Disaster season’s now all year long, insurance council says

Hall claims insurers have changed their processes so that victims of disasters do not have to wait for extremely long times just for temporary accomodation, assessment or repair.

Insurers, Hall says, now recognise that disaster season goes all year:

Nowadays for the insurance sector, we have to have a workforce that is operating across the 12 months. It’s no longer just a case that we have a workforce over the summer holiday period when we usually have these events. We’re now seeing a disaster season really stretched throughout the year, and insurers have had to rebuild their workforces to be able to cope with that.

He says the biggest problem that Australia needs to address, though, is preventing homes from flooding in the first place:

People should not be living in areas where they have two or three metres of dirty, muddy water go through their property every four or five years. We’ve really got to address this problem in this country.

I think we’ve got to look at towns like Taree, Kempsey and the like and work out how do we finish off the flood defences for those communities so that these homes don’t flood in the first place?

Flood victims advised not to delay clean-ups

Hall says that as of this afternoon, about 1,600 claims have been reported to the council, but its expects that with tens of thousands of people evacuated and a lot of communities cut off from communication, that will go up.

People often return to their properties, realise there is damage and then start contacting their insurance companies to lodge a claim, Hall says.

As soon as we’re aware that you may have a claim, we can start getting assessors lined up to be able to get out to your property.

Hall advises people not to wait for the insurance assessors to clear out waterlogged furniture, as getting it out quickly will help to prevent mould, but to document everything with photos:

I think the other key message that we’ve got for people is that when you get back to your property, you do not need to wait for an assessor to start cleaning out. If you’ve got the all clear from the SES and authorities to go back into your property, and you’ve got waterlogged and damaged furniture and the like, if it’s waterlogged and damaged, get it out of the house. Because the sooner you can get it out, the sooner you can fight off things like mould.

All we ask for people to do is use your phone to take photos of everything that you’ll be making a claim on.

Insurance council declares ‘significant’ flood event

Andrew Hall, the chief executive of the Insurance Council of Australia, has been speaking to the ABC about the NSW floods.

The Insurance Council has declared a “significant event” in for the mid-north coast and Hunter regions – one level below “catastrophe” – which means, he says, that:

We’re collecting data from across the industry to track where the claims are coming from, where the problems are. It means that we’re activating insurance teams so that there are people already on the ground. And then as we get into next week, we’ll be looking to open up insurance hubs in some of those affected communities so that people can come in and speak to someone face-to-face.

The NSW SES is advising people in low-lying areas of Tacoma South on the Central Coast to move to higher ground due to hazardous major flooding in South Tacoma Road, Kingsland Close and Raymond Street.

They are also advising people in the following areas of Chittaway Point to move to higher ground due to major flooding:

• Low-lying areas along Geoffrey Rd, Royle St, Henery St and Hyles St

• Low-lying areas around the Ourimbah Creek, Chittaway Bay

Bradfield lead drops to four votes

Yes I am going to continue to give you a blow-by-blow account here: Gisele Kapterian’s lead on Nicolette Boele in Bradfield is now down to four votes.

Josh Taylor

Taree hospital advises near-term pregnant women to have back-up birth plan

Manning hospital in Taree remains open and operational amid the floods on the NSW mid-north coast but the staff have advised women who are nearly full term in their pregnancy to ensure they have alternative plans in place if needed.

The health service functional area coordinator for the Hunter New England local health district, Elizabeth Grist, said pregnant women and families should call the maternity unit at the hospital if they had concerns, or triple zero in an emergency:

We also have midwives on call in all isolated areas to assist NSW Ambulance if required.

We continue to use and leverage virtual health to deliver clinical appointments, welfare checks and follow-ups for those unable to attend the hospital.

We continue to contact patients and thank them for their understanding as we reschedule appointments and planned surgeries over the next couple of days.

And the lead has shifted in Bradfield: Liberal Gisele Kapterian is now six votes ahead of independent Nicolette Boele.

If you want to quickly catch up on all today’s news, the Afternoon Update is a great place to do that:

Petra Stock

High winds set to buffet south-east Australia on Sunday and Monday

On Sunday, a strong, windy and wintry cold front is expected to cross south-east Australia.

Miriam Bradbury, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said a strong cold front coming up across the Great Australian Bight would push towards South Australia on Sunday.

She said:

It will be a very windy night for the likes of Melbourne and Adelaide as this front approaches and moves through the day.

On Monday, the cold front will push across Victoria and Tasmania towards the New South Wales coast with very strong westerly and then southerly winds pulling up behind the cold front.

Large waves and abnormally high tides were expected for South Australia and parts of Victoria and Tasmania in the wake of the system.

Fallen trees and tree branches are likely, along with power outages and property damage, Bradbury said.

Public urged to avoid Vivid Sydney opening tonight amid downpours

Elias Visontay

Transport authorities have urged festivalgoers in Sydney to avoid the opening of Vivid on Friday night, as heavy rainfall across the city causes widespread chaos on roads and railways.

Flash flooding closed sections of the Airport and South line and the Central Coast line, and there were widespread delays and disruptions on other heavy rail lines across the city.

The intense rainfalls also saw Lewisham station shut so water could be pumped out of the station.

Services on the Airport and South line have since resumed but “residual delays” were expected to continue across the majority of Sydney’s train network for the rest of Friday.

Meanwhile, there were major road closures across Sydney, while almost all ferry services were affected by the weather, including flooding on the Parramatta River.

As a result of the chaos, Transport for New South Wales was on Friday afternoon warning Sydneysiders to reconsider their need to travel – including for the opening night of the Vivid light festival.

Transport for NSW coordinator general Howard Collins said:

If you can come early next week instead, please consider doing that.

You won’t get to see it all in one night – plan your Vivid Sydney experience over a few nights.

The margin in Bradfield is now zero (0). It is officially, at this moment, a tie between Liberal Gisele Kapterian and independent Nicolette Boelle.

Petra Stock

More than 1,600 flood insurance claims already lodged

Insurers have received more than 1,600 claims in relation to severe flooding affecting the mid-north coast and Hunter regions of NSW, with more expected to come through over the weekend, the Insurance Council of Australia said.

The council’s chief executive, Andrew Hall, said:

We acknowledge the tragic loss of life and the ongoing impact this event is having on the affected communities. We know that for some this is the second or third flood event in the last few years.

We strongly encourage anyone in the impacted areas to listen to emergency services, take shelter where it is safe to do so and to not put themselves or others at risk. Once safe, please contact your insurer as soon as practicable to let them know you have any loss or damage.

On Wednesday 21 May, the council declared a “significant event”, activating disaster response capabilities. Insurers already have people stationed in communities where it is safe to do so, and more claims staff will be activated once teams can access the flood-affected areas.

Fiji piña colada poisoning victim says she’s spent ‘four months trying to recover’

Fiji’s government is conducting a fresh probe into a piña colada poisoning incident after an Australian victim revealed their distressing experience, AAP reports.

Seven people, including four Australians, fell ill after consuming drinks at the five-star Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast in December.

Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka said a toxicology report showed there were “no illicit substances or methanol” involved.

One of the victims disputes this, saying she was violently shaking after “two sips” of an odd-tasting piña colada. She fell unconscious and spent three days in a coma in a Fiji hospital before a medevac flight and another six days in an Australian intensive care unit.

She told the ABC:

I’ve spent the last four months trying to recover, seeing lots of specialists, heart specialists, neurologists, blood specialists, trying to recover.

She said she was considering legal action against the hotel, which she said had not apologised despite the “traumatising” incident.

Following the interview, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka conceded the initial testing may have been wrong, telling the ABC:

My first reaction, and probably the most logical response from me as prime minister, is that I have not been told the whole truth.

I would like all government agencies to cooperate if it’s more than just a case of probable poisoning, accidental or intentional … it will affect Fiji as a tourist destination.

And if anybody is culpable in neglect or culpable in their deliberate attempt to harm people, they will be brought to justice.

The NSW State Emergency Service is now advising people in an area of south-west Sydney to prepare to evacuate due to minor flooding.

The affected areas are Rickard Rd, Riverside Rd and Arthur St in Chipping Norton.

Ley praises NSW flood responders amid ‘increasing frequency of these events’

Opposition leader Sussan Ley hasn’t formally updated us on today’s party room meeting, but she has sent around a statement about the NSW floods.

Ley was briefed on the crisis by the emergency management agency in Canberra today, she said, continuing:

Like all Australians, I am deeply saddened at the loss of life and widespread destruction from the flooding across New South Wales. The scale of the disaster is distressing, with lives and livelihoods already lost. Homes, small businesses and farms have been inundated.

The professionalism and dedication of our emergency services personnel, as well as thousands of volunteers, is embodied in their rescue of Australians from roofs and in the steady thrum of dinghies giving safe passage to the vulnerable.

I am also proud of the efforts of the Australian defence force, Australian public service and New South Wales public service. These committed public servants are working overtime to support our frontline responders, and ensuring timely support to those in need.

We are all proud of these great Australians and it is right that their service is recognised.

In a reminder of the cruelty of our country’s climate, these floods come as many Victorian communities are enduring a devastating drought.

The Australian people are tough. As always, we will respond and rebuild, but we must also prioritise enhanced resilience to help withstand the increasing frequency of these events.

Christopher Knaus

Court ruling on David McBride appeal nears

David McBride will learn next week whether he has successfully appealed against his five-year, eight-month prison sentence for taking and leaking classified material to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

McBride, a former army lawyer, leaked material that was used as the basis of an ABC investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan. He was subsequently prosecuted and jailed in the ACT supreme court for disclosing classified documents.

Earlier this year, McBride appealed against the severity of his sentence. He also appealed against his conviction, arguing his actions were in line with a duty he owed as a military member to advance Australia’s public interest.

A post from McBride’s account on X on Friday said judgment on the appeal would be handed down on Wednesday.

As we mentioned earlier, Creative Australia came under fire earlier this year after the board dropped Khaled Sabsabi, a western Sydney artist who fled Lebanon’s civil war as a child, from representing Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale – just five days after they had announced his selection.

Large sections of the Australian arts community and Creative Australia’s own staff expressed their anger and outrage at the decision, and it has continued to be a cloud over the arts council.

Morgan praised for ‘invaluable contribution’ to cultural sector

More on Creative Australia chair Robert Morgan stepping down.

Current deputy chair Wesley Enoch will step up and take the role of acting chair, arts minister Tony Burke said in a statement this afternoon.

Morgan had played “a pivotal role” in establishing Creative Australia and “modernising” the federal arts council and funding body, Burke said.

He continued:

Mr Morgan committed to leading the transition of the organisation and told me of his intention to retire once the legislation was in place and Creative Australia established. Music Australia, Creative Workplaces and the First Nations board are now in place and Writing Australia will commence from 1 July this year. Now is the time to hand over to a new chair.

As chair of the Australia Council since July 2021, Mr Morgan has made an invaluable contribution to the cultural sector in Australia and I thank him for his commitment, passion and professionalism.

Morgan said:

It has been a great honour to have served as the chair of Creative Australia during the period of its establishment and supporting its ambitions for Australia’s artists, creators and cultural visionaries.