Three taken to hospital after minor chemical flash at Sydney uni
Three people have been taken to hospital after a minor chemical flash at the University of Sydney.
Fire and Rescue NSW said it was called to the workplace incident just before 10am today, along with paramedics, after reports one person had suffered burns from a chemical reaction.
He has been taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital with minor burns, after “exposure to the vapour cloud that came off the reaction” inside a plastic bucket. Two other people were transported to RPA as a precaution.
FRNSW crews are working to decontaminate areas where people washed-off after the chemical flash – described as a “rapid release of heat”.
We’ve actually just recovered the remaining product of the chemicals that have been mixed together and put them into proper storage recovery bins … Now we’re just working through to continue to decontaminate so we can open this site back up.
NSW Ambulance confirmed it had transported the three patients, but did not have an update on their condition.
Key events
Watch: emergency services respond to chemical flash at Sydney uni
As we reported earlier, three people have been taken to hospital after a minor chemical flash at the University of Sydney’s Sports Aquatic Centre in Darlington this morning.
One employee and two bystanders were affected by the acid-based chemicals, with one person sustaining burns to his hands. The area has since been secured and analysed, before being decontaminated and rendered safe.
Here’s some footage from the scene, thanks to our video team and Fire and Rescue NSW:
Opera House to be lit up for King after coronation snub
The sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up for the upcoming royal visit, AAP reports, despite the New South Wales premier previously axing plans to similarly mark the King’s coronation due to cost.
The state government plans to illuminate the landmark at 8pm on Friday with pictures of previous royal visits to Sydney. King Charles III and Queen Camilla will tour the NSW capital and Canberra after landing on Australian soil on 18 October.
The green light to illuminate the sails comes almost 18 months after the premier, Chris Minns, dumped plans set by the former Coalition state government to light up the venue for the King’s coronation. The cost of $80,000-$100,000 per night was too much for taxpayers to bear, he said at the time.
But Minns today said it was important the King was warmly welcomed during his visit to Sydney, and the “primary objective” in lighting up the Opera House would be to focus on events taking place in the state capital.
The Opera House sails were illuminated for 23 days in 2012 but that ballooned to more than 70 days in 2022, costing taxpayers up to $7m annually. Requests to the government were still increasing and included “trivial matters”, the premier said previously.
Friday’s display will include a four-minute looping montage of images from previous royal visits.
Australia’s peak humanitarian body decries ‘lack of consistency’ on sanctions
Daniel Hurst
Australia’s peak body for humanitarian agencies has accused the Australian government of a lack of consistency in ensuring accountability for human rights violations, citing a failure to impose any sanctions on Israeli government or military officials.
The federal government announced today that it was imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on five Iranian individuals linked to Iran’s missile program.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Iran’s missile program posed “a material threat to regional and international security” and that its ballistic missile attack on Israel on 1 October “was a dangerous escalation that increased the risk of a wider regional war”.
The Australian Council for International Development (Acfid) said in a statement that it was “horrified at the rising bombardment and civilian death toll in Northern Gaza over the last several days”.
The peak body said it “urges the Australian government to assert accountability and apply autonomous sanctions on Israeli officials engaged in killing civilians, consistent with the approach it has taken towards other combatants committing war crimes”.
Naomi Brooks, the humanitarian lead for Acfid, said:
The Australian government has implemented sanctions on 200 Iran-linked individuals and entities. Despite over 40,000 deaths in Gaza, the Australian government has not yet sanctioned any Israeli government or military officials. This now looks like a lack of consistency and proportionality in how we hold governments committing gross human rights violations to account.
After over a year of conflict, we have continued to see atrocities throughout Gaza, including horrific scenes at Al-Aqsa hospital where civilians were burned alive. The human toll has been beyond catastrophic. We urgently need a ceasefire.
Comment is being sought from the Australian government.
Teenager accused of woman’s murder seeks police evidence
A teenage boy accused of murdering a grandmother during a carjacking has been granted a court order for prosecutors to disclose all evidence in the case, AAP reports.
Vyleen Joan White, 70, died after being stabbed in the chest outside a shopping centre at Redbank Plains, west of Brisbane, on 3 February. Police alleged White was killed during the theft of her 2009 model Hyundai Getz hatchback.
A 16-year-old boy from the nearby suburb of Bellbird Park was arrested two days later and charged with one count each of murder and unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and three counts of stealing.
The youth’s charges were mentioned in Ipswich children’s court today, but he was not required to appear in person or via video link from custody. Prosecutor Andy Iordache told acting magistrate Paul Byrne she could have a complete brief of evidence ready within three weeks.
The youth’s solicitor, Farshad Sarabi, asked Byrne for an order for prosecutors to produce the last items of evidence. Byrne ordered the prosecution to disclose the last items of evidence by 5 November and adjourned the matter until 26 November.
Sarabi said outside court that the case was “sad for everyone” and “there are no winners in this situation”.
When asked about the time it had taken for evidence to be disclosed, Sarabi said: “I think everyone is frustrated by the delays.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has released a severe weather update, with possible severe thunderstorms forecast for much of the southeast:
Oasis announces fifth and final Australian concert after shows sell out
Rock band Oasis has announced a fifth and final Australian concert as part of their 2025 reunion tour, after huge demand.
All four stadium shows in Melbourne and Sydney sold out within 90 minutes of going on sale. A fifth and final concert has now been announced for Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Monday 4 November.
This means Oasis will perform three nights in Melbourne, and two at Accor Stadium in Sydney, on the following dates:
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Friday 31 October – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
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Saturday 1 November – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
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Monday 4 November – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne (EXTRA SHOW ADDED)
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Friday 7 November – Accor Stadium, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
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Saturday 8 November – Accor Stadium, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
A statement said there would be a presale for existing registered fans who missed out during the initial presale ballot. Tickets will go on sale for the general public from midday this Friday, 18 October.
Bureau of Meteorology releases 2025 weather calendar
The Bureau of Meteorology has released its weather calendar for 2025, featuring space weather, a total solar eclipse and an elusive optical effect caused by light bending through fog.
The photos traverse throughout Australia’s many climate zones – from Tasmania’s central highlands in the south to the Arafura Sea off the Northern Territory – taken by professional and amateur photographers.
National community information manager Andrea Peace said the images were selected from more than 500 entries, with each month featuring a different weather phenomenon “alongside a meteorological description written by the Bureau’s meteorologists.”
The weather calendar is now in its 41st year and can be bought online here. Here are some of the photos featured in this year’s calendar:
Dutton says Labor’s ban on debit card surcharges merely ‘a plan for a plan’
Josh Butler
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, claims the government’s announcement about banning debit card surcharges was only “a plan for a plan”, criticising Labor for not yet following through on promised reforms to gambling ads and social media age limits.
Returning to his earlier press conference in Sydney, Dutton said the Coalition was “very happy to look at anything the government is going to propose, but it’s not an announcement. It’s just that they’re looking at it and it could come in in 2026.”
Australian families need help now from this government. At the moment, it’s a plan for a plan.
Dutton went on to note:
The government promised to introduce reforms to online gambling – nothing’s happened. They promised to introduce age verification – nothing has happened. The government makes all of these announcements, but never delivers anything, and I think this is just the latest example.
It’s a line reminiscent of Anthony Albanese’s criticism of Scott Morrison before the last election, accusing the then PM of being “all photo op, no follow-up”.
Dutton’s opposition seem keen to point out the government’s delay on various promises; in parliament’s question time last week, Coalition MPs asked Labor several questions on the long-delayed gambling ad reforms.
Now, 16 months after Peta Murphy’s report recommending a full ad ban, it is unclear when the government will announce its response. The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, last week promised a response before the election.
More information on chemical flash at University of Sydney
Fire and Rescue NSW has just released some more information on the chemical reaction at the University of Sydney, as we flagged a moment ago.
The chemical reaction occurred outside the University of Sydney Sports Aquatic Centre in Darlington, about 10am.
One employee and two bystanders were affected by the acid-based chemicals, FRNSW said, which were being moved for disposal.
One person received burns to his hands and was taken to hospital, and a further two people were also transported as a precaution.
The area has since been secured and analysed, before being decontaminated and rendered safe. SafeWork and the NSW EPA have been notified of the incident.
More than 1,000 Palestinians applying for onshore protection in Australia
Sarah Basford Canales
The number of Palestinians applying onshore for protection in Australia has surpassed 1,000 since October 2023 as the federal government unveils a new temporary humanitarian pathway option for those fleeing the conflict in Gaza.
Home affairs department figures for September, tabled in the Senate yesterday, show 118 from the Palestinian Authority applied for onshore protection visas in September 2024, bringing the total of applications to 1,033 since October 2023.
Protection visa applications for Palestinians peaked in July with 176 for the month after steadily rising from January. So far, the figures show none of the protection visas have been granted.
Last Thursday, the department published new details about its temporary humanitarian stay visas, allowing newly arrived Palestinians the possibility of a three-year visa. The option is similar to the pathway offered to Ukrainians fleeing the country following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The temporary visa is only available by invitation from the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, or any delegates, but those affected by the conflict can fill out an expression of interest form to be considered. The two-step process would see an individual being granted a subclass 449 Humanitarian Stay (Temporary) visa initially – a visa that does not grant Medicare access. Individuals would then be offered a subclass 786 Temporary (Humanitarian Concern) visa, which is valid for three years.
The department warned “individuals who are offered a temporary humanitarian stay cannot meet the criteria for and be granted a protection visa, regardless of whether they have already lodged an application”.
Guardian Australia asked Burke for the number of individuals offered a 449 or 786 visa through the pathway on Friday. The minister’s office declined to comment.
Three taken to hospital after minor chemical flash at Sydney uni
Three people have been taken to hospital after a minor chemical flash at the University of Sydney.
Fire and Rescue NSW said it was called to the workplace incident just before 10am today, along with paramedics, after reports one person had suffered burns from a chemical reaction.
He has been taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital with minor burns, after “exposure to the vapour cloud that came off the reaction” inside a plastic bucket. Two other people were transported to RPA as a precaution.
FRNSW crews are working to decontaminate areas where people washed-off after the chemical flash – described as a “rapid release of heat”.
We’ve actually just recovered the remaining product of the chemicals that have been mixed together and put them into proper storage recovery bins … Now we’re just working through to continue to decontaminate so we can open this site back up.
NSW Ambulance confirmed it had transported the three patients, but did not have an update on their condition.
Max Chandler-Mather hits out at ‘property investor’ PM
The Greens MP and housing spokesperson, Max Chandler-Mather, has weighed in on Anthony Albanese’s purchase of a home on New South Wales’ Central Coast with his fiancee, Jodie Haydon.
In a post to X labelling the prime minister a “property investor”, Chandler-Mather said:
Labor [and] the Liberals have created a housing system where a property investor can buy a $4.3m beachfront home, while millions can’t even find an affordable rental, let alone buy a house of their own.
Yet Labor still want to give property investors $176bn in tax handouts.
Daniel Hurst
Coalition silent on peacekeeper safety in Lebanon
The Coalition has refused to give its view on whether UN peacekeepers in Lebanon should be protected from Israeli attacks.
As reported here on the blog yesterday, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade gave a statement to Guardian Australia saying that Australia had “made clear to Israel that any targeting or intimidation of UN personnel and facilities in Lebanon is unacceptable and must cease”.
There have been further developments overnight, including the UN security council issuing a statement urging “all parties to respect the safety and security of Unifil personnel and premises” and saying “UN peacekeepers and UN premises must never be the target of an attack”.
The foreign affairs ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the UK also issued a joint statement expressing “our deep concern in the wake of recent attacks by [the Israel Defense Forces] on Unifil bases, which have left several peacekeepers injured” and that “these attacks must stop immediately”.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, denied accusations that Israel “deliberately attacked Unifil personnel” but said “the best way to assure the safety of Unifil personnel is for Unifil to heed Israel’s request and to temporarily get out of harm’s way”.
Today Guardian Australia asked the opposition’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Simon Birmingham, for comment about the protection of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, including whether the Australian government was right to make the call it did and whether Unifil was right to reject unilateral calls to move.
Birmingham’s office said that they would not be providing comment.
Daisy Dumas
Overseas arrivals and departures figures released
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its latest overseas arrivals and departures figures.
Permanent arrivals in August were down from the same month last year but are up about a third from 2019.
Short-term visitors were up 9.2% on last year, with most tourists coming from New Zealand, China and Japan. In New South Wales and Victoria, China was the No 1 source country for tourists. In Tasmania and Western Australia, the tourist market was dominated by Singaporeans.
More residents are holidaying overseas, with short-term resident returns up to 916,890 – an increase of 6.8% on one year earlier. For these people, at least, the cost-of-living crisis may not be hitting home.
But more people chose to leave and not return to Australia. Total departures were well up, increasing to 1,694,440 – an increase of 11.7% on one year earlier.
Albanese denies $4.3m home purchase is part of retirement plan
Daisy Dumas
The PM has been asked about his purchase of a home on New South Wales’ Central Coast with his fiancee, Jodie Haydon.
Well, Jodie and I are getting married, as is known, and I’m pleased about that. And Jodie’s a Coastie. She’s a proud Coastie … There are three generations of Haydons on the coast there. And when your relationship changes, your life changes, and you make decisions.
He said he was yet to buy the Copacabana home and, when asked if he planned to retire there, he said he was “planning to be in [his] current role for a very long time”.
Daisy Dumas
Clare O’Neil says Labor ‘came from a standing start’ on housing crisis
The prime minister is in Queensland, where he has been lending his weight to the Miles government’s re-election campaign.
Speaking alongside the housing minister, Clare O’Neil, in Logan, he has just announced a planned 1,100 new homes for the area as part of the government’s target to build 1.2m homes around the country over the next five years. O’Neil said:
We are, without question, one of the boldest and most ambitious commonwealth governments on housing that we have seen for a generation in this country. We came from a standing start. The prime minister here mentioned that for most of the time the Coalition were in power, they didn’t even have a housing minister. Didn’t even have a housing minister: that’s how tapped out they were on this critical problem.
When asked about Labor’s plan to drop debit card fees, Anthony Albanese said:
We think it’ll make a difference. And when people go and they see a price up on the board and the business where they’re making a purchase, that should be the purchase price. There shouldn’t be hidden charges and surcharges there when people are using their own money … The debit card is taking money directly from people’s accounts. That is their money, and there shouldn’t be surcharges on it.
Cait Kelly
More information on latest jobseeker data
Currently, 60% of households relying on jobseeker live below the poverty line.
Acoss is urging the federal government to increase Jobseeker from $56 a day to at least $82 a day to bring it in line with the pension.
Jobseeker and related income support payments should be indexed to the higher of wage growth or inflation, instead of just inflation, Goldie said:
As prices continue to rise and wages increase, it is vital that unemployment and related payments are adjusted to reflect the reality of living costs. We cannot allow people out of paid work to fall further behind, pushing more people into poverty.
Acoss is also advocating for a strategy to halve poverty by 2030, including setting national targets and definitions of poverty, increasing investment in social housing and First Nations organisations and creating more employment opportunities for those facing barriers to paid work.
Jobseeker now 20% of the average wage: Acoss data
Cait Kelly
Jobseeker is now just 20% of the average wage, data released by Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) for anti-poverty week has revealed.
While the average wage in Australia is $1,923 a week, jobseeker is just $393, the Acoss briefing on solutions to poverty shows. The payment is only 43% of the $916-per-week minimum wage, and has dropped to just 69% of the $572-per-week pension.
Youth Allowance at $319.50 a week is even lower, making up just 17% of the average wage, 35% of the minimum wage and 56% of the pension.
It is also far below the Henderson poverty line, which is $1,224.94 a fortnight for a single person. The Acoss chief executive, Cassandra Goldie, said it was time to raise the rate:
Australia’s totally inadequate income support payments are a primary cause of poverty in one of the wealthiest nations on Earth. Our unemployment payment is among the lowest in the OECD. It is a political choice and driving persistent poverty.
People receiving youth allowance or jobseeker are falling further behind both people in paid work and pensioners. Every day, people doing it tough are forced to go hungry, forgo essential medicine, and worry about finding or keeping a roof over their head. One of the quickest and most effective ways to lift people out of poverty is to raise the rate.
Race discrimination commissioner condemns white supremacist rally at the weekend
Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has condemned the white supremacist rally held in Corowa, in regional NSW, at the weekend.
On Sunday, a group of balaclava-wearing men were spotted huddled under a sign that read “white man fight back”. A video posted online showed the group’s leader suggesting white people were being “pushed out” of their towns.
Sivaraman said the Corowa rally was “a shock to many, particularly residents”, but for those who have been “following the rise of the far right in the last few years, it sadly wasn’t that surprising”.
This is what happens when we refuse to properly name and confront the extent of racism that is ingrained across our society. These rallies are a horrific manifestation of what happens when racism is normalised – to the extent that neo-Nazis are emboldened to be on the streets as a threatening force …
White supremacy is a threat that must be taken seriously. We should never forget that the worst mass murder in recent history committed by an Australian was a white supremacist in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019. Politicians need to be careful their language does not denigrate one community over another or embolden neo-Nazis to openly march on our streets. Australian media also needs to be careful about which ideologies it platforms.
He called for a national anti-racism action that “addresses the roots of white supremacy and all forms of racism in Australia”.
