Australia news live: Menindee given evacuation warning as Darling floods; Tony Burke to outline ‘ambitious’ arts policy

Good morning everyone, Mostafa Rachwani with you this morning from rainy Sydney, and ready to take you through the day’s news.

We begin in New South Wales, where the township of Menindee is expecting major flooding today as the Darling River threatens to swamp homes.

The State Emergency Service has issued an evacuation order for residents ahead of escape routes being cut off. We’ll bring you more as it comes in.

Elsewhere, we are expecting the arts minister, Tony Burke, to speak at the Woodford festival today, where he will be outlining the government’s “ambitious plans to stimulate the arts in Australia”.

The policy comes after the government spent six months consulting with artists and industry leaders, and is set for a formal launch in January.

We are also expecting Covid case numbers today, with some concern that Christmas may have brought a spike in case numbers or deaths, just as numbers have begun plateauing.

There is still much going on, so let’s dive in.