It says temperatures are already hitting record levels originally not thought likely until 2030.

“The southeast of Australia, including many of our largest centres, stands out as being at increased risk from many extreme weather events – heatwaves, bushfires, heavy rainfall and sea-level rise,” states the report, titled The Critical Decade, Extreme Weather.

Key food-growing regions in southeast and southwest Australia would also face more drought, says the federal government report, written by professors Will Steffen, Lesley Hughes and David Karoly.

Their review found that sea levels had risen 20cm since the 1800s and were rising at 3mm a year, creating higher storm surges; record surface water temperatures had occurred off Australia’s east coast for the past three years; the annual number of record hot days had doubled since the 1960s, and ecosystems were under threat.

“The Australian heatwave of the summer of 2012-2013 was exceptional for its extent and for its intensity (and) affected 70 per cent of Australia,” it states.

“Temperature records were set in every state and territory and the national average daily temperature reached levels never previously observed.”

And the countervailing piece:

More spin from the Climate Commission