Australian beef farmers have welcomed Donald Trump's backflip on beef tariffs.

The US president signed an executive order today to exempt a wide range of foods from his sweeping tariffs.

Top of the list is beef.

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Australia exports more than $2 billion worth of beef to the United States each year, more than any other product.

Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Michael Crowley welcomed the change.

"The United States is a valuable and long-term trading partner.

"MLA has an on the ground presence in the US and we look forward to the ongoing partnership in trade.

"So far in 2025, Australia has exported 370,357 tonnes of beef to the US, 17 per cent more than the first 10 months of 2024."

The executive order overturning the tariffs is retroactive, meaning importers will get a refund for the duties they have already paid.

US demand has surged since the tariff took effect.

"We certainly haven't seen a big impact at a producer level," Queensland cattle producer Adam Coffey said.

"We try and focus on what we can control and we'll keep producing quality beef and putting it out to export markets across the globe."

Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans welcomed the development.

"Any movement to facilitate or better enable the trade with that market would be most welcome," Evans said.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the reality "was always going to bite".

"The US cattlemen couldn't supply the mince meat that they needed for their patties," he said.

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Also included in the reversal are tomatoes, coffee and bananas, as well as a range of other tropical fruit not typically grown in the US.

The move appears to be an effort to address cost-of-living concerns in America.

Trump is under increasing pressure after making inflation the centrepiece of his election campaign.

Since taking office, prices on most everyday items have risen.

Senior House Democrat Richard Neal described the move as "putting out a fire that they started and claiming it as progress".

"The Trump Administration is finally admitting publicly what we've all known from the start: Trump's Trade War is hiking costs on people," he said.

"Every day that Trump's tariffs remain in place is another day that families, small businesses, farms, and manufacturers get crushed.

"It's time to end the entire Trade War and for House Republicans to let Congress restore its rightful authority."

Despite the tariff, Australian beef exports to the US have surged in 2025.

This is largely off the back of a decline in beef production in the United States, as well as much higher tariffs on other importers like Brazil.

American cattle herds are at their lowest level since the 1950s, while a series of wetter seasons in Australia has allowed farmers here to expand.

Also included on the list of tariff-exempted imports are coal, petrol and oil products, uranium and many other chemicals.

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Thunderstorms are sweeping across Australia's east coast, bringing heavy rainfall, wind gusts and large hailstones.

Brisbane and other parts of south-east Queensland appear to have copped the worst of it so far, and the Bureau of Meteorology has warned the wild weather there and in NSW and Victoria is expected to stretch across the weekend.

There was flash flooding in Boonah in Queensland's Scenic Rim while hail up to seven centimetres was reported near Goondiwindi earlier this afternoon.

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There were rain delays on the Sunshine Coast between Beerwah and Beerburrum with some services held up for almost an hour due to a signaling issue.

Meteorologist Shane Kennedy said the wild weather, which began last night, would continue tomorrow.

"Overnight on Saturday into Sunday, showers will develop into quite a broad rainband extending from the north-west all the way down to the south-east," Kennedy said.

"There is still that potential we could see further severe thunderstorms for the third day in a row ."

There were several severe storm warnings in place tonight for damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain for residents on the Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Somerset, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Gold Coast and surrounding areas.

Sudden storm hits Sydney

A snap storm caused delays at Sydney Airport this afternoon which left about a dozen planes unable to land.

Pilots circled the airport as they waited for the storm to pass.

Flights have since returned to normal.

A strong north-easterly storm hit the city's south and south-west the hardest.

The weather system brought heavy rain and gusts of 80km/h were felt in Penrith.

While the thunderstorms in NSW have eased, the bureau said they could redevelop.

A severe weather warning was in place tonight for central and northern parts of NSW.

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BoM meteorologist Angus Hines said severe thunderstorms had been most likely to occur in parts of Queensland today.

"This is not only where severe thunderstorms are most likely to occur today, but this is where we could see even more significant weather impacts in the form of giant hailstones, potentially five centimetres or greater, and destructive winds 120km/h or stronger," Hines said.

"The region where we could see those really high-end impacts goes from western parts of Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast up into the hinterlands, across Toowoomba, into the Darling Downs then across the southern border ranges and into the north-western slopes of NSW."

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An awkward blunder has seen the wrong winner twice read out at the prestigious Australian of the Year awards in South Australia.

The winner of 2026 Senior South Australian of the Year was called on stage last night and handed a trophy only to be told there had been a mix-up.

But that wasn't the last twist, because the new winner was then also told there had been a mistake.

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Malcolm Benoy was the first to be called out at the ceremony.

But as the weather scientist walked to the stage, he was told to hold because there was a "controversy".

"The wrong winner was in the envelope and we do apologise for that," one of the hosts said.

There was a sea of stunned faces as a new winner was declared.

"The 2026 Senior Australian of the Year is in fact … James Curry," they said.

But what followed next was even more confusing, the National Australia Day Council chief executive Mark Fraser suddenly taking to the stage.

READ MORE: Australia's beef industry welcomes Trump's sudden backflip

"We had it right all the way along, I don't know what has transpired behind the scenes, but it's incorrect information," Fraser said.

"It is Malcolm Benoy, I'm terribly sorry for the embarrassment."

Despite the gaffe, Benoy was in good spirits when he accepted the award for the second time.

History-making astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg was crowned 2026 South Australia's Australian of the Year.

She is the first in the nation to qualify as an astronaut under Australia's space program.

Lotto won’t release the location of the winning tickets until tomorrow morning.

Authorities tested the brakes of 58 vehicles and 15 of them were faulty.

A family is grieving a mother and her unborn child who were killed after being struck by a car in Sydney's north.

A teenage driver with a provisional licence has been charged and now faces up to 10 years in prison.

The woman was with her husband and three-year-old son when she was hit while walking across the entrance to a car park on George Street in Hornsby about 8pm yesterday.

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A Kia Carnival turning into the car park of the Hornsby Railway Station stopped to let them pass.

A white BMW driven by a P-plater allegedly slammed into the back of the Kia, which then hit the woman.

Paramedics treated the 33-year-old, who was eight months pregnant, before she was rushed to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition.

Neither mother nor baby could be saved.

READ MORE: Australia's beef industry welcomes Trump's sudden backflip

NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Assistant Commissioner David Driver said the crash was "very confronting" for first responders.

"It's particularly tragic when people pass away and indeed when there's children involved," Driver said.

"This is a terrible, terrible story."

P-plate driver Aaron Papazoglu was taken to hospital for mandatory testing before being allowed to go home to nearby Wahroonga.

Police who watched dashcam video of the incident arrested the 19-year-old about 12.45am on Millewa Avenue in Wahroonga.

He was taken to Hornsby Police Station and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death – drive manner dangerous, negligent driving (occasioning death) and cause loss of foetus – death of pregnant woman.

The legislation, known as Zoe's Law, was only introduced three years ago.

The 48-year-old man driving the Kia Carnival was not hurt.

Papazoglu remains behind bars to face Parramatta Local Court tomorrow.

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Kmart has recalled kids sand over asbestos fears.

The retailer has issued a recall for a 14-piece Sand Castle Building Set and tubs of magic sand which come in blue, green and pink.

Kmart said the products were sold at Kmart stores and online, Target stores, online and via its app.

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The company says lab testing revealed some samples contained the potentially dangerous substance.

"The product is being recalled because the sand may include asbestos, which is a prohibited substance in Australia," the Kmart recall notice said.

"The product may cause a risk to health as asbestos has been detected in some samples after laboratory testing.

"Importantly, respirable asbestos has not been detected in any of the tested samples.

"The release of respirable asbestos fibres is unlikely to occur in its current state, unless the sand is processed by mechanical means such as crushing or pulverising.

"The risk that any asbestos found, that is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation, is low."

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The products are among several ranges of sand kits to be recalled in recent days.

Customers have been told to stop using the products immediately and safely dispose of them.

"Wear disposable gloves and a mask and either return in the original tub or place the sand in a heavy-duty plastic bag and double tape it securely and keep it out of reach of children," the recall notice said.

"Do not dispose of the products in general waste."

Information on the disposal of asbestos waste, including disposal facilities in your state or territory can be found on The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency website.

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