Welcome to SBS News in Easy English, I'm Gareth Boreham
The Victorian government says it will provide emergency payments to residents in Melbourne's north as the rain subsides but floodwaters continue to rise.
Around 1500 people have already applied for the payments of $2000, which are meant to provide for the practical accommodation, food and clothing needs of families forced to evacuate their homes.
More than 200 flood rescues have been carried out by emergency authorities and volunteers, while 500 homes have already been confirmed to be inundated and another 500 are thought to be isolated by floodwaters.
Premier Dan Andrews says that is a conservative and early estimate.
"That number will definitely grow. We have choppers in the air at the moment making damage assessments, flood impact assessments. They're fed back in real time... Particularly in relation to the Goulburn Valley, we're going to see more and more people fit into that category."
The Premier says a range of additional support measures have been put in place for flood affected residents in Melbourne and regional Victoria, including 11 relief centres and 50 sandbag collection points.
The Bureau of Meteorology says there has been record rainfall in the last 24 hours in parts of Tasmania, leading to flash flooding.
Some rivers are expected to peak at the June 2016 levels.
Dermot Barry, chief officer of the Tasmania Fire Service, says emergency services are prepared - and he urged residents to remain vigilant.
"There's still a long way to go - and we remain at heightened levels of alert. It is important that the community continues to monitor our warning messages and follow our instructions - within those messages. It is also important that people continue to look after their own safety."
An 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck Papua New Guinea, affecting the New Ireland Region.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre says the earthquake was at a depth of 100 kilometres.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 865 kilometres northeast of the capital Port Moresby.
No injuries or deaths have been reported at this stage.
Cafes and restaurants near some of Australia's most iconic beaches will receive public funds to transition away from single-use plastics.
The Albanese government will allocate $600,000 into a program focused on eliminating the bulk of Australia's litter, including coffee cups and lids, straws, takeaway containers, plastic bags and drink bottles.
Food retailers will be given tailored assistance to switch to reusable or compostable alternatives.
The Plastic Free Places Program has been running for a few years now through the efforts of environmental NGOs and local communities.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says helping consumers transition away from plastics is something the government is wanting to support.
[["In Australia, every year about 130,000 tonnes of plastic make their way into our oceans. That means by 2050, if we keep going the way we're going - by 2050, the weight of plastic in our oceans will outweigh the weight of fish in our ocean. There will be more plastic by weight in our oceans than fish. Of course we need to change what we're doing."]]
To sport and local hope Jack Miller has made an impressive start to the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, finishing second in the opening practice session at Phillip Island.
Miller topped the times until the dying stages of the session, when Frenchman Johann Zarco rode a blistering final lap to take the top spot.
The 27-year-old is vying to become the fourth Australian MotoGP rider after legends Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner to win his home race.
He has headed to the Victorian circuit confident of his chances following a win in Japan last month and a last-start podium finish in Thailand two weeks ago.
I'm Gareth Boreham, this is SBS News in Easy English
