NSW Central Coast ‘not out of the woods yet’ as bushfire conditions ease – as it happened | Australia news

Key events

What we learned, 7 December 2025

With that we’re wrapping up the blog. Before we go, here are the major stories from Sunday:

Anika Wells has defended her travel expenses that incurred up to $100k in flights to New York for an appearance at the UN, saying she “had to be in two places at once”;

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has backed in Wells over reports of taxpayer-funded travel expenses, saying the claims followed the rules;

“Strong and erratic” winds posed a challenge to New South Wales firefighters on Sunday morning but a late change brought calm conditions;

The Koolewong fire was downgraded on Sunday afternoon but authorities warned the situation was not under control with more than 75 fires burning across NSW;

The Dolphin Sands fire in Tasmania has been contained but the affected area is not safe for residents to re-enter;

The government has said more social media platforms could be added to its social media ban and it will continue to monitor its implementation;

State and federal governments have declared an emergency and opened the way for disaster assistance to be provided to fire-hit residents of the New South Wales Central Coast.

We’ll pick things up again tomorrow.

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Updated at 23.39 EST

Auction activity has fallen slightly this weekend with 3,328 auctions to be held. This is a slight drop on the 3,427 held last week but a massive surge on the 2,617 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.

Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 63.5% across the country, which is lower than the 68.2% preliminary rate recorded last week but above the 60.9% actual rate on final numbers and the 57.6% at the same time last year.

Across the capital cities:

Sydney: 845 of 1,100 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 61.5%

Melbourne: 1,215 of 1,656 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 65.5%

Brisbane: 139 0f 188 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 54.7%

Adelaide: 103 of 163 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 70.9%

Canberra: 79 of 110 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 55.7%

Perth: 14 of 29 auctions held with a preliminary clearance rate of 54.5%.

Tasmania: Two auctions held.

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Christmas rate relief off the table at last RBA meeting

The official cash rate is expected to remain on hold when the Reserve Bank decides on interest rates for the last time in 2025.

Mortgage holders aren’t expected to get an early Christmas present from the Reserve Bank, with a cut to interest rates all but off the table.

The central bank will begin two days of talks on Monday in its final board meeting of the year, after which the official cash rate is expected to remain at 3.6%.

Tuesday’s rate decision comes after the Reserve Bank started 2025 with a rate cut, followed by a further two easings that brought welcome cost-of-living relief for borrowers during the year.

But an uptick in the consumer price index has poured cold water on any chance of another interest rate reduction.

The latest data showed annual inflation rising to 3.8% from 3.6% the month before, well above the Reserve Bank’s target band of between 2 and 3%.

Trimmed mean inflation, which removes volatile price movements and is the central bank’s preferred measure, was at 3.3% in the 12 months to October.

A rise in house prices and the end of state rebates for power prices have been blamed for the spike.

Labour force figures for November will be released on Thursday and CommSec economists have tipped the unemployment rate of 4.3% will remain steady, with the Australian economy set to add about 25,000 jobs for the month.

The labour force participation rate is also expected to remain stable at 67%.

– AAP

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Updated at 23.14 EST

Taliban sanctions hailed as Afghan embassy future shaky

Australian sanctions on the oppressive regime of the Taliban have been hailed by the Afghan government in exile but its embassy in Canberra could be shut down.

Australia’s decision to sanction top Taliban officials has been praised as “principled and timely” in shunning the oppressive regime but it complicates how the government deals with Afghanistan diplomatically.

Canberra placed the measures on three Taliban ministers and Afghanistan’s chief justice meaning Australians will be prohibited from supplying them with arms or similar services, as well as using or dealing with their assets and funds.

Penny Wong. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the harsh diplomatic actions penalise the Taliban for demonstrating “contempt for the rights, freedoms and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls”.

The ousted Afghan government’s diplomatic representative in Canberra said the “world-first” autonomous sanctions framework was a step in the right direction in isolating the Taliban.

The embassy said on Sunday:

It sends a powerful message that impunity for crimes against the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls, will not be tolerated. Australia’s leadership sets a vital precedent for other nations to adopt similar measures to hold the Taliban accountable for their ongoing violations of international law.

The statement from the embassy, operating under the banner of the Coordination Council of Diplomatic and Consular Missions of Afghanistan, comes at a time when its future is up in the air.

Ambassador Wahidullah Waissi, an appointee of the government ousted by the Taliban, remains at the embassy but his diplomatic credentials expire in 2026 and its future remains in doubt.

– AAP

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Updated at 23.24 EST

Lawrence Du knew instinctively that his parents’ bakery had the potential to pop off on social media.

Shaun Du and Cindy Vuong opened Montmorency Bakehouse on the fringe of Melbourne’s east in 2003, after migrating to Australia from Vietnam. They started selling pillowy, coconut-dusted lamingtons, vanilla slices, chunky steak pies and crusty loaves of bread alongside crispy banh mi and rice paper rolls, creating a traditional country-style Australian bakery with a Vietnamese twist.

Lawrence, 28, who runs his own social media marketing company, had grown up with the bakery and wanted to share stories of his parents’ “hard work, all the love and care that they pour into their business”, he tells Guardian Australia.

Shaun and Cindy had a limited understanding of what their son wanted to do. But after costs rose with inflation and competition in the area increased, they finally relented.

“I knew that the videos were going to do well, but I didn’t expect them to do this well,” Lawrence says.

For more on this story, read the full feature story by The Guardian’s Stephanie Convery:

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NSW shark mitigation program gets extra $2.5m

New South Wales’s shark mitigation program will receive a $2.5m injection this summer to fly more drones, begin patrols earlier and have them operate for longer.

In an announcement on Sunday, the state government announced more drones will be purchased for the monitoring program, which will kick in from 13 December, a week earlier than planned and run until March 2026.

The additional funding adds to $21.4m earmarked for the program that funds Surf Life Saving New South Wales drone surveillance work at 50 beaches along the state.

Funding will also be provided for the placement of 150 shark bite kits to be distributed to beaches outside of the metropolitan area.

NSW minister for agriculture and regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, said she had been moved after meeting with the family of Mercury Psillakis, who died following a shark attack.

While there is no 100% safeguard to protect people from shark interactions, a mix of technologies and public awareness will increase safety.

A better awareness of sharks and their behaviour can help us all enjoy the beach and reduce the risk of shark interactions this summer.

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO (SLSNSW) Steve Pearce welcomed the announced as a “significant enhancement” of the program.

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Updated at 22.49 EST

Tax-minimising lawyer to ferocious Greens warrior: how an elevator ride changed David Shoebridge’s life

In the late 1990s, a corporate lawyer helping wealthy clients hide their assets was beginning to feel uncomfortable. There was a feeling that had been gnawing away at him for several weeks, becoming harder and harder to ignore. Eventually, while riding the elevator to work one morning, his subconscious took over.

“I don’t tend to make snap decisions, but I remember going up in the lift one morning and realising I just couldn’t do it any more,” he tells Guardian Australia.

I walked into the senior partner’s office and said, ‘look, I just can’t do this. I can’t restructure people’s finances and trusts to avoid tax. This is not where my life is headed.’

So, starting that morning, David Shoebridge began his transformation into what one senior federal Liberal MP describes as “easily the most effective Green” in parliament.

Read the full profile by Guardian Australia’s Henry Belot:

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Tasmania emergency services door-knocking bushfire-affected residents

Tasmania’s emergency services will be door-knocking to check on residents in the area around the Dolphin Sands bushfire, ready to provide food, medical supplies and other support as needed, incident controller Mark Klop says.

I want to thank the Dolphin Sands community for their incredible resilience and community spirit over the past few days.

The cause of the Dolphin Sands fire remains under investigation.

Property losses are still being assessed but it was confirmed on Friday that 19 houses or shacks, 15 outbuildings and four vehicles had been destroyed or damaged.

There has been significant damage to TasNetworks power poles, bringing down powerlines.

An evacuation centre remains open at Swansea Town Hall for residents unable to return to the area.

A drop-in session for community members to come and ask questions is operating today from 11am to noon at the Swansea Town Hall.

Klop said community safety was the priority for the moment, with authorities urging people to stay informed and up to date as events unfold.

Check your bushfire plan and act early. If you are not prepared, the safest option is always to leave early for a safer place.

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Updated at 22.12 EST

‘Not out of the woods yet’ as fires burn on Central Coast

More than 300 firefighters battle blazes on the NSW Central Coast, along with 55 fire appliances that are being supported by aircraft.

Conditions have eased after the arrival of a cool change on Sunday morning but Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner, Ben Millington, warns “we’re not out of the woods yet”.

At least 12 homes have been destroyed on the Central Coast as more than 75 bushfires burn across New South Wales.

Here is a look at the damage the fires have caused and some of the aftermath as of Sunday morning:

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Updated at 22.13 EST

Coalition calls for review of Anika Wells’ expenses

Coalition senator James Paterson spoke to reporters on Sunday morning to call for an investigation into $100k of flights to New York the minister claimed to attend talks at the United Nations.

The minister has asserted that it’s within the rules, but ministers are required to publicly justify their expenses and make sure it’s in line with community expectations.

I don’t even know how you can spend $100,000 on return flights to New York City, even if you’re flying business class, sometimes first class flights don’t even cost that much money.

It bewilders me how she managed to spend that amount of money on those flights. And I think all of this should be put beyond doubt. All of this should be referred to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority for review to make sure it’s actually within the rules.

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Updated at 21.35 EST

More platforms could be added after social media ban begins, Wells says

Anika Wells has forewarned that more platforms can be added to the list of social media sites banned for under-16s from this Wednesday.

With the laws coming into effect this week, a number of smaller apps and sites are growing in popularity as children and young teenagers look to circumvent the restrictions.

One of those was Lemon8, an app owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Last week, Lemon8 agreed to restrict its users to those aged over 16 from Wednesday.

Wells told Sky News:

There’s 10 [platforms] on the list at the moment. It’s a dynamic list. These aren’t set and forget rules … you might have seen that TikTok has said that whatever they do with TikTok, they will do with Lemon8 as well, which is really encouraging. Kik, an Australian platform, when they got added to the list, were incredibly responsive … Obviously, YouTube have said on Wednesday that they don’t agree with the law. That’s their right, but they’ve also said they’re going to abide by it.

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Updated at 21.26 EST

Social media ban ‘won’t absolve us of all the sins of the internet’, Anika Wells says

Ahead of the social media ban for under-16s coming into effect on Wednesday, Anika Wells has said the new laws aren’t a cure for all the “sins of the internet”.

On Sky News this morning, the communications minister acknowledged the ban won’t entirely end online bullying for kids and teenagers and there would be loopholes for some to get around.

But Wells said it was about getting these conversations started early and giving children more time to build real-world relationships and educate themselves about online risks.

We’re not banning the internet here. And I’ve said all along that this isn’t a cure. This is a treatment plan. This will not absolve us of all the sins of the internet.

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Updated at 20.56 EST

Anika Wells: ‘I used my family reunion entitlement within the guidelines’

Anika Wells has defended her family’s skiing trip to Thredbo in June with taxpayer funds as within the rules as she attended official events in her capacity as sports minister.

The Nine newspapers reported on Sunday that the minister’s family joined her in Thredbo, where she was invited to join Paralympics Australia for an event. The family’s flights cost $1,389.18 and Wells claimed $844 for two nights’ accommodation at the resort.

Wells told Sky News on Sunday her family did go skiing but she said the entitlement guidelines were followed.

I was there to work. I did work across the weekend. You can see all the official engagements that I had separate to that. I used my family reunion entitlement within the guidelines, as every parliamentarian can do. I appreciate people want to scrutinise. Happy to keep answering your questions.

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Updated at 20.39 EST

Koolewong fire downgraded as firefighters take advantage of easing conditions

The Koolewong fire has been downgraded to an advice level, as authorities say they are increasingly optimistic with changing weather allowing firefighting crews to take advantage of more favourable conditions.

RFS deputy commissioner Ben Millington is giving an update to the ABC and says the downgrading of the blaze had come through “in the last couple of minutes” thanks to an “easing of conditions and crews are starting to get the upper hand on that fire”.

The Redhead fire, however, remains as a “watch and act”, and is being affected by strong winds pushing from the south.

More than 300 firefighters are currently employed in the NSW Central Coast, along with 55 fire appliances that are being supported by aircraft, Millington said.

They are doing a fantastic job – as was alluded to earlier, we’re seeing an easing of conditions. Some strong winds still going through that area but … less humidity is enabling firefighters to [get] the upper hand on some of these fires.

There remain 70 fires still burning across the state, with 20 that are not yet contained but authorities say they are not concerned “at this stage”, except for the Milsons Gully Fire in the Upper Hunter, which has burned over 11,000 hectares.

So it’s a very large fire. There’s no immediate threats there. We do have aircraft and fire firefighting crews right through there with an evacuation centre still open at Merriwa should things escalate. But at this stage, with the cooler conditions, we are starting to get the upper hand on a lot of these fires but still need people to heed warnings and remain vigilant over the coming days.

Bushfires have destroyed homes in Koolewong, on the NSW Central Coast. Photograph: ABC NewsShare

Updated at 20.26 EST

‘I had to be in two places at once’: Anika Wells defends $100k US trip

Earlier this morning, the communications minister, Anika Wells, defended a $100,000 taxpayer-funded trip to the UN general assembly in September to spruik Australia’s upcoming social media ban as a “really tricky situation”.

On Sky News, the minister said she had been scheduled to join the prime minister’s plane on Saturday but delayed her attendance to deal with another triple-zero outage during an Optus network upgrade.

While at the general assembly, Wells hosted an event on the upcoming social media ban for under-16s, met with senior executives from Meta, Microsoft and Amazon, and attended several events and panels.

Wells said:

I had to be in two places at once. It was a really tricky situation. I appreciate that everybody’s going to have an opinion on which of those three options I should have taken … I genuinely chose the option where I thought I could discharge my duties in both areas.

Read more on this story:

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Updated at 20.04 EST

Overhaul of Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog recommended

Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog should be overhauled, with a broader definition of corrupt conduct, which could allow it to pursue cases such as those that ensnared former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian and her ex-partner Daryl Maguire, a parliamentary committee has found.

The oversight of Victoria police should also be strengthened, and the force legally required to implement Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac) recommendations, or publicly state why it was not doing so, the committee found.

The integrity and oversight committee delivered the final report from its inquiry into the adequacy of Ibac’s legislative framework this week.

The committee made 31 recommendations in the 149-page report, including about follow-the-dollar powers, legal definitions, investigations, examinations of witnesses, confidentiality and information security, and that Ibac should establish a dedicated Aboriginal engagement unit.

It said the Victorian government should broaden the definition of corrupt conduct to include matters involving a serious disciplinary offence, misconduct worthy of termination, or other relevant offences or “instances considered in breach of public trust in the public officer by reason of their appointment as a public officer”.

For more on this story, read the report by Guardian Australia’s Nino Bucci:

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Updated at 22.50 EST

High winds to be concern on Sunday amid bushfires, BoM says

A cool change has moved through New South Wales overnight and though it hasn’t yet reached the north-east parts of the state it is expected to later on Sunday.

Dean Narramore from the Bureau of Meteorology is speaking to ABC to give an update on the latest weather after bushfires have scorched the New South Wales coast and communities in eastern Tasmania.

High wind will be the concern on Sunday, Narramore said with hot and windy conditions stretching through Saturday. These winds are sweeping up from the south, and are likely to push current fires north before dying down in the late afternoon.

If you’re on the northern side of any ongoing fires through parts of the state today, you’re going to be in, harm’s way possibly during the afternoon and evening hours as these strong and gusty southerly winds push those fires to the north.

Strong winds are pushing smoke haze from the firegrounds further north than yesterday, leaving clear air in their wake.

In Tasmania, another cold front is expected overnight and into Monday, which it is hoped will bring more rain but also potentially stronger winds.

We’re going to see those winds in Tasmania really pick up later today and tonight and then tomorrow. Pretty strong winds through eastern parts of Tasmania. So any ongoing fires there are definitely a concern with the next front moving in there Victoria.

Northern parts of New South Wales, particularly the Northern Rivers and Tablelands regions can expect some “pretty big thunderstorms” on Sunday.

This evening through north-east New South Wales and inland South East Queensland where large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall all possible.

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Updated at 22.52 EST

Dolphin Sands fire in Tasmania contained but still not safe to enter

The Dolphin Sands fire has now been contained as rain overnight has helped ease conditions on the fire ground, the Tasmania Fire Service says.

About 30 firefighters from Tasmania Fire Service and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Services are on the ground today, continuing to work on remaining pockets and conducting patrols.

Tasmania firefighters continue efforts to control the Dolphin Sands bushfire on 6 December 2025. Photograph: Tasmania Police

Incident controller Mark Klop said that two excavators were being utilised to create a fire break at the eastern end of the fire today.

An updated forecast shows slightly elevated fire weather in the Dolphin Sands area today.

At this stage, it is not safe for residents or vehicles to enter the area. Significant debris remains on properties, including roofing materials and contaminants.

TasNetworks and tree debris have been removed, however ongoing tree assessment and assistance to TasNetworks is continuing.

We recognise that this is stressful and frustrating for residents, but the safety of the community and responding emergency services is our number one priority at this time.

Dolphin Sands Road east of 191 Dolphin Sands Road remains closed. Conditions are being reassessed today to determine when the road can safely reopen.

Dolphin Sands Road from the Tasman Highway to 191 Dolphin Sands Road is open to residents only.

Residents are urged to show caution when returning to the area.

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Updated at 19.41 EST