Australia news live: Search resumes for missing WA surfer; ‘disturbing’ suicide findings prompt calls to raise jobseeker rate
Search continues for WA surfer believed to have been bitten by shark
Ima Caldwell
Search efforts have resumed this morning for a missing surfer in Western Australia, following reports of a shark sighting and a surfer in distress yesterday afternoon.
A surfboard with bite marks was found floating in the ocean shortly after.
The reported shark bite incident was being investigated at Wharton Beach in the Duke of Orleans Bay area, about 60km east of Esperance, the state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said yesterday.
Police confirmed that at 12.10pm on Monday there was a report of a “possible surfer in distress”.
It is believed the surfer was the victim of a serious shark bite incident.
A shark was sighted in the area a short time prior, and beachgoers left the water.
Authorities declared the beach closed just after 2pm on Monday, which will be reviewed after 24 hours, as police, Marine Rescue WA and SES personnel continue to search the coastline.
There have been three fatal shark attacks in the region since 2017.
Key events
‘I would be dead’: woman makes fateful call amid storm
When power was finally restored to her storm-hit home, Renata Brunton opted not to return straight away. The decision may have saved her life.
Soon afterwards a giant tree landed on her bedroom, destroying her family’s Gold Coast home in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“I am just glad I wasn’t there because I would be dead right now,” Brunton told AAP.
She had earlier been at the Tugun residence as wild weather hit the area, causing widespread blackouts and damage.
Her husband had taken her two sons, aged seven and 10, to another location, which still had power.
She later joined them, then got a call from a neighbour telling her electricity had been restored.
“I actually thought about going back home but the weather wasn’t too good,” Brunton said.
About 20 minutes later she got another call from the neighbour, with devastating news.
“I was told about the tree and I got upset straight away but thought we might be able to fix the roof,” Brunton said.
But the next day we went to the house and the tree had hit the bedroom and the whole roof came down.
The whole thing was gone. Rain was already leaking all through the house – the whole structure was affected.
Brunton was thankful she was not around when the tree struck but did not have time to count her blessings. She is more concerned about finding somewhere for her family to live.
“We lost our home. We don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have family here, I am from Brazil,” Brunton said.
We had lived there for 11 years. I never thought I would have to go through something like this. It’s devastating.
The family are sweating on body corporate insurance but in the meantime are relying on the kindness of others.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by a friend, raising more than $9,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
– Australian Associated Press
‘Best’ cyclone briefing ‘for a little while’ – Crisafulli
Queensland’s premier, David Crisafulli, gave what he acknowledged as the “best briefing” of cyclone news “we’ve had as a state for a little while” earlier today.
After days of looming threats from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, “the rainfall is easing, rivers are receding and the threat of heavy rainfall is disappearing”, he said. More than 100,000 homes and businesses remain without power, which Crisafulli admits is “significant”.
“I am determined to flick the switch from response to recovery,” he says.
Watch the video here:
NSW police lay 14 charges in relation to alleged antisemitic attacks
We brought you news yesterday of Strike Force Pearl conducting 11 search warrants and arresting 14 people as part of its investigations into alleged antisemitic attacks across Sydney.
NSW police have now laid 14 charges with 65 offences, outlining their details in a media release today. Those include:
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Police will allege a 31-year-old man was involved in the preparation and staging of motor vehicles, and provisioning them with equipment necessary for the commission of the offences. He is charged with knowingly directing activities of a criminal group, five counts of accessory before the fact to malicious damage in company, damage property in company use fire, two counts of destroy property in company use fire, and break and enter in company destroy property
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Police will allege an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were involved in providing vehicles used during the arson attack on a childcare centre in Maroubra on 21 January 2025, where police estimate the $3.4m worth of damage was sustained. They are both charged with participating in a criminal group, “contribute criminal activity”
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Police have charged a 37-year-old man with additional offences of accessory before the fact to damaging property by means of fire or explore, over his involvement in the arson attack on a childcare centre at Maroubra, police say
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Police will allege a 33-year-old man spray-painted graffiti on motor vehicles and properties at King Lane, Randwick, and See Lane, Kingsford, on Sunday 2 February 2025. His charges include two counts of intentionally damaging property in company, larceny and driving while disqualified
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Police will allege a 25-year-old and 23-year-old man man spray-painted graffiti on motor vehicles and properties at Henry Street, Queens Park, on Saturday 11 January 2025. They are both charged with participating in a criminal group, damaging property, intend criminal activity of group and being carried in conveyance. The younger man’s charges also include driving conveyance taken without consent of the owner
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Police will allege a 40-year-old man spray-painted graffiti at a school in Maroubra, a shopping centre at Eastgardens and a home at Eastlakes. His charges include driving a motor vehicle during disqualification period, taking and driving conveyance without consent of owner, and participating in a criminal group “contribute criminal”
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Police will allege a 34-year-old man directed the commission of the arson attacks at Bondi Beach, and charged him with knowingly directing activities of a criminal group, accessory before the fact to destroy property in company use fire and accessory before the fact to damage property by fire/explosion
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Police will allege a 41-year-old man broke into a business on Curlewis Street on Sunday 20 October 2024 before setting the premises alight. He was charged with an additional offence of destroy/ damage property intend criminal activity of group
‘Feast or famine’: farmers count the cost of heavy rain
Heavy rain has dealt vegetable farmers another “kick in the guts” after successive floods and storms, but growers are determined to sow their winter crops.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain across the Lockyer Valley in south-east Queensland from Sunday, inundating the towns of Laidley and Grantham.
Farmers near Laidley Creek, which peaked above a minor flood level of 5 metres, were in “for a hell of a ride”, the Lockyer Valley Growers Association president, Michael Sippel, said.
The rain gouged paddocks that were ready for planting, leaving farmers to spend coming weeks levelling out their top soil and sowing on other parts of their properties.
“It’s sad, but we’re pretty well-versed in this now,” Sippel said.
Since 2011, we’re just getting disaster after disaster. The climate is definitely changing … It’s feast or famine and it never used to be like that.
The Lockyer Valley is a fertile growing region for vegetables, such as lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins and potatoes. The rain may delay planting of winter crops for some weeks, but vegetable prices shouldn’t be affected, Sippel said. Growers were instead increasingly concerned about the surging costs of farming and losses from wild weather.
“It’s a real kick in the guts they don’t need,” Sippel said.
The cost to farm now is exorbitant, you can’t have a loss. And if you do have a loss, it doesn’t cost you $10,000 anymore – it’s $100,000 or it’s a million.
Sippel called for government disaster assistance to kick in quickly to help with planting and extra labour costs.
– Australian Associated Press
Search continues for WA surfer believed to have been bitten by shark
Ima Caldwell
Search efforts have resumed this morning for a missing surfer in Western Australia, following reports of a shark sighting and a surfer in distress yesterday afternoon.
A surfboard with bite marks was found floating in the ocean shortly after.
The reported shark bite incident was being investigated at Wharton Beach in the Duke of Orleans Bay area, about 60km east of Esperance, the state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said yesterday.
Police confirmed that at 12.10pm on Monday there was a report of a “possible surfer in distress”.
It is believed the surfer was the victim of a serious shark bite incident.
A shark was sighted in the area a short time prior, and beachgoers left the water.
Authorities declared the beach closed just after 2pm on Monday, which will be reviewed after 24 hours, as police, Marine Rescue WA and SES personnel continue to search the coastline.
There have been three fatal shark attacks in the region since 2017.
Government urged to raise jobseeker after ‘disturbing’ findings
Dan Jervis-Bardy
The federal government is facing renewed pressure to substantially increase the jobseeker allowance rate as “disturbing” new research reveals recipients are at a higher risk of suicide and poor health.
The government has published the latest report from the committee that provides advice on the adequacy of welfare payments ahead of the federal budget on 25 March.
For the third report in a row, the economic inclusion advisory committee has called for a significant increase to the jobseeker rate as its main recommendation.
The base rate of jobseeker is $778 per fortnight but will rise on 20 March after the latest round of indexation.
The committee’s case for an increase was supported by two new independent studies: one examining the economic benefits of lifting the rate and another measuring the payment against basic “budget standards” – the amount of money a family needs for an acceptable standard of living.
The economic analysis from consultants Mandala found increasing jobseeker to 90% of the aged pension would decrease spending on government services by almost $72m.
The second report, led by the University of New South Wales, uncovered “disturbing facts” about the “severe” hardship experienced by people on income support.
It found that recipients were far more likely to die by suicide than other Australians, with 6,000 deaths recorded between 2011 and 2021.
People on the payment were 14 times more likely to go without a substantial meal at least once a day, according to the report, which also found that less than half were in “good health”.
The committee report said:
The findings taken together provide compelling evidence that raising the jobseeker payment would improve the lives of Australians in poverty and produce significant health and productivity benefits, with positive flow-on effects for our national finances and economy. Adequate jobseeker payments are therefore vital to Australia’s future wellbeing.
The committee acknowledged the government had adopted other recommendations from past reports, including raising commonwealth rent assistance and abolishing the activity test for child care.
In a statement responding to the report, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, were non-committal about accepting the recommendations.
We thank the committee for its report and we take its work seriously.
We will always do what we can for people where it is responsible and affordable, and weighed up against other priorities and fiscal challenges.
Many beaches still dangerous – Sharpe
Penny Sharpe has urged people to be sensible around the beaches, as many of them are still dangerous because of coastal erosion and other hazards.
Sharpe said:
Mayors and councils are doing a great job on this, giving us as much information as possible. Really it is about how do we make it safe so there is some safe access.
We are asking everyone to be sensible. It might be tempting to take your boogie board and go down the sand dunes [but] it’s quite unsafe.
We had an old whale carcass emerge out of the sea in Ballina, a new shipwreck no one knew was there, and a lot of dangerous items that are emerging.
Blood and plasma donations needed in cyclone-hit areas
The Australian Red Cross is calling for blood and plasma donations in the wake of Alfred, after donation centres were shut down over the past week in cyclone-affected areas, resulting in a shortage of national supply.
Centres are starting to open up again in affected areas and the Red Cross is urging anyone who is able to safely access a donation centre and able to offer a donation, to do so.
Power supply restored to all critical infrastructure – Essential Energy
A representative from Essential Energy (I missed his name, my apologies) says they have restored power supply to all critical infrastructure, including water treatment plants, sewerage plants and the main mobile telecommunications hubs.
He says to customers who have private electric assets that have been damaged by the storms, the company will be repairing those at its own cost and waiving some other charges, so customers don’t need to engage private contractors at this time.
Here’s the full quote:
We are doing whatever we can as an organisation to support the communities we serve, for example, meter reading in these affected areas. If customers have private assets that have been damaged in the storms, we will be repairing those at our own costs so customers don’t need to try and engage a private electrician in what’s a pretty difficult time.
We’ll also be waiving the daily standing charge for electricity for the period which customers are offered supply.
We’ll be covering the cost of disconnection reconnection for any customers that need to disconnect their premises for safety and if you need any further details about any of those support payments that Essential Energy is able to provide, please encourage you to head to our website.
All NSW emergency warnings lowered to ‘watch and act’
The NSW SES acting superintendent, Stuart Fisher, has taken the mic at this sunny press conference (blessed sun!).
All emergency warnings in the state have been reduced to “watch and act” to advice level, Fisher said.
He continued:
For those returning with caution, we ask you [to] be vigilant. We may have fallen branches from trees, live power that needs to be looked at. We are working through that and hopefully over the next day or two we will reduce some of those warnings even more.
SES volunteers have attended to more than 5,700 jobs since the weather event began, Fisher said.
NSW energy minister pleads with people not to ‘fix your power yourself’ in cyclone-hit areas
The NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, has been speaking to the media about power reconnection in the state’s flooded areas in the wake of Alfred.
There are about 7,200 homes and businesses still without power, Sharpe said, but Essential Energy has approximately 100 workers out trying to reconnect everything.
Sharpe said:
The message I had from those workers today very much is please do not try to rig up your own power source now that it is off. It is very dangerous for yourself. It is also dangerous for the workers coming through to reconnect the lines.
We ask for people to be patient. They are working to those jobs as quickly as they can. But, really, please do not try to fix your power yourself. Be really careful. It is extremely dangerous and if you need to report a line down, call Essential Energy – they will send someone out to fix it as quickly as possible.
