Millions of people across southern and eastern Australia should expect a mixed bag of weather today, including 100km/h winds and temperatures nudging 40 degrees.

A strong low pressure system in the Southern Ocean is the driving force behind the mish-mash of heat and cold, Weatherzone reports.

"As polar air surges northwards, warm air from the interior of the continent is being dragged southwards in strong north-westerly winds, as air flows naturally from areas of high pressure to low pressure."

READ MORE: Slow-moving Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila heading towards Queensland

Feeling like winter in three states

The Bureau of Meteorology says the wintry change was first felt by residents in Tasmania overnight.

Maximum temperatures for the Apple Isle are about 17 degrees, but with the wind chill it will feel much colder – probably around 10 degrees for most of today.

There will also be showers across the entire state, with the chance of hail and snow in western parts.

When the polar air moves across the Tasman Sea in coming hours, Victoria and southern NSW can expect much of the same conditions.

A damaging wind warning has been issued for the state's eastern ranges, with gusts of 110km/h forecast for Alpine regions.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/2042049427863388641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Heat is on in the east

Meanwhile, mid-autumn will feel like high summer for parts of eastern NSW and South-East Queensland.

Brisbane is set for a sunny day with temperatures in the centre of the city reaching a top temperature of 30 degrees, while in the western suburbs the mercury will soar to 37 degrees.

NSW residents should expect similar temperatures, with some parts pushing for record temperatures.

Central Sydney is forecast for a top of 33 degrees, with the city's west will be two degrees warmer.

Similar maximum temperatures are also set for the regional cities of Wollongong, Newcastle and Maitland. It will be even hotter through the north-west, with Bourke up to 39 degrees.

Forecasters say the hot conditions in NSW will be over by tomorrow as the cooler air moves north later today.

With the polar conditions tightening their grip, there'll be snowfalls in the Victorian high country, the Snowy Mountains of NSW, and higher parts of Tasmania.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here



For many Australians, home ownership is slipping further out of reach – but in outback Queensland, $400,000 will buy you an entire town.

Cooladdi, around nine hours west of Brisbane, is for sale at less than half the average unit price in Queensland's capital.

The listing includes a four-bedroom home, the Foxtrap Roadhouse and the township itself.

LIVE UPDATES: Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks

Carol Yarrow and Jo Cornel run the roadhouse and are the town's only residents.

It acts as the town's post office, pub, café and general store, welcoming a steady run of travellers and graziers from surrounding properties.

"It's never lonely as there are locals and travellers who drop in on a daily basis," Carol tells nine.com.au.

"We often say there is never a dull moment."

READ MORE: Global oil prices plunge and ASX enjoys sharp rise after Trump abandons threat

Carol and Jo are ending a three-year tenure in Cooladdi.

"I am ready to retire, and Jo would like to return to Brisbane to be closer to family," Carol said.

Keeping the place going means covering a bit of everything – the Foxtrap handles food, accommodation, and the day-to-day running of the town, as well as practical tasks such as ensuring deliveries reach nearby properties.

Asked her favourite memory from the past three years, Yarrow couldn't choose just one.

She recalled evenings when locals and travellers gathered for State of Origin and Australia Day, enjoying Giant Jenga as music and laughter filled the venue.

Cooladdi hasn't always been so small. It was once a railway town with around 270 residents, complete with a school, a police station, and a butcher.

These days, however, the Foxtrap remains the hub for the wider district.

"Cooladdi is a special place to a lot of people," Carol says, pointing to both its role in the community and its history.

For anyone thinking about taking it on, it comes down to attitude.

"Whoever comes in needs to have a love of the outback or be able to adapt – and a happy disposition at the bar is always important," she says.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

The success or failure of One Nation's first federal test could hinge on two major elements: gas and water.

One Nation is hot on the heels of the Liberals in the crowded Farrer by-election next month, where the twin issues of gas exports and the health of the Murray-Darling Basin loom large for voters.

Pauline Hanson said she was confident the major parties had lost the respect of voters in the south-western NSW seat over the federal government's controversial plan to buy back more water out of the Murray-Darling Basin.

READ MORE: 'We're talking about a few days': Experts send dire fuel crisis warning

LIVE UPDATES: 'A whole civilisation will die tonight': Trump threatens annihilation

"I think both major political parties have a lot to answer about the water issue," Hanson told Nine.com.au.

"That has never been sorted out.

"I believe that we need a royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin and how that's been handled."

Hanson said Labor and the Coalition were "not in tune with grassroots Australians".

She said the government's mismanagement of resources was pushing voters away, particularly in regional areas.

The hot contest for Farrer may be One Nation's golden opportunity to capitalise on this fatigue.

Farrer, made vacant by former opposition leader Sussan Ley, could become a neck-and-neck battle between One Nation candidate David Farley and Independent Michelle Milthorpe.

The Liberal Party has selected lawyer Raissa Butkowski to run for Ley's open seat, while Labor has yet to field a candidate.

Water reform is a key pillar of One Nation candidate Farley's campaign.

The former jackaroo, irrigation specialist and cotton farmer said he would prioritise "disciplined" water management if elected.

However, The Australia Institute co-chief executive Dr Richard Denniss said One Nation's climate policy misalignment with rural voters might pose a challenge for the right-wing party.

Denniss said "anger" about the federal government's water management wasn't quite enough for struggling farmers.

"Farmers know that climate change is real, and while they may share Pauline Hanson's anger at the major parties, they know that anger won't bring the river back to good health," he explained.

Farley's reputation could prove to be another barrier.

READ MORE: Gunfight erupts outside Israeli consulate in Istanbul

READ MORE: Festival cancelled after UK bars Kanye over antisemitic remarks

Minor party Family First announced it would not preference One Nation this election due to "serious concerns about the conduct and record" of Farley.

Farley was accused of sharing erotic posts by OnlyFans creators on Instagram and criticised for previous comments he made about former prime minister Julia Gillard, likening her to an "old cow".

Farley said at the time that his remarks about Gillard were "tongue-in-cheek" and had been taken out of context.

"Politics should be about lifting standards, not lowering them. The character of candidates matters," Family First national director Lyle Shelton said.

"Comments previously attributed to Mr Farley about former prime minister Julia Gillard were offensive and demeaning – not just to her, but to all women.

"This points to a deeper problem."

Denniss said he had "no doubt" Family First's decision to disendorse a One Nation candidate could impact Farley's chances at attracting voters away from the LNP and independents.

Farrer's election result is dependent on complicated preference flows.

"But ultimately it's important for each voter to understand that it is the individual with the pencil in their hand that decides where their preferences go, not any political party," he told Nine.com.au.

READ MORE: 'Endangers your life': Israel sends sinister threat to Iranian citizens

The issue of Australia's gas exports is just as crucial as the Basin for the farming communities in the rural NSW seat.

More than 77 per cent of those surveyed agreed that Australia exports too much gas.

"What our polling makes clear is that a strong majority of all voters in Farrer, and an even stronger majority of One Nation voters, want Australia to get a fairer share of the profits from the enormous amount of gas we export," Denniss said.

"I'm sure that for some voters the health of the Murray is a more pressing problem than the fact that Australia gives so much gas away for free, but the issues aren't unrelated."

A March poll conducted by The Australia Institute found Farley was narrowly leading Milthorpe on primary votes.

Of the 1000 Farrer voters surveyed, 28.7 per cent said One Nation would receive their first preference vote, ahead of the independents at 23.3 per cent and the LNP at 19.1 per cent.

Farley declined to comment when contacted by Nine.com.au.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs hope to persuade a federal appeals court to release the rapper from prison immediately and overturn his conviction on prostitution-related charges by arguing he was engaged in voyeurism and amateur pornography – conduct they say is protected by the First Amendment.

Combs' attorneys, who will appear before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, are also expected to argue US District Judge Arun Subramanian "illegally" considered conduct for which Combs was acquitted when calculating his sentence.

"The district court refused to enforce the jury's verdict," Combs' lawyers wrote in a December court filing.

READ MORE: Heartbroken daughter demands justice for mum after alleged murder

The founder of Bad Boy Records was convicted last July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in violation of the Mann Act for arranging travel for escorts to engage in sex acts with his then-girlfriends, Cassie Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane".

Combs was acquitted of more than serious charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, after an eight-week trial. Prosecutors alleged Combs coerced the two women into having sex with male escorts, often by supplying drugs to sustain them over multiple days. The marathon sex sessions – which were often filmed – were referred to as "Freak Offs" and "hotel nights".

Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison in October – though he is scheduled for release in April 2028, according to records from the US Bureau of Prisons. He has been held in federal custody since his arrest in September 2024.

His lawyers argued he should be released because defendants convicted of similar prostitution-related offences typically receive sentences of 15 months. They are also asking the appeals court to acquit Combs of the prostitution-related charges or send the case back to Subramanian for resentencing. Prosecutors are asking the panel of three judges to affirm the conviction and sentence.

Combs' attorneys say prostitution is not defined in the Mann Act and ask the appeals court to reject an "overbroad interpretation of the statute".

"Freak-offs and hotel nights were highly choreographed sexual performances involving the use of costumes, role play, and staged lighting, which were filmed so Combs and his girlfriends could watch this amateur pornography later. Pornography production and viewing of this sort is protected by the First Amendment and thus cannot constitutionally be prosecuted," his lawyers wrote in a court filing.

READ MORE: 'That's a crime': Clooney draws White House fury after Trump accusation

READ MORE: 'Smashed him with a hammer': No bail on hospital attack

"In other words, the term 'prostitution' in the Act should be limited to those situations where a paying customer engages in sex with the person being paid," his lawyers wrote.

Prosecutors called Combs' argument "meritless".

"Combs is entirely differently situated from adult film distributors: He hired and transported commercial sex workers to have sex with his girlfriends for his own sexual gratification, sometimes directly participating in the sex acts," prosecutors wrote in a response filed in February.

To side with Combs, prosecutors said, would mean "any defendant who transported others to engage in prostitution could escape liability simply by watching or filming the sex".

Combs' attorneys also say Subramanian "largely ignored" new guidelines from the US Sentencing Commission prohibiting acquitted conduct from being considered when calculating advisory sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutors said the new guidelines apply when calculating the sentencing range, not determining the sentence. In the latter, judges are allowed to consider other factors, including the character of the defendant.

They argued Subramanian was "surgically focused" on conduct relevant to the Mann Act counts in determining the sentencing range.

"As the District Court correctly observed, '[n]othing in the guidelines suggests that the commission intended for courts to ignore conduct relevant to establishing the offence in question, so a more restrictive reading of this language is untenable,'" prosecutors wrote.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

When Carolyn Creswell invited friends to her sprawling rural Victorian home for a dinner party one spring Saturday evening, she never imagined she would be leaving the property in an Air Ambulance.

The Carman's muesli founder and her husband Peter have opened up about the terrifying ordeal in November 2024, when Carolyn choked on a piece of steak during the meal at their Gippsland home.

"We are so blessed to live in a country where we have this level of support," the 52-year-old said of the emergency response.

READ MORE: Teen charged after allegedly mowing down sergeant on electric motorbike

"I'm grateful every day and I'm so grateful to still be alive and still be a mum to my kids."

The mother-of-four's traumatic brush with death was captured on home security cameras, showing her getting up from the table of six and coughing on the patio before splitting her head open as she collapsed on the ground.

"It's a bizarre thing to be able to hear the stories I've watched it over and over again to try and work out what I did wrong," she added.

Peter tried the Heimlich manoeuvre but when unsuccessful, they called emergency services.

"She was starting to go purple and I said 'can you breathe?' and then I said 'are you choking?' and she nodded and that's when I knew she was in trouble," he recalled.

"I went inside to get my friend to ring Triple-Zero and he got straight onto them.

"I went back outside and in that split couple-of-seconds, Carolyn had fallen over and there was blood coming out of her head."

After years managing their kids' local nippers program, Peter was trained in life-saving CPR.

He desperately performed compressions on Carolyn for almost 30 minutes while another friend remained on the line to Triple-Zero and a third kept watch at the front gate of the remote property so paramedics wouldn't drive past.

READ MORE: Australian airlines among 'most exposed' if jet fuel runs dry

Peter and Carolyn praised the efforts of Triple-Zero call taker Imogen Disney and Ambulance Victoria ALS Paramedic Trent Jackson, who today reunited with the woman they helped save.

"Peter was absolutely fantastic to stay so calm in such a stressful situation to someone he loved so dearly he did an absolutely fantastic job," Disney recalled.

"We don't really often hear recovery stories, so it was really nice to hear that Carolyn made a full recovery."

Jackson described the moment he was able to remove the pieces of steak that were blocking Carolyn's blocked airways.

"I grabbed a laryngoscope… which is a device we use to prop open the patient's airway so we can have a look deeper into their throat and mouth," he said.

"I could see the end of the piece of steak, which I was able to grab onto with some forceps and extract it.

READ MORE: The super-K flu strain is spreading fast in Australia. Here's why that's 'extremely dangerous'

"Had another look and could see the tag end of another piece of meat pinched onto that one and pulled it out. It was a significant blockage, so a large piece of steak."

Carolyn was airlifted to hospital with head injuries, nine broken ribs and a broken sternum.

After a week in intensive care, Carolyn has made a full recovery.

Peter believes everyone should know "some form of CPR at a minimum, just to keep your loved one alive until the ambulance can get there", with Carolyn crediting it with saving her.

"There's no way I'd be alive now if [Peter] hadn't known what he did," she said.

"When you're in hospital, in intensive care, and every doctor that walks past says 'it's always the steak, it's always the steak', so my other message to people is chew your steak very well.

"And don't use butter knives, you need proper steak knives because you can go from one moment just having a lovely dinner with your friends to within a few minutes you're in a life or death situation."

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here



Exclusive: A heartbroken daughter has demanded justice for her mother, whose body was discovered dumped beside a Victorian freeway over the weekend.

Eva Lasrini's two daughters Adeline and Vanya waited for hours at Denpasar Airport where she was due to arrive on a flight last Wednesday.

"I'm asking 'mum, do you coming to Bali or not?' and she's not answer any more," Adeline told 9News.

READ MORE: Man shot dead in 'targeted' attack at Melbourne high-rise complex

"We waiting until 12 and my mother doesn't show up anymore."

The Dandenong woman's body was discovered next to the Princes Freeway in Little River, south-west of Melbourne on Saturday.

Her ex-husband Allen Keys has been charged over her murder.

Eva's daughters alerted Keys when Lasrini failed to turn up in Bali, but he allegedly claimed he was overseas.

"Allen say "I don't know. Nothing with me. I don't know where is your mother. I am in Kuta right now'," Adeline claimed.

READ MORE: The super-K flu strain is spreading fast in Australia. Here's why that's 'extremely dangerous'

Posts on Keys' Facebook after Lasrini was reported missing on Thursday showed him with another woman in Bali, saying he was having a "nice night".

But detectives swooped on the 67-year-old at Melbourne Airport on Friday as he went to board an international flight.

The 53-year-old mother of two had just got her learner's permit and had been working in a warehouse to raise the funds to bring her two daughters over from Bali so they could attend university in Australia, Adeline revealed.

"My mother is strong, beautiful and so loyal with her family," Adeline told 9News.

Police are yet to reveal exactly how and when they allege Lasrini was killed.

Their case will become clearer when Keys returns to court in August.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Lasrini's daughters get to Melbourne.

"Maybe after that, I can take my mother home," Adeline said.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Police say "significant" resources are being devoted to the capture of a convicted gang rapist who absconded from a hospital in Sydney's south-west yesterday morning.

Authorities say that Michael Angok, 30, was receiving treatment before he escaped custody at Bankstown Hospital at about 9.30am yesterday, after being transported from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. 

He has been on the run for more than 30 hours. 

READ MORE: The super-K flu strain is spreading fast in Australia

The 30-year-old was imprisoned for his role in the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Doonside, in Sydney's west, in 2014 and has spent the past nine years in Villawood Detention Centre.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Brett Van Akker said that Angok is "well-known to police" as they appeal to the public for information.

Van Akker said that while police will not comment on his criminal history, "significant police resources" are working towards his capture.

Personal items belonging to the 30-year-old were found on Gallipoli Road in Condell Park after his escape.

READ MORE: Woman allegedly attacked hospital patient with hammer over 'stolen ashes'

He is described as being of African appearance, about 175cm to 180cm tall, of thin build with short black hair.

He was last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, grey tracksuit pants and white 'croc' sandals.

Angok previously lived in the Blacktown area and may use public transport.

"If anyone knows the whereabouts of this individual, I urge them to come forward and contact police through Crime Stoppers or Triple-Zero," Van Akker said. 

As the search continues, anyone who sees Angok is urged not to approach him but to contact Triple Zero (000) immediately.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Open and assembled items can now only be returned within a 60-day window.

Donald Trump may be the only person able to stop one nation from killing off an already shaky peace.

Brooke Knight was in hospital for post-birth complications when her partner picked her up.