Australia news live: Kevin Rudd to speak on US-Australia alliance; summer’s ‘tragic’ swimming death toll
Key events
Ben Smee
Tropical Cyclone Alfred has intensified into a Category 2 system as it moves further south off the Queensland coast.
The sub-tropical excursion taken by the storm is forecast to take a sharp right turn today, with the Bureau of Meteorology expecting Alfred to start moving towards heavily-populated parts of the coast after a week slowly progressing parallel to the coast down through the Coral Sea.
Alfred is currently about 560km east of Brisbane. Landfall is expected on Thursday or Friday, and people in two states – from K’gari to Grafton – are being asked to stay alert.
The BOM’s latest track map has now been updated and shows the cyclone potentially reaching the coast just north of Brisbane. That situation is among the most potentially damaging – forecasters expect the most intense rainfall to the south of the system, and Brisbane is uniquely vulnerable due to its larger population and its propensity to flood.
“Tropical Cyclone Alfred is currently moving southeast, but it is expected to slow and turn west towards the Queensland coast later today,” the BOM’s Tuesday morning update says.
“Alfred’s intensity may fluctuate between Category 1 and 2 over the next few days, but it is forecast to cross the southeast Queensland coast at Category 2 strength late on Thursday or early Friday morning.”
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Emily Wind will be your news guide.
The recent interest rate cut has not helped Anthony Albanese recover any ground in our latest Essential poll, with the prime minister’s approval rating down. More than half of Australians believe last month’s cash rate cut won’t help them much and was a sign the Labor government’s economic plan is not working. But voters still think Albanese is better placed than Peter Dutton to deliver cost-of-living relief, higher wages and safeguard Medicare.
Cyclone Alfred is tracking towards the south-east Queensland coast and could make landfall on Thursday. Surging tides are already reported to be gushing right over narrower and uninhabited parts of the low-lying Bribie Island and we sent a reporter to speak to people preparing for the onslaught.
As the contours of geopolitics continue to change every day, Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, will address a webinar held by the Australian National University this morning on the subject of the US-Australian alliance. It’s certainly an interesting time to be a diplomat in DC. We’ll bring you more on what Rudd says later this morning.
More than 100 people died by drowning this summer – significantly more than in the average summer – according to the nation’s peak body for water safety, in what the organisation has called a “tragic” season. More on this coming up.
