Australia news live: Birmingham condemns reported bomb threat over Palestinian flag; four hospitalised after Lizard Island aircraft incident | Australia news

Residents urged to leave parts of regional Vic due to floodwaters

Four hospitalised after Lizard Island aircraft incident

Images of reported bomb threat on car flying Palestinian flag

Here are images of the reported bomb threat left on the car of someone flying the Palestinian flag in Botany.

The images were supplied to the @riotersbloc X account, which posted them with a report of an explosive device planted on a car outside a Sydney home.

A sign strapped to the jerry can pictured reads:

ENOUGH! TAKE DOWN FLAG! ONE CHANCE!!!

Wages growing at fastest pace in 15 years: treasurer

Wages are growing at their fastest pace in 15 years, with lowest paid workers seeing a 6.7% wage growth, according to treasury analysis released today.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers spoke at a press conference in Brisbane a short while ago:

There is no better way to help people make ends meet than to make sure that we’ve got wages growing again in our economy after a decade of wage stagnation.

The new treasury analysis, which we are releasing today, shows wages are growing at their fastest pace in 15 years, and lowest paid workers are getting the biggest boosts in pay.

Wages growth overall in the period we’ve released the numbers [for] … was 4% overall, but it was 6.7% for the lowest paid, and 5% for the second lowest categories. So what this shows is we’re getting wages moving again overall in our economy, but we are prioritising people on the lowest pay who need the most help.

Real wages were falling by something like 3.4% at the election. We’ve seen a couple of quarters now of real wages growth. We want to see more of that.

We’ve got much more work to do throughout the course of 2024.

Inflation economy’s primary challenge this year: treasurer

Pivoting back to the treasurer Jim Chalmers’ address to the press a short while ago.

Chalmers warned inflation is the primary challenge to our economy this year, and will be the government’s primary focus:

Later this week, we will get the monthly inflation numbers for November. Remember, the monthly read was 4.9% up to October. It was 6.1% at the election.

We’ll see on Wednesday what those numbers say. They will be a helpful indicator, but they are notoriously volatile. What we already know is that inflation has come off substantially since its quarterly peak before the 2022 election and since the annual peak around this time last year. We have been making some welcome and encouraging progress overall, but that progress isn’t always in a straight line.

Liberal MP condemns reported bomb threat over Palestine flag

Reports of bomb threat on car flying Palestinian flag in Sydney street

There are reports of a bomb threat placed on a car bonnet in a Botany street that was flying the Palestinian flag.

Images posted to X (formally Twitter) of the reported explosive device – a jerry can – show a sign strapped to it reading:

ENOUGH! TAKE DOWN FLAG! ONE CHANCE!!!

NSW Police have confirmed they were called to a Botany street following reports of a suspicious item about 2pm last Friday. Officers from the rescue and bomb squad attended and deemed the item safe.

Detectives from South Sydney police area command established a crime scene and have commenced inquiries. An investigation is continuing, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Cost of living relief part of economic plan: treasurer

Treasurer Jim Chalmers assures “we do enter this period of difficulty from a position of genuine economic strength”.

He is speaking at a Brisbane presser:

More than 700,000 jobs [have been] created under this Albanese Labor Government. Two quarters of consecutive real wages growth. We’ve had a budget surplus already delivered, and another one in prospect in the months ahead.

Our plan has three parts: cost of living relief, which takes some of the edge off inflation, without adding to it. Strengthening our economy by investing in housing and energy and skills. And thirdly, getting the budget in better nick. And if there’s more that we can responsibly do to help people deal with these cost of living pressures in the budget, then we will obviously consider that between now and then.

Effects of Queensland rain and floods will ‘weigh on our economy’: treasurer

Palestine protesters disrupt Brisbane weapons company

Flood damage recovery is under way in parts of Victoria. Here are pictures from the VicSES:

Hume Highway flooding seen in journalist’s video

Streets are looking like rivers in a video posted to X/Twitter yesterday by ABC producer Sarah McConnell, who is based in Broken Hill.

And parts of the Hume Highway have “started to flood,” Sydney Morning Herald journalist Amber Schultz posted.

In Schultz’s video from 6.30am today, rainwater is inundating the road between Broadford and Tallarook – on a drive from Melbourne to Sydney.

Victoria SES has urged people on roads this morning “take care and look out for debris such as fallen trees and branches”.

“And remember – never drive through floodwater.”

The secret life of mice

A mouse has been tidying up the workbench of a retired postman in Wales after he went to bed every night, and now I’m emotional.

Over a couple of months, 75-year-old Rodney Holbrook noticed the things he used during the day were being mysteriously put away after dark. He set up a night-vision camera in his shed to find out what was happening.

What he saw was a mouse picking up items like nuts and bolts, clothes pegs and cable ties and tidying them away into a box. A truly selfless act of service.

Here is the video:

Two injured in Queensland aircraft incident: unconfirmed reports

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