Scott Morrison says defence force ‘not available on a moment’s notice’ to respond to disaster – as it happened

Lismore residents protest Scott Morrison's visit as PM says disasters mean Australia getting hard to live in'; NSW flood death toll rises to nine after man's body found in western Sydney; second Japanese encephalitis death recorded as outbreak spreads to South Australia; Indigenous teenager shot by NT police fighting for life; at least 34 Covid-related deaths nationwide. This blog is now closed

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The latest figures from WaterNSW will give some comfort to those in the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain, where flood levels are approaching 1978 heights in places.

As of 5am Wednesday, the spill rate over the Warragamba Dam wall is 215 gigalitres a day, or about half the peak rate reached yesterday.

The good news is that we have seen the river is falling there. The plan today is that the team will be reviewing what's happening.

They're making sure it's safe to return, and we are hoping during the day we might be able to issue that people can return, with caution ... We just need to make sure - we need to check things like electricity, sewerage and the like to make sure it's safe to return.