Major flooding forces residents to evacuate in Victoria after record heavy rains, A plane carrying 10 passengers crashes while landing in far-north Queensland, Reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev claims victory in the United Cup's Sydney final.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Major flooding forces residents to evacuate in Victoria after record heavy rains.
- A plane carrying 10 passengers crashes while landing in far-north Queensland.
- Reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev claims victory in the United Cup's Sydney final.
Evacuation centres have been opened in regional Victoria as the state faces major flooding following record rainfall.
Heavy rain has caused widespread road closures and already impacted numerous houses, as relief centres open in Bendigo, Seymour, Yea and Echuca.
Emergency services have been door-knocking in areas likely to see major flooding from the Campaspe and Goulburn Rivers, warning people to evacuate immediately.
Victorian SES Commissioner Rick Nugent says driving through flood waters continues to be an issue, with 38 rescues conducted in the last 24 hours.
"Police and emergency services have to continually put themselves to assist people who do drive through floodwaters. Cars don't float for very long, and they end up causing serious risk to people in them and can potentially cause loss of life, so please listen to the warnings and don't drive through flood waters. There is the risk of flash flood and there's also the risk of falling limbs and trees, so again we ask campers to be really mindful of their surroundings, and know the risk when they're there."
A spokesman for the Bureau of Meteorology says rain will begin to ease from Monday evening but the risk of flooding around waterways remains.
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The treasurer has warned storms and heavy flooding in far-north Queensland and southeast Australia could have severe consequences for the economy.
Jim Chalmers says while inflation levels are trending downwards, the storms battering large parts of Australia would affect the budget bottom line.
Dr Chalmers says it may be some time before the full impacts are known.
"The human consequences of this heavy weather are what matters most, but there will be consequences for our economy and for our budget as well. We will get a clearer picture of the economic and budget consequences of these natural disasters in the coming months. But our primary focus are the human consequences of what we're seeing in these communities here in Queensland and potentially in the coming days in Victoria as well."
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A plane with 10 passengers has flipped while trying to land on a far north Queensland island.
Those on board have suffered a range of injuries, including a head wound and a broken arm, after the plane appeared to overshoot the runway at Lizard Island.
Rescue services have flown to the popular resort island, about 240 kilometres north of Cairns.
Queensland Ambulance Services reports all passengers are out of the aircraft and a number are being transported for further treatment.
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New data has revealed people in New South Wales lost $2.1 billion dollars to poker machines between the 1st of July and 30th of September last year.
The quarterly data released by New South Wales Liquor and Gambling shows almost $23 million dollars was lost each day during that 92-day period.
Hotels in the state are permitted to operate a maximum of 30 machines per venue, although there are rules restricting how visible they are from public areas.
Chief Advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Tim Costello, says New South Wales is unique when it comes to gambling.
"Most pokies in the rest of the world are in casinos, you've got to get to a casino, you've got to get home, they might be in Las Vegas and you know, fly in and (they're) expensive. In New South Wales they're on every third or fourth block, in pubs, in clubs. New South Wales has 35 per cent of the world's pokies in pubs and clubs. It is the most utterly immoral social policy anywhere in the world."
The state has been under renewed pressure to introduce reforms on poker machines, after Victoria introduced tough restrictions last year including pre-commitment limits and cashless gaming cards.
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Australians have been warned they face even higher energy prices after the federal government vetoed a critical hub for the nation's first offshore wind farm.
The Victorian government had argued the site at Hastings was essential to create cheaper, cleaner energy and thousands of new jobs.
But the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water says the project would have had "unacceptable impacts" on an internationally protected wetland.
Victoria's opposition energy spokesman, David Davis, has called the veto a "debacle" and says Victorians are struggling with increasing energy bills.
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And in tennis,
Reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev has taken Germany to United Cup triumph in a gripping win over Poland in the Sydney final.
He overcame two match points and body cramps to beat world Number 9 Hubert Hurkacz two set to one, in a thrilling three-hour match.
But in a major blow to Aussie fans, Rafael Nadal has been forced to pull out of the Australian Open with a hip injury, announcing on social media he was flying home to Spain to see his doctor.
