‘ADF is now engaged’ – Albanese
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is now up to provide an update on the cyclone and the federal government’s response.
He said the Australian Defence Force is now formally engaged in the response:
I said yesterday that we would put the ADF on standby, and we have now received a formal request … The ADF is now engaged as of right now.
Key events
New vehicle sales stuck in slow lane, even popular SUVs
New vehicle sales have hit the skids in Australia, AAP reports, with motorists buying 10,000 fewer new cars in one month and purchases slowing in every state and territory.
Even the most popular style of vehicles, SUVs, was hit by the downturn during February, which represents the seventh consecutive month of slower car sales.
The trend is revealed in figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today, which also shows electric vehicle sales remaining lower than in 2024 and passenger cars falling further out of favour.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are among the few vehicle styles to withstand the downturn, with BYD’s newly released plug-in hybrid ute scoring a place among Australia’s top 10 vehicles.
Australians purchased almost 95,000 new vehicles during February, according to the figures, or 10,030 fewer vehicles than in the same month of 2024, representing a drop of 9.6%.
Motorists also bought slightly fewer SUVs (0.6%), fewer light commercial vehicles such as utes (10.2%), and fewer passenger cars (34.8%).
Electric cars made up 5.9% of all new vehicle sales compared to 9.6% in February 2024, which the chamber’s chief executive Toby Weber called a concerning result given consumers’ access to them.
Sales of Tesla electric vehicles experienced a particularly steep fall in February, down by 71.9% compared to that month in 2024, with sales of its entry-level Model 3 down by 81%. But hybrid vehicle sales continued to climb in February, up by 34% compared to last year.
Preparation for Tropical Cyclone Alfred well underway
As the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred begin being felt, and communities work to prepare their homes against the weather, here are some photos that have been rolling in throughout the day:
‘Stay indoors’: watch and act issued for northern rivers region in NSW
A watch and act alert has been issued for the Northern Rivers region of NSW amid Tropical Cyclone Alfred, with residents urged to stay indoors.
The State Emergency Service said the following communities are advised to stay indoors, unless they have been told to evacuate amid forecast flooding:
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Tweed Heads
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Murwillumbah
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Mullumbimby
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Byron Bay
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Kyogle
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Nimbin
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Lismore
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Lennox Head
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Ballina
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Casino
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Woodburn
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Maclean
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Yamba
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Kingscliff
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Coraki
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Wardell
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Broadwater
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Evans Head
Damaging wind gusts of up to 120km/h are expected to develop around south-east Queensland and northern NSW amid the tropical cyclone, as well as gusts of up to 155km/h. Heavy rainfall may also cause dangerous and life-threatening flash-flooding.
First Nations suicide rate triple other Australians
The suicide rate of First Nations Australians is three times higher than the rest of the population and deaths are far more prevalent among young people, AAP reports.
A report from the Victorian coroner revealed 27 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people died by suicide in 2024. The figures are a 42% jump since 2022, with the average age of death for men being 37 and 29.6 for women.
56.6% of Indigenous people who died by suicide from 2020-2024 were aged under 35. This was compared with 30.2% of non-Indigenous people who took their own lives.
In the four years until 2024, one-third of First Nations suicides were in men aged 25-34, while the most common age for women was between 18 and 24.
The analysis also revealed a geographical divide, with 54.9% of suicides in First Nations peoples in regional areas and 45.1% in metropolitan areas.
This contrasts with the rest of the population, where two-thirds of suicides occurred in metropolitan areas.
Stressors included diagnosed or suspected mental health conditions, interpersonal concerns, substance use, exposure to family violence and contact with the justice system, court data revealed.
Two separate watch and act bushfire warnings in Victoria
A watch and act alert has been issued for Buninyong and Scotsburn near Ballarat, amid an out of control bushfire.
The fire is travelling south towards Scotsburn, and locals are being urged to leave now.
Firefighters are responding, and the fire has not yet crossed the Midland Highway.
In a separate warning just north, locals at Mount Clear and Mount Helen are being told to prepare to leave, amid an out of control fire.
A bushfire at Mount Clear is travelling from Olympic Avenue in a southerly direction towards Timbertop Drive. The warning reads:
A wind change is expected around 3.00pm. This will cause the fire to change directions towards Woowookarung Regional Park. Conditions can become very dangerous and unpredictable.
This Watch and Act – Bushfire – Prepare to Leave message is being issued for Mount Clear, Mount Helen.
Prepare to Leave and stay informed. Leave as soon as you are ready, as roads will become busy as people leave.
More details at pic.twitter.com/GYoFMbf0Lv
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) March 5, 2025
Tyrrell backs Greens move, with one exception
Independent Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell has backed the Greens policy for a prices commission – but believes this should sit within the existing ACCC rather than a new organisation.
She wrote in a statement earlier today:
There’s a fascination with setting up new government bodies that costs hundreds of millions of dollars to establish and maintain. We have enough of those already. I want a prices commission that’ll save taxpayers more money than it’ll cost them to run.
Tyrrell has been advocating for supermarket chain Aldi to come to Tasmania, arguing that “when Aldi comes to town, prices at other supermarkets go down”.
Greens unveil plan to make price gouging illegal
The Greens have unveiled a plan to make price gouging illegal by the middle of this year.
As part of a plan unveiled today, the Greens would introduce a new corporate watchdog to monitor for price gouging in supermarkets, also creating a Prices Commission, with powers to subject supermarkets to fines or being broken up.
The commission would begin 1 July this year, it said, with the ability to make referrals to the existing ACCC, “which would also be strengthened with additional resourcing.”
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said that in a “wealthy country” like Australia, “everyone should be able to afford the basics, but people are getting smashed at the checkout.”
People are worried about rising grocery prices and the soaring cost of living, but governments aren’t acting … Experts predict a minority government this election. The Greens will keep Peter Dutton out and get Labor to make price gouging illegal.
Calla Wahlquist
Number of fatal farm accidents doubled in 2024
The number of fatal accidents on Australian farms doubled in 2024, according to data released by Agrifutures today.
The research by AgHealth Australia found that 72-on farm deaths were reported in 2024, up from 32 in 2023 and higher than the five-year average of 53 on-farm deaths per year.
Fourteen of the fatal accidents involved side-by-side farm vehicles, 10 involved quad motorbikes and eight involved tractors. Three deaths involved livestock, two involving cattle and one involving horses. Five of those killed were less than 15 years old, and 87% were male.
A further 133 non-fatal injuries were reported, most of which were in Queensland. Quad bikes were the leading cause of non-fatal injury, followed by horses, cattle, side-by-sides, motorbikes, and tractors.
AgHealth Australia farm safety research manager, Kerri-Lynn Peachy, said the increase was above expected annual fluctuations.
It’s clear from the data we must urgently improve our actions and attitudes, working in collaboration across the agriculture sector, to drive improvements in farm safety, which in turn will increase productivity.
Even one death on-farm is too many and we all have a role to play in bolstering farm safety as the sector aims for zero on-farm fatalities.
Some Queensland courthouses to close amid tropical cyclone
A number of Queensland courts will close tomorrow and Friday amid Tropical Cyclone Alfred, including:
Elias Visontay
Chalmers welcomes GDP growth figures
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has welcomed those GDP growth figures announced earlier today, declaring “the Australian economy has turned a corner”.
Australia’s gross domestic product, which measures economic activity, rose by 0.6% compared with 0.3% in the previous three-month period, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced earlier today. The annual growth rate is at 1.3%.
At a press conference, Chalmers said:
Growth is picking up in the Australian economy and the Australian economy has turned a corner. That’s the overwhelming evidence from today’s national accounts.
These numbers reflect the very substantial and very encouraging progress that Australians are making together in our economy. Inflation is down, incomes are strengthening, unemployment is very low, interest rates are coming down and now growth is picking up as well.
Australian economy ‘heading’ towards recovery as GDP rises
Jonathan Barrett
The Australian economy expanded faster than expected in the December quarter, signalling an improvement in the financial health of the nation.
Australia’s gross domestic product, which measures economic activity, rose by 0.6% compared to 0.3% in the previous three-month period, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The annual growth rate is at 1.3%.
Cameron McCormack, a senior portfolio manager at investment firm VanEck, said:
While GDP is still well below Australia’s historical average of 3.34% annual growth, the modest GDP growth in an environment of tighter monetary policy indicates the economy is heading towards recovery.
Crucially, per capita GDP increased by 0.1% during the quarter after years of going backwards. The per capita figures are a gauge of living standards, and have suffered a prolonged period of weakness.
The data, released today, could indicate that households are feeling better about their financial position shortly ahead of an election fought on cost-of-living pressures.
However, stronger-than-expected GDP typically makes a rate cut less likely.
Elias Visontay
Dave Emerson promoted to CEO of Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia has promoted its chief commercial officer, Dave Emerson, to be the airline’s new chief executive officer.
The airline announced the appointment today, after a more than 12-month search for a replacement for current CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, who said she would be stepping down in February 2024 in an abrupt announcement that fuelled speculation she had been pushed out by the company’s private equity owners Bain Capital.
Emerson has served as Virgin Australia’s chief commercial officer since 2021 and has had a 25-year career in aviation and tourism that has included a stint at America West Airlines. He will formally assume the role on 14 March.
Hrdlicka said Emerson was “an excellent choice” to succeed her and that now is the “perfect time to transition leadership” ahead of a four-year growth plan for the airline.
In recent weeks, the government and competition watchdog have greenlit Virgin’s plans to return to international long-haul flying through a partnership with Qatar Airways, which has also moved to take a 25% stake in the Australian carrier.
Virgin Australia has repeatedly delayed its much-anticipated return to the stock exchange, seen as a key step in returning to its former scale of operations when it was a publicly traded company before its pandemic-induced restructure.
Meteorologists predict Cyclone Alfred will move directly over Brisbane
Elias Visontay
Meteorologists mapping the trajectory of Tropical Cyclone Alfred are now predicting it will move directly over Brisbane, with the city roughly aligning with the centre of the storm.
The Bureau of Meteorology, in its latest update of its Alfred tracker map issued a short time ago, shows the cyclone moving directly over Brisbane late on Thursday and into Friday.
The updated prediction also suggests the strongest winds are expected to be experienced on the Gold Coast.
This is because, on the current prediction, the area is just to the south of the eye of the storm, which can experience the strongest winds because cyclones rotate clockwise, meaning the strongest onshore winds are underneath the eye of the storm.
Albanese says he will stay on east coast despite WA travel plans
Anthony Albanese was asked about reports the Coalition has backed down on its threat to break up big insurance companies to improve competition, instead focusing just on supermarkets.
But the PM said the focus today was solely on the cyclone response:
I haven’t seen what Angus Taylor has said … I have been focused on the needs of Queenslanders and people who live in northern New South Wales.
The PM said he was due to travel to Western Australia on Friday and Saturday but will now likely stay on the east coast. And with that, the presser wrapped up.
Chelepy says communities won’t be forcibly evacuated
Asked if people who are most at-risk would be forcibly evacuated from their homes, acting commissioner Shane Chelepy said this would not happen:
We don’t go around and forcibly dragged people out of their homes, that is not what we do. We support Queenslanders and we give them all the advice they need to make the decision on whether or not to leave or stay …
If those people don’t leave their home we take the details, we understand that they are there, and, as always, we prepare our resources to respond.
Chelepy stressed the danger of the situation and said in the past, crews have conducted more than 250 rescues from rooftops in one evening.
That’s really dangerous for us operating and is really dangerous for you.
Vast majority of Queenslanders are safest by staying home, premier says
David Crisafulli said that for the vast majority of Queenslanders the best thing to do right now is to stay home.
We’ve outlined the storm surge areas, we spoken about those riverine flooding areas, but the vast majority of Queenslanders will not be in one of those and the safest place for you and your family is in your home … for the duration of the event. And particularly if the eye of the cyclone was to pass over you, that is temporary reprieve. So my strong advice is to stay in your home.
