Australia news live: new Sydney Harbour pool slated to open in summer; AusAlert warning test to blare siren across phones nationally

Sydney’s latest harbour swimming pool, on the banks of Callan Park in Lilyfield, will open for swimmers this summer, the state government says, with construction now under way. The new tidal baths on the Iron Cove foreshore, along the popular Bay Run and close to sports fields like Leichhardt Oval and King George Park, is expected to attract thousands to the southern banks of the Parramatta River. Demolition work has also started on nine unsafe buildings in Callan park “which were neglected for so long that they have become not only an eyesore but a safety hazard”, the Minns government said on Monday. “The removal of these long cordoned off buildings will unlock central parts of Callan Park, delivering the equivalent of two football fields of green space back to free community use,” the government said in a statement. The baths will include a shark net, a fixed jetty, a pontoon, and an accessible pathway and ramp into the water. Construction of the new tidal baths was expected to take six months, meaning it should open for summer 2026. The building demolition in Callan park was also expected to be completed by the end of this year.