NT town evacuated as floods prompt emergency warnings
The Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro provided an update on the ongoing flooding in the region. Emergency declarations remain active for the Katherine, Beswick, and Daly River areas, although Beswick's status has been downgraded to a watch and act alert.
In the past 24 hours, emergency services have received approximately 120 calls for assistance, with around 1,000 residents taking refuge in shelters. Following a rail survey, train services between Alice Springs and Darwin are expected to resume, with hopes of reaching Darwin overnight.
Finocchiaro reported on the evacuation efforts in Daly River, confirming that all residents have now been safely evacuated. She stated,
"If I move to Daly River to give an update on that community – yesterday we reported that we had a massive evacuation effort under way. We were successful in being able to evacuate 220 people yesterday, and I can confirm now that since then we have been able to get everyone out of Daly River, which is excellent news."
Rescue operations involved 18 helicopters, mostly private and commercial, with support from the Australian Border Force. Assistant Commissioner of Police Travis Wurst urged residents in Katherine not to attempt travel out of town, as the Stuart Highway remains closed in both directions despite the rail corridor likely reopening.
Wurst also cautioned against entering floodwaters, citing safety concerns and the presence of crocodiles. He emphasized,
"Through the CCTV network we’ve seen people jumping off the Katherine Bridge running around in the CBD area the edge of the Katherine River. Not only is the water flooding, flooding and flowing fast, swiftly, but you’ve also have crocodiles and other things that will make your life difficult you were to get into trouble.
Do not make our lives any more difficult than they already are. We have all of our emergency services working hand in hand to bring this response effort to the community. And if you are dragging us away to recover you because you’ve decided to do something silly, it impacts on people’s lives. Please, if it’s flooded, forget it."
Bureau of Meteorology’s Jude Scott reported that the Katherine River peaked at approximately 19.2 meters overnight and is expected to recede in the coming days. The Daly River currently stands at 14.4 meters, classified as major flood level, and is forecast to rise beyond 15 meters, remaining at major flood levels for the next week.
"In terms of the Daly River, the daily is currently at 14.4m. It reached classification last night. Now the Daly River is expected to continue to rise in the coming days towards the 15m and beyond, and it is expected to remain in major flood level for at the next week.
In terms weather that’s forecast for the rest of today, we have seen a slight movement of the focus of the weather towards the north-west coastal areas, but we can still within this active monsoon trough, expect to see showers and storms bubble up. That may lead to some isolated totals in excess of 100mm, although around the 50mm mark is the probable widespread rainfall total for today.
That rain is not expected to increase the river level rises but may keep them high," Scott said.
Chief Minister Finocchiaro announced disaster assistance payments for affected residents in the Katherine area, including immediate relief payments of $611 per adult and $309 per child, capped at $1,537 per family. Additionally, a re-establishment assistance fund of up to $8,847 is available for eligible households to cover essential items such as white goods, furniture, and bedding.
"That support will available as soon as they’re able to utilise it. What this looks like is an immediate relief payment of $611 per adult, $309 per child, capped at $1537 per family. And also there is a re-establishment assistance fund available for eligible households of up to $8,847 and that is for things like white goods, furniture, bedding and all of those things you can imagine are underwater for a lot of people at a really difficult, stressful and heartbreaking time for that community."
South Australian Liberal insiders fear for party’s future amid poor polls
Four years after Steven Marshall led the South Australian Liberal party to a drought-breaking victory in 2018, the party faces significant challenges ahead of the upcoming election on 21 March. Marshall had ended 16 years of opposition by defeating the Labor government and resisting the threat from Nick Xenophon’s SA Best.
However, following a Labor landslide in 2022 under Peter Malinauskas, party insiders now express concern that the Liberals, led by Ashton Hurn, could be reduced to fewer than five seats in the 47-seat lower house and potentially wiped out in metropolitan Adelaide.
Such a defeat would represent a political earthquake comparable to the 2021 landslide loss.
Twenty-six men charged in major online child abuse investigation
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced charges against 26 men, all Victoria-based, in connection with one of Australia's most significant online child abuse investigations. The investigation began in late 2023 following intelligence shared by Queensland police and involved infiltration of an encrypted online group sharing child abuse material.
Charges include possession, access, transmission, solicitation, and production of child abuse material. Some individuals have been convicted and sentenced, while others remain before the courts. Additionally, nine alleged offenders have been arrested by New South Wales police.
Authorities seized approximately 65,000 unique child abuse images and videos, including over 300 hours of footage, described as among the most depraved ever encountered by law enforcement.
AFP Detective Superintendent Bernard Geason said,
"I am extremely proud of the persistence of the investigators involved in this extremely distressing investigation. I would like to thank them for their unwavering dedication to identifying the alleged offenders and stopping further abuse. This is a hard reminder of how pervasive this crime can be."
Labor poised to regain Greens’ NT seat amid low byelection turnout
Labor appears set to reclaim the Darwin electorate of Nightcliff from the Greens following a byelection triggered by Greens MP Kat McNamara’s resignation due to health reasons. McNamara had narrowly won the seat by 36 votes in the 2024 election, marking the Greens’ first and only seat in the Northern Territory parliament.
At the close of counting on Saturday night, Labor candidate Ed Smelt led Greens candidate Suki Dorras-Walker by 141 votes after preferences, with Dorras-Walker requiring approximately three-quarters of remaining votes to win.
Voter turnout was under 67%, down from 76.6% in the 2024 election. Voting is compulsory in the Northern Territory, but turnout remains among the lowest nationally.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong signals possible military support for Gulf nations
Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated that Australia may offer defensive military support to Gulf nations facing missile strikes, reflecting ongoing concerns about regional security.
‘There are crocs absolutely everywhere,’ NT police warn against entering floodwaters
NT Police Acting Commander Shaun Gill urged residents not to enter floodwaters following reports of people swimming in rivers amid flooding. He warned of increased crocodile activity in flood-affected areas, stating,
"There are crocs absolutely everywhere … Please don’t go in the water. The message is quite clear. Don’t swim in the water for two reasons. It’s because it’s a fast flowing river, and also this is when crocs are most active."
Gill acknowledged telecommunications issues and power outages but emphasized that residents should continue to call triple zero for emergencies.
Bureau of Meteorology’s Jude Scott noted that the Daly River is expected to remain at major flood levels for an extended period,
"The Daly River is a huge river holding enormous volumes of water, so it will continue to slowly rise during the next week. And at this stage, we’re expecting it to stay in excess of major flood level for at least this week and into next week."
Eighty people remain to be evacuated as Daly River rises
Acting Commander Shaun Gill reported that 80 people remain to be evacuated from the Daly River area due to rising floodwaters. Efforts to evacuate these individuals by boat continued until midnight, with helicopters deployed to complete the operation.
"We currently have 80 people who were unable to be evacuated yesterday due to weather conditions. So in order to achieve that, they actually had to move people by boat up until midnight last night up to higher ground. So as you can understand, it’s quite tough, and today we have helicopters flying out there with the hope of getting all 80 of them out by today."
Approximately 1,000 people are currently sheltered across Darwin, Katherine, and Mataranka. The flooding has caused power outages affecting at least 90 homes, with electricity turned off in Katherine’s main street, which is experiencing its highest river levels since 1998.
Flight EK420 from Dubai to Perth, carrying 93 Australians, is scheduled to arrive this afternoon, with an additional Emirates flight en route from Dubai expected to land in Perth at 17:15 AWST.
Daly and Katherine rivers flooding update
Major flooding continues in the Northern Territory, with hundreds airlifted from remote communities. River heights on the Daly River are expected to exceed the 1957 levels of 15.3 meters this evening. The Katherine River peaked at 19.2 meters yesterday evening, the highest since the 1998 floods that resulted in three fatalities.
Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology said,
"We wouldn’t rule out a sort of renewed rise in that water level the next couple of days, but for the time being that water level is starting to drop."
NT emergency services continue to provide updates on evacuation efforts.
Weather warnings for Queensland and NT amid flooding and heavy rain
Severe weather warnings and major flood alerts remain in place as tropical lows bring heavy rain to Queensland and the Northern Territory. Queensland’s north-west is under a severe weather warning as a tropical low moves southeast, with isolated six-hourly rainfall totals up to 100mm and as high as 170mm on the Sunshine Coast.
Angus Hines stated,
"We’re seeing rain in that area at the moment, and that rain is forecast to get heavier in the coming hours, heading into tonight ... right through until tomorrow."
Flood watches cover most of Queensland, with major flooding possible on the Georgina, Lower Flinders, and Thomson rivers. Recent flash flooding in the Gladstone region required multiple rescues, including 34 people from a stranded bus and six motorists. No further rescues have been reported overnight.
Updates on the Northern Territory flooding continue, with hundreds airlifted from Daly River (Nauiyu) and ongoing threats to Katherine.
‘Symphonies in stone’: conservation versus commerce in national parks
Keith Muir expressed concern over plans by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to develop a multi-day walk and luxury glamping-style accommodation within the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area, declared in 2022. The proposed development includes 18 twin cabins in the heart of the protected area adjacent to a world heritage site.
Muir described the area,
"The geology is spectacular. The pagoda landforms are sculptured natural artworks, that is the only way to describe them. They are symphonies in stone."
Muir criticized the development, arguing that the cabins constitute a resort rather than "bush camps," and warned that such development could set a precedent for similar projects elsewhere.
Captured by IS, Amera’s story of hope and survival
Amera, now 22, was among more than 6,000 Yazidi women and children kidnapped and enslaved by IS militants during their genocidal campaign beginning in 2014. On 4 August 2014, militants separated her and her brother Ali at their family home in Solagh, northern Iraq. She has not seen Ali since that day.
Amera recalls,
"He told me, ‘my heart always be with you.’"
Amera has published a book recounting her eight months in IS captivity and continues to advocate for the estimated 2,700 Yazidis still missing.
