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As many as one in four Australian children are missing out on bedtime stories because of their time-poor parents, research has found.

While nearly three in four parents believe the night time ritual offers an important bonding experience and helps them connect, a quarter of Aussie kids are only read to once a week - or not at all, according to the Oxford Children's Language Australia study.

Three out of four parents in the 1000-strong survey said they struggled to find time to read with their primary school-aged kids.

More than half also said they were nervous about reading to their child because of their own reading abilities.

But as a result, children are missing out on vital skills that could disadvantage them later in life, says a concerned Lee Walker, director of publishing at Oxford University Press.

"It's not just the advancement of literacy and communication skills bedtime reading provides to children, it also provides a special moment at the end of each day where parents and children can bond," she said.

"It's worrying that these moments are currently being lost across Australia because parents are struggling to find the time in their everyday routine."

Expert literacy educator, Annie Facchinette, says reading with a child doesn't have to be an arduous task - it could be as simple as reading the shopping list, road signs or posters on a walk.

Siblings can also help read to each other, if there is insufficient time for parents to, and nervous mums and dads might benefit from doing a practise run to familiarise themselves with trickier words and expressions, she says.

But the benefits of daily story times are innumerable.

"It shows your child you value reading and helps them become better and more confident readers," Ms Facchinette says.

"It also increases their vocabulary, opens them up to new ideas and is great bonding time for parents and their children.

"Make it a habit you both look forward to."

© AAP 2022

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A watershed trade deal with India will ensure Australian exporters have access to one of the world's largest economies, the prime minister says.

The deal, signed on Saturday, will see tariffs eliminated on more than 85 per cent of Australian goods exported to India, currently worth more than $12 billion a year.

Some 96 per cent of Indian goods entering Australia will also be made duty-free.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said many countries have tried to do business with India, but only Australia has been able to secure an agreement.

"We are opening the biggest door to one of the biggest economies in the world," Mr Morrison told reporters on Saturday.

"It unlocks significant opportunities for Australia ... whether it's in berries or whether it's in wool. They're all real benefits."

Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal signed off on the deal in a virtual ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the call, crediting former prime minister Tony Abbott for accelerating the deal as Mr Morrison's special trade envoy to India.

"This is truly a watershed moment for our bilateral relations," he said.

Mr Morrison phoned in from Launceston in Tasmania, describing Mr Modi as a close friend and India as a like-minded democracy.

As part of the deal, tariffs on products such as sheep meat and wool will be eliminated straight away, while tariffs for products like avocados, onions, nuts and fruits will be phased out over the next seven years.

Tariffs on wine will also be reduced, while the resources sector will see tariffs on products like coal and metallic ores eliminated on entry.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said while Labor was not consulted on the agreement, the party welcomed it.

"I welcome a deepening of that relationship and it would be very much a focus of a government I lead," he said.

Two-way trade between Australia and India is currently valued at more than $24 billion.

Negotiations on the Australian-India economic cooperation and trade agreement had been ongoing for more than a decade, with the first round of talks between the countries taking place in 2011.

The Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network said the deal should be independently evaluated.

"As usual the text is only being released after signing and the devil will be in the detail. There will be no parliamentary scrutiny until after the election," AFTINET Convenor Dr Patricia Ranald said.

But Mr Tehan said the deal was a "significant win" for Australian exporters.

"We get access to the largest, fastest growing economy in the world," he told the ABC on Saturday morning.

"By tying our two economies together, it does help provide an important ballast for the geo-strategic competition we are seeing in the Indo-Pacific.

"The more we can tie ourselves with India... the better for our long-term future and the better for stability in the Indo-Pacific."

In addition, the trade deal is set to benefit the education and tourism sectors.

Both countries will recognise each other's professional qualifications, licensing and registration procedures, while 1000 working holiday places will be set aside for Indian residents within two years as part of new measures.

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A historic trade deal with India will ensure Australian exporters have access to one of the world's largest economies, the prime minister says.

The deal, to be signed on Saturday, will see tariffs eliminated on more than 85 per cent of Australian goods exported to India, currently worth more than $12 billion a year.

Meanwhile, 96 per cent of Indian goods entering Australia will be duty-free.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said many countries have tried to do business with India, but only Australia has been able to secure an agreement.

"We are opening the biggest door to one of the biggest economies in the world," Mr Morrison told reporters on Saturday.

"It unlocks significant opportunities for Australia... whether it's in berries or whether it's in wool. They're all real benefits.

"This is a sensible and great deal in Australia's interests and India's interests."

Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal will sign off on the deal in a virtual ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

As part of the deal, tariffs on products such as sheep meat and wool will be eliminated straight away, while tariffs for products like avocados, onions, nuts and fruits will be phased out over the next seven years.

Tariffs on wine will also be be reduced, while the resources sector will see tariffs on products like coal and metallic ores eliminated on entry.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said while the Labor party was not consulted on the agreement, it was welcome.

"It's a very sophisticated economy, they are world leaders in information technology ... manufacturing, pharmaceuticals," Mr Albanese told reporters on Saturday.

"I welcome a deepening of that relationship and it would be very much a focus of a government I lead."

Two-way trade between Australia and India is currently valued at more than $24 billion.

Negotiations on the Australian-India economic cooperation and trade agreement had been ongoing for more than a decade, with the first round of talks between the countries taking place in 2011.

The Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network said the deal should be independently evaluated.

"As usual the text is only being released after signing and the devil will be in the detail," AFTINET Convenor Dr Patricia Ranald said.

"There will be no parliamentary scrutiny until after the election."

But Mr Tehan said the deal was a "significant win" for Australian exporters.

"We get access to the largest, fastest growing economy in the world," he told the ABC on Saturday morning.

"By tying our two economies together, it does help provide an important ballast for the geo-strategic competition we are seeing in the Indo-Pacific.

"The more we can tie ourselves with India... the better for our long-term future and the better for stability in the Indo-Pacific."

The trade deal is also set to benefit the education and tourism sectors.

Both countries will recognise each other's professional qualifications, licensing and registration procedures.

Australian services suppliers across more than 30 sectors will be assured of receiving the best treatment by India in relation to any other trade deal India enters into.

Indian residents will also have new access to working holidays in Australia, having 1000 places set aside, with the federal government having two years to implement the measure.

© AAP 2022

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Byron Shire's deputy mayor says locals had little warning about the damaging conditions that flooded the region for the second time in a month earlier this week.

Sarah Ndiayae has praised the support offered so far by the state and federal governments but says the poor preparation was the result of Canberra's cuts to publicly funded agencies like the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology.

"They [the Bureau] removed the flood warning from Mullumbimby and said that the weather had cleared so a lot of our community were caught out," Cr Ndiayae said.

"That was really a shock to people. It was really hard to take after everything we've gone through and there's been so many conversations about where the system failed us in the first place."

She said the community was both exhausted by the double floods and buoyed by the cooperative spirit between people.

The Mullumbimby high school teacher said the area desperately needed short-term to long-term housing fixes as the Easter holidays approached and flood refugees would be forced out of short-term stays.

Her school would remain open but there were others across the region that would be forced to shut, adding even more disruption to the lives of young students who had already lived through two years of COVID-19.

"I'm really worried about my community and how we're going to fare over the next little while," Cr Ndiayae said.

Windy weather and high tides are forecast for NSW over the first weekend of April after record rainfall last month.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued weather warnings for damaging winds affecting southern and central parts of the state on Saturday, along with hazardous surf and abnormally high tides, as residents in the north rebuild again as flood levels recede.

Emergency crews are still working across the state with the State Emergency Service performing six flood rescues in the 24 hours up to 5am this morning.

The agency also received 468 calls for help over that period.

Moderate to heavy rainfalls are likely along the south coast but exact amounts will depend on the movement of the Tasman low pressure system.

But the winds will ease on Sunday as the low moves further south, with Sydney expected to be sunny for a few days next week.

Lismore Council is advising residents not to travel to the city's CBD to allow the SES to remove hazardous materials.

The Council said a one-stop shop recovery centre for flood victims helping with accommodation, providing financial assistance and offering mental health services will reopen following the latest round of floods.

© AAP 2022