diff --git a/bin/updates_available b/bin/updates_available
index 4397c6a0..7e65e15e 100755
--- a/bin/updates_available
+++ b/bin/updates_available
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ mycache="$DIR/$PKG.updates-available"
 [ -r $mycache ] && print_updates `grep "^[0-9]" $mycache | sed "s/ .*$//"`
 
 # Update the cache if necessary
-if [ "/var/lib/apt" -nt "$mycache" ] || [ "/var/lib/apt/lists" -nt "$mycache" ]; then
+if [ ! -e "$mycache" ] || [ "/var/lib/apt" -nt "$mycache" ] || [ "/var/lib/apt/lists" -nt "$mycache" ]; then
 	# If apt is newer than mycache, background an update now
 	update_cache "$mycache"
 fi
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index b22b54bd..bbf97f0d 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 byobu (2.35) unreleased; urgency=low
 
-  * UNRELEASED
+  * bin/updates_available: fix updates available, broken when updates
+    cache file does not exist, LP: #434736
 
- -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:30:19 -0700
+ -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:30:21 -0700
 
 byobu (2.34-0ubuntu1) karmic; urgency=low