Turnbull steadies ship of state as the year ends in sunshine

Warm weather but little sun expected on the New Year weekend.

Malcolm Turnbull goes on the harbour for a year-ending frolic yesterday. Picture: Matrix

Malcolm Turnbull should enjoy his Christmas dinghy while he can because his security detail will not want the nation’s leader going out on the harbour on New Year’s Eve.

The Prime Minister was seen yesterday in casual attire on a dock near his Point Piper mansion before setting sail as Sydney ­experienced clear skies and a top of 24C.

The New Year’s Eve forecast for Mr Turnbull’s Sydney neighbourhood is for showers across the day — less than ideal boating conditions for a Prime Minister trying to steady the ship.

Mr Turnbull is one of the few recent prime ministers to holiday at home. John Howard spent his summers at Hawks Nest on the NSW coast and Tony Abbott took the family to Europe in his first Christmas as prime minister. Julia Gillard spent her inaugural summer as our first female leader at her parents’ house in suburban Adelaide.

The Sydney forecast for a humid New Year’s Eve, with a top of 23C and humidity at 50 per cent, is forecast to be the norm across the major capital cities with Brisbane, Darwin and Melbourne all expected to have humidity levels nearing 50 per cent or more.

Melbourne will be slightly cloudy with a top of 26C, which will be a slight cooler change after a warm day yesterday and again today.

Princess Mary in the surf at Orford, Tasmania, yesterday. Picture: Luke Bowden

Brisbane will welcome 2018 with a warm day followed by a thunderstorm with a top of 31C and barely any relief with a low of 22C during the night.

Adelaide’s beaches are likely to be full for the final day of the year with a sunny forecast and a top of 24C, while Perth will be warm but cloudy with a top of 32C.

While Darwin’s wet season will continue with scattered thunderstorms on New Year’s Eve with a top of 33 and humidity at 60 per cent. Tasmanians will see clouds and a top of 25 on New Year’s Eve.

Yesterday’s clouds did not stop Princess Mary of Denmark ­enjoying the surf at Orford, northeast of Hobart, with the Australian-born royal seen frolicking at the beach with her husband, Crown Prince Frederik.

 

The new year will ring in greater concerns about heat safety. The Victorian government launched its strategy yesterday to deal with the possible summer onslaught of fires, heatstroke and blackouts.

Victoria’s Acting Health Minister, Jenny Mikakos, said the state had been ensured by the ­national energy market regulator that it had enough power in the grid to outlast any heatwave after experiencing the second-hottest ­Nov­ember on record.

But she warned heatstroke could be on the rise as the state government implemented a heat health alert.

There is a larger fear of grass fires this year after a wet spring saw green grass growing below the soil but a lot of dead grass adding to the potentially flammable load.