Searches are under way for a woman and man missing in seperate flood-related incidents on the mid-north coast.

A woman was travelling between Armidale and Coffs harbour last night when her 4WD reportedly became trapped in flood waters at 7:45pm on Morora Rd, Brooklana, NSW Police said in a statement.

Police and SES officers searched the area but were unable to find the woman or her vehicle. Their search resumed this morning, when the woman’s vehicle was found at Brooklana. Officers are working to access the vehicle and inquiries continue.

In a seperate incident, police received a report about 9:20pm last night that a man failed to return home after walking near a flooded roadway at Nymboida. Police, SES, RFS and FRNSW officers searched the area but could not find the man. Their search resumed this morning.

Police urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Dead livestock found as major flooding across NSW continues

Locals are reporting dead cows washing up on beaches amid destructive rains and flooding in the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions.

One Facebook user posted a photo of a tagged cow washed up on One Mile Beach, Forster. Another replied with a photo of a different tagged cow washed up on Back Beach.

Josh Butler

Sussan Ley confirms Liberals will discuss Nationals policy demands after Littleproud yields on shadow cabinet solidarity

Liberal leader Sussan Ley has confirmed further negotiations will occur over the coalition agreement and that the Liberals will further discuss the Nationals’ policy demands.

She has also confirmed she will pause her announcement of a shadow ministry, which was expected today, to allow more time for discussions with David Littleproud and her Liberal colleagues.

“It has always been the Liberal party’s objective to form a Coalition and we welcome the Nationals’ decision to re-enter negotiations,” Ley said.

This morning, David Littleproud has made a public statement that the Nationals are willing to accept shadow cabinet solidarity as part of a Coalition Agreement.

This is the first time this commitment has been made and I welcome it as a foundation to resolve other matters. Earlier today I wrote to, and met with, David inviting him to re-enter good-faith negotiations. I am pleased he has accepted.

In relation to the policy positions proposed by the National party room, consistent with my consultation commitment, the Liberal party will consider these, utilising our party room processes.

Littleproud says it is ‘the intent of everybody’ that Coalition and Nationals reunite before parliament sits

There have been a few questions in this Nationals press conference about the timeline – of policy reviews, of party room meetings, of decisions. The Liberals will need to appoint a shadow cabinet before parliament sits at the end of July, Littleproud says, so “there’s some clear timelines without having to define them”.

He says it’s a “reasonable assumption” that the resolution of the split, whatever that is, would have to happen before then. He continues:

And I think that that would be the intent of everybody. Because it would be great to walk in as a shadow cabinet together, and that’s the process that will now happen.

But I don’t want to put specific days or weeks on it, and I don’t think that that is constructive. I think that this is a positive development. One that does show good faith and that’s why I wanted to reciprocate today by this.

McKenzie says leaking of pre-split letter from Nationals to Liberals is breach of trust

Josh Butler

Senior Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has accused the Liberals of breaching trust inside the Coalition, in a spectacular swipe after a letter to Michaelia Cash was leaked to media.

First published by news.com.au, the letter from McKenzie to Cash, sent before the split, warned the Nationals would have to consider whether it continued to sit with the Liberals in the Senate after Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s defection to the Liberals.

Asked about the letter in the press conference with David Littleproud, McKenzie said the correspondence was seeking “a resolution” with the Liberals about the Nationals’ party status. McKenzie was critical that there was “a lot of leaking going on, it would seem, of texts, of letters, of conversations” in the Nationals split.

She said:

I don’t think it’s in anyone’s interests for those matters to leak, because it actually breaches and breaks trust.

Tom McIlroy

Nationals and Liberals agree to delay naming shadow ministry as negotiations to reunite reportedly under way

Sussan Ley and David Littleproud have agreed to delay naming frontbench positions for the Liberal and National parties, in a sign the fractured Coalition could reform before Parliament returns in July.

After two leaders held direct talks on Thursday morning, Littleproud said he had sent home Nationals MPs from Canberra and wanted a resolution to the historic breakdown announced on Tuesday.

Littleproud said the Nationals would maintain their four key policy demands but were prepared to give the Liberals time to consider policy changes stemming from the 3 May election loss.

The Nationals are demanding the opposition maintain policies for the introduction of nuclear power, forced break-up powers for the big supermarkets, a $20bn regional infrastructure fund and telecommunication service guarantees in the bush.

Asked if he could trust Ley, Littleproud said yes and that he was prepared to delay naming his senior appointments:

We will allow this process to take place. I think this is a far more important development.

In a major sign reconciliation could be possible, Littleproud confirmed the Nationals would be prepared to accept a lifting of the Howard-era moratorium on nuclear policy in Australia, rather than for a government-owned and operated network of nuclear power stations.

Ima Caldwell

Finnish ambassador readies car to compete in Australia’s cancer-fighting ‘Shitbox Rally’

A quick update on the outback diplomacy saga we reported on in April: the countdown is on for Finland’s ambassador to Australia, Arto Haapea, who will navigate the Shitbox Rally from Perth to Darwin this June.

His vehicle – a 2005 blue Toyota Camry dubbed the “Happiest Car in the World” – has been decked out with all the trimmings, covered in stickers and is of course proudly waving a Finnish flag from its roof racks.

“Honorary Australian” Valtteri Bottas, a Finnish F1 driver who won the 2019 Grand Prix in Melbourne, took to Instagram yesterday to wish the ambassador good luck.

He offered his expert driving advice, which was to “send it.”

Haapea was inspired by the US ambassador, Caroline Kennedy, who took part in the rally from Adelaide to Perth, crossing the Nullarbor in a beat-up Ford Falcon.

The Shitbox Rally has gained a cult following in the 15 years since its 2010 inception, raising $50m for the Cancer Council – a cause close to Haapea’s heart as a cancer survivor.

The Finnish team has set a $30,000 fundraising goal and has received a strong response from Australia’s Finnish diaspora so far.

Nationals consider Coalition split backdown

Tom McIlroy

The Liberals and Nationals have agreed to delay announcing their frontbench lineups after Sussan Ley and David Littleproud held crisis talks to reunite the coalition just two days after the dramatic split.

Ley instigated a meeting with Littleproud on Thursday morning in an attempt to broker a peace deal between the two parties.

Guardian Australia understands the Nationals are prepared to commit to shadow cabinet solidarity and give the Liberals more time to consider their four policy demands.

Asked if there was a chance the Coalition could reunite, Littleproud said: “Of course there is”.

Petra Stock

Nature groups say Victorian budget for environmental survival ‘pitifully small’

Environment groups say nature and biodiversity has been short-changed by the Victorian budget.

Environment Victoria welcomed new money for efficient electric hot water and home insulation, but raised concerns about the lack of support for nature or threatened species.

The nature campaigner, Greg Foyster, said “If the government wants to invest in the great outdoors for the longer term, we need to see a massive increase in funding for parks and reserves, biodiversity programs and saving threatened species”.

The Parliamentary Inquiry into Ecosystem Decline recommended increasing funding for parks and reserves to 1% of gross state product. One percent doesn’t seem too much to ask to ensure the survival of all the animals, plants, wetlands, forests and special places in Victoria, but the current funding is pitifully small.

Energy and environment department funding was down overall in 2025-26 compared to the previous year. The budget also included a 19% cut to environment and biodiversity, and a reduction in funding for the management of public land and forests of 26%.

The Victorian National Parks Association said the budget also locked in previous cuts to Parks Victoria and fisheries officers, with few new initiatives for nature.

“Last year we saw Parks Victoria hit with severe staff cuts, arbitrary reviews and the sacking of an experienced CEO. That’s no way to treat the agency responsible for looking after the places millions of Victorians love and rely on,” said the VNPA’s Matt Ruchel.

Friends of the Earth Melbourne said it welcomed the continued focus on the energy transition, though it also called for greater acceleration away from coal and gas:

The government continues to encourage recreation in nature, but has not committed to funding for parks management to manage increases in recreational users. The parks system is already underfunded, and there have been staff losses across DEECA and Parks Victoria.

Caitlin Cassidy

Taree community bands together in face of devastating floods

Community members in Taree have banded together as flooding continues to inundate the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast.

Shirley Thatcher has been running a Facebook group updating residents on evacuation centres and emergency warnings. Her and her partner are in a safe area without current flooding and are “just staying at home while this crazy weather is going on”:

We’re lucky that we did a grocery shop last weekend, so have plenty of food … I’m just trying to keep everyone informed on what is happening in the area.”

Meanwhile, a car detailing service has been offering free emergency water extraction services to as many residents without insurance as they can reach until it’s no longer safe to continue, while other businesses have been offering free food and hot showers.

At St Joseph’s primary school in Taree, locals have been taking care of five horses that were rescued by boat after becoming stranded.

Miranda Saunders, the station manager for 2TLP 103.3 Ngarralinyi, broadcast to the Old Bar community for 15 hours on Tuesday from her kitchen to bring comfort to people who had lost power but still had battery-powered radios and similar devices. She told ABC News “if it wasn’t for community spirit there, thousands of people would still waiting to be rescued”.

Focus is on immediate flood assistance, Kristy McBain says

McBain is talking to how the government can can address damaging weather events. The federal emergency management minister is speaking live:

We came to government in 2022 saying that we have to work more on disaster mitigation and resilience, which is why we put in place the Disaster Ready Fund. And it’s really important that we are working with local communities on infrastructure and asset protection.

We’ve heard directly from local councils and insurance companies that there has to be money put in to mitigation, resilience and response efforts and that Disaster Ready Fund is absolutely doing that job now.

We know that we’ve got the review, which is the way in which the three levels of government need to react to these incidents together, and we’ll respond to that over the course of this term.

But I think it’s really important right now, when we’re in a disaster, to focus on what’s at hand, and right now what’s at hand is the safety of people across the mid-coast as well as the Hunter, and making sure that we are assisting people where they are right now.

Emergency management minister links floods to climate crisis

Climate change is bringing “more devastating events like this” to Australia, federal emergency management minister Kristy McBain says.

She is speaking live:

I don’t think that there is a question out there that climate change is having a significant impact on weather events right across the world. In Australia here, we’re not immune to that. We’re seeing more devastating events like this happen more frequently.

Rain will ease on Friday, emergency management agency spokesperson says

Heavy rainfall on the NSW mid-north coast will persist until Friday, a National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson says.

He is speaking live:

Heavy rainfall on the New South Wales mid-north coast today. It is remaining persistent and severe weather warnings are current. The activity will ease on Friday, which is promising. But I just want to reinforce that it remains persistent at the moment. There is areas that have had localised very heavy rain, and that will spread south along the Central Coast and southern New South Wales coast and further inland today.

There’s a cold front also that will spread across New South Wales early next week bringing some damaging winds.

Flood-hit residents to get up to 13 weeks of disaster allowance, federal minister says

People affected by flooding in Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Dungog and the mid-coast council areas will have access to up to 13 weeks of disaster allowance.

The federal emergency management minister, Kristy McBain, is speaking live:

What we’ve seen over the last couple of days is some intense activity focused mainly on the mid-north coast and across the Hunter.

Today I’ve enacted the disaster recovery allowance to look initially at four local government areas. Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Dungog and the Mid Coast Council area. That is to assist people who have been impacted with up to 13 weeks allowance of lieu of them being able to undertake their usual course of employment.

And back to the floods.

Drone footage shows flood waters around Smithtown, NSW along the Macleay River:

Natasha May

Mark Butler says Medicare urgent care clinics have reached milestone of 1.5m visits

Medicare urgent care clinics have now treated more than 1.5 million Australians, saving the health system an estimated $254m in avoided hospital visits, according to the government.

The clinics are designed to provide faster care to patients, who would otherwise would be waiting as a lower-priority presentation at emergency departments for problems such as fractures or eye injuries.

They also provide their fully bulk-billed care for issues that need to be seen to quickly but a GP isn’t available, often after hours or on weekends.

The health minister, Mark Butler, said on the occasion of the “new milestone” reaching with over 1.5 million visits:

In two short years, Medicare urgent care clinics have become a vital part of Australia’s health system and clocked up 1.5 million free visits.

They’re starting to take the pressure off hospitals and patients, delivering fully bulk billed care quickly and with no appointment needed.

By July next year, another 50 urgent care clinics will open their doors to patients, and four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a Medicare urgent care clinic.

You can read more about how the model functions here: