The Mayor of Lismore in northern NSW has urged the state government to release a flood inquiry report after hearing unconfirmed leaks from the media and nothing from the government.
The ABC understands the state government has received a $3 billion recovery cost estimate within the findings of a 700-page independent flood report it commissioned to investigate the preparation for, cause of and response to the crisis.
Other recommendations include offering buybacks and land swaps, the rebuilding of assets, and economic measures.
Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg had both his home and business damaged in the February flood event.(ABC News: Bronwyn Herbert)
Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said he was frustrated the government had not publicly released the findings.
“I read the information in the paper today, but I’ve had no direct information from the government at all,” Mr Krieg said.
“It would be nice to get a bit of an update and a briefing. What people in Lismore really need now is hope and certainty, and at the moment we don’t have any of those.”
About 4,000 homes were damaged by flooding in February and March.
It is understood the government will seek funding from the Commonwealth to help with rebuilding and disaster proofing of communities.
A flood-hit house on Wotherspoon St in North Lismore. (Four Corners: Tajette O’Halloran)
The inquiry’s recommendations, led by NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer Mary O’Kane and former police commissioner Mick Fuller, were handed to Premier Dominic Perrottet a week ago.
The findings will likely lead to the disbanding of the disaster agency Resilience NSW, which was heavily criticized for its response to the floods in the Northern Rivers.
The ABC understands a proposal to dismantle Resilience NSW will now be presented to cabinet.
Resilience NSW commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, who led the government’s response to the Black Summer bushfires, has not yet commented on the report or his future employment.
The report is still under review by the government.
NSW Health is urging patrons of this year’s Splendor in the Grass festival to monitor for symptoms of meningococcal disease, after two revellers contracted the disease and one died.
“Although the disease is uncommon, it can be severe, so we are urging people who attended the event in the North Byron Parklands on 21 – 24 July to be alert to the symptoms of meningococcal disease and act immediately if they appear,” NSW Health said in a statement issued on Friday.
One person who attended Splendor in the Grass last month has died with meningococcal. Credit:Getty
A man from Sydney, aged in his 40s, who attended the festival has died of meningococcal disease, NSW Health said.
“NSW Health expresses its sincere condolences to his loved ones.”
Symptoms of the disease include a sudden fever, headache, neck stiffness, joint pain, a rash of red spots or bruises, a dislike of bright lights, nausea and vomiting.
Symptoms in young children include irritability, difficulty walking, high-pitched crying and refusing food.
The state has seen 15 cases of meningococcal disease this year, which is rare but tends to increase in late winter and spring.
It is most common in children under five and 15-25 year olds.
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John Saxon Tingle, the father of high-profile ABC journalist Laura Tingle and founder of the Shooters Party, has died.
Tingle announced the 90-year-old’s death on Twitter on Saturday saying: “Love you Dadda.”
On Instagram, she added: “Isn’t Saxon just the best name?”, registering her “profound gratitude and luck in having him in my life.”
Born in the eastern-Sydney suburb of Edgecliff in November 1931, Mr Tingle founded the Shooters Party in 1992. He was also its vice-chairman until 1995.
His career started in journalism, where he worked as a broadcaster and news editor for 2QN Deniliquin from 1949 until 1951.
John Tingle was born November 2, 1931.(Instagram: @laura.tingle)
He later joined the ABC, where he stayed until 1968, returning in 1977 to present Friday Night Forum.
Throughout the 1970s he worked in radio for a number of networks including 2SM and 2GB in Sydney.
From 1992 to 1995 he was director of current affairs at radio 2CH.
Today, Tingle attributed her choice in career and success to her father.
“Apart from all else of course he was my greatest urger-on, fan and critic in my professional life and so proud I had followed him into journalism,” she wrote on Instagram.
“He taught me at 15 what was the most important question to ask, cheered me on to tackle the small and mean people in politics, and to not be afraid to celebrate the transformative people and moments it sometimes gives us.
“And to always report what you believe to be true.”
Mr Tingle worked for a number of media outlets including the ABC.(Twitter: Laura Tingle)
In 2019, Mr Tingle, a resident of Wauchope in the NSW Mid North Coast, called himself an “accidental politician” in an interview with the Illawarra Mercury.
“I was 63 looking to retire to Port Macquarie, I had a block of land and without telling me they put me at the top of the ballot and I got elected,” he said.
“It was a party that was never intended to be with someone elected who didn’t know he was standing for parliament.”
Since Alex Stosic’s heart failed in 2021, everyday tasks like waking up and getting dressed take hours and require a herculean effort.
Key points:
Mr Stosic is one of more than 87,000 people waiting for elective surgeries in Victoria
Quarterly government statistics show the wait has stabilized despite a rise in emergency department presentations
Ambulance Victoria faced its busiest quarter on record, for the third time in a row
For more than a year, the normally energetic 71-year-old Frankston man, who runs his own business with his wife, has been living with his heart only operating at a fifth of its usual capacity.
Earlier this year his surgery for a new valve was deemed semi-urgent, also known as category 2, which meant treatment was recommended within 90 days.
But he has been waiting more than 150 days.
Since his body shut down, Alex has lost more than 30 kilograms, is struggling to keep his small business running and has barely been able to see his grandkids, who live in regional Victoria.
“I can only take about 20 or 40 steps and I have to have a significant rest,” he said.
“Even working on the computer, I can really only do a few hours and then I have to have a rest.”
While waiting for surgery, Alex Stosic is only able to work on his computer in short bursts.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
Normally Alex is on the tools in his small business, which specializes in removing scratches from surfaces like glass, but since he fell ill he has only been able to do accounts.
“It certainly limits my lifestyle and limits what I can do,” he said.
Alex Stosic’s dog Suzie Q barely leaves his side since he got sick.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
The poor state of Alex’s physical health has left him and his wife Maureen basically housebound, which has taken a heavy toll on his mental health and prevented him from seeing his three children and five grandkids as much as he used to.
In Victoria, elective surgery is defined as any necessary surgery that can be delayed for at least 24 hours.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, elective surgery has repeatedly been put on hold to help the state’s health system cope with an influx of cases, which has led to a backlog.
At the beginning of April, the Victorian government announced a $1.5 billion investment package to address that backlog, but as the most recent wave of Omicron ramped up, individual hospitals began deferring all but category 1 cases again.
The latest quarterly data, released today, shows that at the end of June 87,275 people were on the waiting list, slightly down from the three months earlier.
That is due in part to the more than 41,000 elective surgeries conducted during the quarter, almost 50 per cent more than the previous three months.
But the waitlist is dramatically higher — about 21,000 people more — than the same time a year earlier.
And while the hospital waitlist showed small signs of stabilization, other areas of the health system were put under increasing pressure.
Busiest quarter in Ambulance Victoria during ‘unprecedented’ demand
The three-monthly data, released by the government a week later than expected, showed hospital emergency department presentations had risen by 5.1 per cent in the three months to June 30.
That took the number to 486,701 emergency presentations, an increase of more than 23,000 on the last quarter.
The surge is being attributed to a number of factors, including deferred care from lockdowns and a more severe influenza season than previous years.
“What we are seeing in Victoria at the moment is unprecedented demand,” Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
The average stay in hospital also rose, with sicker patients staying in beds for longer.
The number of code-1 callouts for paramedics has continued to rise.(AAP: Diego Fedele)
For the third quarter in a row, Ambulance Victoria experienced its busiest three months on record.
Urgent code 1 call-outs rose to 97,982, up by nearly 5,000 on the previous quarter. That’s 16 per cent more than the same period a year earlier.
Only about 64 per cent of those urgent code-1 cases were responded to within the benchmark 15 minutes, a drop on last quarter.
The pressure has led to at least seven code red escalations being called in as many months, in comparison to the nine called between 2017 and 2021.
Authorities have continued to urge Victorians to save triple-0 for emergencies only, with Ambulance Victoria saying about 500 callers each day did not need paramedics.
The Health Minister thanked paramedics, healthcare workers and those in the hospital system for their work during a time when up to 2,000 hospital staff are furloughed each day.
“This is our third COVID winter,” Ms Thomas said.
“All winters are hard in our hospital system, but indeed this winter has proven particularly challenging.”
A study published in June showed deadly ambulance ramping was already on the rise before the pandemic hit.
The Opposition has criticized the government for the delay in releasing the statistics and called for more to be done to address problems within the system.
“This isn’t just because of COVID,” Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier said.
“It’s years of under-investment and mismanagement by the Andrews Labor government.”
The government has announced a suite of measures as part of its $12 billion pandemic repair plan, including the expansion of virtual EDs, new paramedics and the overhaul of the crisis-riddled triple-0 system.
Alfred among hospitals restricting operations due to Omicron wave
The Alfred Hospital, where Alex Stosic is due to be treated, put out a statement in mid-July saying that because of the winter wave of Omicron, it was making operational changes such as deferring some elective surgeries and procedures.
It was one of a number of health services across the state to implement similar measures.
“It should never have got to this,” the opposition’s Ms Crozier said.
“These are huge numbers of Victorians who are waiting for this vital surgery, and while they’re waiting, they’re waiting in pain.”
Despite the way the wait has been affecting his life, Alex described his attitude as “stoic.”
Frankston man Alex Stosic was in good health in the years before he fell ill.(Supplied: Alex Stosic)
“Provided I readjust my whole lifestyle, I can cope,” he said.
“I feel there’s people there who are probably worse off than me who have contracted COVID and need ventilators — I don’t need a ventilator.”
The keyhole surgery he requires is relatively new, meaning only a handful of surgeons are able to perform it.
In the meantime, Alex said he was not able to do much except wait for the phone call about the surgery likely to put his life back on track.
He said he was extremely grateful to the paramedics, doctors and other healthcare workers who saved his life and stabilized his organs after his body first shut down last year, and was trying to remain patient.
Alex Stosic’s life revolves around waiting for news he can have surgery.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
“I’ve always had an attitude that you can play the cards that you’re dealt with and they’re the only cards you can play,” he said.
“I’ve been dealt these cards so I just have to play them.
“The only thing I can do is live a fairly sedentary, restricted life and hope that somehow we get the hospital system and COVID under control so I can get in there and get my operation.”
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Betting companies will now be required to send clear statements of gambling wins and losses to their customers following the implementation of federal rules this month.
Key points:
Monthly financial activity statements are intended to help gamblers make more informed decisions
The federal government hopes it will result in problem gamblers betting lower amounts of money
A Gamblers Anonymous member who provides support to others considers it a tokenistic measure
With Australian gambling losses among the highest per capita in the world, the new monthly activity statements are intended to help gamblers make better decisions by providing a clear picture of their spending.
“For some people, they might look at it and say, ‘Well, this is just too much — I find it confronting and I need to do something about it,'” Financial Counseling Australia policy director Lauren Levin told ABC Radio Perth.
“It might lead to calling up [a gambling support group] or calling up one of the financial counseling services, or the national debt helpline, and saying, ‘I think that I need to talk to someone about this.'”
The change was among recommendations by the 2018 National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering, which came up with 10 measures to address rising social harms related to online betting.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the country’s losses from legal gambling totaled $25 billion in 2018-2019, creating severe consequences for the finances, mental health and relationships of problem gamblers and their families.
A study by the Behavioral Economics Team of the Australian Government found people who received activity statements were more likely to reduce the amount of their bets, although it would not reduce the frequency of their betting.
A ‘tokenistic’ measure
Peter, whose full name has been withheld for privacy reasons, is a former gambler who lost his career and his marriage before finding support through Gamblers Anonymous.
An example of the statements activity gamblers will now receive from betting companies.(Supplied)
Peter now provides support for others via Gamblers Anonymous and says the change is a “tokenistic” measure that avoids taking more drastic and controversial steps that will have greater effect.
“The single biggest impact that we can have in Australia would be for governments to ban electronic advertising of gambling, the same way that they did for alcohol, and cigarettes,” Peter said.
“They banned advertising of those because it was costing governments a fortune through the health system, whereas gambling is very much a hidden epidemic where the costs are largely borne by the gambler, the gamblers’ families, the gambler’s employer, the people they steal from .”
Peter said he had seen a “scary” increase in members who were young men betting on sport through phone apps.
He said providing activity statements might provide some “small benefit” for new gamblers who had not yet realized the extent of their spending.
“But for anyone who’s an established gambler or who’s got an established gambling problem, that will have no effect at all,” Peter said.
Gamblers focus on wins
University of Sydney School of Psychology Professor Sally Gainsbury is the director of the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic.
Her research on behavioral science and gambling helped inform the National Consumer Protection Framework that recommended the new rules around activity statements.
Professor Gainsbury said her research into the behaviors associated with gambling showed that “human bias” made gamblers focus on wins and forget how much it was actually costing them.
She said activity statements were a positive first step but additional information was needed to highlight negative trends and encourage action.
This included, for example, showing a customer the percentage of their spending increase over one year, or flagging customers if their spending seemed to be at a risky level.
She said the method was already used by utility providers, which sometimes provided feedback on energy consumption, such as a “smiley face” for low usage.
“[It is] something that provides a next-piece of information for customers to be able to then flag the next step, [and] consider setting up a deposit limit,” Professor Gainsbury said.
‘They just can’t tell’
Ms Levin felt the financial statements could be beneficial for people she had helped who found it hard to keep track of their spending.
“We start by saying, ‘Well, let’s have a look at your income, at your expenditure. With gambling, how much? How much do you think you’ve lost?,'” Ms Levin said.
“And with online betting they just can’t tell.”
She said prior to the change, activity statements were usually only provided on request, and most companies would provide a list of single-line transactions rather than a graph, table or “bottom-line” figure.
Responsible Wagering Australia said it supported the provision of activity statements, and was also running an advertising campaign encouraging Australian gamblers to set deposit limits.
“One of the most important rights of party members is the power to select candidates to represent your values. I want more women, more diversity, and the best talent for our future.”
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In his last major address to party members before the March election, he will warn that “to win the future, we must also focus relentlessly on the people that we serve”, a veiled criticism that the party was too inward-looking during its failed federal election campaign.
“Since 2011, the NSW Liberal government has shown that Liberal values put into action to get results. And we have a decade of delivery to provide it,” Perrottet will say.
He will also criticize his Labor opponents for failing to support his long-term commitment to overhauling stamp duty in favor of a broad-based land tax.
“NSW soon faces a choice. A choice between our party of progress and Labor’s party of protest,” he will say.
“They prefer populism over principle. Government control over individual choice. The Opposition are offering higher property taxes locking in stamp duty forever.”
Liberal MPs will vote for a new deputy at a party room meeting on Tuesday, where Treasurer Matt Kean and Transport Minister David Elliott will face off for the position, which has no major role other than dealing with internal party matters.
However, the deputy leader can choose their portfolio and Elliott has reportedly said he would demand to be treasurer, which would push Kean out of the role.
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A building fire in Melbourne’s northern suburbs took almost three hours to bring under control and forced nearby residents to evacuate in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Sixty firefighters responded on High Street in Preston which broke out in the empty former furnishings store near the corner of Bell Street just after 3am.
A vacant former furnishings store has been engulfed in flames overnight.Credit:Chris Velago
After receiving a number of triple zero calls, firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes to find the large single storey building fully alight, according to a spokesman for Fire Rescue Victoria.
Around 50 residents from an adjacent apartment complex were evacuated due to the “threat” posed by the fire, the spokesman said.
No one was injured in the blaze.
Smoke emanating from the fire clouded streets more than 150 meters from the fire.
The fire was brought under control just before 6am, but crews will remain on scene in Preston to ensure the fire is completely extinguished.
North-bound lanes on High Street between Bell and Bruce streets are expected to be closed for some time on Saturday. The Department of Transport is encouraging drivers to seek alternate routes through Preston, such as Plenty Road and St Georges Road.
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A native rat vulnerable to extinction and known for its chubby cheeks has been found at Victoria’s Wilsons Promontory for the first time in three decades.
Key points:
The broad-toothed rat has not been seen on the promontory for 32 years
Scientists manage to track one of the chubby-cheeked rodents, trap it and release it back into the wild
The discovery suggests efforts to keep invasive species out of the area are working
The broad-toothed rat, or Tooarrana, is a tiny rodent historically found throughout south-eastern Australia.
The catastrophic Black Summer bushfires tore through much of its habitat in the Victorian high country, but studies showed its population was significantly declining in the decades before that.
The tiny rat has been vulnerable to predation by cats and foxes, habitat loss from an overabundance of grass-grazing animals, bushfires and climate change.
The rat is an indication that work to keep invasive species away from Wilsons Promontory could be beginning to be successful.(Supplied: Zoos Victoria)
It had not been seen at Wilsons Prom for 32 years.
A team of researchers, led by Zoos Victoria biologist Phoebe Burns and Parks Victoria ecologist Brooke Love, managed to track and trap one of the rats at the promontory before releasing it back into the wild.
“It is a very exciting time,” Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said.
“And it actually really does underscore the importance of us maintaining Wilsons Prom as a safe haven for a lot of our endangered species.”
Scientists say the discovery provides renewed hope for the future of the tiny native animal.(Supplied: Zoos Victoria)
The rodent is known for having chubby cheeks, a flat face and short tail.
It is also known for its bright-green droppings, which helped the researchers find the rat during surveys of the promontory, south-east of Melbourne.
“We thought, of course, that they had no longer existed and certainly, it hasn’t been spotted [at Wilsons Prom] in more than three decades,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“But some really clever scientific work that’s been done by our dedicated scientists in the field … discovered one of them still alive and thriving.”
The rat feeds on grasses and sedges in cool, wet habitats.
The rat’s diet of green grass and sedges helped scientists track its droppings.(Supplied: Zoos Victoria)
Native rats are essential to many ecosystems and can be indicators of environmental change.
The rat found by researchers is an indication that work to keep invasive species away from the Prom could be beginning to be successful.
The state government said the discovery underscored the importance of a plan to turn 50,000 hectares of Wilsons Prom into a sanctuary.
“This is great news for the Prom Sanctuary project,” Parks Victoria biodiversity science manager Mark Antos said in a statement.
“It provides a further reason to control introduced predators and grazing animals to help protect this unique species and give it the best chance of survival.”
A man is dead after a devastating crash which ended with a car smashing through a southern suburbs spearfishing shop.
Authorities said a Holden Commodore and Toyota Hilux were traveling along South Street, approaching Stock Road, in O’Connor about 7.15pm on Friday when they collided, setting off the tragic set of events.
The Commodore continued on, striking a large sign and smashing into a precinct occupied by Wetsuit Warehouse and Adreno Spearfishing Perth.
The car’s driver, a 50-year-old man and sole occupant, was critically injured and died at the scene.
The Commodore continued on, striking a large sign and smashing into a business. Credit: nightnewsThe 47-year-old male driver of the Toyota suffered minor injuries. Credit: nightnews
The 47-year-old male driver of the Toyota suffered minor injuries.
Pictures taken from the crash site revealed the horrific wreck police were confronted with.
The Holden was crunched against the window of the local recreation outlet, while the Toyota was left a mess on South Street, with significant damage to its back-right section.
Major Crash investigators have combed the crash scene and now want witnesses, including those with dash-cam or mobile footage, to contact Crime Stoppers.
The Australian Federal Police says it has seized 700 kilograms of cocaine worth $280 million and branded with the word Netflix from a container ship at Port Botany.
The Singaporean vessel Maersk Inverness docked in Sydney last month, where Australian Border Force officials uncovered 700 kilograms of the drug concealed in denim bags inside a container marked as containing wood products.
Twenty-eight denim bags containing 25-kilogram bricks of cocaine were seized.Credit:Australian Border Force
Twenty-eight denim bags, each containing a 25-kilogram brick of cocaine branded with the word Netflix and the numerals 5 and 365, were seized by authorities on July 22.
The ship had docked in ports in South and Central America before arriving in Sydney.
“We are still investigating where the drugs were loaded and who was planning to collect them in Australia,” the AFP’s Detective Inspector Luke Wilson said.
“The interception of this amount of drugs would be a significant blow to a well-resourced syndicate, and prevents millions of dollars of drug profit flowing back into the syndicate to fund their lavish lifestyles or next criminal venture.
The so-called “cocaine drought” in Sydney at the moment means sellers of cocaine can command up to $400,000 per kilogram, federal police say.
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