flood
(Image: AAP/Dan Peled)

DOWN AND OUT

Tens of thousands of Sydneysiders were told to immediately evacuate overnight, ABC reports, as Georges River swelled to breaking point in the south-west. Suburbs affected include Chipping Norton, Moorebank and Warwick Farm, plus many more. The State Emergency Service (SES) told the broadcaster there was no time to warn residents before ordering them out. The SMH reports residents in Camden were also ordered out at 9pm last night — anyone who stayed risked being trapped by floodwaters, and living without power or water for days, the SES warned.

It comes as a new east coast low pummels the state, with heavy rain, flooding, and landslide risks from Coffs Harbour all the way down to Bega, and extending inland to Canberra and the Central Tablelands. If you can, stay off the roads today — that’s the message from Transport NSW, who says “unprecedented rainfall” has caused widespread damage to the road network. Expect public transport delays in Sydney today too, as news.com.au reports.

This could be the most expensive flood clean-up of all time in Australia, The Australian ($) reports, with the cost climbing as high as $2.5 billion according to the Insurance Council of Australia. It has received 86,703 claims so far — three-quarters are from Queensland as NSW continues to be battered by weather. At least 17 people are dead — 11 in Queensland and six in NSW — and thousands are homeless right now.

[free_worm]

WEST CASE SCENARIO

Perth has Australia’s emptiest CBD — that’s according to the Property Council of Australia (PCA), who showed occupancy was at just 55% of pre-pandemic levels last month, the highest national disparity, The West ($) reports. The group is calling to end the mask mandate indoors like NSW, Victoria and Queensland recently did, saying three in five workers they spoke to avoid the office because of the mask rule. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are soaring in WA at the moment, with 2365 recorded yesterday and one death, ABC reports. It’s the fifth day in a row that cases have been higher than 2000. But rules are easing anyway, as about two-thirds of the population is triple vaxxed — yesterday WA confirmed that if a child is a close contact of a case, their parents won’t automatically be considered to be one too.

It comes as Premier Mark McGowan left the state for the first time in two years — he’s in Sydney facing off with mining billionaire Clive Palmer in a high-profile defamation case, Guardian Australia reports. Palmer reckons McGowan’s public comments about him — including that the billionaire was an “enemy of the state” — were defamatory, but McGowan has counter-claimed that Palmer’s conspiratorial rhetoric about him saw death threats levelled at McGowan and his family, 7 News reports. The premier says he even received a package of white powder and saw a person in an armoured car with fake guns near his electoral office. Yikes. The trial continues today.

THE GOODS, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has singled out seven key goods that Australia should focus on, amid choked-out supply chains worldwide: semiconductors, agricultural chemicals, water treatment chemicals, telecommunications equipment, plastics, pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment (PPE) — that’s according to his upcoming speech to the AFR business summit today. Morrison continues that he’s “never really been in the build back better camp” (what a coincidence, as that’s a key line from Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese), saying he just wants to return to the pre-pandemic economic management and business-led economic growth that worked before.

But some might argue that things weren’t really working for them in pre-pandemic times. Today is International Women’s Day and there are many interesting stories pouring in, shedding light on the female experience. SMH’s Sarah Berry writes plainly this morning that women suffer burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression more than men, they do double the amount of unpaid work each week and earn 13.8% less than men. Berry spoke to four high-achieving women about managing their health, and there are some great insights in there. Also this morning, The New Daily reports the housing boom might have widened the wealth gap between men and women, according to a new report from CoreLogic — considering women own around 26% of the property, while men own 30%. It’s further exacerbated by the fact a man can save a 20% deposit for a house a year faster than a woman, because of the gender pay gap. It’s spurred a new campaign called Safety. Respect. Equity. from some of Australia’s most influential women including Grace Tame, Brittany Higgins, and Lucy Hughes Turnbull, as ABC reports.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

It’s no secret that being positive can help us live longer, age better and lower our risk of disease — though it’s much easier said than done in an almost biblical news cycle of war, the pandemic and flooding. But a new study may have revealed what actually sorts the optimists from the pessimists, and it’s come as a bit of a surprise. Researchers found optimists don’t actually have some superhuman ability to cope with stress or bounce back better — they react to, and recover from, stress just the same as a pessimist does. The crucial difference is optimists experience less stress. Researchers believe they either “avoid arguments, lost keys, traffic jams and other irritations”, or simply do not perceive those things as “stressful” in the first place.

So how can we emulate this approach? Start small, one of the researchers says. We should become aware of our reactions while they’re happening, to look at our own judgment of a situation critically. Our reactions are hardwired to be negative — what’s known as the negative bias — and if we can catch ourselves, we can flip it. But it’s not about ignoring risk. Instead it’s about focusing on our strengths, what has worked for us before, and the things we can control — like setting your alarm earlier or buying a key bowl.

Wishing you a smile against the odds this morning.

If you’re feeling chatty, send me an email, tell me what you like or loathe about the Worm, or anything — eelsworthy@crikey.com.au

SAY WHAT?

The lack of federal assistance in the flood zones in northern NSW has been nothing short of appalling. The stories from friends are hard to comprehend.

Kelly Slater

The pro-surfer says he is astounded that flood-affected swathes of the state have been forced to fend for themselves after homes and lives were destroyed by the deadly flooding. About 20 tonnes of essential goods have reportedly been delivered so far to victims — but they have come via a fleet of 14 privately owned helicopters. The radar shows just two ADF helicopters flying daily, Guardian Australia reports.

CRIKEY RECAP

Child sexual abuse claims leveled at Pentecostal-linked facility granted $4 million by Scott Morrison

Mar 07, 2022

18

Unlocked

“Crikey’s reporting on the Esther Foundation started four weeks ago with suggestions of religious-based abuse, which have been flatly denied by Lavater. Since then dozens of former residents and parents have come forward to tell Crikey of their experiences.

“The women who have contacted Crikey range from as young as 20 up to the age of 40. Their experiences date as far back as the mid 1990s. The most recent left the Esther Foundation in early 2020. For many former residents, Esther has left a legacy of fear and paranoia.”

‘I witnessed truly appalling things’: a letter from a former resident of Esther House

Mar 07, 2022

11

Unlocked

“You’re forced to participate in three to four church meetings a week. Some going for all hours of the night. If you’re unwilling to stand, suddenly a group of people will be yelling and trying to perform an exorcism for the demons forcing you to rebel.

“If you resisted this you would be forcibly held on the floor, having your stomach pushed on by Patricia [Lavater, Esther Foundation founder] as many ‘spoke in tongues’ over you. The only way to make it stop was to comply and scream as if your ‘demons were being released”.”

Morrison’s subs stunt needs another stunt to salvage it

Mar 07, 2022

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“Never in Australian history has there been a more expensive policy simply made up as a bunch of poll-watching politicians went along — it makes the JobKeeper waste look like loose change.

“The AUKUS announcement never made any strategic sense — we were ditching a plan to have new submarines in the water in the 2030s for a vague notion of having nuclear submarines in the water in the 2050s, if we were lucky, all for the sake of a big announcement for a prime minister looking to reset his COVID-laden leadership.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Is Putin likely to face the ICC over Russia’s actions in Ukraine? (Al Jazeera)

Car industry woes show how global conflicts will reshape trade (The New York Times)

Zelenskyy: Ukraine will not forgive Russia for invasion, shelling (Al Jazeera)

Ukraine conflict: Petrol at fresh record as oil and gas prices soar (BBC)

Amazon near tipping point of shifting from rainforest to savannah, study suggests (CNN)

COVID may cause changes in the brain, new study finds (The New York Times)

Canada, UK, Netherlands discuss humanitarian coalition for Ukraine (CBC)

After decades-long fight, Philippines raises age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 (CNN)

Cuomo re-emerges and blames ‘cancel culture’ for his fall (The New York Times)

THE COMMENTARIAT

Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins are supremely admirable, and the acceptable white faces of Australian feminism — Sisonke Msimang (Guardian Australia): “I’ve been thinking about Grace Tame a lot in the last few weeks. Wondering how to talk about her with the admiration she deserves, while asking questions about why she in particular has become the face of modern Australian feminism when there are so many other women — Black women in particular — with so much to say and with so many difficult and heart-wrenching stories of their own.

“Her response to journalists who published photos of her as a teenager goes some way towards explaining it — she is simply remarkable. Still, there are deeper questions about the overwhelming sense that her anger is authentic and true and acceptable, when so often, the anger expressed by Black female activists is seen as toxic, divisive and polarising”

The office is fine, but the commute is still atrocious — Pilita Clark (The AFR): “This month, free doughnuts, mocktails, and meditation lessons will reportedly be on offer at the Bank of Queensland’s offices in Australia, where other workers are being offered free coffee and lunch delivered to their desks. These are all excellent developments, but I am not sure how well they will work. Delightful as free food is, it is up against a formidable rival in the battle to get workers back to the office: the commute.

“The No. 1 reason homeworking employees around the world say they are dreading the return to the office is the time, expense, and discomfort of getting to and from their desks each day. A striking 74% of professionals in the US say the commute is what they dread most about going back to the office, the Korn Ferry consultancy said last week. That’s no surprise considering the average one-way commute rose to a new high of 28 minutes in 2019, according to the US Census Bureau, up from 25 minutes in 2006.

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

The Latest Headlines

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Online

  • Weather and hydrology experts from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) will speak at the Autumn 2022 Climate and Water Update.

  • Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy and Essential Media’s Pete Lewis unpack the fortnight’s political news in a webinar for the Australia Institute.

Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)

  • Prime Minister Scott Morrison is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote address at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit.

Whadjuk Noongar Country (also known as Perth)

  • Her Société’s Tracy De Paolis and Gender Equity Inc’s Tania Cecconi are among the speakers at an International Women’s Day lunch held at The Flour Factory.