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Deliberations ongoing in Bruce Lehrmann trial

A jury has not yet reached a verdict after a full day of deliberations in the trial for the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins.

Bruce Lehrmann is charged with sexual intercourse without consent.

He has pleaded not guilty and has faced an almost three-week long trial in the ACT Supreme Court.

READ MORE: Jury retires to consider verdict in Bruce Lehrmann trial

Higgins alleges Lehrmann raped her inside a ministerial office in Parliament House after the pair went out drinking with colleagues.

Lehrmann denies any sexual interaction took place.

Chief Justice Lucy McCallum provided detailed instructions to the jury before they began their deliberations on Wednesday afternoon.

She reminded jurors that Lehrmann was presumed innocent unless or until his guilt was proven by the prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt.

She told the jury it must act impartially, without emotion or prejudice and give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in the courtroom in the past three weeks.

"You are not answerable to popular opinion … whichever way you may think it sways," she said.

"Your verdict, whether it be guilty or not guilty, must be unanimous."

During a highly emotional cross-examination Brittany Higgins denied making up the rape allegation and directly addressed accused Bruce Lehrmann.

READ MORE: Former minister denies trying to interfere in Bruce Lehrmann trial

The chief justice summed up the prosecution and defence cases and said it was up to the jury to decide which evidence they did and did not accept.

But she warned them not to invoke any stereotypes they may hold about an event or situation they have not experienced personally, saying there was "no template" for life.

"Be careful about speculation and pre-conception … be careful not to make assumptions about how a person may behave in circumstances you have not experienced," she said.

Lehrmann exercised his right to silence and did not enter the witness box during the trial.

The jury was instead played his police interview.

McCallum said his decision not to give evidence in court could not be used as an admission of guilt and did not strengthen the prosecution's case.

She also said Lehrmann's agreement to do a police interview did not shift the burden of proof to him.

The jurors will on Friday enter their second day of deliberations.

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Medibank cyber-attack a 'dog act' as customer data held to ransom

The Medibank cyber attack has been described as a "dog act" after data from 100 customer policies, including personal information such as Medicare numbers and medical history, was stolen.

Home affairs minister Clare O'Neil slammed the hacker who claims to have stolen 200GB of customer data and is holding Medibank to ransom over the information.

"Financial crime is a terrible thing but ultimately a credit card can be replaced, but the threat being made here to make the private and personal health information of Australians made available to the public is a dog act," she said.

READ MORE: Four states staring down the barrel of another floods crisis

The health insurer earlier revealed a criminal has shown the company a sample of 100 policies containing customers' personal data.

"We believe (the data) has come from our ahm and international student systems," Medibank said in a statement.

"That data includes first names and surnames, addresses, dates of birth, Medicare numbers, policy numbers, phone numbers and some claims data.

"Claims data includes the location of where a customer received medical services, and codes relating to their diagnosis and procedures."

The criminal also claimed to have stolen other information, Medibank said, including data related to credit card security, but that has not yet been verified by internal investigations.

O'Neil confirmed the data shown as a sample is Medibank customer information.

READ MORE: Jury deliberates Bruce Lehrmann verdict

Home affairs minister Clare O'Neil addresses Medibank hack.

The provider said affected customers will be directly contacted to inform them of the data breach.

"We expect the number of affected customers to grow as the incident continues," Medibank said.

O'Neil warned the initial sample of 100 policies is just a look at how much data may have been stolen in the cyber attack.

"It tells us something about what a broader theft of data may look like in Medibank and it includes a very broad scope of information," she said.

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CEO David Koczkar has "unreservedly" apologised to customers for the attack on the health insurer.

"I know that many will be disappointed with Medibank and I acknowledge that disappointment," he said.

"This cybercrime is now the subject of an investigation by the Australian Federal Police.  

"We will learn from this incident and will share our learnings with others."

READ MORE: World's second most deadly land snake curls up in public toilets

Generic image of Medibank, Bourke Street, Docklands.

Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre and the AFP are investigating the cyberattack and helping to deal with the fallout of the hack.

O'Neil said involving the AFP and other government agencies is to prevent the possession of the data actually harming Australians.

"The smartest people in the Australian government are working directly with Medibank to try to ensure that this horrendous criminal act does not turn into what could be irreparable harm to some Australian citizens," she said.

Medibank has entered a trading halt until further notice.

The incident comes just weeks after the major Optus hack which exposed at least 2.1 million personal identification numbers.

Flood emergency 'far from over' for Victoria and NSW

Residents in Echuca and Moama are preparing for the Murray and Campaspe rivers to peak in the coming days as Victoria's flood emergency continues.

While more than 700 flood rescues have already been conducted over the past week, the SES has said the emergency is "far from over".

It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology has warned the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers in New South Wales may flood again over the weekend.

READ MORE: Exhausted wallaby rescued by emergency services from floodwaters

Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers may flood again

Flood-weary residents in Sydney's north-west are preparing for water levels to rise again when the weather system brings rain to already-saturated ground.

Minor flooding could occur in the Hawkesbury Nepean from early Friday into the weekend, the BoM has warned.

The SES put out the warning for people in Lower Potland, Sackville, Windsor, Wisemans Ferry, Spencer, Penrith, Colo, North Richmond and surrounding areas to follow warnings ahead of predicted flooding.

"A low-pressure system is forecast to bring moderate to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across New South Wales for the remainder of Thursday to Friday, before weakening, but will be quickly followed by another rain-bearing system on the weekend," the BoM said.

Meanwhile, on the NSW and Victoria border, the swollen Murray River has burst through a levy into Moama.

"It's failing in one corner, the guys are trying to pump it and plug it at the same time but at the moment they aren't having much success," firefighter John Ryan said.

Residents said they're worn out "mentally, physically and emotionally" but the event is not over yet with floodwaters continuing to rise.

READ MORE: Bureau of Meteorology backflips on name change after criticism of $220,000 rebrand

Flood event 'far from over'

There are currently 53 warnings in place across Victoria, including emergency warnings to evacuate immediately for Barmah and Lower Moira and Echuca.

A too late to leave warning remains in place for Kerang, which could become isolated for more than a week if floodwaters continue to rise.

The Murray River is expected to peak on Friday.

The Campaspe and Loddon rivers are subject to the flood watch due to upcoming rain, and some minor river rises are expected in Rochester.

Victorian SES Chief Officer of Operations, Tim Wiebusch, warned more rain was on the way and that it was "far from over".

"While we are seeing some communities in the recovery stage, there are still many communities under watch and act and evacuation warnings," he said.

Wiebusch said Kerang and a stretch of the Murray River between Echuca and the small town of Barmah remained a "concern".

Wiebusch said there was now a flood watch for the impending weather over the next few days.

There have been more than 8000 requests for assistance since the beginning of the weather event last week, Wiebusch said.

"I will say this again, don't drive in floodwaters," he said.

READ MORE: Thousands of speeding fines thrown out in Victoria due to confusing speed limit change

'Important health protection initiatives" announced

A $6.5 million package has been announced by the Victorian government to deliver health protection initiatives as communities begin to clean up the flood damage.

Victorian Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes warned there were many health risks associated with contaminated floodwater and increased mosquito breeding.

"This investment will deliver important health protection initiatives such as a dedicated monitoring control system to prevent and control disease-carrying mosquitoes that we know are drawn to flood areas," she said.

"These are communities that particularly along the Murray are very familiar with the risks of mosquitoes but that risk will be increased, particularly in relation to risk of Japanese encephalitis.

"On that note, the vaccination for Japanese encephalitis will be (available) to flood-affected communities and I would encourage people to seek more information about that, many of our agricultural areas are very familiar with the risk of Japanese encephalitis and will know what steps to take."

READ MORE: Scammers use flood victims' names to steal relief money as men arrested for looting in Maribyrnong

There will be a further $14 million of funding to send hospital staff to flood-affected areas for a duration of three months, Symes said.

She said 20 pharmacists have also been sent to relieve the pressure in communities.

"Pharmacies in flooded areas and pharmacies in country areas quite often the only available pharmacy to service a broad area," Symes said.

Aerial pic from drone of McKenzie street Echuca.

"They are all too familiar with the needs of the community but obviously are stretched, having to operate 24/7 to make sure that people get the medication that they need, obviously very important to maintain the health of the community.

"We will also be making important amendments to support Aboriginal health organisations to do the important thing that they do particularly in those committees, (such as) Shepparton, Swan Hill and Echuca that have been impacted.

"(We) want to make sure that the dedicated services, GPs, nurses and workers are on the ground supporting the community."

READ MORE: Former Victorian police prosecutor jailed for intimate filming of woman and teenage girl

Hundreds of ADF personnel deployed

Up to 500 Australian Defense Force (ADF) personnel will assist with the flood recovery in Victoria and NSW.

The Australian government today approved the personnel to assist emergency authorities or to do tasks like making sandbags and transporting support to isolated families.

"The Australian government is working closely with our Victorian and New South Wales counterparts to provide assistance as quickly as possible," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"We've already seen our ADF members hard at work filling sandbags in Shepparton, building levee banks in Echuca and helping out in Wagga Wagga.

"Now they will also be supporting more people as we move to the clean-up phase of this disaster."

Scammers using flood victims' names to steal relief money

A Melbourne man who tried to apply for flood aid was told his name had been used to claim emergency funds multiple times.

Maribyrnong resident Stan Gradzki, who lives with his 92-year-old mother, said his identity was used by scammers as flood relief rolls out to Victorians.

His home and belongings were all destroyed in the floods last week.

READ MORE: Thousands of speeding fines thrown out in Victoria due to confusing speed limit change

"We tried to apply for the payment and they knocked us back, they said there were too many claims at this house," Gradzki told 9News.

"Somebody must have got on and started applying.

"It's so difficult, it's people have trouble applying it's probably due to the scammers.

"I couldn't figure it out and they are now onto it."

Gradzki said the scammers had used his address multiple times to steal the money.

"It's makes you feel numb, you can't understand it. There are better things to see here that has been happening," he said.

"We are still coming to terms with it."

A Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) spokesperson said reports of people making fraudulent applications for emergency payments was "incredibly disappointing".

The spokesperson said the DFFH was aware of a small number of suspected fraudulent relief payment applications being made.

"We refer every suspected fraudulent claim directly to Victoria Police," the spokesperson said.

READ MORE: Exhausted wallaby rescued by emergency services from floodwaters

Looting arrests

One man has been charged and another is expected to be charged over the alleged looting of a flood-affected home in Maribyrnong earlier this week.

A 26-year-old Sunshine West man has since been charged with 12 offences including burglary, obtaining property by deception, and handling stolen goods.

A 33-year-old Sunshine West man is expected to be charged on summons with deception offences.

Police believe one of the men entered an unoccupied home and stole several personal items before fleeing in a blue Ford Territory.

It is understood two other men remained in the vehicle during the incident.