North Queensland floods live updates: ADF helicopters and support personnel deployed to region as flooding eases at Cairns airport

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Queensland floods: Douglas shire mayor says ‘we weren’t prepared’ for such heavy rain

Cairns mayor Terry James says at last count, there were 79 people, five dogs and two cats in a nearby evacuation centre.

Douglas Shire mayor Michael Kerr says he hasn’t seen “anything like this before” when it comes to the extreme weather.

To have a cyclone come across [and] for it to just stall, stop and sit directly above us and drop the amount of rain that it has is very unusual.

It’s something I don’t think we were prepared for and the fact that the amount of rain that came from the system we weren’t even anticipating that would be the case.

He says at this stage, the Mossman river has dropped back. An emergency warning was issued for it yesterday morning due to extreme flooding.

Updated at 18.28 EST

Queensland floods: Residents, responders experiencing ‘absolute fatigue’

Cairns mayor Terry James said the major flooding his community is being lashed with is “unbelievable”.

Speaking to ABC RN, he says:

It’s widespread, there is absolutely water everywhere … I don’t think there’s a road that hasn’t been covered or damaged.

This is something that we haven’t seen for decades.

Earlier, the prime minister said the ADF was ready to step in if needed. James says the community needs “as many hands as possible [on the ground] to assist in the rescue and … resupply situation”.

Douglas mayor Michael Kerr agrees, saying people are needed on-the-ground because those who have already spent days responding to the disaster flooding are in “absolute fatigue mode”.

And because we’re so isolated, we just can’t get people from Cairns up here either.

Then the recovery side of this, once this water does disappear, it’s gonna be massive. There’s infrastructure damage galore, so this is going to be a long-term repair job for us.

Updated at 16.16 EST

Newspoll: ALP regains lead over Coalition on two-party preferred basis

AAP has the latest on Newspoll polling data:

The Labor government has regained its lead over the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis, a Newspoll suggests, after a previous survey put support for the two at 50% each.

The coalition still leads Labor on the primary vote, 36% to 33%, according to the poll published in The Australian on Monday.

The primary vote result shows a gain of two percentage points for Labor and a two-point dip for the opposition since the previous Newspoll conducted in the middle of November.

Leader of the opposition Peter Dutton and prime minister Anthony Albanese during question time. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The latest Newspoll indicated backing for the Greens was steady at 13%, there was a one-point increase for One Nation to seven per cent and support for the minor parties and ­independents category fell one point to 11%.

On a two-party-preferred basis, Labor leads the coalition 52% to 48%.

The previous Newspoll had the two parties neck-and-neck, a low point for Labor on a two-party-preferred basis since it won the federal election in May 2022.

The survey of 1,219 voters, conducted between 11 December and 15 December, also registered an increase in the number of people satisfied with the performance of prime minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton.

Albanese’s approval ratings rose two points to 42% and Dutton also gained a two-point rise in approval to 39%.

Updated at 16.00 EST

Albanese: Opposition has ‘nothing positive to offer’

Finishing up his interview on ABC RN, the prime minister was questioned on polling numbers for his government, and for himself as leader.

When asked about this, Anthony Albanese said:

We’ll continue to come up with fresh ideas. I note that during 2023, whilst our opponents oppose our measures to provide support on cost of living, they haven’t come up with a single proposal. They have nothing positive to offer. And that’s why our positive plans will continue to roll out …

Updated at 16.01 EST

Albanese: BDS shouldn’t target businesses just because they are owned by Jewish people

Anthony Albanese is asked how worried he is about social cohesion domestically, with antisemitism and Islamophobia on the rise amid the Israel-Gaza war.

He says he is “very worried” and, noting a rise in antisemitism, he specifically calls out the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli businesses as “very unwise”.

He says the movement is “now talking about targeting businesses because they’re owned by people who happen to be Jewish”.

That is antisemitic, very explicitly, that should be called out and it should be opposed.

The BDS Australia website reads: “[BDS] Australia is part of the global effort to end support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference in Sydney. Photograph: Brent Lewin/AAP

Albanese also commented on the rise of Islamophobia and said any attacks women are facing for wearing the hijab in their communities is “unacceptable”.

We have a great multicultural nation here, and it’s really important that some of the rhetoric that’s occurred be dulled down. I know that many people in the Jewish community are fearful at the moment, it shouldn’t be the case that people need to have protection around schools.

People should be able to go about their lives, respecting each other and being peaceful in the way that they engage. We’re aware that some of the tensions mean that people are emotional, but it’s very important that overseas [conflict does] not create conflict and trauma here in Australia.

Updated at 15.52 EST

Albanese: Australia still ‘considering’ US request for war ship for Red Sea

As we just flagged, discussions are continuing about whether Australia will send a warship to the Red Sea, following a request from the US. This comes amid ongoing attacks against commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese told ABC RNearlier this morning that this wasn’t a request directly from the US to Australia but to a “range of nations”.

He said Australia would consider the request “appropriately [and] in a considered way”.

We will give consideration to that appropriately, in a considered way – as we do – but this wasn’t a request, to be clear, from the US government to my government.

This was a general request to a range of nations for support there.

Our first priority is in our own region, and certainly the United States understands the important role that we’re playing, including freedom of navigation and other issues in our region.

Updated at 15.44 EST

Albanese doesn’t directly answer question about whether Aukus would survive under a Trump government

Last week, the US Congress passed legislation allowing the country to sell Virginia class submarines to Australia under the Aukus security pact.

As Daniel Hurst and Josh Butler reported, the development was warmly welcomed by the Australian government, which had hoped to secure the legislative tick before the US entered the politically charged environment of a presidential election year:

Asked whether the Aukus deal would survive a Trump presidency, prime minister Anthony Albanese told ABC RN that the relationship between Australia and the US is not just between leaders or individuals, but it is about common values.

He notes the legislation received “extraordinary support from Democrats and Republicans in the Congress and in the Senate”.

I spoke to people from across the political spectrum in the US and it was a very significant piece of legislation for both pillar one and pillar two of Aukus through the Congress.

Pushed again on whether the deal with survive a Trump presidency, he says:

The election in the United States is a matter for the people of the United States and we certainly will respect whatever decisions are made, but this is a relationship between nations, not just between two leaders.

Updated at 15.34 EST

Albanese says defence force ready to ‘spring into action’ in Qld floods

The prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to ABC RN right now about the widespread flooding in Far North Queensland.

The north Queensland city of Cairns has been hit with record rainfall and damaging winds thanks to Cyclone Jasper, which has now weakened to a tropical low. Photograph: Brian Cassey/AAP

He says the defence force is ready to “spring into action” if needed:

We will deliver, along with the Queensland government under Steven Miles, whatever is necessary.

The important thing at this point in time is to ensure that people are kept safe and that is a real concern, and a number of people are isolated and have needed rescuing from their terrible circumstances.

Our thoughts go to all people in those communities at this very difficult time.

Albanese noted the dangerous conditions people are experiencing, with widespread flooding cutting off power, and concerns about freshwater supplies.

Updated at 16.06 EST

No respite as Queensland faces widespread flash floods

North Queensland remains inundated by floods and heavy rain from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper that has prompted the deployment of rescue vessels in Cairns, AAP reports.

The rain is forecast to continue today and into tomorrow, with some areas already hit with totals of more than a metre and water levels expected to break 1977 records.

An emergency flood warning was issued for Machans Beach, Holloways Beach and Yorkeys Knob last night, with residents urged to take shelter and not to expect emergency services to come to their door.

Boats from the State Emergency Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, surf lifesaving and water police were deployed after urgent calls for assistance in the area and the premier, Steven Miles, also sought the help of small rescue vessels from the HMAS Cairns naval base.

The Barron River boat ramp and car park was completely inundated with water in Cairns. Photograph: Joshua Prieto/EPA

Further north, an emergency alert was issued for Wujal Wujal where major flooding from the Bloomfield River was affecting properties.

Evacuations and rescues have been carried out, mostly at Mossman, Douglas, Gordonvale and Innisfail, and homes in low-lying areas have been inundated.

Roads including the Bruce Highway were cut off and several bridges were damaged beyond use.

Laura Boekel of the Bureau of Meteorology said rivers and creeks were responding rapidly to further rainfall.

It won’t take a lot of rainfall in these catchments to see more flooding.

There is a “very high likelihood” conditions will not ease until Tuesday afternoon.

Good morning

And happy Monday. Welcome back to a new week on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll bring you our rolling coverage today.

Making news: premier Steven Miles has declared a “serious weather emergency” in far north Queensland, which is being lashed by thunderstorms and major flooding in the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper. The remnants of the cyclone have combined with a coastal trough to produce intense rainfall and dangerous conditions, with Cairns airport shut down yesterday afternoon. According to Weatherzone 1,930mm of rain has fallen at Myola (north-west of Cairns) over five days, and the nearby BarronRiver reached a 14.09m high last night – the highest peak at this location since 1913.

Discussions are continuing around whether Australia will send a warship to the Red Sea, following a request from the US. This comes amid ongoing attacks against commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia. Yesterday, trade minister Don Farrell said defence minister Richard Marles would “make the right decision in Australia’s interest”.

Meanwhile, the latest Newspoll shows Labor regaining its lead over the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis, after a previous survey put support for the two at 50% each.

See something that needs attention on the blog? You can get in touch via X/Twitter @emilywindwrites or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

With that, let’s get started.