A loud alarm will blare from almost every phone in Australia in five months as a new emergency system is rolled out, scrapping the old SMS alerts and providing a lifeline for people caught up in life-threatening situations.

AusAlert is the nation's latest emergency warning system, which will send urgent messages to compatible phones within up to 160m of an impacted area.

"It will alert people to the type of hazard that they are facing, its severity, whereabouts and importantly what action to take," Emergency Management Coordinator-General Brendan Moon said.

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The system will consist of two notifications: a critical alert that will sound a loud siren from the phone; and a second message that will detail priority information.

The $132 million system is slated to replace the current state-based SMS emergency alerts, and a nationwide test of the program is scheduled hit phones across the country on July 27 at 2pm.

The system will officially launch in October.

"AusAlert messages will appear differently to our current text-based message systems," Emergency Management Minister Kirsty McBain said.

"They will appear on locked screens of mobile devices and exist outside of the standard text messaging app."

The system will prioritise natural disasters, however, notifications can also be sent to alert people nearby to other life-threatening situations, such as serious public safety incidents or terrorism.

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The technology is already used by more than 30 countries for emergency warning communications.

The government says the system will be more reliable, accurate and efficient than the current SMS alerts. 

All phones made in 2019 onwards will be compatible with the system, with testing on older phones ongoing.

Localised tests are set to begin from June 10 in some areas before the nationwide launch in October.

The rollout of AusAlert comes in response to the 2020 Royal Commission into National Nature Disaster Arrangements, with the commission ruling that emergency warning systems, including mobile alerts, are critical during disasters. 

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CCTV footage has captured the horrifying moment a Sydney man was allegedly kidnapped from a tobacconist shop in the city's south-west.

Footage obtained by 9News appears to show the 53-year-old man being approached by four men in balaclavas outside a tobacco shop on Meadows Road in Mount Pritchard about 6am on Tuesday before they try to snatch him.

He tried to fight them off, but was bundled into a Hyundai hatchback and taken to a property in Dural, according to police.

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Police say a covert operation was set up to recover the kidnapping victim under Strike Force Martinook.

Detectives attended a property at Dural around 10.30am today, where they used megaphones to try and entice the alleged kidnappers outside.

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When there was no response, armed police moved in on the property.

They were able to recover the missing man as a result of the operation.

NATIONAL: Loud alarm to blare from every phone in Australia in matter of months

He was assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics and taken to hospital in a stable condition.

A 16-year-old male was also arrested at the Dural property and taken to Castle Hill Police Station.

Inquiries are ongoing and investigations continue.

Police remain at the Dural house this evening, examining evidence and trying to track down the other individuals involved in the alleged kidnapping.

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Three men aged 19, 31 and 40 remain in custody facing serious violence charges.

Two hikers have been rescued after becoming stuck off a 350-metre cliff in the NSW Snowy Mountains.

Two women in their 20s called emergency services for help after becoming stuck on a rock near Geehi in the Kosciuszko National Park about 6pm on Tuesday.

A crew of 14 SES volunteers made their way to their location before hiking through steep and remote terrain into the night to reach them.

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NSW SES Snowy Monaro Local Commander Chief Inspector Malika Bailey said the crews were also met with poor weather conditions, which made it difficult to safely retrieve the women from the rocks.

"We had to complete a 350-metre vertical rescue, and at times the fog meant we couldn't see two metres in front of us," she said.

"Thanks to strong interagency coordination and the preparedness of the hikers, all members of the group were located and safely retrieved."

READ MORE: Loud alarm to blare from every phone in Australia in matter of months

The entire operation took almost 24 hours.

The women were treated by paramedics but did not require hospitalisation.

Luckily for them, they had food, water and weatherproof clothing with them when they became stuck.

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Bailey said conditions in alpine regions change rapidly and even experienced hikers can find themselves in difficult situations.

"Before heading out, check the weather forecast, plan your route carefully, tell someone where you're going and when you expect to return, and carry appropriate clothing, food, water and communication equipment," she said.

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Accused murderer Greg Lynn is not an unacceptable risk to the community, his lawyers have argued as he makes a bid for freedom.

Lynn, 59, sat staring forward as he made the application for bail in the Victorian Supreme Court this morning.

He is charged with the murder of Carol Clay, 73, who went missing with Russell Hill, 74, from a remote campsite in Victoria's northeast in March 2020.

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It's alleged Clay was shot in the head by a projectile from Lynn's gun, senior crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC told the court today.

Gibson argued the prosecution's case against Lynn was quite strong as he opposed the application for bail.

But Lynn's barrister, Dermot Dann KC, told the court his client should be released, arguing the case against him was weak.

"This is a case with particular problems," Dann said, , as he was challenged by Justice David Beach, who noted the allegations were "terrible and shocking".

The barrister said there were exceptional reasons to grant Lynn bail, including his difficult conditions in custody and his diagnosed heart condition for which he was awaiting surgery.

Prosecutors were also not alleging he was a risk of endangering the community, Dann said.

"He's not suggested to be an unacceptable risk," the barrister told the court.

"Your Honour can impose stringent conditions if there were any slight concerns."

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Conditions could include a curfew and a prohibition from attending any points of departure, Dann said.

The defence barrister said Lynn also had strong family support, with his son Geordie and wife of 22 years Melanie in attendance today.

Geordie Lynn was also willing to provide accommodation and put forward his "life savings" as a bail guarantor, the barrister argued.

Gibson argued the range of circumstances did not reach the high bar of being exceptional.

"In our case, the applicant doesn't get to that point and bail should be refused," he said.

Justice David Beach reserved his decision on bail to March 5.

He flagged that Lynn could face a trial as early as July.

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Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has recognised Samson Aruwa for his bravery.

NSW teenager Jeremy Webb has become the first Australian to have died from a tick-induced red meat allergy.

The 16-year-old had trouble breathing after he ate a dinner of beef sausages while camping with three friends on the NSW Central Coast on June 10 in 2022.

Jeremy's friends tried to revive him after he collapsed but the asthmatic teenager was pronounced dead after midnight at Gosford Hospital.

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NSW Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes ruled Jeremy died from an anaphylactic reaction to mammalian meat which triggered an asthma attack in findings released today.

"The experts appear to agree that an acute exacerbation of asthma was the immediate cause of Jeremy's death and that the evidence is consistent that that acute exacerbation occurred because of a severe allergic reaction to mammalian meat," Forbes said.

"Without the anaphylaxis caused by the allergy Jeremy's asthma would not have caused his death."

The 16-year-old's death was initially ruled to be asthma.

Clinical immunologist and allergy physician Professor Sheryl van Nunen later diagnosed Jeremy with mammalian meat allergy after a tick bite.

Van Nunen told the ABC that Webb's death is the first documented case of mammalian meat allergy in Australia and the second in the world.

A 47-year-old man from New Jersey is believed to be the only other fatal case.

The court heard when Jeremy was about five years old, he and his family moved to a large block of land on the Central Coast which was surrounded by dense bush.

Over the years he experienced a number of tick bites.

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Following his death, the teenager's parents Myfanwy and Johnathan Webb advocated for an inquest into his death to promote better education into mammalian meat allergy for the public and medical practitioners.

His mother previously told the coroner she missed her son dearly and thought about him every day.

"I may never be able to hold him again but he was and will always be an integral part of my life," she said.

Mammalian meat allergy is also known as alpha-gal syndrome.

In Australia, almost all cases are induced by bites of the eastern paralysis tick, which is endemic throughout the eastern coastal regions of Australia.

Van Nunen has diagnosed and managed more than 800 patients with mammalian meat allergy in the last 20 years.

She told the coroner's court that a tick causes the allergy by injecting an allergen into the body which cause the body to manufacture alpha-gal allergy antibody.

That antibody causes the body to become sensitised to a molecule known as alpha-gal that is found in most mammals including cows, pigs, sheep and kangaroos.

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The safety net has been pulled out from under Australian energy consumers, leaving more than one in six households struggling to settle their latest electricity bills.

New data released today by Canstar reveals the expiration of federal energy rebates is creating "hip-pocket havoc" nationwide. 

A survey of 3000 respondents found that 72 per cent of households have already seen their costs climb since the subsidies ended, with nearly 20 per cent of those people now unable to meet the higher costs without significant strain.

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Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) inflation data for January, released yesterday, showed a sharp spike in electricity prices. 

Electricity prices jumped as the first quarterly bills without government discounts hit letterboxes. This "rebate roll-off" comes on top of a 4.5 per cent underlying increase in electricity prices over the past year, the ABS data showed.

For the past 18 months, the federal government provided a total of $450 in relief, delivered in $75 quarterly rebates. With the final payment made in late 2025, millions of Australians are now facing the full brunt of market rates.

While a quarter of surveyed households say they can still comfortably afford their bills, nearly half of the population admits to being concerned about future payments.

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A further 12 per cent of respondents have already begun making other financial sacrifices just to keep the lights on.

Canstar's data insights director, Sally Tindall, said the rebate had acted as a vital shock absorber that has now reached its limit. 

"Now it's gone, reality is starting to set in for millions of households across the country who have to face paying the full bill, all by themselves, with thousands already struggling to pay it," Tindall said.

Despite the grim outlook, Tindall suggested that consumers could effectively "create" their own discount by moving away from average-priced plans. 

A Canstar analysis showed that a typical household switching from an average plan to the lowest-cost provider could save hundreds of dollars annually.

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In Canberra, the potential savings reach as high as $382 in the first year – an amount equivalent to more than five of the old $75 government instalments. 

Significant savings are also available in other major cities, with Adelaide residents able to save approximately $311 and Brisbane residents around $300 by switching.

What to do if you can't pay

For those staring down a bill they cannot afford, several avenues of support remain available. Energy retailers are legally obligated to provide financial assistance, which can include tailored payment plans or hardship programs.

The National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) offers free advice on prioritising bills and negotiating with providers. 

Various state-based programs, such as the NSW Energy Accounts Payments Assistance or the Victorian Energy Assistance Program, also continue to offer emergency relief for eligible residents.

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Group assignments at universities should be scrapped because students "hate" them, according to the shadow education minister.

It is an experience millions of Australians have had to endure during their education, and Julian Leeser says he has received such strong feedback from students that the projects should be banned.

"Unless there are compelling reasons or exceptional circumstances, I am calling on you to get rid of group assignments," he told the Universities Australia Solutions Summit today.

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While a 2023 study from the Australian Catholic University in 2023 suggested "students perceive collaborative group work as beneficial in many ways", Leeser disputes this finding.

He believes individuals are more likely to suffer from the experience, and don't actually learn much from the assessment.

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Leeser claimed group assignments "cheapen" university degrees.

"There is always that student who does the work, and that student who reaps the benefit. It diminishes the role of the individual," he said.

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"In most cases, there is no compelling justification."

He believes universities and students as a whole will benefit if they reframe the thinking and focus surrounding assessments to be on an individual basis.

"I am calling on you to rethink assessments by focusing on whether we are truly and fairly assessing individuals on the basis of their individual performance," he said.

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Accused drove his vehicle towards a police car and officers in an effort to avoid arrest.