Tropical Cyclone Alfred is continuing to track towards land, forcing the cancellation of a number of major events, including the AFL season opener.
The storm, which is a category 2 system as of the morning on March 5th, is due to make landfall on Thursday night or Friday morning.
Hear the latest news on The National Briefing:
The league made the call yesterday to postpone the season’s opening clash between the Lions and Cats. It was due to happen at the Gabba on Thursday evening.
The Suns’ scheduled home fixture against the Bombers at People First Stadium on the Gold Coast has also been postponed.
For up-to-date information on Cyclone Alfred, visit The Bureau’s tropical cyclone Alfred advice page.
The NRL has also made the call to move the Dolphins vee Rabbitohs game on Friday night from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to Sydney.
Music fans have also been impacted by Alfred, with Green Day having to cancel tonight’s show on the Gold Coast.
The storm’s warning zone has been expanded by the Bureau of Meteorology. It’s now predicted to impact between Brisbane in the north as far south as Grafton in northern NSW.
Alfred is expected to make landfall in south eastern Queensland. Some residents spent yesterday preparing sandbags and their homes for storm surges, destructive winds and heavy rain.
The Prime Minister has flown into Queensland overnight to meet with the Premier. However, he has brushed off speculation about the election timing.
Anthony Albanese had reportedly been planning to announce the date of the poll this weekend. It speculated the announcement will likely hold off in the event the cyclone inflicts widespread damage.
The government has activated the Australian Government Disaster Response Plan, a Crisis Coordination Team, deployed liaison officers, and are undertaking crisis appreciation and strategic planning.
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