Australia news live: severe weather warnings for parts of NSW and Victoria; Tasmania flood warnings downgraded but river rises still possible

Winds to buffet huge part of south-eastern Australia overnight, BoM warns

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for a large part of south-eastern Australia, saying a front that is expected to hit Victoria and NSW later tonight could bring dangerous winds.

While it is expected that there will be a lull in gusts this afternoon, the wind is forecast to pick up overnight and early tomorrow morning, buffeting areas including western, central and eastern ranges of Victoria, and the southern part of the Great Dividing Range, including the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

The Bureau also warned of damaging winds covering the Surf Coast in Victoria, Wilsons Promontory and Gippsland, as well as much of south-eastern NSW, including parts of the Illawarra.

The dangerous winds are expected to last for the next 24 hours.

Key events

Law Institute of Victoria pays tribute to outgoing chief justice

The Law Institute of Victoria has paid tribute to the outgoing chief justice, Anne Ferguson, describing her as an inspiring leader and role model.

Matthew Hibbins, the institute’s president, said:

The Hon. Chief Justice Anne Ferguson has been an inspiring leader of the legal profession in Victoria and on behalf of the Board, staff and more than 20,000 members of the LIV, we thank her for her service and wish her well upon her retirement.

The Chief Justice has been a role model for what at solicitor on the Bench can be, and there are many across the profession who have been inspired by her professional journey. The LIV wishes her well on her retirement.

The Chief Justice has been a spearhead for change in the legal profession, including with respect to integrity, courtesy, and, importantly, the elimination of sexual harassment within the profession. We applaud her leadership of cultural change in the legal profession.”

Paul Karp

Tradies union walks away from ACTU, saying it only represents white-collar workers

The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union has met today and decided to disaffiliate from the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

Allen Hicks, the New South Wales and ACT secretary of the Electrical Trades Union, said that given the ACTU had supported special laws to put the construction union into administration it is clear the “CEPU doesn’t align with the ACTU at this point in time”.

The CEPU, which represents 100,000 workers, has proposed that blue-collar unions including metalworkers and construction union representatives should hold a summit within three months to discuss forming an alternate union grouping. Together this grouping represents at least 250,000 workers.

Hicks said that blue-collar construction unions needed “a peak body to represent all unions, not just the select few”.

Troy Gray, the ETU Victorian secretary, said the vote was “overwhelming” although not unanimous. He accused the ACTU of representing “white collar unions”.

Gray said blue-collar unions “didn’t want to take our bat and ball and go home” and had decided it was more responsible to propose an alternative after disaffiliation, citing the US and UK as examples of other jurisdictions with different peak bodies.

The former prime minister Tony Abbott wishes Bill Shorten well.

Bill Shorten’s retirement is a loss for our parliament. Yes he’ll continue to serve our country in the academe but we need more people of courage and conviction in our public life and Bill has been a striver for the higher things in his time in the parliament.

He was a fierce…

— Tony Abbott (@HonTonyAbbott) September 5, 2024

Ananda-Rajah bemoans reduced diversity as seat abolished

Michelle Ananda-Rajah has released a statement about the Australian Electoral Commission confirming the decision to abolish her seat of Higgins at the next election.

She has paid tribute to the history of the seat in Melbourne’s inner east, and bemoaned the fact that abolishing it could reduce diversity in the parliament.

It may not, however, be the end of her time in parliament, given that two Labor MPs, Bill Shorten and Brendan O’Connor, have announced they will be vacating their Melbourne seats (albeit in different parts of the city to Higgins).

Ananda-Rajah said:

As the first Labor Member for Higgins in its 75 year history, I am honoured to have served this lionhearted community.

As a first generation migrant and public health professional with no political background, I am proud of my record of service and will continue to serve my country and the people of Higgins in whatever way I can.

As is too often the case, this leaves the Commonwealth Parliament more male and less culturally diverse at a time when underrepresented people need to be seen and heard.

My hope is that this diversity is not reduced in the 48th Parliament. I commit to doing everything in my power to make that happen.

Ananda-Rajah also paid tribute to the two former prime ministers, Harold Holt and John Gorton, who were members for Higgins, and to Australia’s longest serving treasurer, Peter Costello, another former member.

Michelle Ananda-Rajah ahead of the 2022 election in Higgins. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Mostafa Rachwani

Independent candidate says ‘killing civilians is never OK’ after social media furore

Dr Ziad Basyouny, the independent taking on Tony Burke in his western Sydney seat of Watson, has responded to a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald that alleged he shared a Facebook post celebrating the October 7 attacks, saying he supports “Palestinian resistance to oppression”.

It comes after the piece alleged he shared a post on Facebook in the aftermath of the attacks that contained a machine gun-wielding paraglider, according to screenshots given to the paper. Sky News first reported on the post in mid-August.

In response, Basyouny told the Guardian that “killing civilians is never OK”.

I support the inherent right of Palestinians to take back and defend their land, but I do not support the attacks on civilians. As a doctor, a Muslim and a human, I obviously abhor attacks on civilians.

The occupation of Palestine for more than 75 years and the violence the Palestinians have been subjected to, should be opposed by all. Palestinian resistance pre-dates Hamas, their struggle has been ongoing for decades, and I support the freedom of the Palestinians.

But Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the sharing of the post was not about “Israeli policy” and called on Dr Basyouny to apologise.

“He should either apologise or be open about his support for terrorist atrocities targeting civilians. But claiming now his posts weren’t supportive of Hamas when the attacks he posted about were carried out by Hamas is taking the public for fools.”

Winds to buffet huge part of south-eastern Australia overnight, BoM warns

The Bureau also warned of damaging winds covering the Surf Coast in Victoria, Wilsons Promontory and Gippsland, as well as much of south-eastern NSW, including parts of the Illawarra.

The dangerous winds are expected to last for the next 24 hours.

King Island Dairy to close, 58 jobs at risk

Saputo has said in a statement that it has made “the difficult decision” to close Tasmania’s King Island Dairy, and will be closing the facility and retiring the brand by mid-2025.

In a statement, Saputo Dairy Australia (SDA) said it had done a 10-month review of the Bass Strait business, and had also been unable to find a buyer.

About 58 impacted employees had been told of the decision, and SDA said it would identify “redeployment opportunities, and where alternative roles are not available, employees will be provided with their full entitlements and outplacement support”.

Leanne Cutts, the president and chief operating officer (international and Europe) of Saputo Inc, said the decision had not been taken lightly.

Cutts said:

As King Island Dairy’s historic roots are deeply embedded in the region, it was hoped the strategic review would identify a potential buyer for the facility. It is a unique brand, with a plant that is nearly 100 years old and designed to produce hand-made specialty cheeses.

Don’t even get him started on New South Wales …

Emily Wind

That’s me signing off for the day, Nino Bucci will be here to take you through the rest of our rolling coverage into this evening. Take care!

Adam Morton

Australia may delay release of 2035 climate target until after US election

The Australian government may delay the announcement of a 2035 climate target until after the February deadline and beyond the next federal election, in part due to uncertainty about the ramifications of the US presidential election.

Globally, governments are watching the US election before finalising their 2035 commitments. Observers believe Kamala Harris will quickly announce a target if successful but Donald Trump, who has called the climate crisis a “hoax”, has said he would again pull the US out of the Paris deal.

Read the full story for all the details below:

BoM flags potential further river rises in Tasmania tomorrow

The Bureau of Meteorology says Tasmania is continuing to see flooding impacts from last week’s rainfall.

Flood warnings have been downgraded to minor, but cold fronts could bring moderate falls to northern and western parts of the state, the Bureau said, which could lead to renewed river rises from tomorrow.

Reactions flow after Bill Shorten’s resignation announcement

Reactions have been coming in from across the political spectrum all afternoon, after Bill Shorten’s announcement he would retire from politics in February to take up the role of vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra.

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, described him as one of “Labor’s greats” and said:

He’s always been a champion for fairness – standing with workers in the Beaconsfield mine disaster, supporting Robodebt victims (and) implementing and fixing the NDIS. Thank you for your service to the labour movement (and) the Australian people.

The assistant foreign minister, Tim Watts, said Shorten had “limitless energy for the good fight”, while assistant minister to the PM, Patrick Gorman, said Shorten would “be missed from both the caucus and the parliament”.

The shadow minister for home affairs, James Paterson, said he suspects “history will be kind to (Shorten) in a similar way it has been to Kim Beazley”.

Bill is a Labor patriot who wanted the best for our country, and was responsible and constructive on matters of national security to his great credit.

The shadow minister for social services, Michael Sukkar, sent Shorten his best wishes:

While he’s been a fierce opponent, he’s also been willing to work in a collegial way with the Coalition in the best interests of Australia.

AWU recognises Shorten’s service to labour movement following resignation announcement

The Australian Workers’ Union has released a statement congratulating Bill Shorten on 30 years of service to the Australian labour movement.

Shorten began his career with the AWU’s Victorian branch in 1994, and four years later was elected Victorian state secretary. In 2001 he became national secretary, six years before being elected the MP for Maribyrnong in 2007.

The AWU national secretary, Paul Farrow, said in a statement:

Bill led the union defining moments, including the collapse of Ansett and the Beaconsfield mine disaster. His leadership during these crises showed his relentless drive to support workers and ensure their rights were defended. He was always there — whether standing with families who had lost loved ones or advocating for thousands of members who found themselves out of work overnight.

More strong winds expected tonight for south-eastern Australia

The Bureau of Meteorology has published a severe weather update, with more windy conditions set for south-east Australia as another front approaches tonight:

Peter Dutton appears to launch TikTok account despite calls for ban on platform

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, appears to have opened a TikTok account, under the handle peter.duttonmp.

He currently has two followers on the verified account, both private accounts.

This comes after Dutton has spent months calling on the government to ban the app. In March, he called for a US-style ban for Australian users, telling Sky News at the time:

If data is being scraped by the terabytes off these accounts and young people are being exposed to extortion at some point, or just their personal data being collected, it’s not a safe platform.

The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, also in March, labelled TikTok a “bad faith actor” and a “serious threat” to Australia’s national security, urging a US-style crackdown:

Bullock warns some owner-occupiers may be forced to sell home if they’re in ‘cashflow shortfall’

Just circling back to the speech by Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, earlier:

Bullock said that for owner-occupiers with variable loans, the RBA estimates 5% are in the “particularly challenging situation” where the combined total of their essential spending and mortgage payments is more than their income.

She described this as a “cashflow shortfall”, and said:

Although this group is fairly small overall, those in it have had to make quite painful adjustments to avoid falling behind on their mortgage repayments. This includes things like cutting back on their spending to the more essential items, trading down to lower quality goods and services, dipping into their savings or working extra hours.

Some may ultimately make the difficult decision to sell their homes. A really important point to note here, is that lower income borrowers are over-represented in the group of people who are really struggling.

Catie McLeod

Sophie Scamps throws support behind Pittwater candidate

Teal independent and federal MP Dr Sophie Scamps has thrown her support behind her former staffer’s campaign for the New South Wales state seat of Pittwater at an upcoming by-election.

Scamps released a statement a short time ago backing Jacqui Scruby’s bid for state parliament. She said:

The people of Pittwater deserve honest and competent representation, and Jacqui will always put the community first. On the Northern Beaches people have the opportunity to elect leaders who will work constructively together and across the political spectrum.

Scruby managed Scamps’ own successful campaign for the 2022 federal election and went on to work for her as an adviser.

Scruby announced her candidacy this morning for the Pittwater by-election on 19 October, in what will be her second attempt at winning the seat on Sydney’s northern beaches.

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