Delta confirms four flight attendants injured by turbulence on approach to Sydney
Four flight attendants on a flight descending into Sydney were injured by turbulence, Delta Airlines has confirmed.
Continuing from our last post, the airline shared more details about the event.
The Delta flight 41 from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered brief turbulence upon its descent into Sydney, with four crew members reporting injured and three taken to hospital for further evaluation.
The Airbus A350 had been carrying 245 passengers, none of whom reported injuries, and 15 crew members.
A spokesperson for Delta said:
Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and our customers, and our priority is taking care of the impacted crew members.
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Continuing from our last post, the airline shared more details about the event.
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The Delta flight 41 from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered brief turbulence upon its descent into Sydney, with four crew members reporting injured and three taken to hospital for further evaluation.
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The Airbus A350 had been carrying 245 passengers, none of whom reported injuries, and 15 crew members.
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A spokesperson for Delta said:
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n
Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and our customers, and our priority is taking care of the impacted crew members.
n
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The Australian Conservation Foundation has called for an immediate new 25% super profits levy on all Australian gas exports.
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Surging energy prices amid war in the Middle East are expected to hand windfall profits to Australian gas exporters.
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The government has asked Treasury to work up options to impose a new levy on gas companies, the ABC has reported. The energy minister, Chris Bowen, did not reject calls for a new tax this morning, saying it was a matter for the treasurer.
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The ACF’s chief executive, Adam Bandt, said the revenue from a new tax could be directed towards households under strain from rising petrol prices. He said:
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n
It’s disgraceful that oil and gas corporations are profiteering from human and environmental destruction by hiking their prices. In the coming budget, the federal government can and should tax big gas corporations to fund cost of living relief.
n
The federal government can provide relief for Australians being stung by high prices at the petrol station and the supermarket checkout by reining in the greed of the gas giants.
n
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The Greens have also called for a 25% tax on gas exported from Australia, which they say would have generated $17bn in annual revenue based on pre-war numbers.
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The Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is crossing the Cape York coast “as we speak” as a category-four system, senior BoM forecaster Matthew Callopy says.
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photo of Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle crossing the Cape York coastline.”,”caption”:”Japan’s Himawari satellite shows Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle crossing the Cape York coastline.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Bureau of Meteorology”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has just spoken, saying:
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n
There is the prospect the eye of the system might pass over the town of Coen. If this occurs, people will feel great intensity and then a lag. It’s really important that people don’t leave their homes.
n
We’re expecting storm surge as far south as Cairns.
n
There are 14 schools in the area that are closed. Everything north of the Daintree in the Cape area will be closed.
n
I want to assure Queenslanders that final preparations have been made. You saw footage of our emergency services staff going door-to-door. That is still happening.
n
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Crisafulli continues:
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n
My message to Queenslanders is very clear: stay where you are. It’s a remote part of the state. It’s not a highly populated part of the state, but it’s a part of the state that matters to us.
n
Just know we will flick the switch from response to recovery.
n
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Far north residents in the path of Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle say they have taken shelter as winds begin to swirl in the remote Cape York Communities.
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Sara Watkins, the owner of Coen Mechanical and the Little Bush Pantry in the township of Coen – population about 330 – say they moved to a more secure brick building when the winds picked up about 4am, local time.
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n
The wind has really started to pick up, you can hear a couple of things moving around outside.
n
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Watkins said there had been an eerie feeling in the town waiting for the storm. Now all they can do is watch as the cyclone arrives.
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n
Until the wind started it was so still. It was raining but it was really still. That’s not like Coen, when it rains it pours and the wind moves about.
n
In Coen there are a lot of old properties that have been through cyclones in the past, they are standing but they’re not cyclone rated by any means.
n
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Water services have been turned off but locals in Coen say they still have power. That will likely be shut off as well in the coming hours.
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tracking map shows the expected path of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. The storm is forecast to hit Queensland on Friday morning with wind speeds up to 225km/h (140mph)”,”caption”:”A tracking map shows the expected path of Tropical Cyclone Narelle.”,”credit”:”Photograph: The Guardian”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773952856000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.40 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773963486000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”19.38 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773952933000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.42 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.42″,”title”:”‘Eerie feeling’ as water shut off and electricity to be lost in far north Queensland”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Ben Smee”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/05/27/Ben_Smee_v2.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2f5570102ed7c17db0463f519e164361″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/05/27/Ben_Smee_v2.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=71f1b56aa9e2a100673ce6862fbc611f”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 19 Mar 2026 20.30 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 19 Mar 2026 15.19 EDT”},{“id”:”69bbe1c18f08376ddad1dfb3″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The New South Wales government will call for the distribution of GST according to overall population share when it lodges its submission to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into 2018 goods and service tax reforms today.
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NSW, Australia’s most populous state, emerged as the main loser from this year’s GST carve-up, its share shrinking from 86c to 82c for every dollar its residents pay, the lowest since the tax was introduced in 2000. By contrast, Western Australia received an extra $5.5bn, thanks to the 2018 sweetheart deal struck with the then treasurer, Scott Morrison.
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Under the deal, WA is guaranteed to receive no less than 0.75c back from every dollar it pays.
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The NSW government says a per capita distribution would see it receive an additional $3.2bn next financial year. As a compromise, it has also suggested reverting to the pre-2018 model, but with the federal government funding a guarantee no state received less than 50 cents for every dollar it pays in GST.
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The state treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, says:
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n
The whole of the federation would be better off if we allocated the GST by population share, with the federal government using their balance sheet to prop up the smaller jurisdictions.
n
That is what we are arguing for. But we are also presenting a compromise proposal to push for change.
n
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NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, right, with the premier, Chris Minns.”,”caption”:”The NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, right, with the premier, Chris Minns.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773947972000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.19 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773956321000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.38 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773950854000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.07″,”title”:”NSW pushes for per capita GST model after worst distribution yet”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Penry Buckley”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2025/09/19/Penry_Buckley.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=23ed5723efb9f59bdabb7b5149b9c10d”,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2025/09/19/Penry_Buckley.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=40ff1f86a89309b80c00588c7e6a4564″}],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 19 Mar 2026 20.30 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Iran’s foreign affairs ministry has suggested the country’s two remaining footballers who sought asylum in Australia are being forced to remain in the country.
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Five of the seven members of Iran’s women’s soccer team who claimed asylum in Australia last week later changed their mind and have returned to the country.
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Australia’s Iranian diaspora has raised concerns that the country’s regime may have pressured some players to return home.
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Speaking to the ABC’s 7.30 program, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, was asked if the two remaining players were being kept in the country against their will. He replied: “I guess so.”
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Baghaei reiterated claims that the women were taken “hostage” in Australia:
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n
They didn’t seek asylum. They were forced to. They were coerced to. They didn’t do it voluntarily.
n
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Baghaei said he was “quoting their coach” in making the claims.
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n
They were invited to go to a room under the pretence of clarifying the doping or something like that. And then they put the paper beside them … you can be given asylum.
n
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The resources minister, Madeleine King, says a new fuel taskforce will prioritise regional areas as petrol and diesel flows from the nation’s stockpile.
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Yesterday the Albanese government appointed Anthea Harris, the former chief of the energy regulator, to head a national fuel supply taskforce.
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Speaking to the ABC’s 7.30, King said the taskforce would ensure the released fuel reached service stations that had run out of supply “as soon as possible”:
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n
There is a priority that fuel does go to regional areas and the places where it is needed.
n
They have to come out of the storage tanks, as you can imagine. There has to be arrangements and we are doing work that would ordinarily take weeks. It’s being done in days to ensure it does get to those petrol stations.
n
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Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Luca Ittimani with the main action.
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There’s plenty of news about but the main action this morning is in far north Queensland, where a huge and fierce storm is about to make landfall.
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Tropical cyclone Narelle has dipped just below the most severe category-five level as it approaches the coast, with the town of Coen bracing for a hit.
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Narelle will make landfall within hours and we’ll bring you all the news as it happens.
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Key events
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Israeli government says ‘no-one surprised’ Australia not sending navy to Strait of Hormuz
Following from our previous post, the Israeli government earlier this morning said it was no surprise Australia had not sent naval support to the Middle East.
David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesperson, was asked about Australia’s decision on the ABC. He said:
That’s a decision for Australia. I don’t think anyone had a lot of high expectations for your current government, judging on how they’ve acted in the past … So no one here in Israel was surprised at that.
Mencer pointed to the Israeli government’s warnings to Australia to address antisemitism, saying those warnings had gone unheeded. Asked why Israel was continuing its war on Iran, he said:
Because the regime is still intact and we will not allow this regime to build up again to oppress their own people and attack us again. …
When they say ‘death to Israel, death to America,’ you in Australia may think you’re immune to these threats, but we here, and that’s 2,000 years of Jewish experience teach us very, very clearly, when someone says they wish to wipe you off the face of the earth, we believe them.
Government wants war in Middle East to end, says Bowen
The Albanese government wants the conflict in the Middle East to end, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, has said.
Leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada have issued a joint letter, condemning Iran’s attacks attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
They were ready to contribute to ensuring safe passage through the Strait, they said. Countries have previously avoided sending their navies to the warzone.
Australia has not signed the letter or offered to send ships. Bowen was asked about the letter just earlier. He said:
We certainly agree with the sentiment that we want Iran to stop its actions … Certainly the sentiment, that we want to see this situation in the Middle East sorted and Iran has a responsibility, is one that we support.
Delta confirms four flight attendants injured by turbulence on approach to Sydney
Four flight attendants on a flight descending into Sydney were injured by turbulence, Delta Airlines has confirmed.
Continuing from our last post, the airline shared more details about the event.
The Delta flight 41 from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered brief turbulence upon its descent into Sydney, with four crew members reporting injured and three taken to hospital for further evaluation.
The Airbus A350 had been carrying 245 passengers, none of whom reported injuries, and 15 crew members.
A spokesperson for Delta said:
Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and our customers, and our priority is taking care of the impacted crew members.
Three people taken to hospital after turbulence on flight from LA to Sydney
Three people were taken to hospital from Sydney airport this morning with injuries from reported turbulence.
Flightradar 24 shows a Delta flight 41 from Los Angeles to Sydney touched down at Sydney airport just after 6:40am local time, coming to a stop at 6:47am. The flight had been due south-west but turned north-west about 50km from the NSW coast, to fly into the airport from Sydney’s north.
Ambulances were called to Sydney airport at about 6:45am, a spokesperson for Ambulance NSW said. Paramedics assessed five patients at the scene for injuries believed to be related to turbulence on the flight, with three taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital with “varied minor injuries” including to their back, the spokesperson said.
Patients at the hospital declined to share their condition with the media.
More fuel could be released from national stockpile if needed, Bowen says
The energy minister has said Australia could release more fuel from its strategic reserves should petrol or diesel start to run short.
Chris Bowen emphasised that Australia has enough fuel supply while acknowledging the government had powers to ration fuel if needed.
Bowen said the strategic reserve of fuel was part of the government’s contingency plans if fuel supply dried up in late April, by which time all the fuel shipments booked before war broke out will be complete. He said:
Our plan involves continuing to work with industry to ensure refineries are working full-pelt. We will release more of the strategic reserve if we have to, but only if we have to. It’s there for a rainy day … If I’m satisfied that releasing that strategic reserve is necessary to ensure supply to Australians, I won’t hesitate, but only in that eventuality.
Bowen was also asked whether petrol rationing was being considered. A week ago, he was clear the option was not being contemplated, but today he said this:
Governments have powers, should supply be very severely disrupted, but the important message for Australians is that supply is not being disrupted at this point.
Asked about reports the government has considered raising taxes on gas exports, Bowen repeatedly said he wouldn’t comment on cabinet processes.
You expect the treasurer and treasury with his senior ministerial colleagues to be working through potential options.
Australia’s only two oil refineries will keep their government subsidies
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, has announced the federal government will keep subsidising Australia’s only two remaining oil refineries.
Viva’s Geelong refinery and Ampol’s Lytton refinery in Brisbane will continue receiving fuel security payments to continue making petrol in Australia, after six months of negotiations over an existing deal, Bowen said.
Bowen added that renewable energy sources were securing Australia’s electricity needs:
No international crisis can impact the sun or the wind and the fact we now have more renewables in our grid into our system is more secure as well as being cheaper to run .
Tory Shepherd
Newspoll: More than one in five set to vote for One Nation in SA election
A Newspoll published in The Australian this morning shows (as all the other polls do) Labor cruising to a crushing win in tomorrow’s South Australian election.
And it shows One Nation’s support is 22% (as did a YouGov poll in The Advertiser yesterday) but that the Liberals are sitting on just 16% (YouGov had them at 19%).
What will it mean? You tell me. My only prediction is that there will be some who, seeing the Liberals get smashed, conclude that means the party should move further to the right.
The One Nation vote is lumpy, so it could mean a rural or regional seat is sitting on 40% but a metropolitan seat on 10%. They could pick up a few seats or none – preference flows along with that lumpiness make it hard to predict.
Former federal firebrand senator Cory Bernardi – who stands by some pretty appalling comments he made back in 2012 – is set for an eight-year term in the upper house, and will likely be joined by one or two others.
Stay tuned tomorrow, we’ll be here watching the tally room.
Coastal north Queensland faces flooding before tides ease today, BoM says
Tropical Cyclone Narelle should leave the Cape York peninsula by tonight, BoM senior meteorologist Angus Hines says.
After making landfall an estimated two hours ago, the cyclone is “carving a path” between the Lockhart River and Coen, Hines told the ABC.
Rivers could burst “anywhere across the Cape York Peninsula” with those north of the Daintree river at most risk, he said.
Low-lying coastal areas also face inundation and flooding as tides rise, with Cairns already facing high water levels, though tides are expected to ease over the course of the day, Hines said.
The cyclone is expected to cross the Cape York peninsula over the next 12 hours and reach the Gulf of Carpentaria coastline by 10pm this evening, before resurging as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone impacting the Northern Territory on Saturday night.
Gas export profits demand new tax, Australian Conservation Foundation says
The Australian Conservation Foundation has called for an immediate new 25% super profits levy on all Australian gas exports.
Surging energy prices amid war in the Middle East are expected to hand windfall profits to Australian gas exporters.
The government has asked Treasury to work up options to impose a new levy on gas companies, the ABC has reported. The energy minister, Chris Bowen, did not reject calls for a new tax this morning, saying it was a matter for the treasurer.
The ACF’s chief executive, Adam Bandt, said the revenue from a new tax could be directed towards households under strain from rising petrol prices. He said:
It’s disgraceful that oil and gas corporations are profiteering from human and environmental destruction by hiking their prices. In the coming budget, the federal government can and should tax big gas corporations to fund cost of living relief.
The federal government can provide relief for Australians being stung by high prices at the petrol station and the supermarket checkout by reining in the greed of the gas giants.
The Greens have also called for a 25% tax on gas exported from Australia, which they say would have generated $17bn in annual revenue based on pre-war numbers.
Flooding and road closures as cyclone hits far north Queensland
The Cook Shire council in far north Queensland is reporting floods have closed five roads and hundreds of customers are without power.
Foxton Avenue/Kid Street, Finlayvale Road, Mossman Mt Molloy Road, Peninsula Dev Road and Rykers Road have been closed to traffic this morning as they’re overtaken by flood waters. Photos on the flood camera boards show Coen’s bridge and south-bound roads have been overtaken by water.
Power outages have left 73 customers without electricity in Coen plus 105 more farther south, the council estimates.
A Coen business owner, Sara Watkins, says winds picked up and strengthened over the last three hours. The Exchange hotel, where she is sheltering, still had power, she has told the ABC.
The community is waiting for the council to supply food and drinking water when it is safe to do so, Watkins says. Herself and another store owner believe they have 10 days’ worth of tinned and frozen food as long as power is restored and keeps freezers working. Watkins adds:
There was a bit of anxiety but everyone got themselves prepared. They stocked up on food, we sold a lot of camping gas stoves. Everyone is really ready for it.
Graham Readfearn
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle had 195km/h winds at landfall
The Bureau of Meteorology has just confirmed that Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall at around 7am Queensland time with sustained winds of 195km/h, making the system a “top-end Cat 4.”
That means that Narelle was only 5 km/h short of being a category 5 system at landfall.
This perhaps explains why in the past 24 hours there has been some uncertainty in the forecasts over which category the storm would be as it crossed the coast.
Queenslanders ‘have their wits about them’ as Tropical Cyclone Narelle hits, premier says
Queenslanders are being careful and following safety warnings as Tropical Cyclone Narelle hits, the state premier says.
David Crisafulli says people in far north Queensland are experienced with severe storms and paying attention to alerts to prepare.
The overwhelming reports were that people were doing the right thing … [The cyclone is] a big system but people have got their wits about them. They know what to do.
Nearby councils have helped people find shelter in evacuation zones, with residents seeking refuge and leaving towns like Coen, in the cyclone’s path, Crisafulli says:
We said first and foremost – you need to have a plan and stick to it. And for most people, that means going into a safe room in their own home.
Others will choose to go and be with friends or family, which is always another good option if they believe that their home, for example, predates 1982, which is when the new building systems came in.
Others chose to go and seek refuge in one of the council refuge centres and the council, which is the Cook Shire council in that case, accommodated those residents in Coen.
Rainfall totals over 500mm expected from cyclone, 300 power outages
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has continued to provide updates on Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle as it makes landfall.
There have been over 300 power outages, 73 in the town of Coen, which sits right in the cyclone’s path, Crisafulli said. Essential services could lose power and some areas could face long-term power outages but teams are standing by to reconnect them, he said.
We are going to experience loss of electricity and the damage is likely to be significant with a system of this size.
Health services are in position on the ground and 14 schools have been closed, Crisafulli said. Telecommunications companies have set up generators and fuel capacity to try to keep contact lines online.
Flash and river flooding is expected and heavy rain has been recorded, with 150mm in the last 24 hours at Wenlock River and nearly 150mm at Wujal Wujal and Coen, the BoM’s Matthew Collopy said.
Rainfall totals could exceed 200mm from Ingham up the coast to Lockhart River and across the Cape, while north of Cooktown rainfall will exceed 500mm, he said.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle hits Cape York coast
Ben Smee
The Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is crossing the Cape York coast “as we speak” as a category-four system, senior BoM forecaster Matthew Callopy says.
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has just spoken, saying:
There is the prospect the eye of the system might pass over the town of Coen. If this occurs, people will feel great intensity and then a lag. It’s really important that people don’t leave their homes.
We’re expecting storm surge as far south as Cairns.
There are 14 schools in the area that are closed. Everything north of the Daintree in the Cape area will be closed.
I want to assure Queenslanders that final preparations have been made. You saw footage of our emergency services staff going door-to-door. That is still happening.
Crisafulli continues:
My message to Queenslanders is very clear: stay where you are. It’s a remote part of the state. It’s not a highly populated part of the state, but it’s a part of the state that matters to us.
Just know we will flick the switch from response to recovery.
Fuel stockpile flowing to service stations, Bowen says
Chris Bowen has said service stations are starting to receive the millions of litres of fuel released from national stockpiles.
Bowen said a “low single digit” percentage of the country’s service stations were “fully out of fuel”, while speaking to ABC Radio National.
Australia is home to about 7,000 petrol stations, so at least 70 are out of fuel, or 1%. In New South Wales alone, the state government yesterday said about 40 petrol stations had no fuel and another 40 had no diesel.
A week ago, Bowen authorised fuel companies to release nearly a fifth of their mandatory reserves. He’s confirmed most of that – 519m litres – is beginning to flow to terminals and service stations across the country:
It predominantly flows from Brisbane and from Geelong, which is a lot better than having it flow from Texas, where it used to be held … It does take time to get to every single service station, but it is already flowing.
Bowen also sidestepped questions on whether the government should levy a new windfall tax on gas exporter profits, as energy prices surge:
The treasurer’s made clear that tax reform is on the government’s agenda, and he’s considering the way to maximise the efficient collection of tax in Australia, but that’s not something that I’m focused on at the moment.
Listen now: How Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is changing politics – Full Story podcast: Newsroom edition
Following on from that poll suggesting One Nation could wipe out the Nationals, this morning’s Full Story podcast covers the minor party’s surge.
Guardian Australia’s Josephine Tovey, Mike Ticher and Sarah Martin explain why the electorate is flocking to the rightwing political movement, and what major parties can do to win voters back.
Listen to the Full Story podcast here:
Tom McIlroy
Nationals facing One Nation wipeout: new poll
A new poll suggests the Nationals would be wiped out by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation if a federal election was held today, with minor party replacing the Coalition as the largest opposition force in the parliament.
A new Capital Brief/Demos Au poll – run using the Multilevel Regression and Poststratification (MRP) polling method – finds Labor would win 77-86 seats in the lower house, with One Nation winning 46-55 seats.
Demonstrating the dire straits facing the Coalition, the poll finds the Liberals would win 9-15 seats and the Nationals just 0-2. The Greens and the crossbench would win just a handful of seats.
Seats where One Nation is firmly in front include; Fairfax (QLD), Fadden (QLD), Canning (WA), Forrest (WA), Wright (QLD), Lyne (NSW), Monash (VIC), Capricornia (QLD), Dawson (QLD), Hinkler (QLD), Wide Bay (QLD), Grey (SA), Nicholls (VIC), Flynn (QLD), Parkes (NSW), Wannon (VIC), Cowper (NSW), Gippsland (VIC), Maranoa (QLD), Calare (NSW), Indi (VIC), Mallee (VIC), Groom (QLD).
Polls are not predictive – especially with the next election not due for two years – but the numbers will be a wake-up call for the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, and the new Nationals leader, Matt Canavan.
Tomorrow’s South Australian state election is firming as the first major test of One Nation’s polling surge.
The MRP model generated primary vote share estimates for all 150 House of Representative electorates. It uses age, gender, education, income and other demographic information.
Energy minister dismisses Malaysia’s warning on fuel imports
Chris Bowen has dismissed warnings Malaysia could cut its supply of petrol to Australia, saying the south-east Asian government had not threatened any Australian imports of fuel.
Australia imports billions of dollars of oil and petrol from Malaysia each year. A Malaysian embassy spokesman has told the Australian Financial Review the country would prioritise its own needs before considering demand from overseas.
Bowen, the energy minister, said there was no threat to Australia’s fuel supply from Malaysia. He told ABC Radio National:
It’s a very broad statement by the Malaysian government, just a general sort of statement there. It wasn’t a particular announcement that they were taking any particular action.
Malaysia produces refines a lot more fuel than Malaysia or Malaysians would need at any given time. We continue to talk to all our partners across Asia at various levels.
The Malaysian government has taken no action to threaten the supply of fuel to Australia and all the ships that we’d expected to arrive have arrived. But we continue to engage them.
Sarah Basford Canales
Greens call for windfall tax as surging gas prices give exporters ‘free ride’
The Greens are urging the federal government to slap a 25% levy on gas exporters as early as next week to raise billions of dollars in revenue to capture windfall profits as global energy prices soar amid the war in the Middle East.
The minor party’s leader, Larissa Waters, wrote to Anthony Albanese yesterday offering to pass a new bill in the Senate over the next fortnight as parliament returns.
On Wednesday night, Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field, which it shares with Qatar, in a move expected to significantly raise gas prices. The US president, Donald Trump, has also claimed the US would “massively blow up” the gas field if Tehran strikes Qatar in a retaliatory attack.
Waters wrote:
Even if the war ended tomorrow, the restoration of these production facilities will take months to years. While this supply shock will hit consumers and businesses right around the world, it will produce a deep and sustained financial windfall to Australian LNG exporters.
The Greens claim a 25% tax on gas exported from Australia would have generated $17bn in annual revenue based on pre-war numbers.
Waters added:
This $17bn in revenue could easily be dedicated to urgent cost of living relief, such as free public transport for the duration of the fuel crisis. Millions of Australians are doing it tough, and these rich corporations should not get a free ride while people are going backwards.
