12.46am BST Victoria police share further details on Frankston drownings Victoria police just held a press conference to clarify some details of the men who died yesterday. The pair were a surfer, a 36-year-old British national, and his friend, a 43-year-old man. Police described the surfer as inexperienced at the sport, saying he was in the water in a wetsuit before he became distressed. His friend then jumped into aid him, but the pair were overcome by severe weather conditions. Mel Nixon with Victoria police said responders were on scene within 10 to 15 minutes of a call for assistance coming in from a bystander. A police tactical operator also needed treatment after the episode after suffering a large amount of water intake during the rescue. Nixon said: The weather conditions yesterday were obviously not appropriate to be in the water surfing, whether you’re experienced or you’re not experienced. It is a risk that you take that you put other people in danger. They weren’t swept off the pier. They’ve actually jumped into the water to help. And, yeah, the conditions were that bad that he’s obviously succumbed to the conditions of the waves and the water. Nixon said people should not go swimming or surfing in dangerous conditions. You put yourself at risk, you put people that jump in to help you at risk, you put the emergency services at risk. Updated at 12.52am BST 12.28am BST Two men who died off popular Melbourne pier swept into ocean during wild winds Two men who died in rough waters off a popular pier were swept into the ocean during wild winds, sparking renewed calls for vigilance in extreme weather events, AAP reports. The men, who are yet to be formally identified, were found unresponsive in the water off Frankston in Melbourne’s south-east at about 5pm on Wednesday as the state was lashed by intense wind gusts. They were winched back to shore using a police helicopter but could not be revived, Victoria police said in a statement. Frankston city mayor, Kris Bolam, said: This devastating event is a sharp reminder of the power of nature and the real risk posed by severe weather. I ask everyone to stay safe, remain vigilant, and if in doubt, stay off the water and away from exposed coastal structures until conditions improve. Related: Two dead at Melbourne beach as wild wind batters state, while parts of Sydney hit by record-breaking heat Updated at 12.32am BST 12.03am BST Some more details from the Christmas Island red crab migration More than 60 million red crabs will participate in the migration, according to the Christmas Island national park. Roads are closed across the island and many crabs are already moving across the Red Crab Bridge, a specially designed overpass perfect for the crustaceans. The crabs are a protected species under Australian law, and the national park had a quick reminder for anyone with some hunger pangs: To answer your question: no, you can’t eat these crabs! Updated at 12.07am BST 11.44pm BST Police searching for suspect after man stabbed on bus in Sydney’s inner west NSW police are searching for a man after an alleged assault on a bus in the Sydney’s Marrickville in the early hours of Thursday. Officials said emergency services were called to the suburb just before 1am, where they were told a passenger, a 51-year-old man, had allegedly been stabbed in the arm and hand by another man. He was taken to the hospital in a serious but stable condition. The suspect reportedly exited the bus and left the scene. The two men are not thought to be known to each other. Police have established a crime scene and opened an investigation into the matter. Updated at 11.50pm BST 11.18pm BST Australian house prices rising at fastest rate in nearly four years, data shows Australian house prices are rising at their fastest rate in nearly four years, as buyers rush to auctions and owners put off selling amid expectations for a further upswing. Capital city house values have sustained their longest continuous stretch of growth in a decade with a median increase of $35,000 in the three months to September, new data from Domain shows. The median price rose $26,000 the previous quarter. Two in three Australians expect prices will rise further in the coming year, NAB research on Wednesday found, with analysts forecasting increases between $50,000 and $100,000. Brisbane has overtaken Canberra as the second-most expensive house market, after Sydney, with median prices rising nearly $40,000 to hit $1.1m, over the three months to September. Read more here: Related: Australian house prices rising at fastest rate in nearly four years, data shows 10.53pm BST Bridget McKenzie says critical minerals deal a win for ‘Team Australia’, if it gets up and running Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the showed minister for infrastructure, said the new critical minerals deal announced during the prime minister’s visit to Washington DC this week was “mission accomplished for Team Australia”. Related: Albanese’s critical minerals deal isn’t good economics – but in Trump and Xi’s new world, bargaining chips matter But she said the government would need to follow-through on the plan to make it a success and counter China’s influence on the global market for the key minerals. She told RN Breakfast: The almost easy part is signing the deal, the tough piece is going to be getting the delivery because I think we’re notoriously slow in this country about getting projects of this scale up and going. I think we need to break that global stranglehold that China has on the supply chain. So it’s good from that perspective, but not if we can’t get the projects up. So those environmental approvals, the skill sets we’re going to need, our transport supply chains, et cetera, are really critical for this to be a success that it promises to be. 10.28pm BST Cold case of missing toddler to take another turn today A five-decade-old cold case of a missing toddler which has attracted international attention and a $1m reward is set to take another turn, Australian Associated Press reports. Three-year-old Cheryl Gene Grimmer was abducted on 12 January 1970 outside a shower block at Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong, on the NSW south coast, when she was enjoying a day at the beach with her mother and three brothers. In the decades since, her case has been subject to multiple police investigations and a coronial inquest that determined Cheryl had likely died. Cheryl’s disappearance is one of many missing persons and unsolved murder cases subject to a recently established parliamentary inquiry, to be chaired by NSW upper house MP Jeremy Buckingham. A man had pleaded not guilty after being charged with Cheryl’s murder in 2017, but prosecutors dropped the case after the NSW supreme court ruled a confession inadmissible. The man – known by the pseudonym “Mercury” – was a teenager when Cheryl vanished. He did not have a parent, adult or lawyer with him when he was interviewed in 1971, raising concerns about how he was cautioned by police. The director of public prosecutions decided not to appeal against the court’s 2019 decision, and subsequently withdrew the murder charge due to a lack of other evidence. But Buckingham has said he will name Mercury in parliament today. Cheryl’s family had given Mercury a deadline to explain how he knew information contained in the confession. The deadline expired yesterday. Buckingham said identifying Mercury was about achieving justice for Cheryl. “The criminal justice system failed her 50 years ago and it failed her more recently with the inadmissibility of the confession,” he said. “We now have a situation where it’s up to the parliament to use its powers.” Updated at 11.32pm BST 10.12pm BST 1,700 calls to SES for help across NSW and Victoria after wild winds SES officials in Victoria and New South Wales responded to many calls for assistance last night amid damaging winds. Victoria’s SES said volunteers responded to more than 1,400 requests, 1,000 of which were linked to tree-related incidents. The state saw wind gusts in excess of 100km/h, with some areas seeing gusts of 130km/h at times. The state has fewer than 30 jobs outstanding, however, after a busy evening, officials told ABC News. In NSW, volunteers responded to more than 270 calls for assistance over the last 24 hours. Most of the impacts from damaging winds were in western Sydney. Updated at 10.50pm BST 9.57pm BST Coalition’s rezoning targets in Labor, Green and independent-held areas The NSW opposition’s plan is for a staged development within an 800m radius of Erskineville station and 400m radius of Macdonaldtown, Newtown and St Peters stations, limited to the City of Sydney council area. The total investigation area of more than 100 hectares could deliver up to 15,000 new homes. The plan includes expansion of local schools and new childcare centres, new parks, community facilities and sustainability standards, and new cycleways and safe walking links. The Minns government’s reforms to planning laws are expected to pass parliament today. They will provide a fast track for approving housing projects in a bid to reverse the slide in housing construction numbers in NSW. The Minns government has already identified four accelerated areas near transport nodes, and has altered planning laws to ensure other areas close to transport can be developed into low and medium density. It has targeted areas on the north shore and east for high density development – traditionally Liberal areas. The opposition has identified the Long Bay jail site and now Newtown as its priorities, which are in Labor, Green and independent-held areas. The shadow minister for roads, Natalie Ward, said under their plan the community can grow without forcing people further away from jobs and study. The shadow minister for planning and public spaces, Scott Farlow, called it “a once-in-a-generation chance to bring new life to the inner city while protecting what makes it special”. Updated at 12.29am BST 9.44pm BST NSW opposition reveals high-density housing plan for Sydney's inner west The NSW opposition will today unveil a plan to build up to 15,000 new medium and high density homes in parts of Newtown, Erskineville and St Peters in Sydney’s inner west. But the idea is likely to be controversial because the area marked for redevelopment is largely made up of nineteenth terrace houses, some warehouses, and the Carriageworks art precinct. If the Liberals and Nationals are returned to government in NSW in March 2027 they will designate 100 hectares for redevelopment around the area’s current railway stations, the NSW opposition leader, Mark Speakman, said. It is within minutes of the city by train, and close to Sydney University and Royal Prince Alfred hospital. “The plan is to protect the character of key heritage streets while focusing new homes near stations and on suitable redevelopment sites” Speakman said. “These are neighbourhoods with trains, hospitals, schools and universities on their doorstep.” Our plan is about making sure the next generation can afford to live here too. He said early estimates suggest the area could support up to 15,000 new homes, staged over time, with schools, childcare centres, green spaces and community facilities. Updated at 9.53pm BST 9.28pm BST Christmas Island’s red crabs on the move for annual migration The migration of Christmas Island’s red crabs is in “full swing”, with roads closed in some places to protect millions of the crustaceans. Every year, millions of the crabs emerge from the forest to travel to the ocean to breed, creating a red tide across the island. The Christmas Island national park said a massive spawning event will take place around 15 and 16 November, with a second spawning in mid-December. “This forecast is based on current climatic indicators. The exact timing of the migration, spawning and return events depends on weather, tides and phase of the moon,” the park said. Baby crabs usually return to shore three to four weeks later. For a closer look at the red crab migration, check out our photo gallery from a few years ago: Related: Australian crawl: Christmas Island’s baby red crab migration – in pictures Updated at 9.54pm BST 9.18pm BST Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s see what the day has in store. 8.59pm BST Defence plans spending cuts as Aukus costs soar – report Australia’s defence chiefs have ordered “brutal” spending cuts as the costs of the Aukus submarine deal and new frigates soar, The Australian reports this morning. Days after Anthony Albanese met Donald Trump to hail the $367bn Aukus pact, the Australian claims that the chief of the air force, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, has begun “reviews of capability and sustainment costs” as part of bid to “mitigate overspending” and “address budget challenges” across his service. In addition, the paper reports, the chief of the defence force, David Johnston, has placed a limit of 150 days a year for reservists to work, down from 200. The Australian claims it has seen a directive to air force personnel that a review of “capability priorities” would be carried out to guide air force investments and “ensure in-year affordability”. “This may include project delays, scope reductions and divestments,” Chappell says, according to The Australian. A second review will look at “sustainment priorities” with Chappell warning about cuts to aircraft flying hours through “reduction in rates of effort”. “Air force must continue to implement measures to optimise ways of working, reduce cost and ensure every dollar spent focuses on delivering air force’s contribution to the integrated, focused force,” Chappell’s note says. Updated at 9.24pm BST 8.54pm BST Military truck and car collide north of Brisbane A military truck and a car have collided north of Brisbane, sending the defence vehicle rolling off the road and leaving the motorist injured, Australian Associated Press reports. No defence force members were hurt but the car driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Queensland police said. The collision occurred on Samford Road at Ferny Hills, north of Brisbane, at about 3.30pm on Wednesday. The forensic crash unit is investigating. The Department of Defence confirmed an Australian defence force vehicle was involved in the crash. “No injuries were sustained by ADF personnel,” a department spokesperson said. The welfare of both the civilian and ADF members involved is a priority and Defence’s focus is on supporting those involved. Aerial images of the scene showed the truck had rolled off the road, while the car was seen partially crushed. The crash comes less than a week after a soldier was killed and two others injured when an armoured personnel carrier rolled during a training course near Townsville. An investigation into that incident is under way, and involves commonwealth and army officials along with police. Updated at 9.10pm BST 8.44pm BST Hanson dismisses speculation Joyce could lead One Nation Pauline Hanson has shut down speculation that Barnaby Joyce could replace her as leader of the One Nation party after speculation that the disgruntled former Nationals leader could defect to her party. Speaking on Sky News last night, Hanson said: It’s not going to happen, he’s not going to be leading the party, so that’s totally out of the question. The former deputy prime minister announced his intention to quit the Nationals last week and not re-contest the New South Wales seat of New England, sparking discussion that he could be about to switch parties. Hanson confirmed she had made an offer to Joyce to join One Nation, but he had not committed to joining her party and was waiting for the outcome of a bill he has introduced to parliament opposing Australia’s net zero commitment. She said they spoke about six weeks ago and also had a phone call last weekend. I’ve made the offer to Barnaby. I know he’s disgruntled with the National party. I know he’s passionate about getting rid of net zero. He’s introduced his bill to parliament, he doesn’t expect to get support ... So it’s going to be interesting how this unfolds,. Hanson bristled at suggestions that Joyce could be a good replacement in the event of her retirement, but said: My attitude is, if someone can do a better job than I can, fair enough... but don’t write me off at the moment. Updated at 9.07pm BST 8.30pm BST Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories before Nick Visser takes the reins. Pauline Hanson has shut down speculation that Barnaby Joyce could replace her as leader of the One Nation party after speculation that the disgruntled former Nationals leader could defect to her party. Speaking on Sky News last night, Hanson warned: “Don’t write me off.” More shortly. Australia’s defence chiefs have ordered “brutal” spending cuts as the costs of the Aukus submarine deal and new frigates soar, according to reports this morning. And there’s a big cleanup under way today after wild winds hit Melbourne and Sydney yesterday.
Australia news live: NSW opposition targets non-Coalition seats with rezoning plan; millions of red crabs begin annual migration
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