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A Sydney man has been jailed for just under two-and-a-half years over a crash that killed "a wonderful, innocent and much-loved" mother of three.

Troy Xerri was disqualified from driving and speeding when he crossed onto the wrong side of the road and hit Joanne Duke's car while she was driving home from work at Eastwood in 2019.

Duke, 63, died at the scene.

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Two others, including Xerri's passenger, were injured.

Xerri told police he was in a hurry to get home.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death, but went on trial for a more serious charge which he was cleared of.

Xerri faced a maximum of 10 years jail but was sentenced to two years and four months behind bars as Judge Leonie Flannery accepted his admission of remorse.

She also shaved time off for the onerous conditions Xerri endured while on bail which she described as "quasi" custody.

Xerri could be free on parole by November next year.

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Duke's family claimed the sentence was "paltry" and "disgusting" with emotions spilling over in court as they called the driver a "coward".

Her husband, Michael, slammed the sentence while talking to reporters outside court.

"We believe that laws and sentencing concerning deaths on roads must be reviewed – change and/or strengthened – otherwise more of this devastation will continue and countless others will suffer in the future as they have in the past," he said.

Michael Duke clutched his granddaughter Willow, who was born six months after her nan died.

"Myself, our sons and many others are doomed to visit Jo in the cemetery forever," he said.

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Banned NRL player Bronson Xerri was among a large group supporting his older brother.

His relatives could be heard yelling "it was an accident" as Xerri was taken away in handcuffs by sheriffs.

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South-east Queensland residents have been left devastated and bewildered by the second major flood event in months, with several forced to seek shelter as floods threaten their homes.

Residents in the town of Laidley in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, are among the worst hit by major flooding, as towns throughout south-east Queensland like Gatton, Grantham, Gympie, Ipswich and Warwick are once again pummeled with rain.

Areas of Laidley have been inundated, with locals seeking shelter and sandbagging their businesses as fire and emergency crews travel on rescue boats down the main street.

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Resident Janice Pitts has described the feeling as heartbreaking as she left her home through knee-height floodwaters.

"Oh not good, no not good," she said.

"This is my third time, but yeah, I'm staying up at my daughter's house, it's not in my house yet but I'm just getting everything out.

"There's not much you can do about it."

Resident Sharon Hass has sought shelter with a neighbour, after lifting what she could to higher ground in her own home.

"It's very frightening, it happened not that long ago. This time it's a lot worse, it's very frightening," she said.

"Can't really believe it's happening.

"Lifting everything up and just hoping for the best but this current is coming in from the canal down there.

"We really just need the sky to clear and a bit of sunshine to give us hope the rain will stop."

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The QFES issued an emergency alert for the Lockyer region this morning, warning residents affected by the February floods to take immediate action and to have an emergency plan in place.

Lowood State High School on Prospect Street has been opened as a place of refuge, with those heading there asked to bring bedding, food, medication and any personal items.

"If you flooded in February 2022, now is the time to activate your emergency plan," the QFES said this morning.

"If you are concerned seek shelter with friends, family."

Matt Towers in Gympie said several residents were still homeless from the last floods, with the community shocked by how quickly the current floodwaters have risen.

"It's just come as a bit of a shock," Towers said

"A lot of people are still recovering from the last floods – it's been pretty hectic.

"There's still people that are homeless, they've lost their homes, they can't find accommodation because the rentals in this town are that expensive and non-existent really… and they're finding it really hard.

"They're still living in tents, there's people couch-surfing, they're about to open the caravan park up for flood-affected people. It's still pretty bad."

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Low-lying areas have turned to rivers, with streets and road signs in the town completely submerged.

Gympie mayor Glen Hartwig said predictions indicated catchments could reach a 13-metre peak, and residents and low-lying businesses shouldn't panic, but be aware they may need to evacuate.

"BoM are suggesting that there could be another 150 to 160mm dropped in the catchment," Hartwig said.

"If that occurs, we are then looking at the 15 to 16-metre mark.

"At 13 metres, we're underwater here, and when it hits 16, it's snorkels or nothing.

"Hopefully this event doesn't reach that height and we don't have that residential inundation and the disruption to people's lives. But if it does reach that 16-metre mark we do still get businesses affected and there are implications for them."

Hartwig said south-east communities were better prepared after the February floods and were able to better anticipate flood risks.

"The flooding event now is predictable, rain is falling into the catchment… February there was nothing predictable about it and they were two completely different events," he said.

"I'm very comfortable with the information we're getting from BoM."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed 300 homes across south-east Queensland had been affected by flooding.

SES crews have responded to 150 calls for help and performed nine rescues.

Over 70 schools have been closed throughout the region due to flood risks.

"Where possible, if you don't need to be out and about please don't be out on roads unless you must," the premier said.

All flood warnings can be viewed here.

Residents are urged to follow the advice and emergency alerts of their local councils and keep up to date with BoM updates.

Police are fearing for the safety of a man they believe could be linked to the death of a diver and the alleged importation of $20 million of cocaine into the port of Newcastle.

CCTV was released earlier today of a man and woman who could help the investigation into the death of the diver whose body was found on Monday next to a South American container ship, along with 54 kilograms of cocaine.

The man is described as being of South American appearance, about 178 centimetres tall and of an athletic build.

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The woman is described as being of a thin build, about 150 to 160 centimetres tall and has a tanned complexion with blonde/grey hair.

Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow said police hold concerns for the man's welfare.

"This man could be a foreign national with limited English so he could be at risk in the community," he said.

"It's likely these people were in the Newcastle area between May 1 and 11, conducting certain activities around the Wallsend and Newcastle areas.

"We believe these people have some knowledge of what happened."

Critchlow added there was a further 50 kilograms of cocaine imported at the time.

"Regretfully, at this stage that's still in the community," he said.

The dead man was wearing highly technical diving gear including breathing equipment that doesn't emit any bubbles.

The ship, which had travelled from Argentina, arrived in Newcastle on Sunday evening and later that night a rubber ducky and a tinny were seen travelling to it.

The vessel was carrying soybean powder and police are looking at whether the drugs were attached to the outside of its hull.

This comes as Queensland superyacht operator James "Jimmy" Blee was arrested over his alleged role in the failed importation.

Blee was charged with the federal crime of importing a large commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and the NSW crime of large commercial drug supply.

Blee is the co-founder of a company that operates tours and cruising plans for superyachts in North Queensland.

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Earlier police said they were searching for more people involved in the man's death and the drug haul.

"There's evidently more people involved than the dead man," Superintendent Rob Critchlow claimed on Wednesday.

"As most people would realise, people don't scuba dive alone.

"There's obviously safety protocols even with people involved in offending.

"It was quite complicated, some of the devices they used and the presence of two boats indicate at least two other people.

"This man's been left for dead basically, either to die or when he did die, these people fled.

"So it's quite disgusting … regardless of what he was involved in."

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Inquiries into the death and the cocaine discovery are continuing.

"Our investigation is very much on an international syndicate with the capability and capacity to import a significant amount of drugs and facilitate people across borders to assist with that," AFP Detective Superintendent Matt Ciantar said.

The AFP is also conducting inquiries offshore.

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Victorians have been warned not to trust apps claiming to be able to identify poisonous mushrooms as the fungi thrive in the state's cool, wet conditions.

The Victorian Health Department is telling people to not pick wild mushrooms in Melbourne or regional Victoria, emphasising it is very difficult to tell the difference between mushrooms that are safe to eat and poisonous death cap and yellow-staining mushrooms.

"It can be very difficult to distinguish between toxic and edible varieties of wild mushroom," Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Angie Bone said.

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"There is a serious risk of misidentification when using mushroom-identifying apps and there can be major consequences to your health of getting it wrong.

"Consuming just a single death cap mushroom can result in liver failure and death, so if you are not an expert and absolutely certain of the species of mushroom, do not pick it or eat it."

Recent rain has provided ideal conditions for poisonous mushroom species to sprout in regional and metropolitan Victoria.

The most dangerous variety is the death cap, which is a larger type of mushroom with a greenish or yellowish cap and white gills that is found near deciduous trees such as oaks.

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Symptoms of poisoning by death cap can include stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea within hours of consumption.

Organ failure can also occur 24 to 48 hours after the mushrooms have been ingested.

The commonly found yellow-staining mushroom turns yellow when the cap or stem is bruised by a thumbnail.

Bone said anyone who becomes ill after eating mushrooms should seek urgent medical advice and, if possible, take samples of the whole mushroom for identification.

Parents and pet owners should also be aware of mushrooms in gardens and parks frequented by children and domestic animals.

The health advice is that people should not wait for symptoms to occur if they suspect they have consumed poisonous mushrooms, but should seek medical attention immediately.

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