NSW flood death toll rises to four
A man in his 70s has been found dead in a car in flood waters north-west of Coffs Harbour this morning.
A passing motorist saw the vehicle about 4.30am, which had run off Orara Way at Nana Glen.
Officers and SES found the body of a man believed to be in his 70s inside. He is yet to be formally identified.
He is the fourth person to die amid flooding in the NSW mid-north coast.
Key events
Adeshola Ore
An intensive care specialist has told Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial doctors thought the sole surviving lunch guest was “going to die” while being treated in hospital for liver failure.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges
Professor Stephen Warrillow, the director of intensive care at Austin Health where the four lunch guests were treated, began giving evidence via video link, this morning.
He told the jury about the treatment doctors provided the lunch guests, who had acute liver failure. Three of the guests, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, died at the Austin hospital, the court hears.
Prosecutor Sarah Lenthall also asked Warrillow about Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch.
Warrillow says he was on ventilation but began to slowly improve.
“We thought he was going to die, He was very close,” he says.
Warrillow says no alternative cause was identified for the guests’ illness apart from death cap mushroom poisoning. He says the hospital does not have a test to detect the toxin in death cap mushrooms.
Eelemarni Close-Brown
The final stop for Myki the Melbourne metro cat
Myki, the fare-evading six-month-old ginger metro cat, made headlines in April after bypassing ticketing barriers and catching a ride into Melbourne’s Flinders Street station.
Despite politicians, media buzz and public appeals on social media for his owner, no one came forward to claim him from the Lost Dogs Home in North Melbourne.
Without a microchip, there was no way to track down Myki’s original owner so in accordance with the Domestic Animals Act 1994 (VIC) stray cats not claimed within eight days can be adopted if they’re suitable.
Luckily for Myki, he found his new owner and Craig adopted him after spotting a familiar spark which reminded him of his beloved cat he had recently lost.
“I was aware of his awesome train navigational skills. I remember seeing the posts online when he took his trip,” Craig said. “Although I am not sure he’s happy I have banned from any future unnecessary train travel.”
Myki has officially retired from solo commuting and is enjoying life as an indoor cat with the pair enjoying cosy nights on the couch and chill time at home.
In 2024, 11,578 cats arrived at the Lost Dogs Home as strays, but only 587 were claimed by their owners – usually because they were microchipped.
“Myki was immediately friendly and smoochy with Craig, exactly what he was looking for,” said customer experience officer Lachlan Sully.
Staff at the North Melbourne shelter were thrilled with the match.
“We were all pleased he found a great home,” Sully said. “We were hoping that an owner might come forward following all the media attention but they didn’t, and since he wasn’t microchipped we couldn’t verify if he even had one.”
Heavy rains and flooding has inundated the NSW coast over the past few days, with rainfall of up to 90mm possible in the Sydney area today.
At Parramatta wharf, flood water has been flowing:
Josh Butler
Elsewhere in his round of interviews, Albanese said he hoped Pope Leo would visit Australia. After meeting the new Pope in Rome last week, following his inauguration, Albanese revealed the new pontiff had blessed his mother’s old set of rosary beads, and called the meeting “a great honour and privilege of my life and something I’ll never forget.”
“I took my late mum’s rosary across and Pope Leo was good enough to bless them and it was quite a moment to have 45 minutes of a one on one discussion with the Holy Father,” Albanese told 2HD radio.
Pope Leo has visited Australia a number of times in the past due to the role that he’s played with the Augustine Fathers and he hopefully will visit for 2028. Australia is hosting the World Eucharistic Congress and I hope that he visits for the Eucharistic Congress that’ll be held in Sydney in 2028.
Josh Butler
PM says science predicted more frequent and intense weather events ‘and that’s precisely what is happening’
On ABC Newcastle, the prime minister added: “[every] weather event can’t be traced down specifically to climate change, because there’s always been extreme weather events in Australia. But what you can say is … the science told us they’d be more frequent and more intense and that’s precisely what is happening, which is why my government are taking it so seriously.”
Albanese praised the SES, police, fire services and other emergency responders as “heroes”.
Listen to the advice, make sure you log on to the relevant sites and keep informed if you’re in these communities because we just don’t want to see any further tragedies because, you know, it is just heartbreaking what has occurred.
Josh Butler
Albanese urges people in flood zones not to take risks and await rescue
Anthony Albanese has urged those in flood zones to not take risks and to stay safe, saying help was on the way.
The prime minister says he is visiting the Taree and Cessnock areas today, and dialled into a number of local radio stations this morning to talk about the rain situation – Rafqa brought you some of that earlier.
On Triple M Newcastle, Albanese said the flooding was “horrific”.
“We have a loss of life with three people confirmed losing their life. That is a tragedy for them, for their families and for the local communities … one man is missing and we’re hopeful of good news there,” he said.
Albanese noted the federal disaster recovery allowance payment had been activated, giving support to people in affected areas, with 16 local government areas where disaster assistance has been triggered.
He also said the rain event was “unusual” in that it has not moved much, adding that climate change could be a factor.
“We live in an era where, of course, not every weather event can be brought down to climate change, but we do need to recognise the fact that there are more extreme weather events, they are more intense, they’re more frequent and it is occurring … we’re talking about from Grafton and that area around the Clarence right down to the Central Coast, and that is a very large area to be impacted by an extreme weather event such as this,” he said.
Traditional owner launches legal action to force environment minister decision over protecting ancient art
Adam Morton
An Indigenous traditional owner has launched legal action in a bid to force the new environment minister, Murray Watt, to address whether ancient rock art should be protected before he makes a decision on a major gas development.
Raelene Cooper, a Mardathoonera woman from Murujuga country on Western Australia’s Burrup peninsula, has asked the federal court to compel Watt to make a determination on what is known as a “section 10” cultural heritage assessment that began three years ago.
Cooper requested the assessment of Murujuga’s cultural heritage, particularly one of the world’s largest and oldest rock carving collections. The area has an estimated 1m petroglyphs, some of which are believed to be nearly 50,000 years old.
The assessment was commissioned by the previous environment minister Tanya Plibersek. Cooper said an independent reporter assigned to do the assessment submitted findings to the government in June 2023.
She said Watt should have to respond to the report before deciding on whether to allow Woodside Energy to extend the life of its North West Shelf gas processing facility from 2030 to 2070. Watt has promised that decision – which has been delayed – will be made by 31 May.
Cooper said she was “furious” Watt could make a decision that could lock in “ongoing and irreversible damage to my country” without addressing the cultural heritage application:
I am sickened that the minister would make such a decision without even paying us the respect of coming here to meet with the custodians of this place, and without even seeing the incredible Murujuga rock art with his own eyes.
A government spokesperson said they were aware of the legal action.
Deaths and missing people in NSW floods
We’ve been updating the blog over the last few days with news from the New South Wales flood disaster.
The death toll has risen to four after a man’s body was found in a car in flood waters near Coffs Harbour this morning.
Police said a passing driver had reported seeing a vehicle that had run off the Orara Way at Nana Glen, about 30km from the mid-north coast city. Officers found the body of a man, believed to be in his 70s. Police said he appeared to be the vehicle’s only occupant.
The bodies of three other people have been found since the flooding: a man found in Rosewood, believed to be in his 30s, who was missing since Wednesday night, a 63-year-old man at a home in Moto, and a 60-year-old woman who was caught in flood water while travelling from Sydney to Coffs Harbour in a four-wheel drive on Wednesday night.
A 49-year-old man who failed to return home after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida was still missing.
Read Lisa Cox and Josh Taylor’s full story here:
Petra Stock
Weather researchers say climate change making ‘rare downpours’ the ‘new normal’
Climate change has contributed to wetter conditions off the New South Wales coast, amplifying the amount of rain, according to analysis by extreme weather researchers at ClimaMeter.
They found meteorological conditions were up to 15% wetter – equivalent to up to 3mm of extra rain per day – and up to +0.75C warmer compared with the past (1950-1986). The analysis, which investigated changes in weather patterns since 1950, said global heating intensified the extreme rainfall. ClimaMeter’s Davide Faranda said:
What once were rare downpours are now becoming the new normal – climate change is rewriting Australia’s weather patterns, one flood at a time.
It is urgent to devise adaptation strategy as these floods will happen again with more intense and devastating consequence unless we reduce immediately and effectively burning fossil fuels.
The Hunter and mid-north coast of New South Wales have been inundated with heavy rainfall since Tuesday, which has resulted in record flooding in places like Taree.
While rainfall projections are more complex than other events like heatwaves, climate change is increasing the amount of moisture the air can hold, which can lead to heavier rainfall.
McCormack says he’s ‘ambitious’ for David Littleproud. But what does that mean?
Asked if Nationals leader David Littleproud has his full support for the future, the former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack of the Nationals said he is “ambitious” for the party leader, as Guardian political correspondent Tom McIlroy brought us earlier in the blog.
“I’m ambitious for him,” McCormack said.
The line echoes a notorious moment in 2018 when Scott Morrison was asked at a press conference “do you rule out having any leadership ambitions”? His response was to hug prime minister at the time Malcolm Turnbull and say: “This is my leader, and I’m ambitious for him”.
Morrison made the comment on August 22, 2018, and succeeded Turnbull after a leadership spill just days later on the 24th.
Morrison reflected on the moment with the ABC last year:
I’ll hug, I’ll shake hands. I’m a bit like that. And Malcolm and I would joke around like that. And yeah I think that moment has been interpreted unkindly to the genuine friendship we have.
Thousands isolated as NSW faces worse flooding than many have seen in their lifetimes
Here is a video roundup of some of the damage sustained after massive storms and flooding hit the NSW coast over the past few days.
PM and state premier to visit flood-affected NSW areas
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the NSW premier, Chris Minns will visit flood-affected regions this morning to see the disaster firsthand and thank members of the NSW State Emergency Service.
Albanese spoke on Triple M Newcastle radio this morning:
These are horrific circumstances.
That is a tragedy for them, for their families and for the local communities.
Those people are once again showing that, at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character.
– Australian Associated Press
Michael McCormack says he is ‘ambitious’ for Littleproud, in echo of Scott Morrison
Tom McIlroy
Amid a torrid week for the National party and the Coalition, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has added pressure on leader David Littleproud.
After calling into ABC radio in Canberra this morning, McCormack confirmed he held talks with the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, on Thursday as moves were under way to bring the two parties back together.
Asked if Littleproud has his full support for the future, McCormack said on Friday he is “ambitious” for the party leader. The comment echoes Scott Morrison’s statement about Malcolm Turnbull, in the final days of Turnbull’s leadership of the Liberal party.
“I’m ambitious for him,” McCormack said.
It’s been messy, it’s been really messy and for people on the outside looking in, they just wonder what the hell is going on.
McCormack stressed he wanted the Liberals and Nationals to come back together.
Sussan and I are very close and we speak together very regularly. The Nationals walked away from the Liberals and Sussan was the newly anointed Liberal leader. It’s important that I did talk to her to try and get things patched up.
On Tuesday, the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, announced it was over – his party could no longer support the Liberals and the Coalition was finished. But by Thursday things were looking less certain, with negotiations between the parties back on in an effort to try to save the decades-long political partnership.
Listen to Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry on the future of an unsteady political marriage here:
Heavy rainfall of up to 90mm is possible in the Sydney area today.
Here is a look at flash flooding in Marrickville this morning:
The NSW SES reiterates the dangers of flood waters:
Do not drive, walk, play, do other things with the waters. They are dangerous. We’ve seen outcomes that result from the flood waters so please don’t take that risk. Even a small amount of water can cause your vehicle to move or for you to be carried away.
We will support the community with getting back into homes as soon as possible but assessing risk and assessing the damage is really vital. There are many risks that come with flood waters, if your home or premise has been inundated. Flood waters have contaminants. There can be vermin, snakes and other vermin as well. So you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well so, when you return, make sure you assess those risks.
