Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the start of a cleanup operation in eastern Australia after record-breaking floods killed five people and stranded tens of thousands of people.

Around 50,000 people are still isolated, emergency services personnel said, as they look to ramp up efforts to supply essential supplies after weather conditions eased.

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian authorities started clean-up efforts on Saturday after floods claimed five lives and inundated more than 10,000 properties in the country's southeast. The New South Wales emergency services agency said damage assessments were under way in the state for the mid-north coast region after the floods that cut off towns,