Derrimut manufacturing facility fireplace: fireplace crews work in a single day to battle blaze
Firefighters have labored by way of the evening battling a blaze at a chemical manufacturing facility that despatched poisonous smoke billowing over Melbourne, AAP experiences.
The hearth was sparked by a big explosion on the Derrimut manufacturing facility within the metropolis’s west yesterday morning.
Chemical drums have been despatched flying into the air on the top of the blaze, making the emergency response extra harmful for firefighters.
Nobody was injured and it was declared beneath management in about 4 hours, however the fireplace is anticipated to burn for days.
Fireplace Rescue Victoria deputy commissioner Michelle Cowling stated it was essentially the most important blaze in Melbourne in recent times and required an aggressive assault.
The close by Western Freeway was shut for a number of hours and hundreds of residents have been urged to remain indoors due to well being dangers.
Right here’s our full story:
Key occasions
Australians consuming report numbers of illicit medicine, wastewater report says

Elias Visontay
Australians are consuming report numbers of illicit medicine, with cocaine use rising in popularity throughout the nation in current months and methamphetamine use rising in cities, as hashish stays by far essentially the most consumed substance nationwide.
The Australian Legal Intelligence Fee’s has launched its newest wastewater drug monitoring program knowledge overlaying December 2023 to February 2024, which revealed a number of key variations between drug use habits in capital cities and regional areas.
Hashish consumption remained Australia’s hottest illicit drug “by a large margin”, based on the report, although use in regional areas is “substantially higher” on common than in capital cities. Whereas remaining essentially the most consumed of the substances, its use dropped off barely in the latest knowledge in each capital cities and regional areas.
Cocaine consumption has been rising throughout each regional areas and capital cities, and has elevated in most jurisdictions since report lows in August 2022. Nationwide common cocaine consumption in December 2023 was on the highest stage since reporting started in August 2016. Extra to come back.
About 50 firefighters stay at Derrimut manufacturing facility fireplace; contaminated water working off web site
Firefighters have supplied an replace on the Derrimut manufacturing facility fireplace that despatched thick, black smoke billowing over Melbourne yesterday.
Here’s what a Fireplace Rescue Victoria spokesperson advised reporters this morning:
This can be a difficult, complicated and dynamic surroundings for [Fire Rescue Victoria]. That is our first ‘seventh alarm’ fireplace because the formation of FRV in 2020. It’s clearly nonetheless an energetic fireplace space. There’s numerous contaminants, there’s contaminated water runoff that we have to handle …
Our present focus is clearly persevering with to suppress this hearth, administration of the ambiance and the surroundings surrounding [it], but in addition our firefighter wellbeing. They’ve been uncovered to this incident for an extended length so now we have numerous assist round our firefighters, together with medical monitoring.
Victoria’s alarm rankings are primarily based on what number of sources are wanted to place out a hearth. The Derrimut fireplace was a chemical fireplace, therefore the seventh alarm score.
Studies point out about 50 firefighters remained on the scene of the fireplace in a single day. We’ll convey you extra data because it filters by way of.
Research questions whether or not Australians will earn greater than dad and mom did at similar age
The long-term pattern of kids incomes greater than their dad and mom could also be beginning to falter, AAP experiences.
Individuals raised by the very best and lowest earners have been extra more likely to comply with of their dad and mom’ footsteps, analysis from the federal authorities’s impartial productiveness physique has discovered.
Nearly 70% of individuals aged between 41 and 48 have been discovered to be incomes greater than their dad and mom did at about the identical age, the Productiveness Fee says in a report.
The end result leaves Australia nestled between Scandinavian international locations on earnings generational mobility, in a welcome discovering for fee chair Danielle Wooden.
But it’s an “interesting question” as as to if the pattern will proceed, she says, with youthful Millennials born within the Nineties not making the identical progress as earlier generations due to negligible earnings development.
That basically speaks to me in regards to the significance of financial development and guaranteeing future earnings development if we’re going to see every era be higher off than the one earlier than.
Regardless of Australia’s robust observe report on earnings mobility, the fee discovered proof of benefit and drawback passing onto kids on the high and backside of the earnings distribution.
Nearly 15% of individuals with dad and mom within the backside earnings decile stayed there, whereas simply 6% ended up within the high decile. Inheritances, funding in schooling, in addition to dad and mom serving to kids onto the property ladder all contributed to the persistence of wealth throughout generations.
Good morning

Emily Wind
And welcome again to the Australia information stay weblog – many because of Martin for kicking issues off for us. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll take you thru our rolling protection this Thursday.
As all the time, you may get in contact through X, @emilywindwrites, or you may ship me an electronic mail, emily.wind@theguardian.com, with any ideas, ideas or suggestions. Let’s get began.
After a childhood ‘messing about in boats’, V-Adm David Johnston turns into new defence chief
The incoming chief of the Australian defence drive will relive his childhood pastime many instances over as he formally steps into his new position, AAP experiences.
V-Adm David Johnston, who spoke at a changing-of-command parade in Canberra yesterday, is taking up the navy because it focuses on increasing naval efforts to counter threats within the Pacific area after a significant defence overview.
He stated:
From a childhood that my spouse described as ‘messing about in boats’, I’ve lived all my life within the ADF.
I’ve witnessed the extraordinary contribution ADF members make in war-like operations, peacekeeping and defending our border and fascinating with our companions.
It’s a nice honour to be in your service and I decide to providing you with my all, day by day, as your (chief).
A overview into the defence drive recommends it refocus on having the ability to challenge its firepower deeper into the Pacific to satisfy the rise of China, with new nuclear-powered submarines a core component.
Johnston says his profession strikes across the Indo-Pacific and Asia might be helpful in his new position.
This expertise vastly aids my understanding of our historical past and position within the area.
A overview of the navy’s floor fleet led to a choice by defence minister Richard Marles to scrap a deliberate construct of bigger ships to make room for an even bigger fleet.
The variety of navy warships will improve from 11 to 26 by the mid-2040s, with the fleet to incorporate remote-controlled vessels because the navy locations a better emphasis on drones.
The vice admiral took over from Gen Angus Campbell after serving because the vice chief.
Alice Springs curfew could also be prolonged after additional violence
Renewed violence in Alice Springs has raised the chance that the city’s 72-hour curfew declared on Monday might be prolonged this morning, AAP experiences.
Police say most residents have complied with the restrictions this week however yesterday afternoon they arrested 5 folks concerned in a household feud on Bathtub Road within the city’s centre.
Police say the households are identified to one another.
There are experiences they’re the identical households on the centre of a feud that sparked a three-week curfew in March and April following the dying of an 18-year-old man, who had been left trapped beneath a stolen automobile.
Whereas no-one was injured within the newest conflict, weapons – together with nulla-nullas, spears, a baseball bat and a machete – have been seized by police.
Performing Southern Commander Drew Slape says the “reprehensible behaviour” has no place in the neighborhood.
Our devoted officers have responded to calls to help and we may have additional members working tonight, giving up their day without work so as to hold Alice Springs residents secure.
It’s not identified if the curfew might be prolonged due to the disturbance.
Northern Territory police minister Brent Potter says the choice to increase the curfew might be made this morning after he and police commissioner Michael Murphy have reviewed the “most up-to-date” data.
Derrimut manufacturing facility fireplace: fireplace crews work in a single day to battle blaze
Firefighters have labored by way of the evening battling a blaze at a chemical manufacturing facility that despatched poisonous smoke billowing over Melbourne, AAP experiences.
The hearth was sparked by a big explosion on the Derrimut manufacturing facility within the metropolis’s west yesterday morning.
Chemical drums have been despatched flying into the air on the top of the blaze, making the emergency response extra harmful for firefighters.
Nobody was injured and it was declared beneath management in about 4 hours, however the fireplace is anticipated to burn for days.
Fireplace Rescue Victoria deputy commissioner Michelle Cowling stated it was essentially the most important blaze in Melbourne in recent times and required an aggressive assault.
The close by Western Freeway was shut for a number of hours and hundreds of residents have been urged to remain indoors due to well being dangers.
Right here’s our full story:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling information protection. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the highest in a single day tales earlier than Emily Wind picks up the slack.
Our high story this morning is an unique story about one other flashpoint between the Australian navy and China within the South China Sea underlining continued tensions within the disputed area. An Australian helicopter was flying south-east of China’s Shandong peninsula however outdoors its territorial waters when a Chinese language fighter plane launched flares in its path, new paperwork present. Australia’s HMAS Hobart warship was additionally being shadowed by a Individuals’s Liberation Military navy destroyer and one other Chinese language helicopter on the time of the 4 Might standoff. It provides to the in-tray of Vice Adm David Johnston who took over as head of the ADF yesterday. Extra arising.
The immigration minister, Andrew Giles, had launched one assassin and one individual convicted of “attempt or solicit murder” into neighborhood detention even earlier than the excessive court docket dominated that indefinite immigration detention was illegal. In June Guardian Australia revealed that 25 of the then 153 folks affected by the excessive court docket’s ruling had already been launched into neighborhood detention by ministerial discretion however Giles refused to say if he was answerable for the discharge of these with the worst offending. Now a freedom of data launch exhibits the minister did signal the discharge of two of the detainees in query in December 2022.
Fireplace crews have labored by way of the evening to attempt to include the massive blaze that broke out at a chemical substances manufacturing facility in Melbourne’s west yesterday. Though firefighting chiefs say the fireplace in Derrimut is beneath management, it’s anticipated to burn for days and trigger a well being hazard for town from plumes of poisonous smoke. Extra arising.
Northern Territory police minister Brent Potter will meet police commissioner Michael Murphy this morning to determine whether or not or to not lengthen the 72-hour curfew that was set for Alice Springs on Monday. Though police stated most residents had abided by the restrictions, there have been renewed clashes within the city yesterday afternoon in what police stated was a feud between two households. Potter stated a choice on any extension can be made immediately with the “most up-to-date” data. Extra arising.