Peter Dutton has defended his decision to leave Brisbane while South-East Queensland was preparing for Topical Cyclone Alfred to attend a billionaire's fundraiser in Sydney, saying it was "not a party".

Severe flooding of their training venue forces Gold Coast to relocate to Sydney for the week ahead of their NRL season opener against Canterbury, while the Brisbane Lions will head south for sunnier conditions too.

Merv Birt has survived cyclones up north, and the devastating floods that swept through Brisbane in 1974, 2011 and 2022. But Alfred was different.

Multiple emergency alerts are in place across Queensland as large bursts of rain and severe thunderstorms continue across the state's south-east and northern New South Wales.

As ex-Cyclone Alfred moves inland, track rainfall totals and wind speeds at key locations in the cyclone zone.

Multiple suburbs across south-east Queensland are facing a flood emergency on Monday as the effects of ex tropical cyclone Alfred continue to wreak havoc in the state.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia's Queensland state were without power on Sunday after Alfred, a downgraded tropical cyclone, brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings.

Brisbane is a subtropical city of more than 2.5 million people, situated on a flood-prone river. That’s why residents mustn’t get complacent after Cyclone Alfred.

This is the sting in Alfred’s tail. These storms are drawing down very warm, moist air from the Coral Sea in the north. If you happen to be under one of these slow-moving thunderstorms, they are getting ready to dump a lot of rain. The situation is very volatile, as the atmosphere is very unstable.

South East Queensland and northern NSW continue to experience rain and flooding in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Follow our ongoing coverage.

Travellers in southeast Queensland are breathing a sigh of relief as Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast airports have reopened after Cyclone Alfred. “We’re open and flights are resuming, but expect some delays and cancellations as weather conditions continue to affect operations,” Brisbane Airport said.

Politicians of all stripes have cashed in on the extreme weather in the northern state, but the treasurer was the standout.