Key events
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What we learned today, Tuesday 27 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. But before we go, let’s recap the big headlines.
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Jason Falinski, the former NSW Liberal party president, said he didn’t believe it “works” for the Liberals to be in Coalition with the Nationals any longer.
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The city of Adelaide had its hottest night on record, with temperatures falling to just 34.1C before 7am local time. The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, spoke to RN Breakfast, saying the state was responding relatively well to the record-breaking temperatures, although he said the overnight heat was “truly extraordinary”. Temperatures in Adelaide hit 40C by 9.30am on Tuesday.
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Liberal frontbencher Tim Wilson said he’s had no phone calls from colleagues counting the numbers to replace the embattled opposition leader, Sussan Ley. The Victorian MP said his party should be focused on helping small business owners, tradies and everyday Australians trying to get ahead, and not on internal spats.
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Sammy Yahood, the Jewish influencer who had his visa cancelled yesterday, just hours before he was due to depart for Australia, said he will not be deterred after getting stuck in the UAE. Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed Monday that Yahood’s visa had been cancelled, saying “spreading hatred is not a good reason to come” to Australia.
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Western Australia police have charged a man, 31, after an alleged homemade improvised explosive device was thrown into a crowd gathered for Perth’s Invasion Day rally.
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Chris Hardman, the chief fire officer at Forest Fire Management Victoria, said three homes are believed to have been destroyed by Carlisle River fire in the Otways.
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Victoria appears to have recorded its hottest day with preliminary weather observations showing temperatures have hit 48.9C in Walpeup and Hopetoun in the state’s north-west. The temperature observations in the Mallee towns were recorded close to 4pm on Tuesday afternoon, exceeding the previous highest daily maximum temperature for the state of 48.8C in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009.
Thank you for spending part of the day with us. We will be back tomorrow.
Updated at 03.07 EST
Melissa Davey
Paramedics responded to nine cases of children locked in vehicles in Victoria
A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria says since yesterday, paramedics have responded to nine cases of children locked in vehicles as temperatures in some parts of the state pushed above 48 degrees by Tuesday afternoon.
A spike in workload for ambulance staff was recorded during the early morning of Tuesday, with demand increasing by 27% between 5am and 6am, largely driven by activity in metropolitan Melbourne.
Across Victoria, overall ambulance workload was up 4% since midnight, as at 4pm.
In the Hume region, workload was up an average of 27% over the same period.
The Loddon Mallee region experienced an increase in cases relating to breathing difficulty, up 65% compared with usual volumes, which a spokesperson said represents a small number of additional cases in real terms.
Updated at 02.57 EST
Tom McIlroy
Government has paid up to $5bn in incorrect age pension
The federal government has paid out as much as $5bn in incorrect age pension entitlements, with key controls within the department of social services found to be ineffective in a new review.
The auditor general found the $62bn age pension system had slow response times for elderly Australians and was responsible for $1.3bn in underpayments and $3.67bn between July 2021 and June 2024.
Nearly 2.7 million elderly people receive the age pension, with the total price tag of more than $62bn representing about 8.4% of the total federal budget.
Services Australia administers the pension system. Delays have seen new applicants waiting an average of 48 days for processing. A series of internal systems were found to be only “partly effective” by the new review, released on Tuesday.
Once an elderly person starts receiving the pension, they stay on the system on average of 17 years.
Updated at 02.48 EST
Police release new photos of vehicle as search for alleged Lake Cargelligo shooter continues
From NSW police:
New images of a vehicle have been released as police continue to appeal for information into a large-scale search to locate a wanted man in the state’s west.
Julian Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, aged 37, is wanted on an outstanding warrant for murder.
He was last seen driving a dual cab Ford Ranger utility, with NSW registration DM-07-GZ.
The vehicle may have a Lachlan Shire Council magnet in front of the driver’s door and may have the numbers 1947 above the magnet.
The ute also has an emergency orange light bar on the roof and the utility’s tray may contain work tools and a silver toolbox.
Anyone who sees Julian or the vehicle is urged not to approach and contact Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Police say the utility’s tray may contain work tools and a silver toolbox. Photograph: NSW policeShare
Updated at 02.43 EST
Otways region told to shelter in place
In the last hour, the emergency warning in the Otways, which includes the communities of Gellibrand, Barongarook, Barongarook West, Kawarren, Carlisle River and Gerangamete, has shifted to shelter in place.
The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave. Leaving now would be deadly, the CFA has said.
Updated at 02.17 EST
The PM has also said commercial arrangements are being made to get the port of Darwin back into Australia’s hands. He was also asked about Kevin Rudd leaving his position in the US.
Kevin is about to become the head of the Asia Society. That’s the job … he will commence in April.
Updated at 01.47 EST
PM asked about Invasion Day rally incident in WA
The PM has been asked about the incident at the Invasion Day rally in WA, where someone allegedly threw a “device” into the crowd.
My view is that … they should throw the book at him.
He said the AFP are working with WA police to investigate.
In a statement on Tuesday, WA police said a 31-year-old man from the northern Perth suburb of Warwick had been charged with one count of committing an unlawful act or omission with intent to harm (endangering life, health or safety of any person); and one count of making or possession of explosives under suspicious circumstances. The statement said the man was denied bail and scheduled to appear in court the same day.
Read more:
Updated at 01.55 EST
PM speaks at Charles Darwin University in NT
Anthony Albanese is speaking now from Charles Darwin University in the NT. He has met some of the 200 students who have enrolled in medical studies at the university.
This is something that has been spoken about for a long time, but delivered by the government.
He said a provider has been chosen for the new aged care facility in Palmerston, more Territorians have accessed the urgent care clinics, and there are now 89 fully bulk billing practices across the jurisdiction.
Updated at 01.34 EST
Winds reaching up to 70km in Victoria as two fires burn at emergency level, CFA chief says
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan has just been on the ABC.
He said winds gusting up to 70km an hour are starting to affect Victoria, with two fires burning at emergency level in temperatures above 40 degrees.
On the Otways fire, he said:
So it is travelling in an easterly direction, but we do expect that it will produce ember showers and we know [that] can create more fires in front of the main fire. We’re reviewing the situation very carefully.
We will be updating the warnings to reflect the current situation on the Fireground and residents in and around the Otways need to really be watching that Vic emergency app.
Updated at 01.32 EST
The CFA is going to address the media soon about the fire situation in Victoria. We will bring you that when they are up.
Updated at 01.05 EST
WA police investigating after 40-year-old man dies following incident at Mettam’s Pool
WA police are investigating an incident that occurred at Mettam’s Pool on Monday, 26 January 2026.
In a statement, police said:
About 3.00 pm, police and other emergency services received reports of swimmers in distress.
A 40-year-old man and a 33-year-old man were recovered from the water and provided emergency first aid at the scene.
Both men were conveyed by St John WA to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for medical treatment.
Sadly, the 40-year-old man died a short time later in hospital.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Updated at 01.05 EST
Temperatures hit preliminary state record of 48.9C in Victoria’s north-west
Lisa Cox
Victoria appears to have recorded its hottest day with preliminary weather observations showing temperatures have hit 48.9C in Walpeup and Hopetoun in the state’s north-west.
The temperature observations in the Mallee towns were recorded close to 4pm on Tuesday afternoon, exceeding the previous highest daily maximum temperature for the state of 48.8C in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009.
The temperature will need to be validated by the Bureau of Meteorology overnight before it is confirmed as a state record. Other locations, including Ouyen Post Office, rely on manual observations, which will not be available until after 9am on Wednesday.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said:
Records will be confirmed when official numbers are available from 9am AEDT tomorrow.
Updated at 01.17 EST