Australia news LIVE: Government forces telcos to make network outages public in real time after Optus outage; Calls to First Nations crisis helpline surge, Lifeline says

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7.26am

Category 5 hurricane heads for Jamaica, catastrophic flooding, landslides and damage forecast

Hurricane Melissa intensified into a Category 5 storm yesterday as it drew closer to Jamaica, where forecasters expected it to unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage. At that strength, it would be the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851.

Blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean as it headed toward the island, Melissa was on track to make landfall Tuesday in Jamaica (Wednesday local time) before coming ashore in Cuba later in the day and then heading toward the Bahamas. It was not expected to affect the United States.

Anticipating the hardship in store for his country, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, “I have been on my knees in prayer.”

In this handout satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Melissa churns northwest through the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it approaches Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Radar map shows Hurricane Melissa heading for Jamaica.

Hanna Mcleod, a 23-year-old hotel receptionist in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, said she boarded up the windows at her home, where her husband and brother are staying. She stocked up on canned corned beef and mackerel and left candles and flashlights throughout the house.

“I just told them to keep the door closed,” she said. “I am definitely worried. This is actually the first time I’ll be experiencing this type of hurricane.”

Category 5 is the top of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (250 kph). Melissa would be the strongest hurricane in recorded history to directly hit the small Caribbean nation, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.

7.10am

Environmental law reforms ‘good for business, also good for the environment’: Rishworth

By Emily Kaine

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth has defended Environment Minister Murray Watt’s divisive environmental law reforms that are set to be tabled in parliament later this week.

The proposed reforms have been widely criticised by parliamentarians across the political spectrum, with the Coalition claiming the reforms do not go far enough for Australian businesses, and the Greens demanding they do more to address climate change and emissions concerns.

Rishworth this morning said that the reforms aim to strike a balance between the two concerns.

“Murray Watt is putting forward a really well-consulted proposal,” Rishworth told Nine’s Today show.

“This review was done actually under the current opposition leader Sussan Ley, because we know that we need faster approvals, we also know our environment minister is engaging across the parliament with both the Coalition and the Greens, but we want to achieve our objectives. It’s good for business, but it’s also good for the environment, and we really need to get on with the job, and that’s what we plan to do.”

6.58am

‘I got an MRI. It was perfect’: Trump confirms recent MRI, declines to give details

US President Donald Trump said he underwent an MRI during his most recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, but he declined to provide details about the reason for the scan.

The comments marked the first time Trump, 79, has offered an explanation for his second medical exam this year.

The October 10 visit, described by the White House as a routine yearly check-up, prompted questions about the president’s health as it came just six months after he had an extensive physical examination.

“I did. I got an MRI. It was perfect,” Trump told reporters while flying to Tokyo.

US President Donald Trump as he departed the White House for a trip to Asia.

But Trump would not say why he received the scan, telling reporters travelling with him to “ask the doctors”.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions.

“Trump remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance,” Trump’s physician Sean Barbabella said in a memo released after the visit.

The doctor noted in the memo that the evaluation helped prepare for Trump’s upcoming overseas trips and included advanced imaging, lab testing and preventive health assessments.

Reuters

6.45am

Calls to First Nations crisis helpline surge, Lifeline says

By Angus Thomson

The March for Australia rallies and an attack on an Indigenous camp in Melbourne coincided with a surge in calls to the national helpline for First Nations people in distress, Lifeline says.

Calls to 13YARN, the 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention service supported by Lifeline but operated and staffed by Indigenous people, have risen to an average of 91 every day this year, statistics released this morning reveal. Daily calls averaged 65 last year.

National program manager Aunty Marj Anderson said demand has increased year-on-year since the helpline’s launch in 2022, but there had been a noticeable spike since the rallies in late August, and subsequent attack by a group of neo-Nazis on Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne’s Kings Domain.

“It’s really starting to wear the community down,” Anderson said. “They might not ring up and say it’s racism. They might ring up and say it’s something else, but it’s something else that they might have been able to cope with if they weren’t already beaten down by racism.”

Aunty Marj Anderson, national program manager of 13YARN, says crisis supporters have been fielding a record number of calls from people reporting racism and abuse.

Suicide was responsible for the deaths of 20 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under 24, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics from 2019 to 2023 show.

If you or anyone you know needs support, call 13 YARN on 13 9276, Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

6.45am

Telcos forced to make network outages public in real time after Optus scandal

By Natassia Chrysanthos

The Albanese government will force telcos including Optus and Telstra to keep a real-time public register of network outages.

It follows the September Optus outage, linked to three deaths, where at least 600 Triple Zero calls failed.

Minister for Communications Anika Wells arrives at question time this month.

The real-time register is yet to be designed but could operate similarly to the way energy companies provide live information and maps about outages on their websites.

Communications Minister Anika Wells wrote to the regulator yesterday with a formal direction that it must beef up transparency measures and require telcos to keep a public register of network outages.

6.45am

What’s making news this morning

By Emily Kaine

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Tuesday, October 28. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage for the first half of the day. Here’s what is making headlines this morning.

The Albanese government will force telcos including Optus and Telstra to keep a real-time public register of network outages. It follows the September Optus outage, linked to three deaths, where at least 600 Triple Zero calls failed. The real-time register is yet to be designed but could operate similarly to the way energy companies provide live information and maps about outages on their websites.
The March for Australia rallies and an attack on an Indigenous camp in Melbourne coincided with a surge in calls to the national helpline for First Nations people in distress, Lifeline says. Calls to 13YARN, the 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention service supported by Lifeline but operated and staffed by Indigenous people, have risen to an average of 91 every day this year, statistics released this morning reveal. Daily calls averaged 65 last year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to cut opposition staff and attempt to tighten freedom of information laws has earned his government a failing grade on transparency and spurred teal MPs to claim it is worse than the Morrison government on promoting integrity, a report from the independent Centre for Public Integrity found.
Hurricane Melissa intensified into a Category 5 storm as it drew closer to Jamaica, where forecasters expected it to unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage. At that strength, it would be the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851. Blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean as it headed toward the island, Melissa was on track to make landfall on Tuesday in Jamaica (Wednesday morning local time), before coming ashore in Cuba later in the day and then heading toward the Bahamas.
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out seeking a third term in the White House, he told reporters in Asia, saying he “would love to do it”. It is not clear what method the US leader would use to run again. Last week, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon said that a “plan” was in place to secure the president another term in office.