Auckland’s water authority says the overflow was caused by a ‘unique chain of events’.

The aurora australis will be on display for mid to southern parts of Australia tonight thanks to a severe geomagnetic storm impacting Earth.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Space Weather Forecasting Centre has issued an "aurora watch" for the coming hours with visibility possible.

Swinburne Space Technology and Industry Institute Dr Rebecca Allen said people as far east as Sydney and as far west as Perth will be able to witness the phenomenon from sunset about 8pm AEST.

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"You would potentially have a bit better of a chance seeing it further on the east coast versus the west coast, because of just potentially when the activity is peaking," she said.

Allen said the best way to see the auroras would be at places with a clear view of the horizon, like a beach or bay.

"It's going to be a bit trickier for us in the urban environments," she said. 

Auroras can be observed from as far as 1000km away if it is bright and the conditions are favourable. 

It is quite rare for them to be visible over large parts of Australia.

Auroras are caused by particles from a geomagnetic storm interacting with the Earth's magnetic field, which Allen said creates "beautiful curtains of light". 

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Solar wind or flares typically spark these storms.

NASA has recorded a large solar flare in the past 24 hours. 

Allen said the sun is currently at its most active part of the 11-year solar cycle and is peaking.

"So that's why we're seeing so much aurora activity," she said.

Allen said there have been more reports of aurora activity than ever before, which has set a "new tone for what we expect" in the coming years.

"We haven't seen anything like this before," she said. 

"What's to say during the next solar cycle that there couldn't even be more of these flares?"

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Police arrested the 30-year-old on Railside Ave within minutes of the attacks.

NSW MP John Ruddick has announced he will challenge the federal government's world-first social media ban in the High Court.

In a statement, the Libertarian MP said he would argue the new law coming into effect next month is unconstitutional as it violates the "implied constitutional freedom of political communication".

He will be filing with the court, via the Digital Freedom Project he leads, "imminently".

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"The guts of the matter is that to have a social media account in Australia from 10 December you will need to prove to the social media platform you are over 16," he said.

"That's going to be a hassle for social media users and a huge administrative burden for the social media platforms.

"Lots of bright young kids who are curious about science or history or whatever learn so much from social media. Lots of people choose to have an anonymous social media account."

Ruddick has a limited number of sitting days to have his bid mentioned in the High Court ahead of when the rules come into effect.

Google is also reportedly preparing to launch a last-ditch legal challenge against YouTube's inclusion in the ban. 

Communications Minister Anika Wells declined to comment.

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Children under 16 will be banned from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads, Reddit and Kick, with social media platforms that fail to reasonably enforce the restriction to face a fine of up to $49.5 million from December 10.

Concerns have, however, been raised that the rules do not go far enough to include similar platforms like Discord and Roblox, and are easy for children to circumvent.

The eSafety Commission has said the list of platforms included in the ban is not "static", suggesting more could be added in the future.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has acknowledged his world-first ban is not perfect.

"We do argue, very strongly, though, that this is the government of Australia setting down what we expect to happen, including reminding social media companies that they have a social responsibility, and that they need to be conscious about their social licence, like other businesses," he told reporters on Monday.

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Accounts of him beating a complainant are wrong, including his diary entries, he said.

Gisborne’s cycle-friendly trial, aimed at slowing traffic, inspired intense opposition.

Testing in Australia found asbestos in similar coloured sand products.

Labour’s Chris Hipkins has also had his email account checked.

The water at a famous Melbourne beach has been turned into smelly black sludge due to nearby dredging works.

St Kilda beach and the marina are almost unrecognisable today as the popular coastline undergoes a week-long operation to deepen the St Kilda Marina Entrance Channel.

Authorities have warned dredging can result in discoloured water and sand with high microbial levels.

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Residents and visitors have been urged to avoid contact with the water until the dredging works are complete.

The beach at St Kilda is also emitting an odour due a broken sewage pipe on Acland Street.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in Victoria said the discolouring impact of dredging was "short-lived" and only took place while sand was being deposited.

"The deposited sand on the beach will appear as black sediment and will also enter the water causing dark discolouration," the EPA said.

"There may be odour along the beach as well."

In a statement shared with Nine.com.au, the City of Port Phillip Council chief executive Chris Carroll said regular dredging in the St Kilda Marina was required to maintain water depth.

"AMDC has received the required Works Permit from Parks Victoria (PV) and approval from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) required under the Marine and Coastal Act 2018," Caroll said.

"The works are being conducted in accordance with EPA guidelines.

"As the seabed is being disturbed by the dredging works, the surrounding water has a darkened appearance.

"Dredged material is being transported via pipeline to the beach north of Shakespeare Grove drain for beach renourishment, which is consistent with previous practice."

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Dredging is a common practice which is used to deepen river channels or marinas so boats can safely pass through.

Dredged sand is deposited onto adjacent beaches during the process and can contribute to beach renourishment.

The EPA has also warned many swimming spots across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula still poor water quality due to recent storms.

St Kilda Beach, Elwood Beach, Brighton Beach and Hampton Beach are among the spots still impacted by storm polution.

For more information for where it is safe to swim, visit the EPA's website.

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Researchers are calling for a ban on "dangerous" ingredient lurking in thousands of food products available at Australian supermarkets.

And consumers have no way of knowing.

New research has revealed industrial trans fats in food could be putting Australians at increased risk of heart disease.

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Industrial trans fats are created by turning liquid vegetable oils into solid fats.

They're commonly found in cheap, fried and ultra-processed foods and can significantly raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, and premature death, even in small amounts.

Researchers at The George Institute for Global Health analysed 28,000 packaged foods and drinks from major supermarket chains including Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA, and Harris Farm.

They found that only four products explicitly listed partially hydrogenated oils, which are the main source of industrial trans fats.

More than 4200 products included ingredients like vegetable oils without disclosing the inclusion of industrial trans fats.

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More than 500 products potentially contained industrial trans fats and voluntarily reported trans fat content.

But 181 of those exceeded the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended limit of total fat to reduce the risk of heart disease.

More than 30 per cent of the products that only contained potential industrial trans fats also exceeded the limit.

"This study shows that dangerous trans fats are still lurking in our food supply – and consumers have no way of knowing," lead author and Research Fellow at The George Institute Dr Damian Maganja said.

"Australian labelling laws don't require companies to state whether oils are partially hydrogenated or list trans fat content – making it almost impossible to assess how widespread the issue really is."

Cardiovascular disease is already the leading cause of death in Australia and hidden industrial trans fats could be making the issue worse.

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Nations around the world have started limiting industrial trans fats in food settings, including Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK.

The EU also introduced a mandatory 2 per cent limit on trans fats in food products.

But Australia doesn't currently have any mandatory regulation limiting industrial trans fats in food.

Researchers are now calling on federal and state governments to ban industrial trans fats for the good of the nation.

"Without regulation, Australia risks becoming a dumping ground for unhealthy products that increasingly can't be sold elsewhere," said Dr Maganja.

"To truly protect public health, we need mandatory regulation."

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