Natural disasters cost Australia’s economy $2.2bn in first half of 2025, new Treasury analysis shows
Six months of natural disasters in 2025 have cost the economy $2.2bn, largely in slower retail and household spending, according to new federal Treasury analysis.Wild weather has repeatedly battered the Australian east coast this year.The analysis period covers Cyclone Alfred, the first cyclone to hit south-east Queensland in 50 years, and associated flooding.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news emailIt also includes the impact of last month’s severe flooding in New South Wales’s Hunter and mid-north coast regions.
The disaster left about 10,000 buildings with flood damage, with an estimated 1,000 uninhabitable, and claimed five lives.Outback and north Queensland also flooded this year.Australia’s land surface has warmed by 1.5C since 1910 and the climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including flooding.Treasury expects most of the immediate loss in economic activity to take place in the March quarter.
Partial data for the March quarter has shown that retail trade and household spending have been the most significantly impacted as a result of the disasters.Nominal retail trade in Queensland fell 0.3% in February and 0.4% in March, according to Treasury analysis.Household spending was flat, with a 0.
2% drop in Queensland,Full March quarter national accounts will be released on Wednesday,Sign up to Breaking News AustraliaGet the most important news as it breaksafter newsletter promotion“The human impacts matter to us most, but the economic cost is very significant too, and we’ll see that in Wednesday’s national accounts,” said the treasurer, Jim Chalmers,“The government will be there for people in disaster-hit regions, just like they’re there for each other,“We’ve activated disaster assistance to the Hunter and mid-north coast regions of NSW, just as we did earlier in the year in Queensland and northern NSW.
”The treasurer said the economic progress Australians had made lowering inflation, debt and unemployment meant “we’re in a stronger position to provide support when communities need it most”.The federal government has announced several rounds of disaster payments.The minister for emergency management, Kristy McBain, said it planned to fund projects designed to improve preparedness and resilience in order to protect communities when disasters strike.“We are committed to funding support to increase resilience, adaptability and preparedness,” she said.“Our disaster ready fund initiative will provide another $200m of investment in 2025-26.
”McBain said she had been on the ground in NSW, where she saw “first-hand the effects a disaster can have”, and had been meeting with small businesses and primary producers that had been “hit hard”.“It is my priority to work closely with all levels of government to ensure support is provided as quickly as possible,” she said.McBain said the federal government would “continue to work with NSW on any other funding requests”.“For a lot of these people, it’s the cumulative impact of a number of events, and we understand that,” she said.“That’s why recovery isn’t going to be over the next couple of days when cameras and lights are on the area.
It’s going to be days, weeks and months that we’ll walk with these communities.”
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for smoked trout and crisp potato cakes with capers, caraway and dill | Quick and easy
These rösti-adjacent potato cakes with capers, which crisp up beautifully at the edges, are an absolute win. I would eat them by themselves standing up at the cooker, but when they’re draped with a little smoked trout, creme fraiche and dill, and served alongside a light salad, they make for an elegant dinner for two. Some shaved fennel (with its frilly leaves) in a lemony dressing wouldn’t go amiss here, either.Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Serves 2400g waxy potatoes (I like alouette)1 tsp flaky sea salt5 tsp capers - 3 tsp roughly chopped, the rest finely chopped1 tsp fresh dill, chopped, plus extra to garnish5 heaped tbsp full-fat creme fraiche ½ tsp caraway seeds1 medium egg1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp butter100g smoked trout Juice of ½ lemonGreen salad, to serve (optional)Wash the potatoes, but don’t bother peeling them. Now’s the time to use the grating attachment on your food processor, which will grate the potatoes in seconds; otherwise do so by hand
How to make clam chowder – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass
I ate a lot of clam chowder in Massachusetts last summer. Thick and comfortingly creamy, it might feel a tad wintry were it not for the sweet, briny clams, which sing of sea breezes and sunshine. Though the name derives from the French chaudière, or cauldron, chowder is New England through and through, and best eaten in the fresh air, whether that’s in Cape Cod or Capel-le-Ferne.Prep 40 min Soak 20 minCook 30 min Serves 42kg live clams, or defrosted in-shell frozen clamsSalt and black pepper200g thick unsmoked bacon, or pancetta1 onion 2 medium waxy potatoes 1 bay leaf 2 tbsp plain flour 150ml double or whipping cream A knob of butterThough they’re abundant along our coastline, clams aren’t terribly popular in this country. Fishmongers and some supermarkets (eg Morrisons) often have live clams; they can also be found online, and in the freezer section of bigger supermarkets and in Asian food stores
‘Burgundy eat your heart out!’: Devon producer is toast of wine world
They began by producing drinks more usually associated with the rolling hills of southern England – hearty ciders, warming tipples made from hedgerow fruits and good old-fashioned mead.But Lyme Bay Winery in Devon is celebrating a bit of history having become the first English producer to win prestigious international trophies for both red and white wine in the same year.Its Martin’s Lane Estate chardonnay 2020 and Lyme Bay Winery pinot noir 2021 won the English white trophy and English red trophy respectively at the 2025 International Wine Challenge (IWC).“We knew we had produced some really good wine that had aged beautifully,” the winery’s operations manager Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg said. “We thought we’d be there or thereabouts but to take both prizes is wonderful
Town, London WC2: ‘This place is a feeder’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
Off to Town this week, on Drury Lane. Yes, a restaurant called Town, one word, so a bit of a challenge to find online. Then again, perhaps by the time you’re as experienced and beloved a restaurateur as Stevie Parle, formerly of Dock Kitchen, Craft, Sardine, Palatino and Joy, your regular clientele will make the effort to find you. Parle’s shtick, roughly speaking, is thoughtful, high-end Mediterranean cooking and warm, professional hospitality, so the longer I thought about him opening a new place in London’s theatre heartland and calling it just Town, the more it made sense.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for glazed cinnamon focaccia | The sweet spot
If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok, you’re likely to have seen plenty of videos of sweet focaccia doing the rounds. I’m not normally one to jump on to viral trends, but I couldn’t resist trying this one. The dough is pretty easy, with no kneading or stand mixer required – just some stretching, folding and plenty of time to rest. You end up with something that tastes like a cinnamon bun/doughnut hybrid, that’s not too sweet and with a little more chew.Prep 5 min Prove 3 hr+ Cook 1 hr 15 min Serves 12-16For the dough450g bread flour 7g instant yeast 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp fine sea salt 30ml olive oil, plus extra for greasingFor the cinnamon sugar3½ tsp cinnamon 50g caster sugar 50g unsalted butter, melted For the glaze3 tbsp icing sugar ¼ tsp cinnamon 2 tsp whole milk A pinch of saltPut the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix to combine
Rustic no more: let’s drink to Sicilian wine
Now that the third season (OK, discourse treadmill) of The White Lotus is sinking into the horizon, and its many fans flock to Thailand in the hope of catching a whiff of Walton Goggins (who I’m in no doubt smells absolutely lovely), I’m grateful that Sicily, the location of season two, might finally be a little less busy. Not least because of its wines.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
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