Follow the day’s news live * Australia must ‘step up to prevent catastrophic and preventable loss of life’ amid Trump cuts, former CDC boss says * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast And welcome to another Sunday Guardian live blog. Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen has declared Australia a “solar nation” after 100,000 households and small businesses have signed up to a government program to help install home batteries. The government says there has been a 50% jump in home battery capacity within four months of the program starting. Continue reading...

Of the 2m flood-prone houses across the country, at least 70% have had values reduced, a new report by Climate Council and PropTrack has found

Documents tabled in parliament show NSW agency took four years to publish report and told miners it would be put online ‘quietly’ but EPA says it was released to community earlier * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The NSW environment watchdog sat on a report for four years linking elevated levels of lead in children’s blood to current mining, and promised mining companies they would not do any “finger-pointing”, new documents tabled in state parliament show. The documents include internal emails released under freedom of information laws that show the scientist who produced the report into lead exposure in Broken Hill was at one point texting the Environment Protection Authority every two days asking when it would be published. Continue reading...

Investigating the obstacles to action on climate change.

Weather warnings stretch from south of Sydney to the state’s north-west, as elevated river levels, saturated soils and full dams pose risks to communities * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Hundreds of New South Wales residents have made calls for help as heavy rain lashes the state, leaving huge swathes at risk of flooding, with authorities warning of more heavy rain to come. Sydney, which has been drenched by torrential rains and was hit by more wet weather on Thursday, recorded its wettest August for “quite some time”, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Continue reading...

More than 20 places across New South Wales have already surpassed their highest August rain on record * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More than 20 places across New South Wales have already surpassed their highest August rain on record, with more than a week left of the month to go. Upper Allyn township, in the Hunter, has already recorded its highest August rain in 38 years, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. As of 9am Friday, the town had received 277mm of rain, exceeding the previous record of 202mm, which was set back in 1987. The average for August was 46mm. Continue reading...

Clean energy subsidies should be replaced with ‘market-based incentives’ from 2030, Australia’s Productivity Commission says: Interim report on investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation sets out reforms Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Ge...

Green groups and industry war axing of Moonlight Range Wind Farm project risks undermining confidence in renewables

‘The target is ambitious, but it’s achievable,’ expert says of Labor’s 2030 renewables goal * Australia news live: latest politics updates * Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Investment in big batteries hit $2.4bn in the first three months of 2025, making it the second strongest quarter for energy storage on record in Australia. The latest data from the Clean Energy Council found six new storage projects – totalling 1.5 gigawatts capacity – reached financial close (the financial commitment that means the project is likely to be built) and a level of investment last seen in the final quarter of 2023 with a record $2.8bn. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

More rain forecast to drench flooded areas in Hunter and mid-north coast of New South Wales * One in 500-year flood isolates almost 50,000 people in NSW as BoM warns of more rain The Hunter and mid-north coast of New South Wales have been inundated with heavy rainfall since Tuesday, and subsequent flooding has resulted in hundreds of people being rescued by the SES. Here, you can see the extent of the rainfall, areas affected by flooding, and how the rainfall compares to historical averages. Continue reading...

Those who survived the 2021 floods and are still recovering from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, ‘have lost absolutely everything’ in the latest deluge

A real-time crowd-sourced map of sausage and cake availability at Australian elections. It's practically part of the Australian Constitution. Or something. #demsausage