1. 35,000 evacuated as Sydney suburb battles fourth flood this year.

35,000 people have evacuated their homes and a natural disaster has been declared in 23 communities, as Sydney braces for more flooding.

The SES carried out 61 flood rescues overnight after a new mum and her six-week-old baby were rescued from Gronos Pointon on Sunday.

With significant rainfall over many catchments in the past three days, some areas are expected to approach or exceed flood levels from March 2021, and March and April of this year.

About 100 millimetres of rain could fall in the next 24 hours stretching from Newcastle to southern Sydney.

Camden, in Sydney's far southwest, has received 197.4 mm for the month to date, with residents enduring their fourth flood this year already.

Meanwhile, the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond may remain around 14m until this morning, with major flooding expected.

FLOOD EMERGENCY: A natural disaster has been declared in 23 communities as intense rain lashes the city. Thousands have now been evacuated from their homes as flood waters isolate suburbs and threaten lives. #9Today pic.twitter.com/Q4c5nZiLB1
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) July 4, 2022

Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt, said the federal and New South Wales governments were working together to ensure affected areas get financial and other assistance as soon as possible.

"We have seen some of these impacted communities being hit by floods for a third and fourth time in 18 months, which is extremely distressing to the residents," Senator Watt said.

Assistance provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements has been announced for 23 LGAs, including Camden, Hawkesbury, Penrith, Blue Mountains, The Hills and Wollongong.

The prime minister, who is expected to arrive in Australia today after travelling to Ukraine, will visit flood devastated communities in NSW on Wednesday.

2. Lyn Dawson set husband up, court told.

Lynette Dawson allegedly made a deliberate decision to leave home in 1982 without taking any belongings to make it seem like her husband had killed her, a court has been told.

Giving evidence in Chris Dawson's murder trial yesterday, Paul Steven Cooper said he had met a woman he was sure was Lynette early in 1982 at a pub in Warners Bay, in Lake Macquarie.

Cooper claimed to have struck up a conversation with the woman who said she had left her husband and children, and was working up the courage to see her sister.

Telling the woman that the police might think she had been killed by her husband because she had left all her belongings, Cooper said he was shocked by the response.

"When I looked back at her, she had a different demeanour at that time and it shocked me because I thought that might have been the intent," he told Justice Ian Harrison.

Image: AAP.

Cooper claimed the woman was waiting for a passport and was planning to fly first to Bali and then onto another overseas country. She allegedly asked Cooper to book a motel for her because she had no identification.

Cross-examined by crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC, Cooper admitted that he had spent time in prison for possessing cannabis and heroin, armed robbery, theft, and break and enter. He had also appeared before court for breaching apprehended violence orders.

Dawson, now 73, is accused of murdering his wife and disposing of her body on January 9, 1982. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

3. Aged care home where 45 people died from COVID-19, charged.

A Melbourne aged care home where 45 people died from COVID-19 has been charged by the workplace safety watchdog, but some family members believe managers should be jailed.

WorkSafe Victoria announced yesterday it has charged St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Victoria with nine breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

It alleges that in July 2020, after the home was notified a worker tested positive to COVID-19, St Basil's failed to require workers to wear personal protective equipment.

It also allegedly failed to train workers how to safely don and remove protective equipment, to verify that staff were competent using it, tell staff when it should be used and supervise its use.

St Basil’s Homes for the Aged has been charged by WorkSafe with failing to provide a safe working environment for its staff and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://t.co/f8v8EoHFgf
— The Age (@theage) July 4, 2022

Ninety-four residents and the same number of staff tested positive for COVID-19, with 45 people subsequently dying of complications from the virus.

The maximum penalty for each of St Basil's alleged offences is a fine of $1.49 million.

4. Australia removes tariffs on Ukraine goods.

Taxes on Ukrainian goods being imported into Australia have been scrapped following Anthony Albanese's tour of the war-torn nation.

The prime minister visited the towns of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel on Sunday, before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the capital Kyiv.

President @ZelenskyyUa has shown bravery and leadership emblematic of his people in the face of Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion. My visit to Ukraine sends a clear message that democratic nations like Australia will stand with the Ukrainian people in their time of need. pic.twitter.com/lHVPJvPx7y
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 4, 2022

The federal government pledged an extra $99.5 million in military aid, in addition to the previously announced $285 million package which included 40 Bushmasters and artillery pieces.

Trade Minister Don Farrell announced the measure would come into immediate effect on Sunday, with tariffs removed for 12 months for goods produced or manufactured in Ukraine.

5. 'Rooftop shooter' kills six at US parade

Six people have been killed and at least 24 injured after a man with a high-powered rifle opened fire at a Fourth of July parade, likely from a rooftop, in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, police say.

Police said they were searching for a white male about 18 to 20 years old and asked the public for tips and mobile phone images and surveillance video to help find him.

"We are aggressively looking for the individual responsible," sheriff's department spokesman Christopher Covelli told journalists. "He could be in the city; he could be somewhere else."

At least six people are dead after a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park ended in gunfire. The shooter is still at large.

Read more: https://t.co/2YfmwvRaND pic.twitter.com/rLY8xGdZAK
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 4, 2022

The shooting comes with gun violence fresh on the minds of many in the United States after a massacre on May 24 killed 19 school children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and the May 14 attack that killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.

"Jill and I are shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

"I have spoken to Governor Pritzker and Mayor Rotering, and have offered the full support of the federal government to their communities. I also surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter."

That's everything you need to know this morning. We'll be back with more of the top news stories throughout the day.

- With AAP.

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