Australia news live: new Sydney Harbour pool slated to open in summer; AusAlert warning test to blare siren across phones nationally | Australia news
New Sydney Harbour pool to open this summer
Ben Doherty
Sydney’s latest harbour swimming pool, on the banks of Callan Park in Lilyfield, will open for swimmers this summer, the state government says, with construction now under way.
The new tidal baths on the Iron Cove foreshore, along the popular Bay Run and close to sports fields like Leichhardt Oval and King George Park, is expected to attract thousands to the southern banks of the Parramatta River.
Demolition work has also started on nine unsafe buildings in Callan park “which were neglected for so long that they have become not only an eyesore but a safety hazard”, the Minns government said on Monday.
“The removal of these long cordoned off buildings will unlock central parts of Callan Park, delivering the equivalent of two football fields of green space back to free community use,” the government said in a statement.
The baths will include a shark net, a fixed jetty, a pontoon, and an accessible pathway and ramp into the water.
Construction of the new tidal baths was expected to take six months, meaning it should open for summer 2026. The building demolition in Callan park was also expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Key events
Stephanie Convery
Morning folks, Stephanie Convery with you here to bring you all the live news today. Thanks so much to my colleagues for kicking us off this morning.
Commonwealth Games swimming record for Australian sprint ace
Cam McEvoy has dominated the 50m freestyle final in Glasgow, breaking the Commonwealth Games record, AAP reports.
McEvoy, who broke the world record in March, was the only finalist to crack 21 seconds as he led home an Australian medal sweep.
The 32-year-old dad clocked 20.97 seconds to beat Flynn Southam’s 21.44, while Jamie Jack took bronze in 21.47.
It is McEvoy’s first individual Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Two more bird flu cases confirmed in South Australia
Two local birds in South Australia suspected to have a deadly bird flu, greater crested terns found in Robe and Semaphore, have been confirmed positive for the H5N1 virus by CSIRO.
This takes the total of H5 confirmed or presumed positive detections to 20 nationally, Australia’s acting chief veterinary officer, Dr Sam Hamilton, said in a Sunday statement.
All of these have been individual wild seabirds found in coastal locations.
There remains no evidence of any mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
Ben Doherty
NSW planning minister calls for bill to allow commercial activity around new pool
The planning and public services minister, Paul Scully, said the Callan park upgrades represented a “new era”.
“The new tidal baths and return of 1.6 hectares, or the equivalent of 4,000 large picnic blankets of green open space, to the community will mean more people can enjoy this great parkland,” he said on Monday.
Scully argued Callan park would be further improved by the Parklands bill, which passed the state’s lower house in May and was now before the Legislative Council. Legislation currently prevents any commercial activity in Callan park.
“For the park to be able to host your new favourite café and reach its full potential, we need the … bill to pass parliament,” Scully said.
When opened, the Callan park baths will be the latest of Sydney’s new or re-animated public swimming spots. Marrinawi Cove at Barangaroo was dubbed Sydney’s first city beach in 50 years when it opened in 2023.
Bayview park on the Parramatta River reopened for swimming in 2022 after being closed for more than five decades. The river also boasts Chiswick baths and Cabarita beach, while “Pondi” – Penrith beach – was opened in Castlereagh in 2024.
New Sydney Harbour pool to open this summer
Ben Doherty
Sydney’s latest harbour swimming pool, on the banks of Callan Park in Lilyfield, will open for swimmers this summer, the state government says, with construction now under way.
The new tidal baths on the Iron Cove foreshore, along the popular Bay Run and close to sports fields like Leichhardt Oval and King George Park, is expected to attract thousands to the southern banks of the Parramatta River.
Demolition work has also started on nine unsafe buildings in Callan park “which were neglected for so long that they have become not only an eyesore but a safety hazard”, the Minns government said on Monday.
“The removal of these long cordoned off buildings will unlock central parts of Callan Park, delivering the equivalent of two football fields of green space back to free community use,” the government said in a statement.
The baths will include a shark net, a fixed jetty, a pontoon, and an accessible pathway and ramp into the water.
Construction of the new tidal baths was expected to take six months, meaning it should open for summer 2026. The building demolition in Callan park was also expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Good morning
Stephanie Convery will be with you soon to take you through today’s news as it unfolds.
At 2pm AEST today, most phones in the country will blare an emergency siren as part of the first nationwide test of the new AusAlert warning system. People who may have secret “safe phones”, kept hidden for personal safety reasons, have been advised to consider turning off their devices for up to 24 hours after the test and drivers have been warned not to touch their phones during the alert.
The Royal Commission on Anti-semitism and Social Cohesion continues in Sydney.
And Ed Husic is up on ABC Radio soon to talk about fallout from the national Labor conference.
