Three people dead, one injured after Queensland car crash
Three people have died and one woman is in hospital following a two-car crash south-west of the Gold Coast.
Queensland police were on patrol in Bonogin about 5pm on Friday when they say they saw a black Mercedes SUV being driven dangerously.
Police flashed warning lights at the car but the driver didn’t stop. Police said they did not give chase.
Shortly after, they were alerted by a driver to a collision nearby and found the black Mercedes and a silver Mercedes hatchback had collided.
The hatchback had been forced from the road and into a power pole, which had fallen.
As police, other emergency services and bystanders responded, a fire broke out in the black Mercedes.
The driver, a 46-year-old Bonogin woman, was freed from the wreckage and hospitalised in a stable condition with an arm injury.
The three occupants of the hatchback, two women and a man, were trapped. Two were freed and given first aid.
However, all three occupants of the hatchback died at the scene.
Forensic police will investigate the collision while the force’s internal watchdog – the ethical standards command – will also look into the incident.
Witnesses and anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the crash or moments leading up to it are being urged to come forward.
– AAP
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Flight from Las Angeles to Sydney to diverted after “mechanical issue”
A United flight from Las Angeles to Sydney has been diverted after an engine issued was discovered midnight.
It is understood crew aboard United flight 839 from LAX to Sydney noticed a potential oil leak from an engine on the right side of the Boeing 787-9.
The flight was then directed to Pago Pago international airport in American Samoa.
In a statement a spokesperson from United Airlines said a new aircraft was being flown into to complete the trip.
Today’s flight diverted to Pago Pago to address a mechanical issue. We’re making use of our facilities, including available hotel options, to accommodate our customers, and will fly in a new aircraft to the island so they can finish their trip to Sydney soon.
The Guardian understands another flight – UA101 travelling from Houston to Sydney – will collect the stranded passengers after it completes its current flight.
It is believed the turnaround time will involve a 12 hour delay for passengers in the Pacific Island’s capital, meaning they will likely spend New Years Eve in the American territory.
Pago Pago is on the territory’s main Island of Maoputasi and has a population of 3,656.
The United flight is also not the only one to run into trouble. In November United Airlines flight UA900 travelling London to San Francisco was diverted to Iqaluit, Canada after a “mechanical issue”.
Average incomes not enough to buy a home
Property prices may have cooled off but the average sole earner still can’t afford the repayments on a mid-priced house in every capital city bar Perth.
An analysis by Canstar shows home ownership is still well out of reach for people on average incomes as rising interest rates continue to erode borrowing power.
To comfortably cover the mortgage repayments for the $769,220 median priced house nationally, the buyer would need to earn $126,800 a year.
But the average Australian earns $92,000, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, amounting to a $35,800 difference.
In Sydney, which has the least affordable housing in the country, even two average Sydney incomes are not enough borrowing power to cover monthly repayments on the average $1.2 million house.
That’s despite home prices falling 10.6 per cent in 12 months according to CoreLogic data.
Perth is the only city where the average income has enough borrowing power to cover repayments on the median house priced at $585,989.
In Western Australia’s capital, the average in income is $100,700, $600 more than the $100,100 needed to cover repayments and still have enough to live on.
Middle income earners in Darwin come close to affording the average house, with the average earner needing around $12,000 more a year to buy a standard home in the city.
In Melbourne, a gross annual income of $149,100 is enough for the median price of $915,005 for a house.
This is $58,100 more than average income in Victoria’s biggest city.
The average earner in Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Brisbane also fall well short of the borrowing capacity needed to meet repayments in this higher interest rate environment.
– AAP
Shots fired during break-in north of Adelaide
South Australian police are investigating after shots were fired during a break-in at Elizabeth Downs in Adelaide’s north on Friday night.
In a statement on Saturday morning, police said officers responded to reports of a break-in just before midnight where two men fired two shots into the front door of the Elizabeth Downs home. An iPad and cash was reportedly stolen before the two men left.
No one in the home was injured.
A police search of the area was unable to find the two men and detectives are investigating the incident but do not believe it is random.
Blue-green algae bloom at SA lake brings swimming warning
South Australians are being warned to avoid swimming at Lake Bonney in the Riverland region until officials say otherwise due to a toxic algal bloom.
The lake near Barmera was hit with the bloom after being cut off from the Murray by a newly constructed levee to protect properties in the town.
Almost a fortnight ago, authorities said only part of Lake Bonney was affected by algae and the levee would be removed as soon as possible after the river peaked, allowing for natural water flows to resume.
There are high levels of blue green algae at Lake Bonney. Swimming and diving should be avoided.
If you’ve been swimming, monitor for symptoms (nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, rash or skin irritation) and contact your GP.
More info: https://t.co/GzltEQBGCV pic.twitter.com/fTyc6lBjT5— SA Health (@SAHealth) December 30, 2022
However, testing on Thursday revealed potentially harmful levels of blue green algae, prompting a warning from health experts for people to avoid swimming and diving at the lake until further notice.
Up until the most recent testing, parts of the lake – especially around the jetty – were deemed safe to swim in.
People at the Barmera Riverlands could still go boating, fishing, canoeing and rowing, but were advised to take extra care not to ingest the water, SA Health said on Friday.
Those who had direct contact with the water could see their skin, eyes, ears, nose and mouth irritated, and swallowing algae-affected water could lead to illness.
Symptoms could include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
Pets were particularly vulnerable to becoming unwell because of the algae, which could stick to their fur, SA Health said.
– AAP
And for the record, here are the last forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology from around Australia on Sunday.
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Sydney: 27C
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Melbourne: 29C
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Brisbane: 28C
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Perth: 27C
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Adelaide: 32C
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Hobart: 26C
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Canberra: 27C
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Darwin: 29C
New Year’s Eve 🎆 forecast, how’s it looking for you?
Be it rain, sunshine, or storms – the team at the Bureau wish you a safe and happy 2023.
Stay up to date with your local forecast via our website https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/LoE7mneosC
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 30, 2022
Three people dead, one injured after Queensland car crash
Three people have died and one woman is in hospital following a two-car crash south-west of the Gold Coast.
Queensland police were on patrol in Bonogin about 5pm on Friday when they say they saw a black Mercedes SUV being driven dangerously.
Police flashed warning lights at the car but the driver didn’t stop. Police said they did not give chase.
Shortly after, they were alerted by a driver to a collision nearby and found the black Mercedes and a silver Mercedes hatchback had collided.
The hatchback had been forced from the road and into a power pole, which had fallen.
As police, other emergency services and bystanders responded, a fire broke out in the black Mercedes.
The driver, a 46-year-old Bonogin woman, was freed from the wreckage and hospitalised in a stable condition with an arm injury.
The three occupants of the hatchback, two women and a man, were trapped. Two were freed and given first aid.
However, all three occupants of the hatchback died at the scene.
Forensic police will investigate the collision while the force’s internal watchdog – the ethical standards command – will also look into the incident.
Witnesses and anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the crash or moments leading up to it are being urged to come forward.
– AAP
Heavy police presence planned for million-person NYE crowd in Sydney
New South Wales Supt Anthony Bell has said “thousands of police” will be deployed across the state in what will be the “biggest operation in the year” as a million people are expected to head into Sydney CBD for New Year’s Eve.
Speaking on ABC News on Saturday morning, Bell said “Operation New Year’s Eve 2022” was already under way.
Already across greater Sydney and across the state, traffic and highway patrol are out on the roads. We’ve got the water police out on the waterways. We’ve got the air wing up and about watching over our skies. Police are on the ground in various vantage points on the beaches, those areas where we know we’ll get crowds built up early in the day.
Bell said “if you’re going to party, party responsibility” and those heading in for the fireworks should also think about how they planned to get home.
Look out for each other. Look out for your mates. Don’t do something that you’ll regret, with a charge against your name or [ending up] in hospital.
Australians to celebrate first New Years’s Eve without Covid restrictions
A million people are expected to make their way into the centre of Sydney where 13,000 fireworks will be set off from the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and roofttops between 9pm and midnight.
Melbourne will be treated off to a fireworks display from 30 rooftops from 9.30pm with 450,000 expected in the CBD.
Fireworks displays are also planned along the Brisbane River and Southbank, and at Adelaide’s Rymill Park.
Darwin’s waterfront will be lit up but celebrations may be dampened by monsoonal weather and a fireworks show along the River Derwent in Hobart is expected to run from 9.30pm to midnight.
– with AAP
Rain alerts issued across several states
Some residents across four Australian states will spend the final day of the year on high alert with heavy rainfall tipped to create dangerous flood conditions.
Residents of low-lying areas of Menindee in far-west NSW near Broken Hill were urged to evacuate on Friday ahead of a flood peak expected to be higher than the previous 1976 record level.
Watch-and-act warnings were also issued for the nearby towns of Louth, Tilpa and Wilcannia.
In Victoria, severe thunderstorm warnings were in place for large parts of the state’s east, reaching from Sale in the south all the way to the NSW border and as far west as Shepparton.
On Friday afternoon, Victoria’s Omeo near Falls Creek, recorded 25mm of rain in just 30 minutes.
The warning for heavy rainfall and potentially damaging winds extended into southern NSW, taking in parts of the Snowy Mountains, South West Slopes and Riverina.
In the 24 hours to Friday afternoon, NSW SES received 76 requests for assistance, four of which were flood rescues.
Flooding also continued along stretches of the Murray River in South Australia with communities urged to remain vigilant as the peak passes Renmark and Berri, around 30km from the Victorian border.
The peak is expected to pass through Loxton over the coming week, reaching Murray Bridge, 80km south-east of Adelaide, between 3-14 January.
Moderate flood warnings were also issued for parts of the Murray River on the Victorian side where levels peaked at Mildura Weir about mid-December and have been slowly falling ever since.
Residents on the Fitzroy River catchment in Western Australia were also told to take action with moderate flooding expected from late Saturday.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie was forecast to remain relatively static over the Kimberley throughout the weekend, coinciding with a developing and likely strong monsoon surge and bringing widespread rainfall to the region.
Fast-flowing waters were tipped to rise quickly in Fitzroy Crossing, Noonkanbah and Christmas Creek.
Meanwhile, a flood watch is current for rivers and catchments across the north-western and central Northern Territory.
The Bureau of Meteorology said locations that could be affected included Darwin, Nhulunbuy, Palmerston, Jabiru, Maningrida, Wadeye, Wurrumiyanga and Nauiyu.
It also warned residents in Daly, Tiwi and parts of the Arnhem and Gregory districts to batten down and take shelter from damaging wind gusts of up to 90km/h as a vigorous monsoon develops across the top end from Friday into the weekend.
– AAP
Good morning
And welcome to the Saturday morning Guardian live blog.
It’s looking like a hot, wet New Year’s Eve across many Australian capitals with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting temperatures will nudge 30C. Around the country preparations are being made as Australians get ready to leave behind 2022 with the first New Year’s Eve celebrations without Covid restrictions. Major fireworks shows are planned in every major city where hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather.
In other news, the body of West Australian man Travis Hart has been found in remote bushland. The 34-year-old was last seen on Christmas Day near Coolgardie west of Kalgoorlie in the state’s Goldfields region. Police said inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the death are ongoing. His car was previously found damaged and abandoned near Bonnie Vale station railway access.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs, taking the blog through the day. With so much going on out there, it’s easy to miss stuff, so if you spot something happening in Australia and think it should be on the blog, you can find me on Twitter at @RoyceRk2 where my DMs are open.
With that, let’s get started …
