Total fire ban declared for all of Victoria on Saturday
The entire state of Victoria will be under a total fire ban on Saturday, with the state set to experience severe heatwave conditions as temperatures soar between 38C and 44C.
The Country Fire Authority said the high temperatures will be paired with forecast winds of up to 60 or 70km/h, which will make it a challenging day for firefighters.
The CFA chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said in a statement:
We understand it is a long weekend, and many Victorians will be enjoying the great outdoors, but we will be declaring several Total Fire Bans over the course of this heatwave event and with that comes shared responsibility.
Over the next couple of days, have your bushfire plan ready to go, and have a conversation with your family so you all know what you are going to do in the event of a fire.
The CFA maintains a “can I or can’t I” page for what you can do during a total fire ban period.
A burnt out vehicle is seen on a property at Alexandra in Victoria. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAPShare
Updated at 05.23 CET
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Solar sharer scheme could save households hundreds each year, government analysis finds
The federal government’s proposed solar sharer scheme, which will offer eligible households three hours of free electricity in the middle of each day, could save households hundreds of dollar annually, according to a new analysis from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The new analysis finds that moving just 10% of energy usage from the evening peak period to the free window could save money. Shifting 25%-30% of energy usage, including scheduling your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer or pool pump, or charging an EV, could saving around $400 for a 1-person household annually, or between $800-$1100 for a 5-person household.
Chris Bowen, the federal minister for climate change, said in a statement:
Australia has more rooftop solar capacity than the entire fleet of remaining coal fired power stations across the country.
The Solar Sharer Offer is about making sure we make the most of our huge solar generation, including by ensuring the benefits of cheap solar can be shared with consumers who don’t have solar systems themselves through the offer of free daytime power.
ShareBenita Kolovos
Coalition criticises speed of contactless ticketing rollout
Victoria’s Coalition opposition are critical of how long the rollout of contactless payment is taking and the fact public servants will be the first to trial it. Brighton MP, James Newbury, told reporters NSW has had contactless payment for almost a decade:
Victorians have been waiting for years for easy access, to tap and go when it comes to our public transport system. You go to New South Wales, 10 years ago almost, you could tap and go on to public transport. Instead, the government has today announced [a] trial that’s going to allow [the premier] Jacinta Allan and her office access to a tap-and-go trial – not every single Victorian.
Jacinta Allan’s office and other public servants will have access to tap and go trial systems but Victorians who pay for public transport through taxpayer funds will not have access.
The minister, Gabrielle Williams, responded that Newbury’s comments showed “an astonishing lack of understanding on how to deliver a ticketing project or indeed any project”. She went on:
I’m not surprised by that ignorance given it’s been some time since the opposition has had to deliver upon anything, and even when they had the chance they didn’t. Any expert who has delivered these projects would be pretty comfortable … that trial and testing is an important part of it. We do that so that you can build confidence in the product that you’re ultimately rolling out for us of a significant population on a very complex network.
Gabrielle Williams. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 07.00 CET
Trials for tap-and-go ticketing on Victorian public transport to begin in February
Benita Kolovos
Victorians are a step closer to tapping on and travelling with their credit card, smartphone or watch, with the state government today announcing trials of contactless payment on the public transport network will begin next month.
The transport minister, Gabrielle Williams, on Friday announced after successfully installing nearly 3,000 new ticket readers at more than 280 train stations, a small number of controlled, closed-group trials will begin in early February.
This trial will involve testing in a laboratory environment with Department of Transport and Planning staff across three days, across a wide range of bank cards and smart devices. Then, further tests will begin in real-world conditions at a small number of selected train stations.
Williams told reporters in Dandenong this afternoon:
This is a really exciting development. I know how eagerly Victorians have been wanting those alternative ways to pay and the flexibility that that affords them. These are incredibly complex projects, because the technology itself is complex, but so too is our public transport network. That’s why we’ve taken lessons from other jurisdictions who have embarked on this journey and made sure that we’re doing best practice, if you like, in the way that we’re trialling the technology.
She says public trials will then follow before contactless payments are “switched on” for full fare-paying passengers – though she would not provide a date for when this would occur beyond “early 2026”.
Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/The GuardianShare
Updated at 06.58 CET
Australia’s share market has ended the week lower, as easing geopolitical worries couldn’t counterbalance sluggish interest rate-sensitive stocks after local economic data pointed to incoming rate hikes, AAP has reported.
The S&P/ASX200 gained 11.4 points on Friday, up 0.13%, to 8,860.1, as the broader All Ordinaries rose 17.4 points, or 0.19%, to 9,189.9.
The top-200 was down roughly 0.5 per cent since Monday, after surprisingly robust jobs figures narrowed market bets on incoming Reserve Bank interest rate cuts.
Gold hit a new peak of $US4,967 ($A7,252) on Friday, and broke its personal best in four of the week’s five trading sessions as central bank buying and safe haven demand continued to provide tailwinds.
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Invasion Day protesters claim ‘significant win’ after police search powers declared unlawful
Tarneen Onus Browne, Benny Zable and David Hack, who were represented by the Human Rights Law Centre, have made a statement after partially winning their case against Victoria police, challenging police powers in designated areas.
Onus Browne said:
This decision is a significant win, though we didn’t get everything we wanted. This is a win for First Peoples and allies coming to the Invasion Day rally, and every person who come into the CBD and designated areas, who want to be treated with dignity and respect and not subject to intrusive police powers.
For me, human rights are the tools we use to fight for the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They’re how we insist that every person – no matter your background, whether you’ve been here for five years, five generations or 5,000 generations – we all deserve safety and respect.
This case puts Victoria police on notice – you cannot trample on the rights of First Nations people so easily. I look forward to marching on Invasion Day and call on community and allies to show up, exercise their right to protest and gather for First Nations justice.
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Updated at 06.43 CET
Second person charged with murder over man’s death at Nowra in 2024
A second person has been charged with murder, after the discovery of a man’s body on the New South Wales south coast in 2024.
In a statement NSW police said:
In December 2024, Strike Force Bursteed was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of a 60-year-old man in North Nowra.
Police were called to a fire trail on a rural property on McMahons Road North Nowra, west of Rock Hill Road, near a gas pipeline clearing, following reports a man was found unconscious, about 8:15pm on Monday 9 December 2024.
NSW Ambulance responded, however the man – who suffered serious head injuries – died at the scene.
Officers attached to South Coast Police District responded and established a crime scene.
Earlier in the week, a 29-year-old man was arrested with murder and remains before the courts.
At about 11.20am today, a 58-year-old man was arrested at a North Nowra home and taken to Nowra police station. He was charged with murder and common assault.
He was refused bail and will appear in court on Saturday.
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Updated at 06.12 CET
Allegra Spender on fear and rushed laws after the Bondi attack – Australian Politics podcast
In an eventful start to parliament for 2026, MPs came together with condolences for the victims of the Bondi terror attack and passed hurried reforms on guns and hate speech. And then, on the national day of mourning on Thursday, the Coalition split for the second time and Sussan Ley’s leadership is now all but over.
Guardian Australia political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks to the independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi, about why she thinks politics can often stand in the way of community safety. She also discusses her concerns that migrants could become a political target during this time of fear and grief.
Listen in:
SharePenry Buckley
Police to carry long arms on Australia Day as NSW premier flags ‘standard operating procedure’ from now on
NSW police will once again carry long arms in public on Monday, with the state’s premier, Chris Minns, saying it will be the “standard operating procedure” for major events from now on.
It comes after police announced additional officers carrying long-arm rifles would be visible on New Year’s Eve following the Bondi attack. The same decision was made for the Sydney Ashes test.
Following a variation of a declaration restricting protests following the attack, crowds of thousands are expected in Sydney on Monday, including at Invasion Day protests, and an anti-immigration march.
Speaking at a press conference earlier about the decision, Minns said:
We think it’s important the police have made the tactical decision to deploy long arms on Australia Day. There’s two reasons for it. Unfortunately, it might be needed. And secondly, we’re not going to muck around. We want to send a clear and unambiguous message to the community that they’re safe. And from time to time, that will mean that heavily armed police using weapons that they wouldn’t ordinarily have, will be on Sydney streets, particularly for big events.
And the reason we’re talking about it in advance, is so that your mum and dad, your average family, doesn’t believe that there’s an operation underway. This will be core business, and this will be standard operating procedure for major events in Sydney from now on.
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Expansion of Victoria police search powers in Melbourne CBD declared unlawful
A declaration giving police the power to search people without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing was unlawful and invalid, AAP has reported.
The six-month declaration, made by Victoria police on 30 November, was challenged in the federal court by a group of protesters.
The order listed the Melbourne CBD and neighbouring suburbs as a designated area where police could stop and search people for weapons without a warrant or any suspicion of wrongdoing.
Police could also direct a person wearing a face covering to leave the area if they believed the person was trying to conceal their identity or protect themselves from substances like OC spray.
Federal court judge Elizabeth Bennett on Friday determined the declaration was invalid and unlawful.
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Updated at 05.50 CET
Patrick Commins
Banks lift fixed mortgage rates as RBA meeting looms
NAB and CBA are among banks which are lifting their fixed-term mortgage rates ahead of a potential Reserve Bank rate hike on 3 February.
NAB lifted its two-year home loan from 5.39% to 5.79% – the second increase in six weeks, according to Canstar.
CBA last Thursday lifted the equivalent fixed rate from 5.44% to 5.79%.
For the record, ANZ now offers the lowest fixed rate out of the majors at 5.44% for a 2-year term. And the cheapest two-year fixed rates are from Community First and Illawarra Credit Union at 4.94%, Canstar says, from a shrinking pool of sub-5% loans.
“While the majority of borrowers are on a variable rate and intend on sticking with this strategy, the mass migration of fixed rates is a pre-emptive move by the banks to counter a higher cash rate in 2026,” Canstar’s director of data insights, Sally Tindall, said.
“This is yet another sign borrowers need to start getting prepared.”
After Thursday’s strong jobs figures, a hot inflation report on Wednesday could seal the deal for an RBA hike the following Tuesday.
As of this morning, financial markets were pricing in a 60% chance of a hike at the next RBA meeting, and fully expect a move by May.
Fixed mortgage rates are on the riseFixed mortgage rates are on the riseShare
Updated at 05.34 CET
Nick Visser
That’s all for me. Cait Kelly will take things from here. Enjoy your weekend.
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Officials brace for hot, dangerous conditions across South Australia this weekend
Officials in Adelaide are also holding a press conference about potentially dangerous fire conditions this weekend across South Australia.
Brett Loughlin, the chief officer of the SA Country Fire Service, said Saturday is shaping up to be “some of the most significant fire weather forecasts we have seen South Australia in recent years”.
Two areas will be under catastrophic fire danger warnings: the Yorke Peninsula and the eastern Eyre Peninsula. Eight other areas will be in the extreme warning.
Loughlin said:
I urge people to take tomorrow seriously. If you are in an area with catastrophic fire danger conditions are forecast, this is as serious as it gets. Tomorrow will be hot and it will be very windy. Conditions are dry and there is no rain, nor cooler conditions on the immediate horizon. If you are in an area with an extreme rating, do not discount the risk.
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Updated at 04.56 CET
Total fire ban declared for all of Victoria on Saturday
The entire state of Victoria will be under a total fire ban on Saturday, with the state set to experience severe heatwave conditions as temperatures soar between 38C and 44C.
The Country Fire Authority said the high temperatures will be paired with forecast winds of up to 60 or 70km/h, which will make it a challenging day for firefighters.
The CFA chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said in a statement:
We understand it is a long weekend, and many Victorians will be enjoying the great outdoors, but we will be declaring several Total Fire Bans over the course of this heatwave event and with that comes shared responsibility.
Over the next couple of days, have your bushfire plan ready to go, and have a conversation with your family so you all know what you are going to do in the event of a fire.
The CFA maintains a “can I or can’t I” page for what you can do during a total fire ban period.
A burnt out vehicle is seen on a property at Alexandra in Victoria. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAPShare
Updated at 05.23 CET
Suspect last seen driving ute with council signage
Julian Ingram was last seen driving a Ford Ranger ute with Lachlan Shire council signage, which also included a metal tray back, high-visibility markings on the side and an emergency light bar on the roof.
Anyone who sees Ingram is urged not to approach and to contact triple zero immediately.
Holland said the suspect worked for the local council and would have a “good idea of the local area” as they searched for him.
It would be feasible he could obviously maintain an extended period in the local area without being detected.
The council vehicle was not equipped with GPS.
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Updated at 04.45 CET
Police say suspect in fatal shooting of three people in Lake Cargelligo on bail for domestic violence offences
Police are giving an update in Lake Cargelligo after three people were shot and killed in New South Wales yesterday. Authorities are hunting for Julian Ingram, 37, after the incident, describing him as “armed and dangerous”.
Assistant commissioner Andrew Holland, of NSW police’s western regional command, said the suspect was on bail for domestic violence offences at the time of the shooting. Police said during the time he was on bail, he had complied with all conditions and police had “checked on him multiple times”.
The man had a “long history” with criminal matters, Holland said.
Police are unclear where the suspect obtained a gun, saying he had never held a gun licence before.
He said there are police on “almost every corner of Lake Cargelligo” at the moment as the manhunt continues.
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Updated at 04.38 CET
Amanda Meade
Talkback radio host Fordham praises Sharri Markson’s Albanese ‘spray’ at Bondi memorial
Nine Radio broadcaster Ben Fordham has praised Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson for delivering “a blunt reminder” to the prime minister at the Opera House memorial last night that the Bondi massacre happened “on his watch”.
The local Chabad of Bondi organised the official national service Light Will Win and the event was hosted by Markson and broadcast on Sky News, as well as the ABC.
In her opening address Markson said Jewish Australians wanted an assurance that “a blind eye won’t be turned to radical Islamic extremism, that visas won’t be given to those who despise our Australian values”.
Fordham said today that Markson had given Anthony Albanese “a spray”.
“She looked straight at the prime minister in the front row, and she reminded him of what happened on his watch; and after the booing he’s copped in public previously, it would have been tense,” Fordham said on his top rating 2GB program today.
Sharri has been one of the PM’s loudest critics, but in the spirit of the night, she offered the prime minister respect and the chance to redeem himself.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese at the Sydney Opera House. Photograph: Flavio Brancaleone/AAP
Fordham said when Albanese returned to his seat after his address, in which he said he was sorry, he was hugged by a rabbi “despite the anger over the past two months and the mistakes of the past two years”.
In his speech Albanese said: “I am deeply and profoundly sorry that we could not protect your loved ones from this evil”.
Markson told the gathering: “Prime minister, your acknowledgment just now that the community was let down is a crucial step; and your apology tonight was important to hear, and it goes a long way.
We thank you for that, and you are right to say that our hearts were shattered that terrible evening and over the past two years.
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Updated at 03.45 CET
