south, bringing expected heavy rain to the Hunter, Sydney and South Coast regions. The SES has responded to more than 1,500 calls for help and carried out over 300 flood rescues in the past 24 hours. Residents Urged to Stay Informed The Prime Minister encouraged residents in affected areas to monitor warnings and follow instructions from authorities. He urged people to download the Hazards Near Me app or visit for real-time updates. 'Listen to the advice, make sure you log on to the relevant sites and keep informed if you're in these communities,' he said. This federal assistance provides up to 13 weeks of salary for sole traders and employees unable to work due to access issues caused by the floods. So far, disaster assistance has been activated across 16 local government areas, with broader recovery support to follow.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Australia's New South Wales Sweats through Heatwave, Faces ‘Extreme' Bushfire Risk
Australia's New South Wales on Sunday sweated in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and prompted authorities to issue a total fire ban for state capital Sydney. New South Wales, coming to the end of a high-risk bushfire season that runs until the end of March, was a focus of a catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of wildfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. On Sunday, the nation's weather forecaster said temperatures would be up to 12 degrees Celsius (21.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in some areas of the state, with temperatures in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, set to hit 37C (98.6F). At Sydney Airport, the temperature was already 29.3C (84.7 F) at 9:30 a.m. local time, more than three degrees above the March mean maximum temperature, according to forecaster data. Gusty winds, "hot conditions and low relative humidity will result in extreme fire danger over the greater Sydney region," the forecaster said on its website. The state's Rural Fire Service said on X that a total fire ban was in place for large swaths of the state including Sydney due to the forecast of "hot, dry and windy conditions". In neighboring Victoria state, a home was destroyed in a bushfire on the outskirts of Melbourne that was being battled by around 200 firefighters, Country Fire Authority official Bernard Barbetti told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday. Climate change is causing extreme heat and fire weather to become more common in Australia, a bushfire-prone country of around 27 million, the country's science agency said last year.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Australia's New South Wales sweats through heatwave, faces 'extreme' bushfire risk
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's New South Wales on Sunday sweated in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and prompted authorities to issue a total fire ban for state capital Sydney. New South Wales, coming to the end of a high risk bushfire season that runs until the end of March, was a focus of a catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of wildfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. On Sunday, the nation's weather forecaster said temperatures would be up to 12 degrees Celsius (21.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in some areas of the state, with temperatures in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, set to hit 37C (98.6F). At Sydney Airport, the temperature was already 29.3C (84.7 F) at 9:30 a.m. local time, more than three degrees above the March mean maximum temperature, according to forecaster data. Gusty winds, "hot conditions and low relative humidity will result in extreme fire danger over the greater Sydney region," the forecaster said on its website. The state's Rural Fire Service said on X that a total fire ban was in place for large swaths of the state including Sydney due to the forecast of "hot, dry and windy conditions". In neighbouring Victoria state, a home was destroyed in a bushfire on the outskirts of Melbourne that was being battled by around 200 firefighters, Country Fire Authority official Bernard Barbetti told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday. Climate change is causing extreme heat and fire weather to become more common in Australia, a bushfire-prone country of around 27 million, the country's science agency said last year.
The Guardian
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
From sterilising baby bottles to charging laptops, some Australians powered through Cyclone Alfred using EV batteries
When Kat Hickey and her husband talked about what they would do if Tropical Cyclone Alfred knocked out the power in their north Brisbane home, they were more concerned than most. The pair have a nine-month-old daughter and a three-year-old son – having a reliable way to sterilise bottles and boil water for formula was critical. They knew the battery from their white BYD Atto 3 could power their home using the vehicle-to-load system (V2L) – a backup power system that allows the car battery to power appliances – but neither had actually hooked it up. They wondered how much it could handle. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email When Alfred made landfall and they were among 450,000 homes to lose power, Hickey figured she had nothing to lose. She set to work snaking extension cords through the house as her husband baby-proofed the setup. Together the couple hooked up a fridge, kettle, toaster, phone chargers, a laptop charger and a lamp – and then, she says, there was light. 'We called the lamp our canary,' she says. 'It's this little lamp that normally sits out of the way, we hardly ever use it. During the storm, it became essential. Whenever we were putting too much stress on the system, it would flicker or turn off completely. 'Afterwards, we had to thank it for its service, put it back in the corner, and it hasn't been used since.' Social media is filled with EV owners who delight in sharing clever and novel ways to take advantage of their vehicles. People have powered induction cookers and coffee machines when camping, while some drivers use V2L functionality to refuel EVs stranded on the roadside. Not all electric vehicles have V2L capacity – Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 do not come with the feature – but in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, these systems are again proving their worth as emergency generators in natural disasters. It is not the first time. One woman made headlines in late 2023 when she used her BYD Atto 3 to power her son's dialysis machine after devastating storms cut power to south-east Queensland. Matt McLaughlin, another EV driver and a member of the Rural Fire Service (RFS), says the destruction caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred was widespread where he lives in the Gold Coast hinterland. During the storm, a three-tonne tree missed the bed where he and his wife slept by a metre and a half, taking out his deck and crushing his barbecue. With power unlikely to be restored for another week at least – a nearby power line was shredded in five places and fallen trees have made much of the area inaccessible – he says his family are doing well thanks to three EVs owned by his wife, his father and himself. 'I'm sitting here drinking my tea and charging my laptop,' he says. 'The big one is being able to have internet. If you can run your modem on the car, with the NBN doing fibre to the home now, you have communications, which is important because with the towers down there's just no mobile phone reception out here.' With each battery in the two BYDs and the MG carrying 60kWh capacity – more than the 10kWh offered by a Tesla power wall – McLaughlin says these 'batteries on wheels' mean they could keep the lights on for a month. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion His work with the RFS has only highlighted the significance of this in recent days. 'On the weekend, we came across really elderly people trapped in their house: no power, trees on the driveway, no phones, no communications. They're saying: 'Is the power coming back on soon? All our food's gone off,'' McLaughlin says. 'So we're doing welfare checks; we're having to go back.' It is this sort of situation that has prompted MyCar (formerly Kmart Tyre and Auto) to trial a program where EV drivers can register to help out during disaster recovery. So far more 100 people have registered with 'The Chargers', a program that, when activated, sends a text message alert to those within 250km to be on standby to help out with further details to follow. Adele Coswello, chief customer officer at MyCar, says the company coordinated with Energex and relief groups to support evacuation and community centres where needed on Thursday and Friday. 'Our research showed that three-quarters of Australians have experienced a power outage as a result of natural disasters,' Coswello says. 'One mother told us she felt vulnerable going to sleep because her baby monitor wasn't working.' Though Alfred did not cause the level of destruction some feared, Hickey says the experience has made her car 'that much more valuable' to her. 'I'm gradually converting my friends,' she says. 'I have a friend who [is] a chemical engineer and used to work for one of those offshore rigs and even he's in the pre-contemplation phase of having the next car be an EV.' Any doubts she may have had about going electric are gone, she says, and she's now thinking about long-term plans for swapping out their gas cooker for induction, a battery for their home solar panels as insurance, and potentially, electric hot water. 'It's so amazing,' she says. 'Next time I might try other things, see how far we can push the canary by plugging in things like the washing machine.'
The Guardian
17-02-2025
- The Guardian
News live: Australian captured by Russia says he feels weak and has a broken arm in unverified YouTube video
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature An unverified video appears to show Australian man Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity, after he was feared dead at one point. In the video, uploaded to YouTube, a man behind the camera says it is 17 January 2025, before Jenkins identifies himself: My name is Oscar Jenkins … I am 32 years old … I come from Australia. The man behind the camera says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th Mechanised Brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine. Jenkins said he feels weak and has lost a lot of weight, and also has a broken arm. The man behind the camera puts to him, 'The information about your death is not right?' to which Jenkins replies, 'correct'. The man behind the camera then asks Jenkins to remove his beanie and says: Everything is OK, he is alive, and I think he will [be] better. Guardian Australia has not independently verified the video. You can view it in full below, but please be warned: it may be distressing to watch. Share Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Bushfire danger period lifted early for nine NSW LGAs amid recent rainfall Due to easing conditions and recent rainfall in north-eastern NSW, the Rural Fire Service has declared an early end to the bushfire danger period for nine LGAs: Ballina Bellingen Byron Clarence Valley Coffs Harbour Kyogle Lismore Richmond Valley Tweed Fire permits are still required in all other areas, the RFS said. Share One dead in house fire in Sydney's west A person has died in a house fire in Sydney's west this morning. Emergency services responded to the blaze at Guildford just before 5am, which caused extensive damage to a home, NSW police said. Five occupants escaped, however a man – yet to be formally identified – was found inside. He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene. Officers have established a crime scene and an investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the fire. A report will also be prepared for the coroner. Share NSW transport minister 'not suggesting we are close' to ending rail dispute The NSW transport minister, John Graham, also spoke on ABC News Breakfast this morning to provide an update on the state's rail network and negotiations with the unions. He said services were running 'close to time' this morning, 'despite having more than 100 staff who haven't shown up to work'. Many of those families or businesses who are hoping for a cut from the RBA, when it comes to interest rates later this afternoon, will be hoping for an end to this rail dispute also. It has put huge pressure on families and businesses right at the moment. Asked how long the dispute with the unions may continued – for days, weeks? – Graham pointed to the Fair Work Commission hearing about the action tomorrow morning. We are hoping for an end to this industrial action, a chance to have a cooling-off period, negotiate an end to this industrial action and a fair pay deal for those rail workers. But he went on to say, 'I am not suggesting we are close'. I don't want to make predictions given the twists and turns in this tale, but [we] will put a strong case in the morning. Share Hanson-Young: 'definitely time' for interest rate cut Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young spoke on ABC News Breakfast just earlier, ahead of today's interest rate decision by the RBA. She said it was 'definitely time for a cut' and that families across the country were hoping for this. We need the RBA to heed the concerns of Australians and economists – inflation is down, people are hurting, businesses are struggling. It is time to cut. Hanson-Young added that Australians needed more than a cut, which would be 'very small'. Anything at this point is helpful, but we need more cost-of-living relief for families. We need more from the federal government and Peter Dutton as we go into this election. The opposition has put nothing on the table for cost-of-living relief for families. Some for the bosses, so they can go and have lunch, but very little for helping families pay for the lunches of kids as they get ready for school in the morning. Share The prime minister was also asked to weigh in on the ongoing dispute between the NSW government and rail unions – and whether the federal government plans to intervene. But Anthony Albanese shot this suggestion down, saying this was 'a state dispute of a state branch of a union over pay with a state government'. I support very much the efforts of the Minns government to bring this dispute to an end, common sense has to apply here, and I think that the union needs to acknowledge that it is alienating people through these actions of not turning up to work. And there was hope on the weekend that it would be settled, [and] it should have been … We're getting to the point where the union needs to see common sense, settle this dispute with the Minns government. [The NSW premier] Chris Minns is working very hard to get an end to this dispute. Commuters on a packed Parramatta station platform after more rail union industrial action last Friday. Photograph: Mark Evans/AAP Share Albanese asked if Labor is running 'Mediscare' campaign Anthony Albanese was asked whether Labor's message about cost-of-living relief was actually getting through to voters, after the latest polling numbers released yesterday. He responded: We know that all of those cost-of-living measures, including the tax cuts, were opposed by Peter [Dutton], every single one of them, and if he had have had his way, Australians would be – on average – $7,200 worse off. And we know that he's planning further cuts. He won't tell people what they are, but he's saying there'll be cuts. And last time around, that meant a GP tax. The prime minister was asked about an ad the Labor party ran regarding Dutton's stance on Medicare, and whether Labor is running a 'Mediscare' campaign. Albanese again pointed to the attempted GP tax, and continued: It is accurate to say that Peter Dutton tried to abolish bulk billing by introducing a GP tax every time people went to the doctors … On the weekend, he did an interview again where he repeated … the statement that you don't value it if it's free. Share Anthony Albanese has been asked about the video of Oscar Jenkins – which has not been independently verified by Guardian Australia – and has said the Australian government continues to hold 'serious concerns' for his welfare. I have seen the video, but we still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins' welfare. We've made it clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war and that there are obligations that kick in, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and they must be observed. We've also, of course, made representations to Ukraine, including a one-on-one discussion that I had with president [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy raising Mr Jenkins' welfare. We have called for Russia to release Mr Jenkins so that he can come home to his family. Share PM defends economic record ahead of RBA interest rate decision The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been speaking on ABC Sydney radio ahead of today's interest rate decision from the Reserve Bank. He said the RBA would 'make a decision based upon the economics, not based upon any politics', and defended his government's economic record: This has been a global inflation spike and overseas, of course, [it] hit double digits in some places. Our neighbours in New Zealand [are] in a deep recession at the moment now. We've managed to avoid that. The economy has continued to grow. We've created more jobs than any government since federation, and importantly, I think something I'm really proud of is that we have the lowest average unemployment rate of any government in the last 50 years. Anthony Albanese: 'The economy has continued to grow.' Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP Share Australian and Chinese officials meet after midair incident Australian military officials have reportedly raised concerns with their Chinese counterparts about a midair incident over the South China Sea during senior official talks in Beijing, AAP reports. On Monday, senior officials from both countries met in Beijing for the Australia-China Defence Strategic Dialogue – the first since 2019. The Australian defence department's statement after the talks hinted at the midair incident being discussed: Australia reiterated the importance of all countries in the region operating in a safe and professional manner at all times to avoid the risk of miscalculation or escalation. Both countries exchanged views on bilateral, global and regional security issues, as well as military transparency and communication. Australia affirmed the importance of 'all countries acting in a manner that respects sovereignty and upholds peace, security and stability'. Meanwhile China's defence ministry said in a statement that the two countries had an 'in-depth' exchange of views on bilateral and military relations, regional security and other issues of common concern. Both sides agreed to continue to strengthen strategic communication in defence, properly handle conflicts and differences, and carry out exchanges and cooperation, the statement said. Share Cait Kelly Burke declines to weigh in on Creative Australia decision Continuing from our last post: Tony Burke was also asked about the turmoil on the board of Creative Australia after it dumped artist Khaled Sabsabi as the country's representative to the 2026 Venice Biennale. Burke would not weigh in on whether CA should reinstate Sabsabi: They made a decision as to not [be] going ahead with that now. I think the worst thing could happen now would be for politicians to be adjudicating on it. It should be made at arm's length from politicians, that's so important. Burke said he had spoken to the CA chief executive, Adrian Collette, after the artist's work came up in Senate discussion. At that point, he had already determined that they were going to have a board meeting that night. I was very clear. I made clear to Adrian Collette, who I have known for more than a decade. I said to him whatever you decide, I will support you and I will support Creative Australia. Home affairs and creative arts minister Tony Burke. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Share Cait Kelly Burke questioned on Nauru agreeing to take three violent offenders among NZYQ cohort Appearing on ABC's 7.30 program last night, the home affairs and creative arts minister, Tony Burke, was asked about Nauru agreeing to take three violent offenders who were among the so-called 'NZYQ' cohort. He said Nauru had approached the government, but would not say how much Australia had paid the small country in order to offload the refugees. As you know, you know I'm not going to answer that one. I will explain just something on cost. The costs of an arrangement like this don't get disclosed. That's been the case for decades. It's part of the arrangement with Nauru that is entered into, is that these issues also be kept confidential. When asked how he would feel if they reoffended on Nauru, Burke said: Sometimes we're talking about individuals who have only lived in the community for a very, very short time … and sometimes you get people who the first time they were in the community was the same time they were committing a crime. The concept that Australia owes a particular obligation to these individuals, I really think is a stretch. Share An unverified video appears to show Australian man Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity, after he was feared dead at one point. In the video, uploaded to YouTube, a man behind the camera says it is 17 January 2025, before Jenkins identifies himself: My name is Oscar Jenkins … I am 32 years old … I come from Australia. The man behind the camera says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th Mechanised Brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine. Jenkins said he feels weak and has lost a lot of weight, and also has a broken arm. The man behind the camera puts to him, 'The information about your death is not right?' to which Jenkins replies, 'correct'. The man behind the camera then asks Jenkins to remove his beanie and says: Everything is OK, he is alive, and I think he will [be] better. Guardian Australia has not independently verified the video. You can view it in full below, but please be warned: it may be distressing to watch. Share People making racist remarks publicly could spend up to two years in jail and cop a fine of more than $10,000 under tough new laws in NSW, AAP reports. Amid escalating antisemitic graffiti and vandalism incidents in Sydney, the Minns government is introducing a racial hatred incitement offence amendment to the Crimes Act in parliament today. The state's attorney general, Michael Daley, said: Racial hatred is unacceptable – and under this new legislation, it will be a crime to publicly and intentionally incite racial hatred. It is important for members of our community to be protected from conduct that causes them to fear for their safety, or to fear harassment, intimidation or violence. The legislation will make it a crime to intentionally and publicly incite hatred towards another person, or group of people, on the grounds of race. The amendment will establish a new section, 93ZAA of the Crimes Act, with a maximum penalty for an individual of two years behind bars, fines of up to $11,000, or both, while corporations can face fines of $55,000. The proposed offence stipulates that it must be a public act and that it intentionally incites hatred based on race. The government maintains freedom of political speech will be protected and makes an exception 'for directly referencing religious texts during religious teachings'. Share Emily Wind Good morning, and welcome back to the Australia news live blog. I'm Emily Wind and I'll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today. The New South Wales government will today introduce a racial hatred incitement offence amendment to the Crimes Act, in response to a number of antisemitic attacks in the state. As AAP reports, people making racist remarks publicly could spend up to two years in jail and cop a fine of more than $10,000 under the tough new laws. The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to cut the official cash rate today, raising hopes among mortgage holders that the era of high interest repayments will finally start to unwind. The official announcement is due at 2.30pm AEDT – so stay tuned. Also, an unverified video online appears to show Australian man Oscar Jenkins, who was captured in Russia and at one point feared dead. We'll have more on this shortly. As always, you can reach out with any tips, questions or feedback via email: Let's get started. Share
