More central west towns face being cut off with Euabalong residents told to evacuate. Follow the day’s news live
Good morning and welcome to the Australian politics live blog. Amy Remeikis will be here shortly but let’s look at the main stories making news overnight.
Parts of regional New South Wales remain at high risk of flooding today with the Lachlan River still rising downstream of Forbes in the central west. Helicopters have been used to airlift sheep to safety in Condobolin which is cut off by an inland sea. Residents in Euabalong have been told to evacuate because the river is going to peak at a record 8m today. Some residents in Moulamein in the Riverina have chosen to stay despite a warning that it could be cut off until December.
The federal environment department allowed the National Farmers’ Federation to attend a meeting about clearing of native grasslands by a company called Jam Land, part-owned by then-energy minister, Angus Taylor. A document obtained by Guardian Australia shows that the department’s own officials said allowing the NFF to attend would not normally be “acceptable” and could set the wrong precedent. This is Lisa Cox’s exclusive story.
We also have a report this morning that the Liberal party is expected to allow members the freedom to campaign however they wish on the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, defying advice from former prime minister John Howard. Even Liberal supporters say the government must give more information about the voice and conduct a parliamentary inquiry before they could pledge their support.