In this bulletin;
- The government announces $38 million in relief for flood affected-Queenslanders;
- Venezuelan parliament swears in Delcy Rodriguez as interim leader;
- And in cricket, the SCG is awash in pink for the 18th Pink Test fundraiser for in-home cancer nurses.
Federal and state governments have pledged $38 million in flood disaster support to help communities recover from devastating floods in Queensland.
Farmers in affected areas say around 16,500 cattle are dead or missing in floodwaters, sparking fears of major financial losses in the agriculture heavy region.
Food damage to 794km of fencing and 1400km of private roads has also been reported to Queensland's Department of Primary Industries.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says it has been a very difficult Christmas and New Year's period for the region.
"It's been tough for all of the hundreds of thousands of people who live across these thirteen shires, but I think especially tough for farming families right now as they count the cost of another natural disaster so soon after the flooding that we saw in 2019. A lot of people still getting back on their feet, restocking after the devastation of 2019. So our hearts go out to everyone."
—
Venezuela's parliament has sworn in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president just two days after US forces seized her predecessor Nicolas Maduro.
The National Assembly offered their full support for Ms Rodriquez, who served as vice president under Mr Maduro, and also re-elected her brother Jorge Rodriguez as parliament speaker.
US President Donald Trump says Ms Rodriguez could face a fate worse than Mr Maduro if she fails to heed US demands on policy reforms and oil access.
Delcy Rodriguez has since extended an offer of cooperation to the US, while her brother Jorge, says he will do everything in his power to bring back Maduro.
"As a congressman, as a man of this country, as a father of four children, as a person who loves this sacred land with all my heart, I swear that my main role in the days to come, my role as a man, as a representative, as president of this National Assembly, will be to use all procedures, all platforms, and all spaces to bring back Nicolas Maduro Moro, my brother, my president."
—
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan is labelling the Prime Minister "stubborn" today as he demands a Commonwealth Royal Commission into antisemitism.
The Senator is joining a growing coalition of former Labor figures, business leaders, and sports stars who claim a government-led review is insufficient to address rising hate crimes.
Mr Canavan says that the government's preference for a controlled review over a transparent judicial process suggests a fear of exposing damaging internal documents.
"The only explanation, the only conclusion you can come to here, is that the Prime Minister actually has something really big to hide, in perhaps ignoring warnings, in not taking the issue seriously over the last few years that he doesn't want exposed by an independent Royal Commission which could get to the bottom of what happened within government, could request whatever document they like, and that's perhaps the reason why he's only announced a review that he could control, and therefore control the information that the rest of us are allowed to see."
—
More than half of the country is set to endure sweltering temperatures in what's expected to be the worst heatwave since the Black Summer bushfires.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning that hot, dry conditions will create extreme fire conditions across multiple states, with temperatures reaching 45C degrees in some parts of the country.
The conditions are set to be their worst since the 2019-20 summer bushfires that killed more than 30 people directly and burned through millions of hectares.
Angus Hines from the Bureau says there are a few impacts people should be mindful of.
"I just want to reiterate a couple of the key impacts which come with those very, very hot conditions which we're anticipating this week. First and foremost, it is that increased risk of bushfire, if any bushfires do get going under these conditions, they can spread extremely quickly and be very difficult or impossible to control and contain. It can be very hard to stay cool and get a good night's sleep under hot weather, particularly with those hot nighttime temperatures and we can see stress on the power and infrastructure networks as we do have a lot of heat across the country."
—
To sport now,
The Sydney Cricket Ground was once again awash in pink for day three of the summer's final home Test, the fifth time Jane McGrath Day has coincided with an Ashes tour.
Headed by cricket legend Glenn McGrath, the McGrath Foundation celebrated its 18th Pink Test fundraiser on day three of the SCG Test on Tuesday, aiming to fund more in-home cancer nurses.
The fundraiser has long had an English bent to it, despite McGrath's status as Australia's most prolific fast-bowling wicket-taker; McGrath's late wife Jane was English, as are the foundation's chief executive Holly Masters and director Tracy Bevan.
Speaking outside the ground, Glenn McGrath says the support shown at the pink test is always encouraging to see.
"Just absolutely incredible. When I think what's been achieved in that time, where we've come from, and just the support we've received from people right across the country but to see my favourite ground in the world, a wash in pink is always very special."
