Exclusive: Three in four Australians are worried storms, fires and floods will make their home insurance premium skyrocket in the next 12 months, according to a nine.com.au reader poll.

The fresh fears come as more than half of those surveyed have already seen premiums spike because of Australia's increasingly wild weather.

Of 546* readers surveyed, 53 per cent said the cost of their home insurance had jumped in the last 12 months due to weather events.

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Even if the floods, storms, or fires in their local area didn't affect their property.

"We had a major flood and the water came on our land but did not affect us, and we made no claim," one told 9news.com.au.

"But it's still costing us more because of houses around us that did flood."

Only 34 per cent of respondents reported no change to their premiums.

A small portion said their premiums had spiked but that they didn't know why.

And some confessed their homes aren't currently insured because they can no longer afford the high premiums in a cost-of-living crisis.

"I can't afford insurance and food," one said.

Looking to the future, 75 per cent of respondents said they're afraid their home insurance premiums will increase in the next 12 months due to weather events.

Several said they may have to forego insurance if it gets much more expensive.

"Household/contents insurance has become too expensive," one said.

"I have never made a claim in 65 years and my premium just keeps going up, I'm about to cancel all insurance and take a risk."

And it's not just wild weather making home insurance more expensive.

READ MORE: Pentagon preparing war plans after Trump threatens nation online

The average Australian annual home and contents premium jumped by more than $300 over the last 12 months, rising from $2452 to $2795.

That's an increase of 14 per cent – and that's on the low end.

In some regions, the average cost of home insurance skyrocketed by 17 per cent, or up to $700.

An increase in the frequency of extreme weather events has been blamed for the spike in premiums across the country, especially in states like Queensland and NSW.

READ MORE: The concerning factor believed to be behind surging house prices

In September, Corrie Chabau from Logan, Queensland, told 9news his home insurance premium jumped by $1200 at his last renewal.

And it could rise again based on updated flood risk mapping in his area.

But Chabau said the mapping didn't accurately reflect the flood risk on his property, which he said has never flooded in the 13 years he's lived there.

"The insurers go 'well, it says here that it might flood' and the premiums won't ever come down," he said at the time.

"It's just going to destroy everyone."

*The nine.com.au poll, which runs once a fortnight, canvases the views of the nine audience on 9Nation, which is an online community of our readers and viewers.

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The US military has killed 64 people in 15 strikes that have destroyed 16 boats as part of a campaign that Washington says is aimed at curtailing the flow of drugs into the United States.

There have been three survivors of those strikes, two of whom were briefly detained by the US Navy before being returned to their home countries.

The Trump administration has told Congress that the US is now in an "armed conflict" against drug cartels beginning with its first strike on September 2, labeling those killed "unlawful combatants" and claiming the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a classified Justice Department finding.

READ MORE: Pentagon preparing war plans after Trump threatens nation online

Some members of Congress as well as human rights groups have questioned that finding and argued that potential drug traffickers should face prosecution, as had been the policy of interdiction carried out by the US before President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has also not provided public evidence of the presence of narcotics on the boats struck, nor their affiliation with drug cartels.

Military officials have said that no US service members have been harmed in the strikes.

Here is the timeline of the attacks:

September 2, first attack

The first strike on a vessel in the Caribbean took place on September 2.

Trump announced the offensive on his social media accounts and said that under his orders, US forces "conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility."

"TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"Let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!" he added.

CNN reported that Defense Department officials have not, during briefings to members of Congress, presented conclusive evidence that the targets of the first attack were members of Tren de Aragua, and that those briefed said military officials could not determine the intended destination of the boat with certainty.

CNN also reported that the boat appeared to have turned around before it was struck.

The strike killed 11 people.

September 15

Less than two weeks later, the US military carried out a second strike against a vessel in international waters, killing three.

Trump said the vessel was allegedly "transporting illegal narcotics" from Venezuela.

"These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to US National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests," he added.

The strike came amid rising tensions with that country, as the United States deployed military assets to the region.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described the strikes on boats as "serial executions" and called on the UN to investigate, while saying that the US is seeking regime change.

Venezuela's defence minister, Vladimir Padrino, said it amounts to "an undeclared war," while the foreign ministry denounced Washington's "military threat."

At the time, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they expected more activity in the Caribbean in an effort to reduce drug traffic into the US.

September 19

Four days later, Trump announced another lethal military strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel that he said was affiliated with a designated terrorist organisation.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans," Trump posted on Truth Social alongside a video of the operation.

Three people were killed in the strike.

October 3

Hegseth announced that the US military had carried out a fourth strike in which four people died.

The attack took place in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela, Hegseth wrote in a post on social media.

He did not say which alleged terrorist organisation the boat was linked to, but added that "Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route."

October 14

Six people died in the fifth US strike on a vessel, this boat described by officials as off the Venezuelan coast.

Once again, Trump said the vessel was "affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organisation," but he did not name a specific group or provide evidence of the boat's activities.

In a letter to Congress in early October, the Pentagon said Trump had determined that the United States is in an "armed conflict" with the drug cartels his administration designated as terrorist organisations, and that cartel traffickers are "unlawful combatants."

October 16

The US carried out a sixth strike on a boat in the Caribbean.

This was believed to be the first operation in which not all crew members on board were killed.

The two survivors, one each from Ecuador and Colombia, were sent back to their home countries after being briefly detained on a US Navy ship.

"At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore. The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution," Trump posted on Truth Social.

Jeison Obando Pérez, 34 years old, was identified as the survivor repatriated to Colombia in a post on X by the country's minister of the interior, Armando Benedetti.

Pérez arrived "with brain trauma, sedated, drugged, breathing with a ventilator," said Benedetti, who added that he had received medical attention.

The survivor from Ecuador, was identified as Andrés Fernando Tufiño Chila, 41 years old, according to a record from the National Police of Ecuador accessed by CNN.

He arrived in the country on October 18 and underwent a medical evaluation.

The Office of the Attorney General of Ecuador reported on October 20 that there is no information that Tufiño Chila had committed a crime in Ecuadorian territory.

However, US court documents indicate that he was arrested, convicted and imprisoned in 2020 for drug smuggling on the coast of Mexico before being deported.

"No, no… He is not. He is not a criminal," said Tufiño Chila's sister, who requested anonymity for security reasons, in statements to CNN from a small coastal town near Guayaquil, Ecuador.

October 17

Hegseth announced that a seventh targeted vessel "transporting substantial amounts of narcotics" was struck and that it was affiliated with a Colombian terrorist organisation.

All three crew members on board were killed.

"These cartels are the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere, using violence, murder and terrorism to impose their will, threaten our national security and poison our people," Hegseth wrote.

"The United States military will treat these organisations like the terrorists they are—they will be hunted, and killed, just like Al Qaeda."

The attacks sparked public clashes with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who accused the United States of killing an innocent Colombian citizen during one of its strikes on vessels in the Caribbean.

Trump announced he would cancel all US aid and subsidies to the country.

October 21 and 22, first attacks in the Pacific

The US military carried out lethal strikes on two ships in the Pacific, killing everyone on board each vessel, according to Hegseth.

Two people were killed in the eighth strike and three in the ninth.

Hegseth wrote on X that the first vessel targeted in the Pacific was "operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific," adding, "The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling."

The action against vessels in the Pacific appeared to mark an expansion of the US military campaign, as the previous seven attacks were all conducted against ships in the Caribbean Sea.

"Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbour anywhere in our hemisphere," Hegseth said.

October 24

The tenth attack killed all six crew members.

The Defence secretary said the US conducted a nighttime attack on a ship allegedly operated by Tren de Aragua in the Caribbean.

October 27, multiple strikes

Hegseth reported multiple strikes in a single day for the first time, with three missiles hitting four vessels in international waters of the eastern Pacific on Monday, 27th.

He reported that 14 people were killed aboard the vessels "operated by designated terrorist organisations" and that there was one survivor who was not recovered.

"The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics," the Defence Secretary stated.

Hegseth said that the US military had contacted the Mexican government to look for the survivor.

The Mexican Navy said Friday that the search is in a "suspended active" status and the person is considered missing.

October 29

The United States Armed Forces carried out an attack on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean that left four dead, Hegseth reported.

"This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," the Defence Secretary said in a post on X.

He added that US forces suffered no casualties.

November 1

The US military carried out a strike on another vessel in the Caribbean Sea and killed three people on board, according to Hegseth.

"Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation (DTO) in the Caribbean," Hegseth announced on X with an unclassified video of the strike. No US forces were harmed in the strike, he noted.

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A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake has shaken northern Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, though some photos on social media showed some rubble on roads and streets.

The quake's epicentre was located 22 kilometres west-southwest of Khulm, Afghanistan, and had a depth of 28 kilometres.

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It struck at 12.59 am on Monday local time, the USGS said.

A similar magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck on August 31, 2025 in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border killed more than 2200 people.

On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 followed by strong aftershocks that left at least 4000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.

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Ahead of tomorrow's interest rates decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia, the impact of the bank of mum and dad on home prices continues to stir debate.

The cash rate is hotly tipped to remain on hold at 3.60 per cent when the RBA hands down its decision at 2.30pm tomorrow, leaving hard-pressed mortgage holders disappointed.

The forecast was supported by a survey of economic experts by comparison site Finder that found 30 from 35 expected no change.

READ MORE: Struggling Aussies won't get another rate cut after scorching inflation data, major bank predicts

But economists and analysts showed far less unity when quizzed about the effects of parents giving their children financial support to gain a foothold in the housing market.

New Finder research – based on a survey of 1006 first-home buyers – revealed 17 per cent relied on the financial help of parents or family to save their deposit, up from 11 in 2022.

That's the equivalent of almost 20,000 first home buyers a year who were lucky enough to receive financial help from their parents.

Finder head of consumer research Graham Cooke said without it, property ownership would be out of reach for many young people.

"Those who can lean on mum and dad are typically entering the market not just sooner, but in a much stronger position," he said.

But while it's giving some lucky few a leg up, nearly one in three experts canvassed by Finder believe it is also distorting the housing market.

Among them are Michael Yardney, from Metropole Property Strategists, who thinks a twin-track housing market is evolving.

"This is creating a two-tier market of the haves and have-nots, families with property equity already and others," he said.

On the other hand, Tim Reardon from the Housing Industry Association said family support is a natural part of a well functioning market.

"[Parents] are not a distortion, they are correcting the market distortion created by the severe lending restrictions imposed on first home buyers," he said.

There was also concern about the impact of the government's First Home Guarantee Scheme, which will allow all first home buyers to purchase a home with only a 5 per cent deposit instead of the usual 20 per cent.

From the 26 experts canvassed, 65 per cent think it will encourage first home buyers to take on more debt than they should.

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A senior Justice Department official has told Congress that the Trump administration can continue lethal military strikes on alleged drug traffickers without congressional approval and that the administration is not bound by a decades-old war powers law, two congressional sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The head of the Department of Justice's powerful Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), T. Elliot Gaiser, told select Senate and House lawmakers on Thursday that the US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean did not trigger the law's requirements because they don't meet the definition of hostilities and did not require a declaration of war from Congress, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Gaiser was drawing on a classified legal opinion produced by his office that justifies the strikes by equating drug cartels with terrorists and focuses on the death caused by the drugs brought to American shores, the sources said.

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Gaiser emphasised the fact that the US military wasn't being attacked in response to the strikes as part his argument that America was not at war, the sources said.

The US military has carried out at least 15 known strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels since early September, killing a total of 64 people, according to a CNN tally. The latest known strike occurred on Saturday in the Caribbean, killing three people.

Some legal experts have said the military strikes could violate US and international law. Democratic lawmakers, and at least one Republican, have criticised the administration for not being more forthcoming with details on the legal justification for the strikes.

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The Trump administration notified Congress in early September that it had struck an alleged drug vessel. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, that notification started a 60-day clock, after which the administration has to either cease the use of military force, get an extension on the clock or a war authorisation from Congress, according to legal scholars.

But Gaiser told lawmakers that the administration does not need to seek an extension of that 60-day clock, which expires on Monday, because the law doesn't apply in this case, the sources said.

CNN first reported on the existence of the OLC opinion, which legal experts said appears to justify an open-ended war against a secret list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers. The opinion appears designed to give the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants and have them summarily killed without legal review, those experts said.

Historically, those involved in drug trafficking were considered criminals with due process rights, with the Coast Guard interdicting drug-trafficking vessels and arresting smugglers.

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CNN has requested comment from the White House and the Justice Department on the congressional briefings and the administration's legal rationale for striking the alleged drug boats.

The Washington Post first reported on Gaiser's briefing of lawmakers.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on the first day of his second term designating certain drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, giving the US military greater leeway to attack them. The administration's strikes on alleged drug boats have coincided with increased pressure on the regime of Venezuelan autocrat Nicolás Maduro.

Trump is considering plans to target cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela, though he has not yet made a decision on whether to move forward with them, CNN reported last month.

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US President Donald Trump said on the weekend he has ordered the Defence Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria as he continues to accuse the nation of not doing enough to stem violence against Christians – an accusation Nigeria has repeatedly denied.

In a social media post criticising what he called the "mass slaughter" of Christians in the country, Trump wrote the United States would "immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria" and warned the government there to "move fast."

In the lengthy message, Trump said the US "may very well go into that now disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities."

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The US president's online threats come just weeks after he called himself the "president of peace" after he "ended eight wars in just eight months".

Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks by radical Islamists in the country of more than 230 million people. The violence in the country is driven by varying factors: some incidents are religiously motivated and affect both groups, while others arise from disputes between farmers and herders over limited resources, as well as communal and ethnic tensions.

Although Christians are among those targeted, local reports indicate that most victims are Muslims living in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north.

"I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action," Trump wrote.

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"If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!"

"Yes sir," US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth posted on social media with a screenshot of Trump's comments.

"The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria – and anywhere – must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities."

READ MORE: Three arrested over alleged kidnapping in Sydney

Trump's announcement comes after he accused Nigeria of religious freedom violations on Friday, claiming that "Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria" and designating the nation as a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. The label is a suggestion that his administration has found that Nigeria has engaged in or tolerated "systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom."

In a social media post after the designation, but before Trump's mention of the military, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote: "The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians."

He added that Nigeria is "working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths."

Tinubu's press secretary, responding to a social media post from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the "slaughter of thousands of Christians," called the characterisation "a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation," adding that "Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques are attacked randomly."

"What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern," said Bayo Onanuga.

Spokespersons for the White House and Tinubu's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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A family of five has been left terrified after a group of machete-wielding teens attempted to break into their Thomastown home in Melbourne's north.

Faisal Nasim, 43, was woken to the sound of banging at his door just before 6am today.

A group of teens had pulled up in a white car and Nasim said they demanded his car keys.

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Nasim refused, and they initially went back to their car, but events then took a horrifying turn.

"They came to their car and one of them said, 'let's get the machetes and come back'," Nasim said.

Nasim was forced to protect his home and his family, including three children, as the teens tried to break into his home.

"[I] went inside, tried to hold the door back," he said.

"They had knives and machetes in their hands. They were like young kids. 

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"They tried to break in again, then they just ran away."

The would-be robbers were scared off by a neighbour who called police as they sped off in their car.

They still have not been found, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

"We urge any residents that have not yet been approached by police to review their CCTV cameras and come forward if they think they have information that can assist the investigation," acting Senior Sergeant Steven Smith said.

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It puts more focus on the Victorian government's attempts to crack down on crime, especially on a machete and knife amnesty that is supposed to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals.

Despite claims from authorities that the measures are having an impact on crime, Nasim is sceptical.

"I feel like it's not working. We have to be more hard on these [people]," he said.

"I want to work and I want to do things, and then these people come and try to ruin your life." 

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More severe weather is on the way after multiple people were hospitalised when destructive hail hammered south-east Queensland during a powerful supercell storm yesterday.

More massive hail – this time up to 8cm – hit parts of the state this afternoon in the rural area of Googa creek, near Toowoomba.

Giant golf-ball-sized hail measuring 5cm in diameter reportedly fell across multiple regions in the state last night, while some residents in the Southern Downs documented up to 8-9cm hailstones.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1984886898058293506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Nine people were treated for injuries at Esk State School's 150th anniversary fair, located about 100km from Brisbane, which descended into chaos as the wild storms brought hail, heavy rain and damaging winds.

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Four people were taken to hospital with minor hail-related injuries at 3.24pm local time.

A woman in her 30s was taken to Ipswich Hospital in a stable condition with head and neck injuries.

A man in his 20s was taken to Gatton Hospital in a stable condition with minor burns.

A woman in her 20s and another in her 30s were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Another five people were treated by paramedics at the scene.

Huge hailstones smashed windows, damaged roofs and pummelled cars.

The largest hailstones, about 9cm in diameter, were reported in Pratton in the state's Southern Downs region.

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The ferocious storm rolled across Brisbane's CBD and the greater suburbs about 3pm.

It left hundreds of residents in south-east Queensland without power.

Residents in the NSW Northern Tablelands and across the North West Slopes and Plains, including Tamworth and Moree were also expected to be hit by the storms.

More storms forecast for today

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning more wild conditions are on the way, with severe storms, damaging winds and giant hail forecast in Queensland for later this afternoon.

Severe thunderstorms are possible across south-east Queensland, rolling as far as north-east NSW.

Damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail are again possible, the BoM said.

Inland regions including Gympie, Kandanga, Kenilworth and Gunalda are expected to be smashed with the worst of the wild weather.

A severe thunderstorm warning was also issued for parts of the Central Highlands and Coalfields, about and west of Taroom.

"Damaging wind, large hail and heavy rain are all possible with this thunderstorm," the warning said.

The storms aren't expected to ease until Tuesday.

The bureau warned that storms are possible tomorrow "almost anywhere in the state".

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli insisted the state's emergency services were well prepared and ready to help.

"I want Queenslanders to know we're prepared for this," he said.

"I think that's what makes the state so resilient, the ability to be able to deal with what Mother Nature throws at us."

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Armed police arrived at the building on Brooklyn Road around 3.35pm.

Research found many over-50s are overpaying for broadband they rarely use.