At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Doctors are sounding the alarm this spring, warning that wetter weather could bring a higher risk of “thunderstorm asthma” — and it’s not just people with asthma who need to worry. Eastern Australia, including Sydney and Melbourne, is expected to cop above-average rainfall between September and December. That means more grass pollen in the air. During thunderstorms, these tiny particles can break down and be blasted deep into people’s lungs — triggering asthma attacks, even in those who don’t usually suffer from asthma. We’ve seen just how dangerous this can be. Back in 2016, a thunderstorm asthma event in Victoria left hospitals and ambulances completely overwhelmed. Tragically, 10 people lost their lives. Health experts say everyone needs to be alert, not just asthmatics. “Thunderstorm asthma can affect people who have never experienced asthma symptoms before,” explained Dr Tony MacDermott. “Those people are less likely to have medication on hand, so it’s important to know what medical resources are available to you before something like this happens.” People with hayfever or grass pollen allergies are especially at risk. Dr MacDermott urged Australians with these conditions to take spring seriously: “We often see asthmatics struggling more at this time of year, which is why having a proactive conversation with your doctor can be the best medicine.” His advice is simple: if you have asthma — or any long-term health condition — make sure you’ve got a plan in place and the right support around you. Because when thunderstorm asthma strikes, being prepared can make all the difference. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. If you smoke in Australia, you’ve probably noticed your wallet feels a little lighter today. That’s because tobacco just got more expensive — again. From September 1, the tax on cigarettes has jumped by almost 10 cents per stick. That means a standard 20-pack now costs close to $30, with $28 of that price just going to tax. Yep, you’re basically paying the government every time you light up. But before you get too shocked, this isn’t exactly a surprise. By law, tobacco prices go up twice a year — every March and September — thanks to automatic increases in excise duty. This time around, the excise rose by 6.8 per cent. So here’s how it breaks down: The tax on a single cigarette (weighing up to 0.8 grams of tobacco) has climbed from $1.40 to $1.49. That pushes a 20-pack from $28.06 to $29.97. If you’re into roll-your-own or heavier tobacco products, the excise per kilo has surged from $2158.65 to $2397.31. That’s nearly $240 more per kilo. And this trend isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Back in 2013, the tax was around 46 cents per cigarette. Today? Almost $1.50. On top of that, since September 2023, there’s been an extra 5% annual increase locked in for three years. Another change is happening behind the scenes: the government is tweaking how it calculates roll-your-own tobacco to bring it in line with manufactured cigarettes. Basically, they’re reducing the "equivalisation weight" each year until 2026, which makes roll-your-own steadily pricier too. So whether it’s cigars, cigarettes, or snuff, the bottom line is the same — tobacco in Australia is only going to keep getting more expensive. And with no legal tobacco manufacturing happening locally, all of it comes in through imports, which means more customs duties piled onto the cost. If you’re a smoker, don’t expect relief anytime soon. Prices are going up, and they’ll keep climbing for years to come. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. Sri Lanka’s world-famous tourist spots are starting to lose their shine, not because of the beaches or heritage sites, but because of something far more basic – electricity. Frequent power cuts and broken streetlights are leaving major tourist areas in the dark at night, making roads unsafe and discouraging visitors from stepping out after sunset. Take Bentota-Moragolla, for example. It’s one of the country’s most popular coastal destinations, drawing thousands of visitors every year. But lately, entire stretches of road that connect hotels, restaurants, and entertainment spots have been left without lighting. For tourists unfamiliar with the area, wandering down a pitch-dark street feels unsafe – both in terms of accidents and personal security. The result? Many are choosing to stay indoors at night, and that’s hitting local businesses hard. Restaurants, cafés, and shops that rely on evening crowds are seeing fewer customers, which is a big blow for communities that depend on tourism. And it’s not just Bentota-Moragolla. Similar stories are coming in from other tourist hotspots across the island. The bigger picture here is that while Sri Lanka is pouring money into promoting its destinations abroad, on-the-ground issues like unreliable power and poor infrastructure are sending the opposite message to visitors once they arrive. This is a problem the country can’t afford to ignore. Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s most important industries, and with the nation depending on it for foreign exchange and jobs, even small lapses can create a ripple effect. A burnt-out streetlight might seem like a minor issue, but when multiplied across a region, it impacts visitor confidence, business earnings, and ultimately, the country’s reputation. Travelers today compare not just beaches and cultural sites, but also the overall experience. Competing destinations in Asia are offering seamless, safe, and convenient stays – so Sri Lanka can’t afford to fall behind. Safety and comfort matter just as much as natural beauty. Locals are also feeling the effects. Since communities share the same roads and infrastructure, residents too face dark and unsafe conditions. But while they may be used to adjusting, tourists see it as neglect – and those negative impressions often end up in reviews and blogs that influence other travelers’ choices. The solution? Experts say Sri Lanka needs a coordinated approach. Reliable electricity, well-lit tourist zones, and accountability from local authorities are essentials, not extras. Quick fixes like solar-powered streetlights or partnerships between local businesses and government could make an immediate difference while bigger upgrades are planned. At the end of the day, flashy tourism ads only work if the reality on the ground matches the promise. Sri Lanka still has everything it takes to be a top global destination – the natural beauty, culture, and hospitality are all there. But unless visitors feel safe and confident, those strengths won’t reach their full potential. In short, a safe and well-lit street isn’t just about convenience – it’s the backbone of a thriving tourism industry. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Thousands of Australians turned out for anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday — demonstrations that the federal government has slammed as hateful and linked to neo-Nazi groups. The “March for Australia” rallies were staged in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities, with organisers claiming mass migration is putting pressure on housing, wages, hospitals, infrastructure and even water supply. On social media, the group said they were doing “what mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” But the Labor government was quick to push back. Senior minister Murray Watt told the rallies were not about unity. “We don’t support rallies like this that are about spreading hate and dividing our community,” he said, adding that neo-Nazi groups were behind the events. Australia has one of the world’s most multicultural populations - half of all residents are either born overseas or have at least one parent born abroad. Authorities say that alongside this diversity, there’s also been a worrying rise in far-right extremism, including a string of antisemitic incidents since the Gaza war began last year. That’s led to new laws banning Nazi salutes and extremist symbols. In Sydney, crowds of between 5,000 and 8,000 people gathered draped in Australian flags, not far from the Sydney Marathon route where 35,000 runners were pounding the streets. Police deployed hundreds of officers but said the rally ended without major incident. Nearby, a counter-rally organised by the Refugee Action Coalition drew hundreds of people, with organisers saying their turnout showed “the depth of disgust at the far-right agenda.” In Melbourne, riot police were called in and pepper spray was reportedly used on protesters, while in Townsville, maverick MP Bob Katter made an appearance and was “swarmed by supporters,” according to local media. Back in Sydney, protester Glenn Allchin summed up his concerns in simple terms: “It’s about our country bursting at the seams. Our kids are struggling to get homes, hospitals have seven-hour waits, and our roads can’t cope - yet the government keeps bringing more people in.” Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. රාජ්‍ය පරිපාලන, පළාත් සභා සහ පළාත් පාලන අමාත්‍යාංශය, පැමිණීමේ අධීක්ෂණය සහ මෙහෙයුම් කාර්යක්ෂමතාව වැඩි දියුණු කිරීම සඳහා ජාතික පරිලෝකන වැඩසටහනක කොටසක් ලෙස සියලුම රාජ්‍ය ආයතනවල ඇඟිලි සලකුණු ස්කෑනිං පද්ධති ස්ථාපනය කිරීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇති බව නිවේදනය කර ඇත. අමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය චන්දන අබේරත්න මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාල ඇතුළු රජයේ කාර්යාල කිහිපයක ඇඟිලි සලකුණු ස්කෑනර් දැනටමත් ස්ථාපනය කර ඇති බවයි. සේවක පැමිණීමේ නිරීක්ෂණය විධිමත් කිරීම සහ රාජකාරියට වාර්තා කිරීමේදී අක්‍රමිකතා අවම කිරීම මෙම පියවරේ අරමුණයි. සේවක පැමිණීම් සහ පිටවීම් වාර්තා කිරීම සඳහා විනයගරුක සහ විනිවිද පෙනෙන පද්ධතියක් සහතික කිරීම මෙම මුලපිරීමේ මූලික අරමුණයි. ඊට අමතරව, පැමිණීමේ වාර්තාවලට අදාළ විෂමතා සහ අනිසි භාවිතය අවම කිරීමට එය උත්සාහ කරයි. More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. South Australia has been hammered by a severe storm this morning, with the State Emergency Service (SES) already fielding hundreds of calls for help. The wild weather has brought down trees across the state — including massive gums that have snapped in half, blocking roads and crushing homes. One Elizabeth resident said he heard a loud bang, only to walk outside and find his roof had collapsed onto the driveway and over his cars. Wind gusts have been fierce, reaching up to 130km/h in some areas, and the Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings as the powerful cold front continues to sweep through. And it’s not just South Australia in the firing line. Victoria and NSW are bracing for the same polar blast in the coming hours, with damaging winds, heavy showers and even snow set to roll in through the weekend. Across South Australia, gusts of 60km/h to 100km/h have been lashing communities this morning. Conditions are tipped to ease from the west later tonight, but the state’s Lower South East may see the wild weather linger into late evening. Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Renmark, Mount Gambier and Ceduna are among the areas most at risk. The Bureau has also issued a gale warning for a massive stretch of coastal waters, including Adelaide’s metro area — and the SES is urging people to keep their boats at home for the next few days. Meanwhile, large parts of Victoria, NSW, the ACT and Tasmania are also on alert for damaging winds, with a strengthening north-westerly airstream expected to whip up gusts of up to 100km/h, especially in higher areas. Heavy snowfalls and blizzard-like conditions are forecast for alpine regions — including the NSW Snowy Mountains (above 1400 metres) and Victoria’s Eastern Ranges (above 1200 metres). For the capitals, Adelaide is heading for a chilly top of 13°C, Melbourne 14°C, and Sydney a milder 21°C. But forecasters are warning the wind chill will make it feel a whole lot colder. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. The Albanese Government has issued a strong condemnation of "publicised events planned for the weekend," emphasizing its stance against hate and division within Australian society. A joint statement released by Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke MP and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Dr Anne Aly MP highlighted the government's commitment to safety, respect, and multiculturalism. Minister Burke stated there is "no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion," adding, "We stand with modern Australia against these rallies - nothing could be less Australian." Dr. Aly echoed these sentiments, asserting that "multiculturalism is an integral and valued part of our national identity." She further declared, "We stand with all Australians, no matter where they were born, against those who seek to divide us and who seek to intimidate migrant communities. We will not be intimidated." Dr. Aly concluded by stating that "this brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in modern Australia." The statement reinforces the government's position that all Australians, regardless of their heritage, have the right to feel safe and welcome in their community. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. 2025 වසරේ පළමු භාගයේදී කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ ඉඩම් වටිනාකම් තියුනු ලෙස ඉහළ ගොස් ඇති බවත්, පසුගිය වසරේ එම කාලයට සාපේක්ෂව ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකය (LVI) සියයට 11.4 කින් ඉහළ ගොස් ඇති බවත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව (CBSL) පවසයි. ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව (CBSL) සංඛ්‍යාලේඛන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවට අනුව,ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකය (LVI) හි උප දර්ශක තුන වන නේවාසික, වාණිජ සහ කාර්මික යන දෙකම වර්ධනයට දායක විය. ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව (CBSL) තවදුරටත් පැවසුවේ නේවාසික ඉඩම් වටිනාකම් සියයට 14.4 ක ඉහළම වාර්ෂික වැඩිවීමක් වාර්තා කළ බවත්, පසුව වාණිජ (සියයට 11.5) සහ කාර්මික (සියයට 8.4) ඇති බවත්ය. මේ අතර, ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකය (LVI) සහ එහි උප දර්ශක 2024 වසරේ දෙවන භාගයේ වාර්තා වූ අගයන්ට සාපේක්ෂව 2025 වසරේ පළමු භාගයේදී අර්ධ වාර්ෂික පදනමින් ඉහළ වේගයකින් ඉහළ ගොස් ඇති බවයි. මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන්, ඉඩම් තක්සේරු දර්ශකය (LVI) සහ එහි උප දර්ශක ඉහළම වැඩිවීමක් වාර්තා කළ අතර පසුව වාණිජ LVI ද වාර්තා කළේය. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Costco is about to give Melbourne’s southeast a serious boost, with plans for a massive $74 million warehouse and mega fuel station in Pakenham. Set to open in 2027, the site will sit on the corner of Greenhills and Koo Wee Rup roads, adding to Costco’s growing presence across Victoria. It joins the $118m flagship in Ardeer and existing stores in Ringwood, Epping and Moorabbin. Colliers Melbourne East director Gordon Code says Costco’s decision to move into Pakenham is a big statement about the retailer’s growth plans. “Costco is a destination retailer. People drive for miles to shop there. Once they lock in a site, the phone just lights up with businesses wanting to set up nearby,” he said. According to Mr Code, Pakenham was the standout choice after Costco considered multiple sites. “This one wins hands down. It’s got direct freeway access and even a natural gas connection — which matters when you’re baking, roasting and preparing food at Costco’s scale.” And the ripple effect is already starting. Colliers is fielding strong interest from businesses keen to piggyback off Costco’s presence. “Moorabbin is a great example. Costco anchors Goodman’s Chifley Business Park, and rents in that area are about 20% higher than anywhere else — that’s the halo effect,” Mr Code explained. The same thing happened in Ringwood, where commercial demand spiked after Costco opened in 2013, drawing national brands and bulky goods retailers chasing the guaranteed foot traffic. Docklands, which hosted Australia’s very first Costco back in 2009, became an anchor for the entire precinct before it closed this year. The site was sold for $100m and is now being transformed into a $92m medical hub — proof of Costco’s long-lasting impact on Melbourne’s property scene. Meanwhile, Ardeer has already cemented itself as the company’s Melbourne flagship. Opening in April with a huge 16,000sqm warehouse and the nation’s biggest Costco fuel station (38 pumps), the $118m site pulled in thousands on day one — along with some serious traffic jams. Despite the gridlock, Mr Code says the draw is undeniable. “I’d fully expect Pakenham to follow the same playbook. Costco’s arrival will turbocharge commercial property values across the precinct.” He added that the investment is a clear “vote of confidence” in Victoria at a time when global players are deciding their next moves. “Victoria offers a strong mix — sustained population growth, a deep consumer base and lower operating costs compared to Sydney. Global retailers like Costco don’t make these calls lightly. They see Melbourne growing eastward and outward, and they want to be right in the middle of it.” Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Sri Lankan community informed with timely updates. රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් ලබා ගැනීමට පැමිණෙන පුද්ගලයින් සඳහා වෛද්‍ය සහතික නිකුත් කිරීම සඳහා මාර්ගගත ක්‍රමයක් හඳුන්වා දීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇති බව වරාය හා සිවිල් ගුවන් සේවා නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය ජනිත රුවන් කොඩිතුවක්කු මහතා පවසයි. රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් ලබා ගැනීමට පැමිණෙන පුද්ගලයින් සඳහා මුද්‍රිත වෛද්‍ය සහතික නිකුත් කරන නුගේගොඩ පිහිටි ප්‍රවාහන වෛද්‍ය ආයතනයේ අක්‍රමිකතා රැසක් වාර්තා වී ඇති බැවින් මෙම තීරණය ගෙන ඇති බව නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යවරයා පැවසීය. මෙම ක්‍රමය බොහෝ අක්‍රමිකතාවලට හේතු වී ඇති බව තහවුරු වී ඇති බවත්, ඉදිරියේදී එවැනි ගැටළු අවම කිරීම සඳහා කඩිනම් පියවර ගන්නා බවත් නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය ජනිත රුවන් කොඩිතුවක්කු මහතා පැවසීය. වර්තමානයේ, නුගේගොඩ ජාතික ප්‍රවාහන වෛද්‍ය ආයතනය රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් සඳහා අයදුම් කරන පුද්ගලයින්ට මුද්‍රිත වෛද්‍ය සහතික නිකුත් කරයි. මෙම ක්‍රියාවලිය විනිවිදභාවයකින් තොර බවත් එය අක්‍රමිකතාවලට හේතු වී ඇති බවත් අනාවරණය වී ඇති බව ඔහු පැවසීය. නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය ජනිත රුවන් කොඩිතුවක්කු මහතා පැවසුවේ එහි ප්‍රතිඵලයක් ලෙස එවැනි ගැටළු අවම කිරීම සඳහා මාර්ගගත ක්‍රමයක් අනුගමනය කිරීමට තීරණය කර ඇති බවයි. “රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් කල් ඉකුත් වූ විට, එය අලුත් කිරීම සඳහා මිනිසුන්ට වේරහැරට පැමිණිය යුතුය. මෙය සැලකිය යුතු අපහසුතාවයක් ඇති කරයි. ඔවුන් පෞද්ගලිකව පැමිණිය යුතු එකම හේතුව ඇඟිලි සලකුණු ලබා දීමයි. ඉදිරි මාසයක පමණ කාලයක් තුළ, මෙම ක්‍රමය ද වෙනස් කිරීමට අපි බලාපොරොත්තු වෙමු, එවිට රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් අලුත් කිරීම වේරහැරට යාමෙන් තොරව පහසුවෙන් කළ හැකිය. මෙම නව ක්‍රියාවලිය සඳහා මූලික කටයුතු දැනටමත් ආරම්භ වී ඇත,” නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යවරයා පැවසීය. ප්‍රවාහන, මහාමාර්ග, වරාය සහ සිවිල් ගුවන් සේවා අමාත්‍යාංශය යටතේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වන මෝටර් රථ ප්‍රවාහන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ වේරහැර ශාඛාවේ නිරීක්ෂණ චාරිකාවකදී ඔහු මෙම අදහස් පළ කළේය. ඩිජිටල් ආර්ථිකය පිළිබඳ නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය එරංග වීරරත්න ද මෙම නිරීක්ෂණ චාරිකාවට සහභාගී විය. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. ඒකාබද්ධ ඇඟලුම් සංගම් සංසදය (JAAF) පවසන්නේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඇඟලුම් අපනයන 2025 ජූලි මාසයේදී ස්ථාවර වර්ධනයක් වාර්තා කළ බවත්, එය 2024 ජූලි මාසයේදී ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 414.38 සිට 9.84% කින් ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 455.16 දක්වා ඉහළ ගොස් ඇති බවත්ය. නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් ඒකාබද්ධ ඇඟලුම් සංගම් සංසදය (JAAF) පැවසුවේ (එක්සත් රාජධානිය හැර) යුරෝපා සංගමයට අපනයනය 26.69% ක ශක්තිමත්ම වර්ධනයක් වාර්තා කළ බවත්, “වෙනත්” වෙළඳපොළවල් වෙත නැව්ගත කිරීම් 24.24% කින් වර්ධනය වූ බවත්ය. එක්සත් රාජධානියේ වෙළඳපොළ 0.72% ක සුළු වැඩිවීමක් පමණක් දුටු අතර, ඇමරිකා එක්සත් ජනපදයට අපනයන මාසය තුළ 2.7% කින් පහත වැටුණු බව එය තවදුරටත් පැවසීය. 2025 ජනවාරි සිට ජූලි දක්වා සමුච්චිත කාලය සඳහා, මුළු ඇඟලුම් අපනයන ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 2,916.10 ක් වූ අතර එය 2024 එම කාලය තුළ ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 2,673.19 සිට 9.09% කින් ඉහළ ගොස් ඇත. වෙළඳපොළ පුරා වර්ධනය පුළුල් ලෙස පදනම් වූ අතර, යුරෝපා සංගමයට (එක්සත් රාජධානිය හැර) අපනයන 18.2% කින්, “වෙනත්” වෙළෙඳපොළවලට 11.02% කින්, එක්සත් රාජධානියට 5.65% කින් සහ ඇමරිකා එක්සත් ජනපදයට 2.91% කින් ඉහළ ගියේය. කාර්ය සාධනය පිළිබඳව අදහස් දක්වමින් ඒකාබද්ධ ඇඟලුම් සංගම් සංසදයේ (JAAF) ප්‍රකාශකයෙක් මෙසේ පැවසීය: “2025 ජූලි මාසයේ සහ මුල් මාස හත තුළ දක්නට ලැබුණු වර්ධනය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඇඟලුම් කර්මාන්තයේ අනුවර්තනය වීමේ හැකියාව සහ EU වැනි ප්‍රධාන වෙළෙඳපොළවල එහි ස්ථිර ස්ථානය ඉස්මතු කරයි. වේගය, ගුණාත්මකභාවය සහ අනුකූලතාව පිළිබඳ ගැනුම්කරුවන්ගේ අපේක්ෂාවන් සපුරාලීමට නිෂ්පාදකයින්ගේ අඛණ්ඩ උත්සාහයන් මෙම කාර්ය සාධනය පිළිබිඹු කරයි. ගම්‍යතාවය පවත්වා ගැනීම සඳහා පුළුල් වෙළඳ අවස්ථා, සහායක ප්‍රතිපත්ති සහ සැපයුම් දාමය හරහා අගය එකතු කිරීම කෙරෙහි ශක්තිමත් අවධානයක් අවශ්‍ය වනු ඇත.” More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A monster blizzard is on the way for south-eastern Australia this week, with forecasters warning it could bring the heaviest snowfalls of the season. Alpine regions in NSW and Victoria are expected to take the biggest hit, but even lower-lying areas could see snow flurries and powerful winds, according to Weatherzone. Ski resorts have already had a taste of what’s coming. Earlier this week, winds topping 80km/h forced lift closures at Thredbo and Mount Hotham. Those gusts are set to strengthen to around 100km/h as a cold front pushes through the mountains today — and again on Friday when a second system moves in. The extreme conditions are being fuelled by icy polar air sweeping in from the Great Australian Bight. Snow is likely to fall across the NSW Central Tablelands, west of Sydney, as well as large stretches of Victoria north of Melbourne. From late Thursday into Friday, snow is expected down to about 1000 metres, but by early Saturday, the polar blast could drop the snow line as low as 500 metres. Sports fans in Canberra will no doubt remember the famous 2000 clash between the Raiders and the Wests Tigers, when the teams played through blizzard-like conditions. With the same two sides meeting again this Saturday, there’s already chatter about history repeating itself. Forecasters, though, say the worst of the snow should clear by the 3pm kick-off — though it will still be freezing, with a chance of the odd flurry. For the ski industry, the late-season snow is good news, with the potential to stretch the season into late September or even October. But motorists are being urged to take care, with treacherous road conditions expected not only in alpine regions but further afield too. Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .