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The Aged Care Services Minister has defended his decision to attend the Ashes in Hobart, instead of a COVID-19 inquiry into the crisis unfolding in Australian nursing homes.

When invited to give evidence to the Senate Committee on January 14, Richard Colbeck said he and others within the department were too busy dealing with Omicron outbreaks.

"Diverting time and resources… to give evidence before the committee at this crucial time would impact the urgent and critical work the department is undertaking," Senator Colbeck wrote in a response early last month.

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It was later revealed Senator Colbeck, who is also the Sports Minister, was at the first day of the fifth Test in Hobart on January 14.

During a committee hearing in Canberra today, Senator Colbeck said he stood by his decision to attend the cricket, and "continued to pay attention to aged care" while he was there.

"All through that weekend I worked through matters in both portfolios, but particularly aged care," Senator Colbeck told the hearing.

"Although it was a weekend, and I was attending the test match."

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Tasmanian independent Senator Jacqui Lambie blasted Senator Colbeck for claiming he didn't want to "divert resources" by holding the hearing.

"Was that just an excuse? Because quite frankly to me… it looks like you just weren't coming because you would rather go to the cricket and drink frothies."

Senator Colbeck said he stood by his statement that the department was focused on managing the high numbers of cases in aged care homes at the time.

"I've never refused to appear before the committee. The conversation we were having was around the timing," he said.

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Asked if the sector is in crisis, the Minister conceded residents and staff are under strain, but he believes they're managing the situation.

"I know it's certainly working very, very hard to manage the impacts, particularly of the Omicron outbreak," he said.

"My view, and the data supports that, is the sector is performing exceptionally well in the work it's doing."

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Queenslanders are being warned of more violent weather as an intense heatwave lingering in the state has hampered clean up efforts following a super-cell storm.

Parts of south-east Queensland are still reeling from the damage caused by a powerful storm last night that uprooted trees and ripped roofs off properties.

Many have had no relief from the heatwave driving up temperatures, with others being warned another storm could produce heavy rain fall and flash flooding this afternoon.

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The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a severe storm warning for people in the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Central West, Wide Bay and Burnett, Darling Downs and Granite Belt, Southeast Coast and parts of Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, Herbert and Lower Burdekin, North West, Channel Country, Capricornia and Maranoa and Warrego Forecast Districts.

A particularly nasty storm was detected near Fernvale, southern Lake Wivenhoe and Rosewood, which is moving east, according to the BoM.

https://twitter.com/BronteGildea/status/1488753562117046276

"The abundant atmospheric moisture that's making Queenslanders sweat today will also provide fuel for thunderstorms," Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said.

The warning comes as the clean up from last night's storm continues, with many working to salvage what is left of their homes in the district of Logan, south of Brisbane.

Several cars have been destroyed by flying debris, with clean up crews working tirelessly to clear roads littered by fallen trees in scorching temperatures.

Meteorologists recorded at least 100,000 lightening strikes last night, with 40 homes damaged and 900 emergency assessments made by SES crews.

In the Logan suburb of Browns Plains, shade clothes were ripped off the carpark at Grand Plaza.

Woolridge woman Hulita Manoa was forced to seek alternate shelter for her family and daughter after the roof was torn from their house.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1488725552215306246

"Our daughter was screaming and she run to dad and all that. We just thank god, that we're still all alive as a family," she said.

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William Manoa said the storm felt like a tornado ripping through the streets adding this is the worst storm he's seen after 20 years in the region.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life, not even in New Zealand," Mr Manoa said.

"For now we're just trying to find a place to go to, just see what we can do from here and we'll go from there."

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Resident Sarah Moahmed and her young family were inside their house when several trees became uprooted.

"The house was full of water, it was scary really," she said.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Harry Clark said the storm intensified quickly yesterday afternoon.

"We did have more typical thunderstorm activity around .. one of these did interact with sea breeze winds pushing through the area and that's what led to the rapid intensification of this super cell storm," Mr Clark said.

"Certainly an unusual event that passed through the Logan area yesterday."

Mr Domensino said the storms were triggered by the severe heatwave currently sitting over south-east Queensland, which are causing tropics-like temperatures and extreme levels of humidity.

The heatwave has been sparked by a hot air mass combined with high amounts of atmospheric moisture.

"When it already feels like 37C at 9am and you're outside the tropics, you know it's going to be a hot day," Mr Domensino said.

He said the intense heatwave should peak today before giving residents some much-needed reprieve from the high temperatures.

Mr Domensino added that temperatures would feel significantly hotter than temperatures recorded due to factors like light wind, direct sunlight, are and humidity stirred by moisture in the air.

"Feels like" temperatures in Brisbane this morning reached 45.4C by 8.30am and before 11am had already reached 40C.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1488704237257297923

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