Crisafulli urges residents to prepare as storm approaches – as it happened
Crisafulli: Queenslanders who prepare now for Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be safe
Queensland premier David Crisafulli has urged residents in the path of Tropical Cyclone Alfred to immediately prepare their properties and draw up evacuation plans.
Crisafulli said that taking action today – before any deterioration in the weather on Thursday and Friday – was crucial, especially moving loose objects out of harm’s way and cutting overhanging trees to minimise the debris and damage the cyclone could cause.
There is the prospect that this cyclone could cross the coast in the middle of the night with a high tide, and that is not the time to be making your evacuation plan. Now is that time, and if you do so, I have every faith that Queenslanders will be kept safe.
By tomorrow afternoon, preparing your house will be very difficult. That window [of time] is now, so get in and do the little things.”
He said the state had entered the second phase of the weather event, with damaging winds to begin.
Crisafulli said it was rare for a cyclone to hit land so far south and warned residents to expect power outages. He said also people should look out for fallen live wires and other hazards if it floods.
Key events
What happened Wednesday 5 March, 2025
With that, we’ll end our live coverage of the day’s news.
Here’s a summary of the main news developments:
Have a pleasant evening. We’ll be back with further coverage of Cyclone Alfred tomorrow.
Brisbane, SE Queensland public transport to stop late tonight because of stormy weather
Public transport in Brisbane and south-east Queensland will come to a halt at the end of tonight as the region braces for the impact of Cyclone Alfred.
The public transport hiatus, which includes rail and buses extended to Brisbane city council buses, which will be suspended from final service tonight. Ferry services have already been suspended.
It is not yet clear when services will resume.
Angus Taylor flags ‘whitelist’ for trusted overseas investors for fast approval
At an AFR business summit today, the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, appeared to walk back the Coalition’s proposal to crackdown on insurance companies. (As we reported here earlier, the PM chose not to weigh in on that.)
Also at the summit, AAP reported, Taylor promised to slash red tape for investors from friendly nations such as the US and Japan.
He said the Coalition would create a whitelist for trusted investors in Australia, putting them on an express lane to approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board and speeding up decision times, which take 41 days on average.
“This is about smarter screening, not weaker oversight,” Taylor said.
The Property Council welcomed the proposal, saying a whitelist would make Australia a more desirable destination for global investors.
“We should welcome other people’s money to build the housing and infrastructure we need,” chief executive Mike Zorbas said.
Taylor said he would focus on boosting productivity in the construction, finance and energy and resources sectors, setting up task forces to drive deregulation and reform. The Coalition would also order the productivity commission to conduct an annual stocktake of the costs regulation was having on the economy.
Labor announced its own changes to speed up foreign investment in 2024.
– with AAP
Trump tariffs push Australian share market to lowest close for 2025
The Australian share market has continued its slide to record its lowest close of 2025, as US president Donald Trump promises to slap tariffs on more countries.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell 57 points, or 0.70%, to 8,141.1, while the broader All Ordinaries sank 57.8 points, or 0.69%, to 8,363.1.
Trump has promised to extend tariffs to more countries from 2 April, after hitting Canada and Mexico with 25% levies and doubling duties on Chinese goods to 20%.
Energy stocks posted a third day of losses, giving up 1.7 % over the session, as the trade war further tempered global demand expectations and pushed oil prices closer to $US70 a barrel.
Coles and Woolworths took a hit after paying dividends to shareholders, dropping 4.4% and 3.9%, respectively to $18.89 and $28.72. The supermarket slump helped drive consumer staples 3.6% lower – the worst performing sector of the day.
The utilities sector was the only one to finish in the green, grinding 0.11% higher, but still closing down more than 2% for the month.
Iron ore miners BHP and Rio Tinto edged slightly higher as China announced new stimulus measures to help achieve its 5% growth target, which it held steady in the face of US tariff pressures.
AAP
Swell at Currumbin ahead of Cyclone Alfred reaching the coast
This compilation of satellite images shows Tropical Cyclone Alfred tracking towards the coast
Chalmers: insurers with customers affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred should ‘do the right thing’
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will warn insurance companies not to add to the stress of residents who will be affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred and lodge claims for any damage caused.
Chalmers, speaking to ABC TV, said he “will be speaking with the insurance companies and that’s to remind them – not that they might need reminding – of the really stressful time that people are going through”.
Chalmers said:
It’s very rare to see a cyclone this far south and likely to hit a population centre this big as south-east Queensland and the northern part of New South Wales.
Obviously the insurance companies have got a big role to play here. We want to make sure that they’re doing the right thing by their customers recognising that it’s going to be a really stressful time for everyone
We want to make sure that the way that people deal with insurance companies doesn’t add unnecessarily to that stress.”
Residents prepare sandbags ahead of Cyclone Alfred
Crisafulli: Queenslanders who prepare now for Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be safe
Queensland premier David Crisafulli has urged residents in the path of Tropical Cyclone Alfred to immediately prepare their properties and draw up evacuation plans.
Crisafulli said that taking action today – before any deterioration in the weather on Thursday and Friday – was crucial, especially moving loose objects out of harm’s way and cutting overhanging trees to minimise the debris and damage the cyclone could cause.
There is the prospect that this cyclone could cross the coast in the middle of the night with a high tide, and that is not the time to be making your evacuation plan. Now is that time, and if you do so, I have every faith that Queenslanders will be kept safe.
By tomorrow afternoon, preparing your house will be very difficult. That window [of time] is now, so get in and do the little things.”
He said the state had entered the second phase of the weather event, with damaging winds to begin.
Crisafulli said it was rare for a cyclone to hit land so far south and warned residents to expect power outages. He said also people should look out for fallen live wires and other hazards if it floods.
Irwin family’s Australia Zoo preparing to treat any native animals injured by Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Australia Zoo’s wildlife hospital is gearing up to treat an influx of native wildlife injured by Tropical Cyclone Alfred in coming days.
The Steve Irwin-founded zoo, which is about an hour’s drive from Brisbane, has yet to decide if it will close its doors to visitors, but it has sought to reassure people that its hospital will remain open 24 hours a day.
In a statement, the zoo said:
Our team is working around the clock to ensure that our beautiful animals remain comfortable and safe, spoiling them with lots of love and comfort food.
We will make the decision whether to close Australia Zoo, if required, for the safety of our animals, staff and visitors.
The Australia Zoo Wildlife hospital continues to operate 24 hours a day, and will be prepared to treat native wildlife impacted by the cyclone in the coming days.”
SE Queensland, northern NSW airports close as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches
Airlines have had to cancel many flights as airports in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales shut ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Gold Coast airport will close from 4PM local time today.
Ballina airport flights have also been suspended.
Coffs Harbour airport flights will cease from midnight tonight.
It is unclear when the airports will reopen for flights.
Brisbane and Sunshine Coast airports remains open.
Acting Gold Coast mayor warns of ‘most significant’ storm event since 1954
The acting Gold Coast mayor has warned residents to take seriously the threat posed by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, declaring it could be the “most significant” wind and wet weather event for the city since 1954.
Donna Gates said residents should be safe in their homes and plan for power outages from 6pm on Wednesday.
She said that over the course of the next two or three days the area is expecting as much as 800mm of rain. While the cyclone is classified at the upper end of category two, wind gusts of a category three strength could occur.
We’ve tried to prepare everyone so that they do understand that this looks like the most significant event in our city in terms of destructive winds and heavy rain that we’ve seen since 1954.”
