Warranted officers and volunteers will staff the main Lake Ōkareka boat ramp.

The waterspout formed offshore between Waimārama Beach and Bare Island.

‘I’m here for Jim and Joanne. I needed a kick up the bum and they gave it to me.’

At least 13 people have died and 98 were injured after a train derailed in Mexico on Sunday (Monday AEDT).

There were 250 people on board the train when it derailed in Asunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca, on the train's main line between Veracruz and Salina Cruz.

In a statement, the navy said that 36 people required hospital care and the rest sustained minor injuries. Hundreds of naval personnel and rescue vehicles have been sent to the scene, it said.

READ MORE: Premier promises 'answers' as Bondi royal commission stoush heats up

An investigation will be opened to determine the cause of the derailment, Mexico's Attorney General Ernestina Godoy said in a post on X.

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, also addressed the incident, writing on X that she has instructed the Secretary of the Navy and Interior Ministry's Undersecretary for Human Rights "to travel to the site and personally attend to the families".

Managed by Mexico's Navy, the Interoceanic Train links Mexico's Pacific and Gulf coasts. Its main line only came into service in 2023, under a new program by then-Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador to promote economic development in southern Mexico and create an alternative to the Panama Canal for cargo transport.

More to come.

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Ella was last seen on Saturday, December 27.

Six patients have tested positive for Covid-19 at Gore Hospital.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has promised the state's royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack will "get to the answers", just hours after families of the victims called for a federal commission in a scathing letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The prime minister has so far resisted calls for a royal commission, citing the need to push forward with more immediate reforms and changes.

The government has ordered an independent review into the attack and the circumstances surrounding it, which will be due in April next year.

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In contrast, the NSW government has announced it will open a state-based commission, though the dates for it have not been set.

Speaking today at the Bondi Community Hub, Minns said he hoped the commission would open soon.

"We're working with our agencies as well as the Jewish community about terms of reference and an appropriate commissioner," he said.

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"But so, you know, I'd be happy to have it up and running as soon as possible."

He said the commission would have to examine two years of antisemitism, escalating from "chants at a rally" to the Bondi attack.

Minns also said it was important to ensure the commission did not interfere with the trial of accused shooter Naveed Akram.

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"That's how we're going to get justice for the victims and their families and the community," he said.

"But I think that we can get a discerning judge who has understanding and experience about criminal procedures to give us as many of the answers as possible in a short period of time as possible."

Asked about Albanese's reluctance to hold a federal royal commission, Minns said he was unable to comment on Commonwealth decisions but that he expected full co-operation.

"I've been told, and I expect, that any royal commission from NSW will have access to agencies, any agency, any person, any official, anyone they need to speak to, to get to the answers," Minns said.

Albanese has already pledged federal support for the state commission.

'We demand answers'

The grieving families of 11 of the Bondi victims demanded a commonwealth royal commission examine "the rapid rise of antisemitism in Australia following Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, and the law enforcement, intelligence, and policy failures that led to the Bondi Beach massacre", in a letter published in full in Nine newspapers.

"We demand answers and solutions," they wrote.

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"We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward."

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"Announcements made so far by the federal government in response to the Bondi massacre are not nearly enough," the families wrote.

"Prime Minister, how can you not support a royal commission into the deadliest terrorist attack on Australian soil? Royal commissions have been established for banks and for aged care."

The letter-writers said there was "unprecedented" support for a federal commission as the problem of rising antisemitism extended far beyond state borders.

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"You owe us answers. You owe us accountability. And you owe Australians the truth," they wrote.

Albanese has previously defended his stance by pointing out that no federal royal commissions were held in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre or the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege.

However, critics – including the families who signed the letter – say that there have been years of escalating attacks on the Jewish community without sufficient response from authorities.

You can read the letter from the victims' families in full below.

The families of those murdered at Bondi call for a commonwealth royal commission

We, the families of those killed and injured in the Bondi Beach massacre, call on the Prime Minister to immediately establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the rapid rise of antisemitism in Australia following Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, and the law enforcement, intelligence, and policy failures that led to the Bondi Beach massacre.

We demand answers and solutions.

We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward.

As proud Australians and proud Jews, we have endured more than two and a half years of relentless attacks. Our children feel unsafe at school and university. Our homes, workplaces, sporting fields, and public spaces no longer feel secure. It is an intolerable situation that no Australian should have to endure.

Announcements made so far by the federal government in response to the Bondi massacre are not nearly enough.

Prime Minister, how can you not support a Royal Commission into the deadliest terrorist attack on Australian soil? Royal Commissions have been established for banks and for aged care.

We have lost parents, spouses, children, and grandparents.

Our loved ones were celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach, a festival of light and joy, in an iconic public space that should have been safe.

You owe us answers. You owe us accountability. And you owe Australians the truth.

Senior legal, security, and political leaders from across the country have come together in an unprecedented display of public support for a Commonwealth Royal Commission. The rise of antisemitism in Australia goes far beyond one state jurisdiction. It is a national crisis that demands a powerful national response.

In just the past few days following the Bondi attack, a Jewish family's car was firebombed, and a man in Western Australia was arrested after posting messages of support following the Bondi attack while stockpiling weapons and in possession of Hamas and Hezbollah flags. This threat is real, and it is escalating.

The dangerous rise of antisemitism and radicalism in Australia is not going away.

We need strong action now. We need leadership now.

You cannot bring back our loved ones. But with a well-led Commonwealth Royal Commission and strong action, you may be able to save many more.

Abesidon Family

Amzalak Family

Britvan Family

Brutman Family

Goldhirsch Family

Gurman Family

Gutnick Family

Joseph Family

Kastel Family

Kleytman Family

Levitan Family

Morrison Family

Schlanger Family

Tetelroyd Family

Tretiak Family

Ulman Family

Weitzen Family

Exclusive: Marilyn believed she was being financially responsible when she clicked on a Facebook advertisement for a superannuation health check two years ago.

The Victorian woman, 60, was looking to retire soon and pay herself a modest pension after a tough few years, including the death of her husband in 2016.

She had been paid a significant life insurance sum, along with both their superannuation funds, and wanted to protect her assets.

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The financial nightmare that followed left Marilyn feeling "stupid".

"I thought, what a stupid thing I've done. So I felt angry with myself," Marilyn told nine.com.au.

"I felt so terrible that I had possibly wasted my husband's superannuation, my superannuation and the payout for his life insurance."

But how could 12,000 Australians make the very same costly "mistake"?

Marilyn is among thousands who have either lost everything or had their superannuation funds frozen following the collapse of First Guardian Master Fund and Shield Master Fund.

After a lengthy super "health check" with a financial advisor firm, Marilyn decided to transfer her fund from HESTA over to a fund known as AusPrac in November 2023.

She then rolled together all her money under the one account, hoping she could boost returns.

AusPrac, also known as Australian Practical Superannuation, is operated by parent company Sequoia Financial Group.

9news.com.au has previously contacted Sequoia for comment but has not received a reply.

ASIC has commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against Diversa Trustees Limited – the trustee for AusPrac – alleging failures relating to the First Guardian Master Fund. Diversa said it would "vigorously defend" the claims.

On December 23, ASIC imposed extra licence conditions on Diversa over what it alleges were a series of governance failures. Diversa acknowledged the new conditions but argued they were not "necessary or warranted in the circumstances".

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A quick dip to cool off on a scorching summer's day, or a casual wade through gentle waves with family and friends, is a pastime deeply rooted in the Australian experience. 

But until this month, Carly Burns struggled to get past the beach car park.

Born with spina bifida, the 38-year-old from Frankston, on the outer eastern fringe of Melbourne, has used a wheelchair for most of her life.

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"I've never actually been able to get down onto the beach on my own… I would have to be up on the concrete just watching," she said.

But an Australian-first pilot to create the nation's first fully-accessible beach has given Burns, and 30,000 other Frankston residents living with a disability, a newfound ability to enjoy the beach in the same way millions of others across the country do.

"I have family that would carry me [in the past], but to be able to do it myself is amazing," Burns said.

Accessible Beaches Australia and Frankston Council unveiled the nation's most accessible beach to users and supporters on December 5.

The three-month pilot includes 70 metres of beach matting running to the water's edge to allow wheelchairs to traverse the sand, daybeds with cabanas, five beach wheelchairs, two beach walkers, and a hoist to support transfers between wheelchairs. 

Out of the 160 accessible beaches in Australia, Frankston is the first to have staff and volunteers to help beachgoers enter and exit the water.

For participant Chris Wiggett, swimming at the beach was an opportunity more than seven years in the making.

"Last time I was knocked over, which frightened me," she said at the pilot launch.

"This morning, a volunteer helped me down to the water. I put my feet in and walked along the sand, and I cried, because it was the first time in years I could do that."

'A new level of inclusion'

Other beaches across Australia are increasing their accessibility, with some offering beach mats, wheelchairs and accessible changerooms and parking.

But the mission to create a fully accessible beach in Australia was a dream first imagined nearly 10 years ago by Accessible Beaches Australia founder Shane Hryhorec.

Hryhorec grew up in South Australia, where he spent his days patrolling Grange Beach as a surf lifesaver.

But after breaking his neck in a swimming pool accident in 2007, Hryhorec became an incomplete quadriplegic aged 21.

After his accident, he says the beach quickly became a place he avoided.

"I just instantly had to stop all the things that I liked to do that I would no longer be able to do, and one of those things that first came into my mind was the beach," he said.

"I just instantly wrote it off in my mind.

"I tried to go to the beach a few times after my accident, and I just found it very, very difficult,  to the point where … the challenge of it just became too great."

Almost 10 years later, Hryhorec was scrolling the internet when he came across a photo of a beach mat.

"I was blown away, and at that point I was like, we need this in Australia," he said.

From there, he created Accessible Beaches Australia, which led him to visit the world's most accessible beach in Antibes, in the south of France, 18 months ago.

"They went to a new level of inclusion that I've never seen before," Hryhorec said.

"I didn't realise we could be doing so much better until I experienced the best."

Hryhorec hopes the inclusion of daybeds and volunteer staff can also encourage the ageing population to visit the beach – a sight he said "warmed [his] heart" in Antibes.

"Literally half of the people that were enjoying the beach were probably around their 80s or above, which I just thought was just so special," he said of the French Handiplage.

"People just assume when they get older is that they just can't go to the beach, especially if you don't have someone to go with, or a partner might have passed or something," he said.

"When you're seeing our ageing population get to experience the beach, which they may not have been able to do for 10, 15, even 20 years, then that for me is what really grabs at my heartstrings."

The push for accessible beaches nationwide

Hryhorec credits much of the success of the summer pilot program to Frankston City Council, which worked with the local community to raise $200,000 to bring it to fruition.

"I've been doing this work for nearly 10 years, making beaches accessible, and I've never seen a council and community get behind something with so much passion and enthusiasm and compassion," he said. 

"If other communities could just be a smidgen of what Frankston is, what they could achieve for inclusion would be incredible around the country."

Frankston City councillor Kris Bolam, who just finished his tenure as mayor, said he hopes the pilot "becomes the spark that inspires similar programs across Australia".

"Hearing families say this is the first time they'll be able to visit the beach together is incredibly moving. That's the real success of today," he said.

That's a goal shared by Hryhorec and Burns.

"My hope is that every patrolled beach in the entire country has a level of accessibility on the beach, just like in Frankston," Hryhorec said.

"I hope that others would be able to get the same opportunity that I have been able to get, and I would recommend that they do it," Burns said.

Until then, Burns is looking forward to her first summer at the beach.

"I have young nieces and nephews, so it will be good to be able to join them in the water rather than having to just sit back and watch."

The pilot program will run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10.30am and 2.30pm, from December 6 and finishing February 28, located between the Frankston Pier and Kananook Creek.