Australia Post warn about surging problem, Albo apologises over disability remark: Australia news live

Plus we bring you updates on Hurricane Milton as it nears the US mainland.

Australia Post is asking drivers to be a bit more observant on our roads.
Australia Post is asking drivers to be a bit more observant on our roads.

Yahoo's live news blog for Wednesday, October 9 has now concluded. Australia Post is warning motorists to be safer on the roads with a 30 per cent increase in injuries to posties.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has apologised after he made an "insensitive" comment about Tourette's syndrome.

Hurricane Milton is nearing Florida, with authorities warning anyone in evacuation zones who stay "will die".

A man has been charged with poisoning a woman with intent to murder after he allegedly spiked her tea.

See below for all the updates throughout the day.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER18 updates
  • Featured

    Grim pleas to residents facing Hurricane Milton

    "If you choose to stay... you're going to die."

    That's the blunt message to millions of people living in Florida's Tampa area which is in the path of incoming Hurricane Milton, feared to be one of the most destructive hurricanes the state has ever seen.

    FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 08: A sign indicates that an evacuation order is in effect for the beach area before Hurricane Milton's arrival on October 08, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. People are preparing for the storm, which could be a Cat 3 when it makes landfall on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
    Tampa residents are being told to leave as Hurricane Milton nears. Source: Getty

    Tampa Mayor Jane Castor didn't mince her words as the eye of the storm edged closer to the coastline, with maximum sustained winds of 270km/h.

    President Joe Biden, who postponed an overseas trip to supervise the storm response, echoed Castor's sentiments. He urged those under evacuation orders to leave immediately, saying it was a matter of life and death.

    More than a dozen coastal counties issued mandatory evacuation orders. Mobile homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities also faced mandatory evacuation. "I beg you, I implore you, to evacuate," emergency management director Kevin Guthrie said.

    For all the latest on Hurricane Milton, click here.

  • Bali passport glitch for Aussie travellers

    Well this is concerning news for Australian travellers.

    Sensitive passport details of some holidaymakers have been shared to strangers in an electronic visa glitch at Bali airport, the ABC reported.

    The tech issue occurs when travellers scan a QR code on visa documents.

    "I could see the visa data of two other Australians, and presumably they could see my private data too," one Melbourne woman told the ABC. Full names, dates of birth, passport numbers, photos and other details of several travellers appeared when she scanned the code.

    The ABC understands the airport has known about the issue for a while and Indonesia's immigration department says it is working to fix the issue which it says impacts a small number of travellers.

  • Aussie unis fall in global rankings

    Australia’s university sector is on a “precipice”, experts warn, with a majority of the country’s 10 top centres of higher learning suffering falls in the latest global ranking from Times Higher Education.

    The respected survey, which marks 2860 universities across the world on a range of metrics from teaching to research, shows just one Australian university, the University of Melbourne, made it into the world’s top 50, and most slipped in their respective positions on the ladder.

    Melbourne is ranked in 39th position in 2025, falling from 37 in 2024.

    Australian National University in Canberra fell to 73rd spot from 67th, the University of Sydney sits at 61 from 60, the University of Adelaide moves down to 128 from 111 and the prestigious University of Queensland retreated seven places to 77 from 70.

    “Australian higher education stands on the brink of a long-anticipated dive in its international standing, after almost half the sector went backwards in this year’s Times Higher Education World University Rankings,” the report, released on Wednesday, states.

    RMIT University rankings expert Angel Calderon credits the fall-off to Australia’s declining reputation score and warned the country’s debate around international enrolments caps could further erode university rankings.

    “If this debate continues, I think a few people will basically be feeling less sympathetic towards Australia,” he said.

    Read more here.

  • Shock over photo of man working on wedding day

    The following wedding photo has caused bit of a storm.

    A start-up co-founder has taken a brief break from his own wedding to do some work for a customer on a tight deadline. While his co-founder saw it as a chance to show off his commitment, it didn't go down too well with plenty of stunned users.

    "This isn't a flex. It's sad," one person wrote while another called it "dark".

    Have you been asked to do something for work at the worst possible time? Let us know at yahoo.finance.au@yahooinc.com

    Well this will certainly be a wedding to remember for this groom. Source: Torrey Leonard
    Well this will certainly be a wedding to remember for this groom. Source: Torrey Leonard
  • Flood simulator shows just how bad Hurricane Milton could be

    Well this is a truly terrifying video that shows how destructive Hurricane Milton could be.

    The Weather Channel has used its flood simulation technology to show just how high the storm surge could be on the west coast of Florida.

    See the alarming segment below.

  • NZ slashes interest rate

    The cash rate has been slashed in New Zealand, with the nation's reserve bank cutting it by 50 basis points.

    "Economic activity in New Zealand is subdued, in part due to restrictive monetary policy," governor Adrian Orr said.

    And while the RBA will be keeping a close eye on our neighbours, Michele Bullock has reiterated Australia is on its own journey and is not to be influenced by the activity of other nations.

  • Staggering $1 million detail with landmark new high rise

    A new high rise is set to take centre stage in Sydney's iconic Darling Harbour, and it seems space inside the 48-level residential building comes at a premium.

    The $2 billion project will offer close to 500 apartments, with one-bed flats starting at $1.5 million, Domain reported.

    An artist's impression of what the Harbourside Residences will look like. Source: Mirvac
    An artist's impression of what the Harbourside Residences will look like. Source: Mirvac

    And when we look at the pricing of the two-bed units, we can see just exactly what they value a parking space in the inner-city location at.

    A two-bed, two bath with no car space will sell for $2.2 million while the same apartments with a space will start at $3.2 million, which would mean the space comes in at an eye-watering $1 million.

    A Bondi car space was recently listed for $1 million, with the agent saying it could easily be worth $2 million in a few years.

  • Aussies rejecting SOS flights out of Lebanon

    The government has warned that too many Australians are rejecting evacuation flights out of Lebanon.

    Australians in the conflict zone are being urged to leave before it’s too late.

    Flights leaving Beirut to Cyprus are only 69.4 per cent full despite 3665 Australians and their immediate family members registering with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Tourism and therefore receiving a flight offer to leave Lebanon.

    Tickets have been rejected on grounds of people wanting an alternative flight date or wanting to stay in Lebanon to attend to business or family matters.

    Others have remained in Lebanon after moving to the northern area of the state where they feel safer, while some have rejected the flights because they want to travel with family who don’t have visas or have concerns about accessing Beirut airport.

    Read more here.

  • Florists hit hard in cost-of-living crisis

    A florist says her industry is one of the hardest hit in the cost-of-living crisis, claiming Australians just don't have the money for non-essential items like bunches of flowers.

    “[Flowers] are such a wonderful thing to have but ultimately, no matter how affordable they are, they’re a luxury. Our number of orders has dropped," Perth florist Helen Pow Davies, who runs The Little Posy Co, told The West.

    So are you still buying flowers in these hard times? Let us know below.

  • Meteorologist becomes emotional in TV update on Hurricane Milton

    A meteorologist was nearly brought to tears as he gave a TV update about the "horrific" Hurricane Milton that is set to strike the US's southeast.

    NBC6's hurricane specialist John Morales apologised as he had to compose himself providing an update on the storm. "I apologise... this is just horrific," he told viewers.

    Watch the clip below.

  • Inside 'the best job in the world'

    “Don’t you just have the best job in the world?”

    That was the response after a Queenslander got a phone call from a lottery official this morning informing him of his $8 million Oz Lotto win.

    Well we sat down with the man on the other end of the phone a couple of years ago. Matt Hart told us all about the gig and some of the best calls he's had over the years.

    Watch what he had to say below.

  • Up to 100mm of rain to lash Queenslands's south

    Queenslanders are in for another stormy day following Tuesday’s storm and lightning show, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

    Senior meteorologist Angus Hines, speaking on Wednesday morning, said Queensland should expect to receive more “severe thunderstorm” warnings later in the day as the storms develop.

    “Later on Wednesday, once the storm activity starts to develop, it is likely multiple severe thunderstorm warnings will be issued and updated throughout the second half of the day today, showing where the storms are, where they are tracking over the next couple of hours.”

    He said severe storms were “most likely” to occur over inland places west of Toowoomba, but they could not be ruled out elsewhere.

    Heavy rainfall is also forecast for the state’s southeast.

    “Along the southeast coast significant accumulations of rain are possible in the next 24 hours, with or without thunderstorms,” Mr Hines said.

    “Between 50-100mm, possibly even more, could occur along the Queensland coast north of Brisbane, particularly around places like the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.”

  • Why do petrol stations wrap their pumps in plastic during a hurricane?

    A worker covers the pumps at a Florida station. Source: Getty
    A worker covers the pumps at a Florida station. Source: Getty

    Florida residents are facing their second hurricane in a matter of weeks, with Hurricane Milton re-intensifying on Tuesday (local time) and again becoming a dangerous Category 5 storm.

    Millions are bracing for destructive conditions and are doing what they can to safeguard their property. One tactic that often emerges that might need a bit of explaining is why servos wrap their pumps in Glad wrap.

    It's a common sight when a destructive hurricane is set to strike. Source: Getty
    It's a common sight when a destructive hurricane is set to strike. Source: Getty

    "In the event that a storm event is severe enough to warrant shutting down your gas station, there are certain preparations that need to be made in order to secure your gas pumps to prevent damage," fuel distributors Southeast Petro previously explained.

    "Wrapping your pumps with saran wrap will secure the hoses and nozzles from flying off, potentially banging them into the pump during high winds, and it will also protect from water intrusion of the electrical components."

    Well there you have it.

    For all the latest coverage of Hurricane Milton, follow along here.

  • Nazi Israel sign leads to man's arrest

    A pro-Palestine protester has been arrested after he allegedly brandished a placard emblazoned with a Nazi swastika during a massive demonstration in Sydney.

    The 56-year-old man was taken into custody over a sign which showed the ancient symbol, which has become synonymous with Nazi Germany.

    The placard, photographed by NewsWire photographer Damian Shaw, read: “Stop Nazi Israel.”

    The 56-year-old man has been charged with the offence of displaying a Nazi symbol in public.

    Read more here.

    PRO-PALESTINE RALLY - ONE YEAR ON
    The sign that led to the arrest. Source: NCA NewsWire
  • Cops aren't for chasing down lizards, union says

    "Overworked" police officers are refusing to attend jobs they deem not worthy of their time.

    Hundreds of officers in Sydney's west are fed up of being called to situations they deem not their responsibility, and are taking a stand today.

    NSW Police Association president Kevin Morton gave one example where cops had been called to a shopping centre to capture a blue-tongue lizard.

    “They’re feeling tired, they’re feeling overworked and this excess workload that they’re doing is really dragging them down,” Mr Morton told Channel 9.

    “When you turn up to the start of your shift with 40 jobs outstanding and you look at those jobs and see that generally half of them shouldn’t be a police response, that really affects our members mentally,” he said.

    “When you’re dealing with animal complaints or parking complaints, even low-level mental health issues, they are not police responses and police shouldn’t be attending.”

    Read more here.

  • Albo sorry for disability comment

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has apologised for making "wrong" and "insensitive" comments in parliament by asking if an opposition MP had Tourette's syndrome.

    During Question Time on Tuesday, Albanese made the remark when facing interjections from opposition frontbencher Angus Taylor.

    "Have you got Tourette's or something? You know, you just sit there, babble, babble, babble," he said.

    While he quickly withdrew the comment, he faced immediate criticism from other MPs and advocates for using the condition as an insult.

    CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 22: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives at Question Time in the House of Representatives at Australian Parliament House on August 22, 2024 in Canberra, Australia. Pressure is building on the Albanese government on a number of fronts, but cost of living pressures are top among them and may prove to be a damaging political liability in the months ahead as Peter Dutton gets the opposition ready for next year's election season. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
    Albanese has apologised for his remark. Source: Getty

    Later on Tuesday, the prime minister apologised for the remarks in the House of Representatives.

    "I made comments that were unkind and hurtful. I knew it was wrong as soon as I made the comment," Mr Albanese said.

    "I apologised and withdrew as soon as I said it, but it shouldn't have happened. I also want to apologise to all the Australians who suffer from this disability.

    "I regret saying it. It was wrong, it was insensitive and I apologise."

    Read more here.

  • Woman allegedly poisoned with tainted tea

    A Sydney man has been charged with poisoning a woman with intent to murder after he allegedly spiked her tea.

    The 66-year-old woman became seriously ill after drinking tea which was allegedly prepared by the man, who is known to her.

    A 61-year-old man was arrested at a house on Lanark Place, St Andrews just before 11.30am on Tuesday.

    He will face court on Wednesday over the domestic violence allegations. While searching the house, police seized a bottle of insecticide which is being tested.

    - NCA NewsWire

  • Australia Post's plea to drivers

    Australia Post is urging drivers to take more care on the roads after a 30 per cent surge in injuries to posties.

    “Too many Posties are sustaining injuries from being knocked off their vehicle or swerving off the road to avoid more serious incidents from occurring," General Manager of Safety Rod Maule said.

    The national postal service said injuries were often a result of drivers failing to notice posties on roundabouts, drivers failing to stop at Stop signs, motorists using mobile phones and those behind the wheel not leaving enough space behind posties.

    “We’d like to remind drivers that our Posties stop frequently and often travel at lower speeds than other vehicles on the road. They can sometimes be easily missed," Maule added.

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