MON 14 DEC: Wild weather lashes Byron's famous beach - a podcast by ABC Radio

Wild weather has emergency crews on alert from northern New South Wales to Queensland's Fraser Coast. Three days of heavy rain have triggered flooding... strong winds have caused property damage ... and high tides have washed away beaches, including in Byron Bay.

Also on the program:

* The bushfire that ravaged Queensland's World Heritage Listed Fraser Island has been tamed by rain... but there's concern the return of tourists... could hamper the environmental recovery from the blaze.

* The European Union has announced a bloc-wide co-ordinated rollout of COVID vaccinations, but it's unclear when it will start and who will be first in line for the job.

* Operation Warp Speed to distribute vaccines in the US has begun, but there are huge logistical and ethical challenges; we speak to a leading public health researcher.

* The Federal government will be paying a Victorian smelter to use less energy in a bid to stop any potential blackouts over summer.

* And... the death of John Le Carré - the real-life spook who turned espionage into page-turning spy novels.

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