‘It is not safe to be in bushland areas’: campers told to leave many popular areas in Victoria
Chris Hardman, the chief fire officer of Fire Forest Management Victoria, said it is unsafe to be in bushland areas anywhere in Victoria over the coming days, saying public lands in many popular areas are now closed and it will be illegal to remain there. He said:
My advice is that it is not safe to be in bushland areas. Irrespective of the fire rating. We never know where a bushfire is going to start.
Campers in the Wimmera, Northern Country and North Central districts on public lands will be required to leave campgrounds by 7am Friday. That includes popular sites on the Goulburn River, the Murray River and in the Grampians National Park.
Private caravan parts and local government lands are under their own emergency management plans.
Hardman said of public land closures:
It is just too dangerous, it is not survivable if you are caught in a fire. … We’re formally closing all public land [in those districts]. It is illegal to be in public land in those areas.
A full list of areas affected by closures will be published on the Parks Victoria website later today.
Key events
Lake Macquarie issues red algae alert as blooms discolour waterways
The Lake Macquarie city council issued an algae alert to beachgoers today, warning some waterways near Blacksmiths Beach and surrounding areas had turned red due to a naturally occurring bloom of algae.
The red algae alert comes with warnings for swimmers to avoid areas where the blooms are visible, as some people may experience skin and eye irritation after contact.
The council said:
It is recommended to avoid swimming, surfing or other water activities until the areas of discolouration have subsided. The red algae is not harmful to marine life.
Adelaide festival board cancels appearance of pro-Palestine academic
The Adelaide festival just announced it has cancelled the appearance of pro-Palestine academic Randa Abdel-Fattah at Adelaide’s Writers’ Week amid a review across its planned operations and the role of the event to promote “community cohesion” after the Bondi terror attacks.
The board wrote in a lengthy statement that while it did not suggest “in any way” that Abdel-Fattah’s comments or writing had “any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, given her past statements we have formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi”.
The academic has faced criticism in the past from some Jewish bodies and media outlets for her comments on Israel.
The festival board said its decision was made “with the genuine view that they provide the best opportunity for the success and support of the Adelaide festival, for Adelaide Writers’ Week and the communities we seek to serve and engage”.
We understand these board decisions will likely be disappointing to many in our community. We also recognise our request to Dr Abdel-Fattah will be labelled and will cause discomfort and pressure to other participants. These decisions have not been taken lightly.
Anne Davies
Lidia Thorpe responds to Israeli accusations of antisemitism
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has joined NSW legislative council MP Anthony D’Adam in expressing her concern about a dossier prepared by the Israeli ministry for the diaspora which has been reported in Australia media.
The report accuses five Australian politicians, including Thorpe, of being influencers or generators of antisemitic content in Australia.
D’Adam has asked the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, to examine whether it infringes Australia’s foreign influence laws by attempting to intimidate elected MPs.
Thorpe said:
I fully reject claims of antisemitism. I stand with the Jewish community but I do call out the actions of the state of Israel which are in contravention of international law and I will certainly not apologise for that.
This dossier is just further evidence that Israel is prepared to go to any length to intimidate in an effort to suppress and undermine legitimate criticism of its genocidal actions in Palestine.
I am not surprised to be targeted and I will continue to call out the genocide in Palestine.
I support an investigation into whether the Israeli government has violated foreign influence laws with this doxing and would seek that it go further by investigating Israel’s longstanding targeted attempts to influence lawmakers.
Thorpe said it was “deeply revealing” that there are no white supremacists or neo-Nazis on this list and that those targeted in the dossier were staunch antiwar, anti-genocide advocates and organisations.
It is important that we stand up against genocide and crimes against humanity whenever and wherever they occur.
Stephanie Convery
More on the man shot dead by NSW police after a six-hour siege
A 49-year-old man has been shot and killed by police on the New South Wales Central Coast after a welfare check turned into a protracted standoff on Wednesday evening.
Officers attended a home in Springfield just after 3.30pm on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by a mental health clinician, and attempted to speak to a man after concerns were raised about his welfare.
However, the man armed himself with a screwdriver and other sharp objects, the assistant commissioner, David Waddell, said on Thursday.
Read more here:
Fire danger sign cut down during Victoria heatwave
Victoria police have said investigators are “dumbfounded” after an automated fire danger sign was cut down in the town of Koonoomoo yesterday.
Officials said they believe unknown offenders cut down the sign – valued at around $60,000 – sometime between 8am and 1pm on Wednesday and allegedly stole the solar battery from it before leaving the rest behind. The sign alerts the community to the current fire safety danger ratings.
The rating was set to high in Koonoomoo and the surrounding areas, with total fire bans in other areas. Leah Booth, a detective acting sergeant, said in a statement:
To damage a sign that alerts the community to the fire danger rating is completely reckless and dangerous.
These signs are in place to make sure people who are in the area are aware of the fire danger safety rating to abide by the restrictions and act if needed.
You are not only cutting down and damaging a sign, but you are also potentially putting the wider community at risk.
Donna Lu
Extreme temperatures send thousands to hospital each year, study finds
Extreme hot and cold temperatures are sending thousands of Australians to emergency departments annually, new research finds.
An analysis of more than 1.4m emergency department presentations in the Australian Capital Territory between 2000 and 2021 has found that one in 40 visits – almost 36,000 presentations – were heat-related.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, projects that heat-related visits will rise between 2040 and 2061 due to extreme heat linked to global heating.
The findings “highlight the urgent need for region-specific climate change adaptation strategies to mitigate the growing health impacts of temperature extremes”, the researchers write.
The Australian National University’s Dr Michael Tong, the study’s lead author, said:
Our research showed that young people under 20 are significantly more likely to end up in hospital emergency department on hot days, usually on the day itself. Likewise, adults aged 20 to 60 were at increased risk on both extreme and moderate heat days.
About 4% of ED presentations in the ACT were related to cold weather, the research found.
Residents told ‘too late to leave’ as fire in Victoria’s Longwood continues to burn
Communities near Longwood have been told it is too late to leave and to take shelter now as an out-of-control bushfire continues to burn.
The Country Fire Authority issued the additional warning at 12.20pm for residents at Avenel, Dropmore, Highlands, Ruffy, Tarcombe and Upton Hill.
There is a bushfire at Longwood that is not yet under control. The bushfire is travelling from Longwood in a south-westerly direction towards Highlands Road.
This fire is threatening homes and lives. It is too late to leave the area safely so you must take shelter now. You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive.
A relief centre is open at the Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre, Pollard Street Seymour. A number of roads in the area remain closed, including the Hume Freeway between Violet Town and Avenel.
Three additional emergency warnings to leave immediately remain active near Longwood and Walwa.
Tory Shepherd
Safari park reopens in South Australia after extreme heat
On the ramifications of the south-eastern heatwave – South Australia’s Monarto Safari Park (the “largest safari experience outside of Africa”) is open today after closing yesterday because of extreme weather. The park said:
It’s still warm, so the animals are enjoying warm-weather enrichment, including icy treats for the giraffes.
During hot conditions, keepers adjust daily routines and provide additional cooling options such as ice blocks, cooling mats, fans and misters, while closely monitoring animal behaviour.
Residents west of Walwa in north-east Victoria urged to leave immediately
Communities west of Walwa in north-east Victoria have been urged to leave immediately, with an emergency warning issued for an out-of-control bushfire.
The warning covers Bungil, Burrowye, Guys Forest, Koetong, Mount Alfred, Mount Alfred Gap and Thologolong.
Vic Emergency said the bushfire, 25km west of Walwa, was travelling from Mt Lawson national park.
It is spotting ahead of the fire into the private land around the Burrowye area. Properties within the warning area could be impacted.
An emergency warning to leave immediately also remains active for Longwood East, Upton Hill, Avenel, Locksley, Longwood, Ruffy, Tarcombe, Dropmore, Caveat, Highlands and Terip Terip.
Five fires are at a watch and act level around Walwa and Seymour.
Groups launch court challenge to NSW laws restricting protests after terror attacks
Penry Buckley
A constitutional challenge has been launched against controversial laws in New South Wales that restrict protest actions for up to three months after terrorist incidents, introduced following the December Bondi attack.
The groups the Blak Caucus, Palestine Action Group (PAG) and Jews Against the Occupation ‘48 filed the challenge in the NSW supreme court on Wednesday, arguing in the court summons that the laws are invalid because they “impermissibly burden the implied constitutional freedom of communication on government and political matters”.
The co-applicants announced their intention to challenge the laws, which prevent protests being authorised by police after a public assembly restriction declaration (Pard). The laws were rushed through parliament last month after the Bondi massacre.
In December, PAG organiser Josh Lees accused the government of stripping away the right to peaceful protest with “no evidence at all” that it would make anyone safer.
Read more here:
Multiple schools and education facilities closed across Victoria
450 public and private schools and early childhood centres will be closed tomorrow, many of which have ongoing school holiday programs. Those schools and centres are in the Wimmera, Northern Country and North Central districts.
‘It is not safe to be in bushland areas’: campers told to leave many popular areas in Victoria
Chris Hardman, the chief fire officer of Fire Forest Management Victoria, said it is unsafe to be in bushland areas anywhere in Victoria over the coming days, saying public lands in many popular areas are now closed and it will be illegal to remain there. He said:
My advice is that it is not safe to be in bushland areas. Irrespective of the fire rating. We never know where a bushfire is going to start.
Campers in the Wimmera, Northern Country and North Central districts on public lands will be required to leave campgrounds by 7am Friday. That includes popular sites on the Goulburn River, the Murray River and in the Grampians National Park.
Private caravan parts and local government lands are under their own emergency management plans.
Hardman said of public land closures:
It is just too dangerous, it is not survivable if you are caught in a fire. … We’re formally closing all public land [in those districts]. It is illegal to be in public land in those areas.
A full list of areas affected by closures will be published on the Parks Victoria website later today.
Cait Kelly
Victoria braces for extremely dangerous fire conditions
Victoria will experience its worst fire day since November 2019, when fires blazed through the state.
The deputy premier, Ben Carroll, has just been speaking to media – he has told people to get fire-prepared and leave immediately if they are in an evacuation zona.
Conditions in parts of the state are expected to get so bad there will be dry lightning and temperatures could hit upper 40s in the northern parts of the state.
