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TRANSCRIPT
A man has risked his own life helping rescue a 74-year-old woman from floodwaters in central Victoria as the state's flood emergency intensifies.
Mitch Smith spotted the woman in Bendigo Creek at Elmore and swam out to help after her car was swept off a road and washed about 100 metres downsteam in raging waters on Monday night.
He used a ratchet strap to secure her to a tree and the pair waited for about an hour before emergency crews arrived and deployed a boat to rescue them.
Neither was injured.
More than a dozen flood warnings have been issued across the state and the wild weather has also impacted Melbourne's east, with Mount Dandenong Tourist Road at Ferny Creek closed after a landslide about 40 metres wide and 70 metres long.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a $50 million support package is on the way for those affected by recent wild weather in the state's far north and southeast.
The new support package will include measures for tourism recovery and clean-up programs for areas hardest hit.
Mr Albanese says the grants will be targeting local resilience and recovery in key areas.
He said the government will also be announcing a cyclone industry recovery and resilience officers program.
The new amount comes on top of a $64 million package for Queensland announced in December following previous storms.
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Everyone onboard a flight that crashed on a far north Queensland island have now been discharged from hospital, except the pilot.
Ten people, including the pilot, were transported to hospital after the plane flipped over at a luxury holiday destination Lizard Island, 240 kilometres north of Cairns, around 7:30am on Monday.
A statement from Queensland Health said all 10 people onboard are in a stable condition.
Assistant Commissioner Brina Keating acknowledged the bravery of the pilot when she spoke to Channel Nine.
"It was quite a calm scene., they were all undercover they were taken care of. I just want to acknowledge the lizard island first responders and all the staff there who prepared for us when we arrived. And they did a fantastic job and that pilot he did a fantastic job in just keeping those people alive."
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has found leaders in the Middle East are determined to prevent conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza from spreading.
Blinken told reporters in Saudi Arabia that all of those he spoke to realised the extent of the challenges, adding "no one thinks that anything will happen overnight."
He called to minimise rising tensions between Lebanon and Israel.
"First in with regard to Lebanon. It's clearly not in the interest of anyone, Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah for that matter to see this escalate and to see an actual conflict. And the Israelis have been very clear with us - that they want to find a diplomatic way forward that creates the kind of security that allows Israelis to return home."
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ACT Police have condemned drivers for what they described as 'moron tourism' at one of Australia's premier car festivals.
Police seized 13 cars, including a Holden Commodore for doing a burnout metres from pedestrians at the Summernats car festival.
The 22-year-old behind the wheel was suspended for driving in the territory for three months.
Police said two children and two adult passengers were also allegedly in the car during the manoeuvre.
Acting Inspector Mark Richardson addressed the incident.
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"The behaviour of these drivers, I mean they just haven't evolved very far. I think they have really plateaued as a species, as a sub-species of the human race. I don' know what goes through their mind."
