A persistent deluge is hitting rain-soaked northern Australia with floodwaters still rising, leaving some people isolated, without power and desperate for swollen rivers to subside, AAP reports. The heaviest rain has fallen between Lucinda to Townsville in northern Queensland as the Bureau of Meteorology warns the big wet will continue for days. Nearly one metre of rain was recorded at Paluma Dam in Townsville in the last 48 hours, while Ingham has copped more than 400mm in the past day.

The BoM has issued a severe weather warning from Tully to Ayr that’s likely to bring isolated falls of 300mm on Monday. The continued deluge has led to swollen waterways with major flood warnings in place for the Herbert River, the Ross and Bohle River, the Horton River and the Upper Burdekin River. Meteorologist Dean Narramore said persistent widespread rain would subside in the afternoon but increase again from Tuesday.

The State Emergency Service was under pressure on Sunday night with 11 swift water rescues and nearly 400 calls for help for leaking ceilings, roof damage, flooding, evacuations and felled trees. Two people were saved from the roof of their car that was submerged in flood waters in Woodstock around 7pm, while another person was rescued from a truck stuck in floodwaters in Basalt. Minister points to emergency payments for Queensland flood victims.

The emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier on those emergency payments that have been activated for those impacted by flooding in north Queensland. McAllister also says four ADF helicopters have been made available to support state emergency services, and defence personnel are working with local authorities on the ground in Townsville. There are payments to support people who need to replace bedding or household goods that have been damaged by water. There are payments to allow people to make safe a home if they are uninsured and their home requires urgent repairs. There are payments for people who’ve been evacuated.

Really the best thing to do is to get online and see what the Queensland government has stood up and start to look at whether or not you may be eligible for those. Anthony Albanese says he’s received a briefing from Canberra on the flooding in north Queensland. The federal and Queensland governments have activated disaster funding for parts of Townsville, Gordonvale, Hinchinbrook and Palm Island Council areas.

That includes emergency payments of $180 for individuals, and up to $900 for families of five or more. In the worst of times we see the best of Australians. And in recent days, I’ve seen Australians helping one another in their time of need. This morning at the National Situation Room in Canberra, I received a briefing on the work underway to help those affected by the floods… pic.twitter.com/TOsb9386i5.

Australian youth justice ‘persistently’ breaches human rights, inquiry told. A Senate inquiry is looking at Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system this morning, with advocacy groups pushing for national standards. Save the Children Australia’s CEO, Mat Tinkler, says standards should be developed and enforced to ensure the human rights of children are protected. The fact that state and territory governments persistently and systematically breach human rights in youth justice shows it is well past time for the federal government to step up.

Save the Children Australia is calling on the government to create a national taskforce and develop a 10-year strategy for national youth justice reform. We acknowledge the very real concerns around community safety – everyone has a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities – however all the available evidence suggests the current approach to the youth justice system is not working.

The committee is due to report back to parliament by 1 July. Energy reserves can meet south-eastern demand amid heatwave – Aemo. The Australian energy market operator (Aemo) says there are sufficient energy reserves to meet expected demand on Monday, with extremely hot temperatures forecasted in Adelaide (41C) and Melbourne (39C). It comes as one expert warns children are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, as they return to the classroom for the start of the school year.

You can read more about that here:. Greens campaign to ‘get billionaires out of politics’. The Greens are gearing up to take on Australian billionaires including Clive Palmer and Gina Rinehart in Queensland. Rightwing groups Advance Australia and Australians for Prosperity are also in their sights. The party says billionaires are spending big to influence the election results. Members will doorknock, fundraise and letterbox, and have rented billboards that say “get billionaires out of politics”, featuring Palmer, Rinehart and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.