A sinkhole roughly 8–10 m wide and several metres deep has opened on the AJ Burkitt Reserve sporting oval in Heidelberg, directly adjacent to the North East Link tunnel alignment in Melbourne’s northeast. Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority has confirmed the “surface hole” is in the vicinity of active tunnelling operations, leading to a work pause while engineers and emergency crews carry out geotechnical investigations and monitoring. No injuries or structural damage have been reported, but the area remains fully cordoned off pending cause determination and stability assessment.

BHP has been denied permission by London’s Court of Appeal to challenge a High Court ruling that found it liable under Brazilian law for the 2015 Fundão tailings dam collapse at the Samarco iron ore operation in Mariana, which killed 19 people and contaminated the Rio Doce for hundreds of kilometres. The decision clears the way for a two-year UK damages process, with a Stage 2 compensation trial scheduled for April 2027 and final awards potentially extending beyond 2030. BHP points to a roughly $32 billion Brazil settlement and remediation programmes that have already compensated more than 625,000 people, with about 240,000 claimants discontinuing UK claims after indemnification in Brazil.

Flood and coastal defence assets are facing mounting maintenance backlogs as ageing embankments, culverts and sea walls are exposed to more frequent, higher-intensity storm events. Experts warn that current operational budgets and short funding cycles prevent timely renewal of critical structures such as tidal barriers, pumping stations and flap valves, increasing failure risk under extreme water levels. They call for a shift from reactive patch repairs to long-term, whole-life asset management with multi-year funding settlements to support planned inspections, resilience upgrades and adaptive design.