Narelle bears down on WA coastal towns
A series of isolated coastal towns are in the firing line as a powerful tropical cyclone barrels towards Australia’s west coast, Australian Associated Press reports.
Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which was upgraded yesterday to a severe category 4 system off Western Australian packing winds up to 250km/h, is on track to cross the coast late on Friday between Carnarvon and Kalbarri as a degraded category 3 system.
It was tracking parallel to the coast around Exmouth overnight, the Bureau of Meteorology said, and would affect Coral Bay and Denham before crossing the coast in the Shark Bay area.
Kalbarri State Emergency Service deputy Steve Duncan said the town was as prepared as it could be for Narelle’s arrival in the early hours of Saturday.
“The majority of the town was here for (Cyclone Seroja in 2021),” he said.
“That’s one benefit of past events, people are more aware.”
Seroja flattened the coastal town of about 1,500 people after it crossed the coast as a category three system.
“People are still quite jumpy,” Duncan said.
“It was quite a traumatic event for the town, so people are very wary on any potential cyclone Impact in the area, which is quite understandable.”
Read our report here:
First snow-paws ever in Melbourne
Also snow-related – sort of – Melbourne Zoo’s two-month-old snow leopard cubs have ventured out into their habitat for the first time.
The four cubs, Maya, Kira, Lumi and Sabu, were born in January to 9-year-old mother Miska and 10-year-old father Kang Ju. They’re the only snow-leopard cubs in Australia.
Snow leopards’ native home is in the mountainous regions of Asia, including parts of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. They are classified as vulnerable, or at high risk of extinction, due to poachers, habitat loss and climate crisis.
First snowfall for the year at Thredbo
Snow has fallen for the first time this year at Thredbo, blanketing the NSW ski resort in white a week ahead of the Easter holidays.
Ski season won’t open for a few months yet, though – it’s scheduled to start in June – but there is a Kids Easter Adventure Festival running in the Snowy Mountains from 3 to 19 April. It remains to be seen if snow will still be on the ground by the time that starts.
One in seven service stations in NSW out of at least one fuel type
Penry Buckley
One in seven service stations in NSW are out of a least one fuel type amid shortages following the conflict in the Middle East, according to data shared by the state government.
In an update provided this morning, the energy department said that 347 of the 2,414 service stations registered in the FuelCheck compliance platform – or just over one in seven – are temporarily out of stock of one fuel type. Fifty-nine stations are out of any type of fuel, and 207 stations are out of diesel, premium diesel, or both.
This is an increase on the numbers provided yesterday, when 314 stations were without at least one fuel, 178 stations were out of stock of at least one type of diesel, and 48 stations were out of all fuel types.
On Monday, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, did not say the overall number of service stations affected by a shortage of some kind, but said 105 fuel stations were without diesel, while 35 did not have any fuel at all.
The NSW government has used an emergency power to issue information notices to the major fuel companies to “determine if the supply of liquid fuel to NSW is, or is likely to be, significantly disrupted”. The penalty for non-compliance is a $220,000 fine.
Amanda Meade
Kyle Sandilands’ press conference outside the federal court was hijacked by anti-vaccination activists who drowned out his conversations with reporters and jostled with camera operators.
Sandilands attempted to control the volatile situation by telling the half a dozen protesters he would speak to them after he’d answered questions from the press pack:
I’m going to come to you.
After speaking about his case against ARN Media to be paid out the remainder of his $100m contract, for several minutes he turned to the protesters and said he sympathised with their views:
I’m with you guys we shouldn’t be forced to do anything we don’t want to do.
In 2021, Sandilands released a “Get Vaxxed Baby” jingle aimed at encouraging younger people to get vaccinated.
Luca Ittimani
Fact-checking the Coalition’s claims fuel excise cuts could save families $50 a week
As the Coalition joins calls for cuts to the fuel excise, it’s worth noting that the savings of such a move can be overestimated (and the budget costs underestimated).
Matt Canavan earlier this morning said the average large family would save $50 a week if the fuel excise was cut from $0.52 a litre to $0.26. They would have to be a very large family – weekly savings only add up to $50 for a household buying 192 litres of fuel a week.
The average household uses about 35 litres of fuel a week, so their weekly savings would be closer to $9 week. Take for example Canavan’s other comment:
I just saw Angus (Taylor) fill up here and that came to about $130. It was really less than 60 seconds. Australian families cannot continue to see $130 gone in 60 seconds.
A $0.26 cut would have lowered Taylor’s $130 bill by about $10, depending on the price at the service station.
That’s not quite $50 – but even a $10 discount could worsen fuel shortages and, perversely, add to inflation by allowing well-off households to spend their $10 elsewhere, economists warned earlier this week. You can read why say an excise cut is a ‘political Band-Aid’ here:
Summary of PM’s press conference
The press conference has ended. To summarise, there were no material announcements; the prime minister and energy minister provided an update on fuel supplies and responded to some questions regarding the government’s position on the war in the Middle East and the US president’s comments overnight.
Bowen says fuel supplies will be the same if not higher than normal for next few weeks
Chris Bowen says Australia’s supply of petrol and diesel and oil “will be the same if not higher than it normally would be” for the next few weeks thanks to extra orders being put in with suppliers.
He claims that the decisions the government has made around fuel in the past weeks would normally take many months:
Things that would normally take 18 months, I’ve done it three or four days. It does show a level of urgency – an appropriate level of urgency – on price. Our key focus is supply so that Australians can get access.
We know the pressure on families (regarding) petrol prices, but obviously more supply is better for a whole range of reasons, but the main focus is making sure Australians get access to that supply at the moment.
PM says there have been no requests from the US that Australia have not agreed to
Anthony Albanese has said there has been “no request being made to Australia (by the United States) that has not been agreed to”.
The prime minister responded to the comments by US president Donald Trump overnight, sticking mostly to the same lines government ministers have been repeating all morning:
President Trump is someone who I enjoyed a very constructive relationship with. I said very early on (that) I was not going to comment on all of his commentary on a day-to-day basis. But I again reiterate there is no request being made to Australia that has not been agreed to.
President Trump, it is up to him to explain his comments, but of course, I make the point as well that Australia was not consulted before this action was undertaken and I respect that, that is a matter for the United States.
What Australia is responsible for, what I as the prime minister of Australia is responsible for, is Australia’s response and we have been constructive and provided the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft that is playing a critical role in support of the Gulf states who have been attacked by Iran.
Albanese confirms national cabinet will convene to address fuel crisis
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the energy minister, Chris Bowen, are speaking in Canberra, seeking to reassure the public on fuel supply and make the case that they are coordinating “a national response” to “a global crisis”.
Albanese said:
This war is real but this war is having an impact on Australians, like it’s having impact around the world. You can’t wish that away. What you can do is respond in an appropriate, orderly, adult way, working with industry, working with different levels of government to make a difference to make sure that we ensure supply there of fuels but also make sure you deal with the pressures.
National cabinet will also convene on Monday, Albanese said. He continued:
One of the lessons of the Covid pandemic is that we made a number of decisions as a nation that could have been made better if there was proper consideration.
Amanda Meade
Kyle Sandilands has told reporters outside the federal court that he just wants to get back to work.
He said:
I just want to get back to work. I’ve got a family, I’ve got mortgages to pay, like everyone else.
We are happy that what we’re putting forward is going to be well received.
Sandilands said reports that he has spoken to his former co-host Jackie “O” Henderson were incorrect.
Patrick Commins
Electric vehicle loans doubled in March at NAB
NAB says lending to buy electric vehicles has doubled since the start of March as Australians scramble for ways to lower their fuel bills now and in the future.
The bank also reported a nearly 90% increase in inquiries from businesses looking to finance an electric vehicle.
Shane Ditcham, NAB’s business banking executive, said:
We’re seeing more SMEs and larger operators explore EVs and electrification as a way to manage running costs and future proof their operations, particularly in a period of ongoing fuel price volatility.
For many businesses, this is about cost certainty and resilience. For businesses where vehicles come back to the same place each night especially, EVs can make sense because energy costs are more predictable. That can be a real advantage when margins are under pressure.
Car dealers are reporting a spike in interest in electric vehicles, which before the Iran war accounted for a record 13% of new car sales.
Tom McIlroy
Europe excited about new trade deal with Canberra
Australia’s friends in Europe are welcoming the new free trade agreement signed this week by Anthony Albanese and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.
Klas Molin, Sweden’s ambassador to Australia, says the deal with expand opportunities for more than 150 Swedish companies working in Australia, who collectively employ about 77,000 people here at home.
Molin said:
Swedish companies do more than operate here: they invest locally, employ locally, manufacture locally and grow together with Australian people and industries. Under the new free‑trade agreement, we look forward to bringing our countries even closer to boost innovation, jobs, and sustainability.
Sweden’s footprint in Australia has existed for a long time already. Companies including Alfa Laval and Ericsson have operated in Australia for more than 100 years, supporting technological advancement and industrial development.
Ikea opened its first Australian store in 1975 but Swedish furniture exports to Australia began as early as 1842.
From tomorrow, magistrates in New South Wales will known as “judges”, as state government amendments to the Local Court Act come into effect.
The Minns government made the change last year, saying the title of “magistrate” was a historical one that stemmed from a time when judicial officers were public service appointees sitting in the court of petty sessions, but they have been required to hold legal qualifications for more than 70 years now.
The Northern Territory’s Local Court and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia has already changed these titles.
A statement this morning from the Attorney General Michael Daley’s office said the title change does not affect existing powers, functions or protections of Local Court judicial officers.
Daley said:
The role of magistrates has changed significantly in recent decades, but their title hasn’t kept pace with the volume and complex of matters they hear. They perform a judicial role, and their title should reflect that.
Judicial officers in the Local Court do the same things as their counterparts in other courts in NSW. Not only is there no reason not to make this change; it is absolutely deserved.
NSW Police are investigating after a swastika was allegedly etched into the window of the Paddington premises of Jewish bagel and sandwich shop, Lox in a Box.
Police confirmed they were investigating after receiving a report of malicious damage at the Oxford Street business about 12pm Thursday, noting that their inquiries established the incident occurred on Saturday 21 March.
In an Instagram post on Thursday night, the business owner – whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors – said they were “in shock” and that the alleged incident, coming ahead of the Jewish Passover festival, “felt like a punch that landed deeper than most.”
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Police have asked anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers.
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