Australia will purchase two types of nuclear-powered submarines in the nation's biggest defence spend according to a leaked three-stage AUKUS plan.

The agreement for Australia to buy Virginia-class submarines will be announced on Monday when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet in San Diego for talks on the 18-month-old nuclear partnership known as AUKUS.

A European official and a person familiar with the matter spoke about details on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.

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Australia will acquire the nuclear-propelled submarines in three planned stages, the sources said.

The first in 2027 at the earliest will see US nuclear-powered submarines rotated through Australia. The second won't come until the mid-2030s when Australia buys up to five Virginia-class submarines. By the 2040s, Australia will receive up to eight UK Astute-class submarines.

The total cost is estimated to be $100 billion, making it Australia's biggest defence spend.

The AUKUS agreement, announced in 2021, paved the way for Australia to get access to nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered boats.

The three-nation defence pact was launched amid growing concerns about China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The submarines, which cost $4.5 billion each, are built at shipbuilding plants in Virginia and Connecticut. Under the terms of the agreement, subs would eventually also be built in Australia and the UK with US technology and support, the person familiar with the matter said.

The initial plans called for all of the subs to be constructed in Adelaide.

The US would also step up its port visits in Australia to provide the country with more familiarity with the nuclear-powered technology.

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Albanese, who is visiting India, confirmed that he would appear with Biden and Sunak in San Diego next week to make a major announcement.

On Thursday Albanese flew to Mumbai, where he visited India's homemade aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in the Indian navy in September.

He said in a tweet that the Indian Ocean is central to both countries' security and prosperity. "And we are working together to ensure the Indo-Pacific is open, inclusive, and prosperous."

He announced that Australia will host Exercise Malabar for the first time later this year, bringing together the navies of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

The annual exercise includes fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers, anti-submarine warfare, counterpiracy operations and anti-air warfare operations.

Modi and Albanese will hold official talks on Friday in New Delhi.

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A red-bellied black snake that doesn't sport the feature that helped earned the serpent its name has been found in a rural South Australian property.

The snake was nabbed yesterday by Snake Catchers Adelaide on a farm in Currency Creek, 84 kilometres from the SA capital, and instead of a red belly, had dark black scales all over.

Snake catcher Ange Broadstock told 9news.com.au the species can in fact have several different colourings.

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"Red-bellied black snakes can have red, orange, pink, white, grey or black bellies," she said.

"That's the only species that would be in that area.

"In other parts of South Australia, you'll get Tiger Snakes.

"But that's definitely a red belly snake, even if it's black."

Red-bellied black snakes are one of eastern Australia's most commonly encountered snakes and, according to the Australian Museum, are "responsible for a number of bites every year".

It is not an aggressive species and generally retreats from encounters with people, but can attack if provoked.

Symptoms from a bite include "bleeding, swelling at the bite site, nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, sweating, local or general muscle pain and weakness, and red-brown urine".

They are typically found along Australia's east coast from Cairns all the way to the lower parts of South Australia.

This snake was removed from the property and safely relocated. 

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Top tips for 121 festival-goers: Bring water and snacks, put on sunblock and be friendly.

A murder investigation is underway after a woman in her 50s was found dead at a home in Brisbane's north.

The woman's body was found inside a house in Kallangur about 12.50pm today after police recieved reports of a fight.

A 36-year-old man is "assisting police".

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"The property has been declared a crime scene, with an investigation underway into the circumstances surrounding her death, which is being treated as suspicious," Queensland Police said in a statement.

No charges have been laid. 

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Parts of Queensland have been issued with more flood warnings as water levels continue to rise.

Major flood warnings have been issued for the Nicholson, Gregory and Leichhardt Rivers and the surrounding areas.

Burketown is expected to bear the brunt of the flood, with water levels expected to exceed the March 2011 record of 6.87m on Friday.

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Flooding at Doomadgee has already hit record levels, peaking at 7.85m this morning.

Riversleigh flooding peaked at 18m, which is 12.5m above the official major flood level.

The lower Flinders River region at Walkers Bend has also been issued with a major flood warning, with over 170mm of rain hitting the area in 24 hours.

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The river peaked at 9.5m and is expected to remain at major flood levels until Friday as the region is hit by more rain and thunderstorms in the next few days.

The Cloncurry River has been issued a minor flood warning, with officials saying the river could reach 3m overnight.

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A remand centre manager who stole more than $100,000, including cash confiscated from prisoners, has been jailed for 19 months for theft.

Brenton John Williams, took the money from a safe in the Adelaide Remand Centre between April and July 2022.

In his role as general manager, the 47-year-old was responsible for the safe which also included the centre's petty cash.

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Sentencing Williams in the South Australian District Court on Thursday, Judge Jo-Anne Deuter said he was caught after a trap was set with cash placed in a tin under his desk.

The cash was found to be missing the next day and after Williams failed to turn up for work, police were called.

Judge Deuter said investigations found Williams had used the money to help fund his gambling addiction, which included funnelling more than $1 million into poker machines last year.

He had turned to gambling as a way to pay off debts from a failed business.

"Unfortunately, for what happened later, you had an early significant win," the judge said.

"This led to you believing that the only way to recover your financial situation was to continue to win monies by gambling.

"You were gambling, as I have already said, very large amounts of money, chasing that win which would solve your financial problems.

"The money in the remand centre safe provided you with a means to do so."

Judge Deuter said Williams' offending involved a significant breach of trust and was too serious for a bond or home detention.

She jailed him for almost three years with a non-parole period of 19 months.

Both were backdated to July last year.

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St Peters celebrates 90 years.

Time for Pacific Island goodness, kai and inspiration.

Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines in the 2030s under the AUKUS defence pact between Washington, Canberra and London.

Earlier reports by US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, are expected to be confirmed by Australia tonight.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is yet to speak publicly about the supposed $100 billion deal, but will meet with other world leaders next week.

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"I can confirm that on Monday there will be a meeting of the AUKUS partners, between myself, President (Joe) Biden, and Prime Minister (Rishi) Sunak," he said from India.

Australia is expected to buy three Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s with the option to purchase two more.

These will be a stop-gap measure until an Australian-built, British-designed nuclear fleet can be constructed.

The deal will see Australia become just the seventh nation in the world with nuclear-powered submarines, expanding the need for maintenance and engineering jobs in Australia.

More than 10,000 jobs will be created from Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under the defence pact, according to the country's navy.

Speaking ahead of his visit, the admiral who headed the AUKUS taskforce said thousands of jobs would be created from Australia's biggest defence project.

In an interview with The Australian Financial Review, Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead, of the RAN, said the acquisition of the new submarines would combine the efforts of Australia, the US and the UK.

"There are thousands of job opportunities in different areas," he said.

"Easily more than 10,000 people are needed. These are really exciting career pathways."

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But he said a major challenge would be upskilling submarine crews and industrial workers to enable Australia to build, operate and maintain its own nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

Albanese said on Wednesday during his visit to India that he plans to meet with President Joe Biden in the US, amid speculation the leaders will make an announcement about Australia's plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Albanese has given few details of the US trip, saying there would be further announcements about the arrangements.

UK officials confirmed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with Biden and Albanese in the US city of San Diego on Monday for talks on Australia's procurement of nuclear submarines.

The previous Morrison government infuriated France in 2021 by cancelling a $90 billion contract for a French-built fleet of conventionally powered submarines and opting instead for nuclear-powered versions in a deal secretly brokered with the US and Britain.

The deal came amid concern in Australia and the US about China's increasingly assertive presence in the Pacific region.

– Reported with Associated Press

A grieving mother whose son died after overdosing in Melbourne's CBD says a safe injecting room could have saved her son.

Danial Korver, 38, died of a heroin overdose in Rainbow Alley in June 2022 after a long battle with addiction.

His parents, Katrina and John Korver said he was a frequent user of the North Richmond safe injecting room and would have used a CBD site if one was available.

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"It's very frustrating, Danial died nine months ago and there has been talk of a second safe injecting room since 2020," Ms Korver said.

"He shouldn't have died that day; he had used the Richmond facility regularly and if there had been a medically supervised drug injecting room here in Melbourne, he would have used it.

"As his mother, I am committed to ensuring that this doesn't happen to other families and that a medically surprised drug injection room is made available in the CBD."

The couple visits the site every week to lay flowers and mourn the loss of their beloved son. 

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"We lay flowers and you'll see a lot of his friends have put comments up on the wall… so we get a lot of comfort from that," Ms Korver said.

Plans for a second safe injecting room in Melbourne, opposite the Queen Victoria Market, were raised back in 2020.

The state government has advised a decision on its opening will come in mid-2023, with Ken Lay AO conducting an independent consultation into the idea.

Dozens of community leaders, unions, charities and organisations visited the site today to publicly declare their support for the move.

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Together they signed an open letter, asking Melburnians to "look beyond the emotion, judgement and fear".

"As a city, if we harden our hearts against those particular people, it will come back to haunt us in years to come," Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said.

"There is at least one overdose death here, every month in the city. Nine of those people who have overdosed were friends of mine."

Earlier this week, Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that Victoria's medically supervised injecting room in North Richmond is set to become a permanent service, with a review finding it has saved 63 lives.

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