Tasmania fire authorities battling bushfires, some property losses reported
Tasmania’s fire authorities are continuing to respond to numerous bushfires today after dangerous weather conditions on Thursday.
Officials said efforts are now focused on the Dolphin Sands area and Glenlusk, near Hobart, with fires burning at Abels Bay, Colebrook, Levendale and Rhyndaston.
A vegetation fire at Dolphin Sands, on Tasmania’s east coast. Photograph: Triabunna Fire Brigade
Simon Pilkington, the southern regional chief for Tasmania fire service, said weather conditions were unpredictable for much of yesterday and “unfortunately for much of the day we were not able to safely deploy aircraft to assist firefighting efforts”.
He went on:
A slight improvement in the weather late yesterday afternoon meant we were able to downgrade many of the alerts and warnings.
We are aware of property losses in Dolphin Sands, and will be completing rapid impact assessments this morning to confirm the extent of this, when safe to do so.
Today’s weather is expected to be more favourable for firefighting.
Residents are urged to stay up-to-date with advisories at TasAlert.com.
Fires continue to burn at Dolphin Sands on Tasmania’s east coast. Photograph: Triabunna Fire BrigadeShare
Updated at 16.58 EST
Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
NSW police responding to reports of shots fired in public place in Sydney’s south-west
NSW police are responding to reports of shots fired in the Sydney suburb of Gregory Hills, this morning.
An official said there is a large police presence in the area, but there are no reports of injuries.
Further information will be provided by the police when it is available.
Share
Updated at 17.51 EST
Residents of Glunlusk, near Hobart, can return home, with caution, after bushfire threat
Tasmania’s fire service said residents of Glenlusk, near Hobart, can return home because there is no longer an immediate threat from bushfires. Some people in the area were told to urgently evacuate yesterday as flames encroached to town.
Conditions are expected to improve, but officials cautioned residents to stay alert, saying:
Although there is no immediate danger, residents need to monitor conditions and be alert for any changes.
Be ready if the situation escalates. Read through your bushfire plan. If you do not have a plan, decide what you will do if the situation gets worse.
Embers, smoke and ash may continue to fall in the area, and smoke could make it difficult to see and breathe. Fire service officials are attending the area today.
If you choose to return to your home, continue to stay alert, [and] monitor your surroundings for changes in fire conditions.
Smoke from a bushfire at Glenlusk in Tasmania’s south-east. Photograph: Ethan James/AAPShare
Updated at 17.38 EST
Philip Oltermann
Four countries to boycott Eurovision 2026 as Israel cleared to compete
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in the 2026 song contest despite calls by several participating broadcasters for its exclusion over the war in Gaza.
No vote on Israel’s participation was held on Thursday at the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body that organises the competition.
Singer Yuval Raphael, from Israel, holds the national flag during a dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision song contest, 16 May 2025. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP
Instead, participating broadcasters voted only to introduce new rules designed to stop governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to influence voters.
“A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision song contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place,” the EBU said in a statement.
Read more here:
Share
Updated at 17.21 EST
Tasmania fire authorities battling bushfires, some property losses reported
Tasmania’s fire authorities are continuing to respond to numerous bushfires today after dangerous weather conditions on Thursday.
Officials said efforts are now focused on the Dolphin Sands area and Glenlusk, near Hobart, with fires burning at Abels Bay, Colebrook, Levendale and Rhyndaston.
A vegetation fire at Dolphin Sands, on Tasmania’s east coast. Photograph: Triabunna Fire Brigade
Simon Pilkington, the southern regional chief for Tasmania fire service, said weather conditions were unpredictable for much of yesterday and “unfortunately for much of the day we were not able to safely deploy aircraft to assist firefighting efforts”.
He went on:
A slight improvement in the weather late yesterday afternoon meant we were able to downgrade many of the alerts and warnings.
We are aware of property losses in Dolphin Sands, and will be completing rapid impact assessments this morning to confirm the extent of this, when safe to do so.
Today’s weather is expected to be more favourable for firefighting.
Residents are urged to stay up-to-date with advisories at TasAlert.com.
Fires continue to burn at Dolphin Sands on Tasmania’s east coast. Photograph: Triabunna Fire BrigadeShare
Updated at 16.58 EST
Melissa Davey
Report card reveals private health insurance offering little value to many Australians
Australians are paying more for private health insurance but getting less value in return, a report from the Australian Medical Association has found.
Consumers are abandoning so called gold-tier policies and questioning the value of other policies, all while insurers experience huge profits, the report says.
The growth of private health insurance premiums has outstripped inflation, health sector inflation, average weekly earnings and the indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) every year since 2008. Between 2008 and 2024, premiums climbed more than 100% while MBS indexation – which was frozen for several years from 2013 – increased by less than 20%.
The price of private health insurance just keeps on rising. Composite: AAP/Getty
The report also shows that over the six years to June 2025, insurers increased benefits paid for in-hospital medical treatment by only 18.1%, described by the AMA as a modest rise compared with sector profits, which grew by nearly 50% in the same period.
In 2024‒25, insurers returned 84.2% of premiums to consumers as benefits, well below the 2019 level of 88%. The AMA is calling on the federal government to mandate insurers to return at least 90% of private health insurance premiums to consumers in the form of benefits.
AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen has renewed calls for an independent private health system authority.
Share
Updated at 16.47 EST
Adult time for violent crime passes Victorian parliament
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian government’s controversial “adult time for violent crime” bill has passed parliament without amendment.
The bill, which will move serious crimes committed by children as young as 14 from the children’s court to adult courts, passed at about 6pm on Thursday with the support of the Coalition.
As a result, the maximum penalty for teenagers convicted of offences such as aggravated home invasions and carjackings will increase to 25 years from three years.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan (left), with the state’s attorney general Sonya Kilkenny. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
The bill has been criticised by legal and human rights groups who say it will have a detrimental impact on vulnerable young people and will disproportionately affect First Nations children.
Even the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, in her compatibility statement tabled in parliament earlier this week, admitted the bill was partially incompatible with the state’s human rights laws.
After the bill passed parliament, Kilkenny issued a statement that read:
I’m pleased these laws can now be put in place as soon as possible to protect Victorians. There are no easy solutions to youth crime, and the best approach is always to stop crime before it starts. But we absolutely need serious consequences for violent youth crime to protect the community now.
Share
Updated at 16.27 EST
Sydney’s M4 tunnel fully reopens after drivers stuck for hours
Penry Buckley
Sydney’s M4 tunnel has reopened in both directions after overnight emergency repairs, Transport for NSW says.
As we reported yesterday, fears the tunnel’s concrete roof might collapse led to all westbound lanes being closed from early yesterday morning until the afternoon.
The NSW roads minister, Jenny Aitchison, blamed the toll road’s private operator Transurban, saying she had seen reports on social media of some drivers being stuck in the tunnel for up to four hours.
Vehicles at the WestConnex M4 tunnel entrance at Haberfield in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
One lane eventually reopened yesterday afternoon, but all lanes were closed again at 10pm last night so remedial work could continue. As of this morning, the lanes have reopened.
In a statement today, Aitchison said:
After a very difficult 24 hours for Sydney motorists, I’m advised the M4 tunnel has now fully reopened. While we’re relieved to see traffic moving again, this incident is yet another reminder of what happens when critical public assets are privatised.”
Share
Updated at 16.10 EST
Minister says Albanese government ‘working through’ US review of Aukus deal
Pat Conroy, the minister for the defence industry, says the government is “working through” the US review of the Aukus submarine deal, but maintains things are still “full steam ahead” on the military pact.
Conroy spoke to RN Breakfast after a US official said on Thursday the Pentagon had completed its review of the nuclear submarine partnership.
I obviously refer your listeners to the very positive comments from President Trump that Aukus is full steam ahead.
We’re hitting all the major milestones, including the docking of USS Vermont in WA only last month, and things are going well. But as for the contents of the review, that’s a matter for the US government.
Conroy would not say if the review would be made public, saying it was in the hands of the US.
Pat Conroy. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 15.55 EST
Total fire bans in place in southern and central NSW
Total fire bans are in place in central and southern NSW amid hot conditions over the coming days.
The lower central plains and the northern, southern and eastern Riverina are all facing the restrictions, with some parts of southern NSW facing extreme fire conditions.
A total fire ban means no fire can be lit or used in the open, and general purpose hot works like welding or gas cutting are prohibited. You can use a gas or electric barbecue under limited conditions, but all solid fuel barbecues are banned.
Large parts of the state, while not under a fire ban, remain under a high fire danger rating.
Share
Updated at 15.42 EST
Heatwave warning for much of NSW, including Sydney, some areas forecast to hit low 40s
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-thirties to low-forties across a large stretch of NSW’s east, from Port Macquarie to the Victorian border. Affected areas include the greater Sydney region, Newcastle, Wollongong, Batemans Bay, Camden, Campbelltown, Nowra and Gosford.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the heatwave is expected to continue into Saturday, with overnight minimums in the mid-teens to low-twenties.
“Severe heatwave conditions are expected to peak on Friday and Saturday before easing on Sunday as a cooler change extends across the state,” the agency said.
Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.57 EST
Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to guide you through the morning. Let’s get to it.
Share
Family violence prevention forum hears from sports stars
The Collingwood captain, Darcy Moore, the Brisbane Lions captain, Harris Andrews, the Man Cave chief executive, Ben Vasiliou, and Movember research director Zac Seidler will join a panel discussion as part of a family violence prevention forum convened by chief justice William Alstergren in Melbourne today, Australian Associated Press reports.
The audience will also hear from the governor general, Sam Mostyn, the attorney general, Michelle Rowland, the Australian Sports Commission chair, Kate Jenkins, and others.
“Bringing leaders together in a room like this is not about symbolism, it is about taking responsibility for the culture we create in our workplaces, clubs and communities,” said Tarang Chawla, whose sister was murdered by her husband in 2015.
“For too long, women have been told to keep themselves safe while men have stood on the sidelines.
“Until men are willing to challenge other men to a higher standard, nothing will fundamentally change and we all suffer.”
Share
Updated at 15.16 EST
Tom McIlroy
Australia receives Trump review of Aukus deal
The federal government confirmed it has received the Trump administration’s review of the Aukus submarine deal this week, promising to work through the long-awaited report.
Overnight, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, told Guardian Australia the purpose of the review was to identify opportunities to strengthen Aukus and ensure its long-term success, in alignment with Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda.
During the review, the department consulted extensively with the US inter-agency as well as Australia and the United Kingdom.
Consistent with President Trump’s guidance that Aukus should move ‘full steam ahead’, the review identified opportunities to put Aukus on the strongest possible footing.
The department will work in close consultation with its partners to develop options for implementing the review’s recommendations.
Any fears inside the Australian government about the future of the deal were eased after Trump publicly endorsed Aukus when he hosted the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, at the White House in late September.
Share
Updated at 15.18 EST
Skydiving instructors strike, union says pay cuts undermine safety
Australia’s skydivers are planning to walk off the job today in what the union calls “unprecedented” industrial action.
In a press release the Australian Workers’ Union said skydiving instructors employed by tourism giant Experience Co would stop work at eight sites in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
The union says most of the company’s 130 skydivers have seen little to no base wage increases in decades.
It follows 10 months of stalled negotiations for a first-ever enterprise agreement, the union said, claiming that the company’s wage proposals “included cuts of between $20,000 and $100,000 a year” and would slash the minimum annual wage for instructors to $49,000 from $57,000.
The cuts undermine the safety of every customer who straps into a tandem harness, the union said, claiming the company was trying to turn employees into “gig workers”.
“Tandem skydiving instructors literally take people’s lives in their hands every time they go to work,” said AWU national organiser Jonathan Cook.
“Would you want your mum strapped to an underpaid instructor?”
In a press release, Experience Co called the strike “unreasonable and irresponsible”.
“Skydive Australia is effectively a small business that proudly employs mostly young people in regional Australia,” the CEO, John O’Sullivan, said.
It said it had engaged in good faith bargaining on the enterprise agreement, and had made six offers that would “provide some of the best wages and conditions in the sector”, but the union’s November ambit claim “would add massive costs that are simply not viable for the business”.
Share
Updated at 15.18 EST
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
If you were planning to fall out of the sky today we have bad news: in what the union calls “unprecedented” industrial action, skydiving instructors employed by a large tourism company are going on strike today in sites across the country, as pay talks stall with their employer.
Plus, the federal government has received the US’s review of the Aukus submarine deal.
More on both these stories, and other news, coming up.
Share
Updated at 14.39 EST
